Port Chair — Walnut
In sumi-e ink painting the stroke cannot be corrected. The brush touches the paper once, carries the whole form in a single movement, and whatever happens is what stays — which is why the discipline is less about skill with a brush than about knowing exactly what you intend before you begin.
Seen from the side in walnut, this chair is that stroke. One continuous dark curve sweeps from the back, around, and forward into the arms without a join or an applied part, and three straight legs cross it. Nothing is added to explain anything. In dark wood the silhouette reads as drawn rather than built — against a pale wall the profile carries across a room the way a line of ink carries across paper.
A shape that spare only works if the structure underneath it is exact. The solid walnut frame is joined with mortise and tenon — hozo, the joint Japanese carpenters used to raise temples without nails — reinforced with cross-dowels driven through the connection. Because those joints are strong, the frame can be slim; nothing has to be left thick simply to be safe. The result weighs thirteen pounds. An armchair with a full wrapping back that a child can lift, still tested to 275.
Walnut changes how it behaves in a room. Against a pale oak or stone table the chair draws hard, and you see the drawing. Around a dark table it merges into the set and the room reads calmer. Worth deciding which you want before you order six.
Measure your table before you buy. The arms sit at 28" high. A standard dining table is 30" with an apron that leaves roughly 25" of clearance underneath, so this chair will not slide fully beneath most tables. Against a trestle, a pedestal base or an apron-free top it tucks in properly. Otherwise it will sit just outside the table edge — which many people prefer, since it keeps the profile in view.
Bent plywood seat and back, moulded to the body. Indoor use. Ships fully assembled, BIFMA rated for commercial traffic.
Specifications
- Overall: 20"W × 22"D × 30"H (51 × 56 × 76 cm)
- Seat: 18"W × 19"D × 18"H (46 × 48 × 46 cm)
- Back: 17"W × 1"D × 12"H (43 × 1 × 30 cm)
- Arm height: 28"H (71 cm)
- Leg height: 18"H (46 cm)
- Weight: 13 lbs (5.9 kg)
- Bent plywood seat and back, moulded for comfort
- Solid wood frame, mortise-and-tenon joinery with reinforced cross-dowels
- Walnut finish
- Plastic glides for floor protection
- Indoor use only
- BIFMA rated; tested to 275 lbs
- Ships fully assembled
- 5-year warranty
Care
Clean with a slightly damp, soft cloth. For dirt and fingerprints use a quality cleaner made for wood furniture, then wipe completely dry, following the direction of the grain. Keep out of prolonged direct sunlight: walnut lightens under UV, and a chair that always sits in the same patch of window will drift paler than the others. In a bright room, rotate the set around the table once a year.
