BH | Studio Shaftesbury Curved-Arm Dining Chairs, Set of 2

In English dining rooms of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the chairs with arms were kept for the head and foot of the table, where the host sat to carve, and they are still called carvers. A low, sloping arm keeps that sense of occasion while letting the chair slide close to the table.

Each chair has a softly scooped back that sweeps down into low arms, a comfortable place for elbows between courses, built on a wood and plywood frame with dense foam padding. The upholstery is a stain-resistant performance velvet, cut-pile and gently lustrous, in Chambray or Pewter that stands up to everyday dining. Slim stainless steel legs in brushed brass splay outward to non-marking caps, and a brass pull on each back makes them easy to draw out.

Use the pair at the ends of a long table, with plainer chairs along the sides, or set them at a small round table in a city apartment for two. Away from the table they suit a dressing table, a home office desk, an entryway or a bedroom window. Either shade looks lovely with white-and-gold china, pale wood, a botanical wallpaper and hydrangeas in a silver bowl. This listing is for a set of two chairs.