Roma PU Chair: the wipeable Roma, and when to choose it

The Roma shape is listed in two coverings, and the choice between them is the only decision that matters here. The Roma PU Chair (Lion Knocker/Chrome Legs) is the coated one: the same listed 64 x 56 x 97cm, the same hexagonal stitched back and polished chrome legs, the same ornamental lion knocker, but upholstered in polyurethane instead of velvet. The listing describes that as easy to maintain with a matte finish.

The figures, exactly as listed

Note that the written description names no colours at all, while the page offers Light Grey and Dark Grey. Take the selector as the current answer and confirm with the shop if you have a particular shade in mind. As with the rest of the range, the three dimensions are unlabelled and no seat height is given, so ask for the seat height if the chair has to clear a table apron.

Coated or velvet: how to decide

Both versions of this chair look alike from across a room. They behave differently in use, and the listing tells you enough to choose:

• The coated version is the one the listing calls easy to maintain. That is the argument for a table where children eat, or a kitchen where the chairs are close to the cooking.
• The velvet version is the one that catches the light and shows the stitching to best effect. It suits a dining room used in the evening more than a kitchen used three times a day.
• Light grey against a pale top makes the chrome legs the only hard line in the arrangement; dark grey turns the chairs into the contrast instead. Order a pair before six if you are undecided and the shop can do that.

What the page does not give, for either covering, is a cleaning code, a coating thickness or a rub test. A material described as easy to clean is not the same as instructions for cleaning it, so ask for those in writing.

64cm wide, 97cm tall: what that means at your table

This is a broad chair, so a table that seats six in 54cm chairs will seat four in these. Behind the table, allow roughly the 56cm depth again to push a chair back and stand, and nearer a metre where someone walks past an occupied seat. The 97cm back stands clear above most table tops, which is the look, but it also means the chairs meet anything fixed to the wall at that height.

The knocker, and where it is seen

The lion knocker is on the back of the chair. If your table sits against a wall, much of that detail will face the plaster rather than the room. It is worth deciding whether you are paying for something you will see, or whether the plain-backed Roma Chair (No Knocker/Chrome Legs) does the job. The Roma PU Chair (Ring Knocker/Chrome Legs) is the same coated covering with a ring instead of the lion, and the G-Roma Chair (Lion Knocker/Gold Legs) puts the lion on gold legs.

What the listing does not state

• Seat height, seat width and seat depth.
• Frame material and filling.
• Any cleaning code or wear rating for the covering.
• Any weight limit.
• Whether the chair arrives built, and whether it is supplied singly or in pairs.

Compare the coverings side by side on the Dining Chairs page. Delivery is free within 50 miles of our Glasgow store and £50 beyond.

Count your places at 64cm first, then choose a finish on the Roma PU Chair (Lion Knocker/Chrome Legs) page.