Inspiration

This duo is understatedly contemporary – a characteristic that they have in common. But where the Carter tables and shelves are a showcase of slim proportions, clean lines and a sleek profile, George offers a softer impression of contemporary style. Its arms are scrolled, its little legs turned, its cushions piped and plump. It’s a pairing to pick if you want an interior that’s decidedly crisp, but not without warmth and familiarity.

Stepping (almost) outdoors, whether it’s to a garden room, conservatory or sheltered garden pagoda, you’ll find us sometimes pairing the elegant Cheltenham table with chairs very much destined for indoor life – Wardley. Unlikely partners can be a refreshing addition to any room, but you still want them to be in tune with one another. So, use colour as a bridge, like we have in the dusk-time scheme with Wardley chairs painted in Shingle and Smoke – tones that mirror Monaco’s dappled granite tabletop.

Arundel’s an oak table that celebrates rustic’s subtler side. While it very much suits chairs that are sanded smooth, it also combines well with ones that add even more texture to the mix, like our Lloyd Loom Montague and Havana dining chairs. It’s not a match you’d necessarily make immediately, but when you do, you can see how heavier textures are still capable of building real softness in a scheme.

Wardley is a chair that pairs especially well with designs traditional and less so. What we love about it with the Hebden trestle tables is how well they meld together. Choose the Hebden with a painted base and a painted tulipwood Wardley, colour them in the same shade, and you’ll see how they seem to fuse into one meant-to-be table and chair couple. The painted Harrogate chairs would work well too because of their simple, straight lines that suit Hebden’s structure. Or pick the wooden-based Hebden and combine that with the oak Wardley chairs and you’ll have the exact same effect.

One of our new favourite furniture pairings has to be the Holborn dresser from our spring collection alongside rustic Arundel. What we like most is how they prove that two large pieces of oak in the same room doesn’t necessarily feel overwhelming or too coordinated. They both balance the classic-contemporary scales, and both show oak in a different light. Arundel can easily feel very country farmhouse, but with Holborn’s diagonal inlaid panels and Black-Bronze hardware, it brings forward another dimension to Arundel.