Explore the Contrast of Black Oak and Pale Cord

A black finish on oak behaves differently from black paint. The stain sinks into the open pores of the timber and leaves the grain readable, so the legs look like dark wood rather than a coated surface, with the figure still visible when light falls across them. Above it, the natural paper cord seat keeps its pale straw colour. That meeting of near-black frame and light weave gives the stool a graphic quality that photographs well and, more usefully, defines its outline clearly against a busy kitchen.

Use the contrast deliberately. Against pale cabinetry or a white worktop the black frame draws a crisp line and stops a scheme looking washed out; against dark units the pale seat does the same job in reverse. The backrest repeats the silhouette at eye level, worth considering if the stools will be seen from a sitting room across an open-plan space. Two or three together read as punctuation along the island.

Construction, Certification and Cleaning

The frame is solid oak wood throughout, not veneered board, and the seat is filled with hand-weaved paper cord rope wound directly onto the rails. Paper cord is stronger than the name suggests: the fibres are twisted and waxed into a cord that carries load in tension, a technique borrowed from Nordic chairmaking where such seats have lasted decades. Because the whole piece is made of wood and natural fibre, every stool shows its own grain patterns and tones.

Certification runs to the same standard as the rest of the range: FSC 100% chain of custody, traced to a responsibly managed source. Looking after it takes minutes: hoover the cord seat occasionally with a soft brush attachment to lift crumbs from between the strands, wipe the black frame with a dry or barely damp cloth, and avoid solvent cleaners, which can lift a stained finish. Position the stool away from a window that catches hard afternoon light, or the paper cord seat will lighten on one side only.