BH | Studio Nérac Open-Back Dining Chair

The mid-century dining chair was shaped by new ways of bending and moulding wood, which let makers curve a single shell into a seat and back that held the body. An open back, a cut-out between seat and backrest, was a favourite device of the era: it lightens the look of a chair and gives a hand somewhere to pull it from the table.

This chair has a bentwood shell that curves from seat to back and holds the body gently, with an open cut-out in between that makes it easy to grip and draw out from the table. It is upholstered in a soft, hard-wearing woven fabric over dense foam padding, comfortable through a long dinner. Four slim legs of stainless steel in a matte dark finish, tapered and splayed, give it a wide, steady footing, and it is rated to hold 331 lbs.

It works around a dining table for daily meals and dinners, and alone at a desk in a bedroom or home office, where a pale chair keeps the space light. Oyster or Stone suits a bright dining room with a white table and a bowl of pears, and the weave sits well with brass, warm wood and soft, blush-toned art. This listing is for one chair.