Chelsea Chair with ring knocker: sizing, and the cream question

A ring is the quieter of the two back details in this range, and on the Chelsea it comes with a velvet back and polished chrome legs. The chair is listed at 62 x 60 x 96cm, which puts it among the wider ones here, and it is offered in dark grey, black and cream. All three are photographed on the Chelsea Chair (Ring Knocker/Chrome Legs) page, and the cream one in particular is worth looking at closely before you decide.

Sizing a set at 62cm wide

Work to about 60cm of clear table edge per place. At 62cm the chairs are a shade wider than that, so a 1.8m table takes three a side and a 1.6m table takes two a side plus the ends. Keep roughly 90cm of clear floor behind each chair for getting in and out. The listing gives the figures unlabelled, 96cm being the overall height, so confirm with us which of 62 and 60 is the width if your room leaves no slack.

Ring or lion

The same chair is offered with a lion head as the Chelsea 01 Chair (Lion Knocker/Chrome Legs), at the same listed 62 x 60 x 96cm. The ring is the one that dates more slowly and reads as a detail rather than a statement, and because the detail sits on the back of the chair it is what the room sees, not the diners. The colour ranges differ slightly as well: this listing offers cream where the lion version offers mink. Neither listing says how far the detail stands out from the back, so if the chairs get pushed hard against a painted wall between meals, ask us and leave a gap.

What neither listing states is the material or finish of the knocker itself. If it has to agree with chrome handles or a chrome light fitting, ask us for a close photograph.

The cream question, answered honestly

Cream velvet at a dining table is the choice worth the most thought, and the listing gives you nothing to judge it on: no fibre composition, no cleaning code, no stain treatment, no rub figure. We are not going to tell you it will be fine. What we will say is that it is a question with a real answer, and the answer comes from us rather than the page, so ask before you order six of them, particularly if there are children at the table. Dark grey and black are the safer two for daily use, and velvet's pile means both of those will read as more than one shade depending on the light.

What the listing does not say

• Seat height. Only the overall 96cm is listed. Measure floor to the underside of your table apron and ask us to confirm the chair goes under.
• Fabric. Velvet is named, with nothing on composition or cleaning.
• Floor pads. Nothing states whether the chrome legs arrive with pads, which matters on wood or tile.
• Assembly. The listing does not say whether the legs come fitted.

What it sits with

If you like the ring but want a different shell, the Jessica Chair (Ring Knocker/Chrome Legs) is another chrome-legged ring chair here, and the G-Lucy Chair (Ring Knocker/Gold Legs) swaps chrome for gold if your table base or light fitting is brass. For a narrower chair when six have to fit a small table, the Bentley Dark Grey Chair (Chrome Legs) is listed at 48 x 60 x 93cm with no knocker named in its listing. Compare the lot in Dining Chairs.

Before you order

• Settle the number from your table length before you settle the colour.
• Measure floor to table underside and ask us about seat height.
• If you want cream, ask us about the fabric and its care first.
• Order the set in one go and check each chair before you sign.

Delivery is free within 50 miles of our Glasgow store and £50 beyond. The three finishes and every photograph are on the Chelsea Chair page.