Alice Chair: where a 105cm back fits, and where it does not

The Alice Chair is listed at 59 x 46 x 105cm, and it is that last figure that makes it a decision rather than just another dining chair. A 105cm back is tall. It reads well at a table in an open-plan room, where the chairs are seen from the sofa as much as from the table, and it can be a nuisance in a dining nook with a low windowsill or a shelf behind. Measure that wall before you order. The photographs and the finish options are on the Alice Chair (Chrome Legs) page.

The figures, and which way round they read

The listing gives one size string and does not label the figures. On a chair described as having a tall backrest, 105cm is plainly the overall height. Which of 59 and 46 is the width and which is the depth is not stated, and on this shape that genuinely matters, so confirm it with us before you buy for a tight space.

How many fit along your table

We work to roughly 60cm of clear table edge per place. Taking the larger of the two plan figures, a pair of these needs about 1.2m of edge and three need about 1.8m, so a 1.6m table takes four down the long sides and six once you use the ends. The figure people forget is behind the chair: allow around 90cm of clear floor so somebody can push back and stand up without shifting the table.

Crushed black or dark grey

Two finishes are offered, crushed black and dark grey, both on chrome legs, and the two are not priced alike, so choose the option on the product page rather than assuming they are interchangeable. Crushed velvet is the hardest upholstery to judge on a screen. The pile catches light, so the same chair looks close to black in the corner of a room and clearly grey where a window hits it. If the chairs have to sit beside an existing velvet sofa or curtain, ask us for a daylight photograph before you commit to a set of six.

What the listing does not say

• Seat height. Only the overall 105cm is given. Seat height is what decides whether the chair slides under your table apron, so measure the clear height from floor to the underside of the table and ask us to check it.
• Fabric detail. The upholstery is described as crushed velvet. There is no fibre composition, cleaning code or rub figure anywhere in the listing, so read the supplier's wording as a description rather than a specification you can compare.
• Floor protection. Nothing states whether the chrome legs arrive with pads fitted. On wood or tile that matters from the first meal, so ask.
• Assembly. The listing does not say whether the legs come fitted or packed separately.

What it works with

Chrome legs set the rule for the rest of the room: a table on a chrome or steel base, or a glass top on a metal frame, makes the choice look deliberate rather than accidental. Within the range, the Chelsea Chair (Ring Knocker/Chrome Legs) is the wider, lower-backed alternative on the same leg finish if 105cm is too much for your wall, and the Jessica Chair (Ring Knocker/Chrome Legs) is the one to compare if you want a ring knocker on the back; the Alice listing names no back detail either way, so go by the photographs. The London PU Chair (Chrome Legs) trades velvet for a wipeable PU face, which is the sensible answer in a house with small children. Everything else on chrome and wood legs sits in Dining Chairs.

Before you order

• Measure the wall height behind the table, not only the floor space in front of it.
• Measure floor to table underside, and ask us about seat height.
• Order the whole set together so the velvet comes from one batch.
• Unwrap every chair and check for transit marks before you sign.

Delivery is free within 50 miles of our Glasgow store and £50 beyond. Once you have the wall height and the table measurement, the finishes and photographs are on the Alice Chair page, or send us the figures and we will tell you how many will fit.