Dinard Channel Chair

Channelling is the reason this chair takes as long as it does. The flutes are not pressed into a foam shell or topstitched onto a flat panel — each one is a separate compartment, filled by hand and closed along its own seam, then the next is worked beside it. A back this size carries thirteen, and every one has to finish at the same width at the crest and the same width at the seat or the eye catches it immediately.

The difficulty is that the flutes run around a curve. They are wider at the top than at the bottom and they fan as they climb, so each compartment is cut to its own pattern rather than repeated from one template. The two at the outer edges turn through the arm and have to keep their line while doing it.

Underneath is a kiln-dried hardwood frame, corner-blocked and doweled, with the back built over a shaped laminated shell so the barrel holds its radius. The seat sits on a webbed platform with a single deep cushion — a high-resilience core wrapped in a down-and-fiber blend, loose and reversible.

The plinth is solid walnut, mitered at the corners and stepped in slightly from the upholstery above it, with four short hand-shaped feet below. The step is what keeps a heavy chair from looking like it is sitting on a box: it puts a shadow line between the cloth and the wood.

Upholstery is cut and fitted by hand to each frame. Welting is self-cut on the bias and run along the top edge and the seat line, and the channels are set out from the centre of the back outward so the middle flute lands on the centre line.

Vacuum on a low setting with a soft brush, working along the channels rather than across them, and rotate the seat cushion every few weeks. Lift the pile gently with a soft brush if it flattens. Dust the plinth with a dry cloth. Keep the chair out of direct sun, which will lighten walnut and fade upholstery over time.

Full guidance for every material we use is on the Care & Materials page.

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