Dining chairs take more abuse than anything else in the house, so the Balam chair is built the way good chairs used to be: a solid melina wood frame joined with mortise and tenon construction, not staples and glue.

The padded faux leather seat wipes clean after spaghetti night, and the translucent black lacquer lets the grain show through rather than burying it under paint. IFD ships the chair fully assembled, two to a box, so it goes straight from the carton to the table with no tools. The black frame plays well with the Balam round dining table, with reclaimed-look tables, or against a painted farmhouse base for contrast. Pull a pair up to a breakfast nook, fill out a compact dining room, or keep one at a desk as a sturdy everyday work chair.