Velvet Dining Chairs

Velvet dining chairs went from drama-only to mainstream household pick over the last decade. The fabric is rich-looking and forgiving in dining-room use; light bouncing off the pile catches the eye and disguises minor wear. The trade-off is staining - a red-wine spill on velvet needs immediate attention or it sets. Andrew Martin, Aosom UK and Bemz UK between them cover £7-£1,043 across the range. Look for "easy-clean" velvet (a synthetic fabric blend that resists stains and sheds liquids) over pure cotton velvet for daily dining use. Frame strength matters too; cheap chairs use chipboard with stapled fabric, which loosens within a year. Solid-wood frames (typically beech or oak) hold for a decade. Colour: navy, emerald and dusty pink dominate the trend market; charcoal and grey velvet date less aggressively. Sets of 2 cost less per chair than singles; pick the set if the dining table seats four.