Wilton Dining Chair-

The Wilton Dining Chair from Four Hands is a solid oak side chair with a narrow, upright profile. Its legs angle outward and taper toward the floor, and the frame is joined with mortise and tenon, the same method used in traditional woodworking. The seat is a flat wooden platform, and cut-outs in the back give the silhouette its one decorative gesture. Oak is the only material in the frame, so the grain and tone vary from chair to chair.

The look is spare and a little graphic, closer to Scandinavian and midcentury side chairs than to anything heavily upholstered. The smoked finish darkens the grain without hiding it, and the openings in the back keep the chair light when you see it from across the room. A tie-back seat cushion in a flax-toned woven fabric is available for a softer, slightly more tailored version, and it ties on and off so the chair can change with the season.

Pull a set up to a dining table in a small room, where the narrow stance leaves space to move around. They also work as extra seating at a desk or along a hallway wall, and the armless frame slides under a table when it's not in use. Wipe the wood with a dry or lightly damp cloth, and add the cushion if the seat will see long dinners.