Roco 360 Chair: what a swivel seat needs round a table

A swivel is not a small feature on a dining chair. It changes how the chair is used, how it looks when nobody is sitting in it, and how much floor it needs. The Roco 360º Chair (Black Legs) is listed at 54 x 58 x 86cm with a full rotating mechanism and black legs, so it is a compact chair with a feature usually found on something larger. Here is what to think about before you order one, or six.

The figures, exactly as listed

Read the dimensions as width, depth and overall height; the listing does not label them and gives no seat height, which on a swivel is worth having in writing because the mechanism sits under the seat. Ask for it.

Velvet or PU: one thing to settle before ordering

The written description says the chair is upholstered in velvet. The finish list on the page offers Dark Grey and Grey PU, and the original copy names "PU Grey & Dark Grey". Those are two different materials, and the listing does not say which covering comes with which colour. If the covering is the reason you are buying, confirm it with the shop before you choose a finish. It is the single most useful question on this product.

What a swivel needs in a dining room

• Clearance all round, not just behind. A chair that turns gets used turned. Allow room for a seat sitting at an angle to the table rather than square to it.
• It will not always sit straight. Unless the mechanism returns to centre, the chairs will be left facing whichever way the last person got up. In a room you want tidy, that is a real consideration. The listing does not say whether the swivel is free-spinning, sprung to return, or lockable, so ask.
• Children will spin it. Worth knowing rather than discovering.
• Floors. A rotating seat puts a different load on the foot of each leg than a static chair. Ask what the feet are finished with before you put them on a hardwood or vinyl floor, because the listing does not say.

How many fit along your table

At 54cm wide the Roco is one of the narrower chairs in the range, which is the trade that makes a swivel practical here at all.

Allow roughly the 58cm depth again clear behind the table so a chair can be pushed back, and nearer a metre where someone walks past an occupied seat. Because these turn, err on the generous side.

What the listing does not state

• Seat height, seat width and seat depth.
• Which covering goes with which colour.
• The type of swivel mechanism, and whether it locks.
• Frame material, filling and any weight limit.
• Whether the chair arrives built, and whether it is supplied singly or in pairs.

What it sits with

The other rotating seat in the range is the Siena Tub Chair, which is far wider and reads as an accent chair rather than a dining one. If you like the black leg but would rather have a fixed seat, the Marbella PU Chair (Black Legs) and the Venice 01 PU Chair (Black Legs) are the static alternatives in a coated covering. The whole range is on the Dining Chairs page. Delivery is free within 50 miles of our Glasgow store and £50 beyond.

Settle the covering question first, measure the floor around the table, then choose a finish on the Roco 360º Chair page.