Mirabel Linen Button-Back Chair — In Clay

There's a particular kind of French country chair that has never quite gone out of style, mostly because it never much cared to be in it. This is one of those: a low, round-backed tub chair from the old provincial-manor tradition, from a time when carved detail and gently curved legs were simply how a chair got made, not a decision anyone stood around debating.

The enclosing back curves right the way round into softly scrolled, carved arms, its deep buttoning drawn into a neat diamond across the linen before the whole thing eases into a plush, piped seat. Below, the frame is carved just where the eye lands: a scrolled shell at the centre of the front, and knees that taper into curved legs finishing in a small scroll at the foot. All of it is a pale, weathered limed wood that looks as though it has taken a good century of afternoon light, dressed in a natural linen with just enough texture to feel already lived-in.

Set it at a dressing table, in a bedroom corner, or anywhere a room wants a quiet, comfortable seat with a bit of history. It has the ease of a cherished antique and the manners to go anywhere.