BH | Studio Southwold Woven-Seat Dining Chairs, Set of 2

Chairs with seats woven from rush or cord have been made in country workshops across Europe for centuries. Light, strong and easy to mend, the woven-seat side chair furnished farmhouse kitchens from Provence to New England, and it has never really gone out of use.

Here the form is pared back to a square frame of hardwood in a choice of finishes, with stretchers bracing the legs low down for a rigid, steady chair that takes daily use. The seat and the broad back panel are woven from twisted paper cord, a natural, straw-coloured fibre that is firm to sit on yet gives a little, and it brings a texture to the table that a plain chair cannot. Each chair is rated to hold 330 lbs, and plastic glides under every foot protect the floor.

Pull the pair up to a scrubbed kitchen table for breakfast, or set them either side of a round table in a sunroom with a jug of garden flowers. Away from the table they make handsome accent chairs in a living room, one either side of a console or a fireplace. Against the frame the weave stands out in warm relief, so they look striking in a coastal house with white plank walls, linen curtains, a black iron pendant and a bowl of sea-smoothed stones. This listing is for a set of two chairs.