Marno Dining Chair

The Marno Dining Chair from Four Hands is a side chair that cares more about its silhouette than most dining chairs bother to. A tall, shield-shaped back rises from a rounded seat, and both are upholstered in a sand-colored boucle with a soft, nubby hand. Brown piping traces the outline of the back and seat, so the shape reads clearly from across the room. Slim solid nettlewood legs carry it, with plastic glides underneath to protect the floor.

Under the cover, the seat is built on webbing with a foam pad wrapped in polyester batting, and the frame is joined with mortise and tenon, tongue and groove, and screwed pocket joints. The legs keep the natural grain and tonal variation of nettlewood, so no two chairs look exactly alike. The cream boucle and warm wood sit comfortably in a soft, textural room, and the brown piping gives the chair an outline that feels a little tailored and a little playful. It is armless, which makes it easy to tuck in and easy to mix with a bench or a different chair at the head of the table.

Set a run of them around a dining table for everyday meals, or use a pair as desk chairs, bedroom seating, or an occasional chair in an entry. The boucle hides the small creases of daily use better than a flat weave. Because the back is finished and shaped to be seen, the chair looks good pulled out into the room, not only pushed up to the table.