BH | Studio Vadstena Curved Accent Chairs, Set of 2

The tub chair, whose rounded back curls forward to become the arms, goes back to the gondola chairs of early nineteenth-century Europe, a shape Sweden's Karl Johan style of the same years embraced too. Swedish designers returned to small, enclosing seats in the mid-twentieth century as homes grew more compact, and the form holds you comfortably without taking up much room.

These small chairs have a padded back rail that curves round in a half circle, open below so the shape stays light, above a plush round seat cushion upholstered in a soft fabric in Mushroom or Charcoal. Four cylindrical wooden legs in a warm mid-brown give them a sturdy, grounded stance, and non-marking pins under the feet keep floors free of scratches. They are rated to hold 500 lbs and need assembly.

Place the pair either side of a little tea table in a window, with coffee and the crossword, or use them as extra seating in a living room where an armchair would be too big. They pull up to a dining table just as easily when guests come. Soft fabric and warm wood suit a mid-century room with a teak sideboard, a ceramic lamp and a cream wool rug. This listing is for a set of two chairs.