Fairfield Chair: A Guide to Its Dining Chairs and Counter Stools
Fairfield Chair produces upholstered dining seating designed for daily use: beech frames, spring systems chosen by chair type, and seat foam graded for durability. At Sutter & Vale, the Fairfield Chair collection covers dining arm chairs and side chairs across several frame finishes, with a customer's-own-material program for full fabric customization.
What Frame Construction Does Fairfield Chair Use for Its Dining Chairs?
The frames in this collection are built from beech solids, a dense, stable hardwood well suited to the rails and legs of a chair that takes repeated daily stress. Two spring systems appear across the line. The Bedford Arm Chair uses arched springs, which flex in a wider arc and give a slightly softer response. The Concave Short Back chairs use sinuous springs, also called no-sag springs, which run in continuous S-curves from front rail to back rail and deliver a firmer, more upright seating platform.
How Do the Chair Dimensions Compare, and How Much Space Do You Need?
Seat width and overall height determine how chairs fit a table and a room. Here is a side-by-side look at the dining silhouettes available at Sutter & Vale:
| Chair | Width | Depth | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford Arm Chair | 24" | 25.5" | 40" |
| Concave Short Back Arm Chair | 23" | 27" | 37" |
| Concave Short Back Side Chair | 19.5" | 27" | 37" |
A standard dining table sits at 30 inches high, so any of these chairs will pair correctly with it. As a general rule, allow at least 24 inches of table width per seated person. The side chair at 19.5 inches wide fits a tighter run of seating; the arm chairs need a bit more clearance between seats. Plan for 36 inches of clearance behind each pulled-out chair so guests can sit and rise without difficulty.
What Seat Foam and Comfort Specifications Should You Look For?
Foam grade tells you how a chair holds up over years of use. All Fairfield Chair dining seats in this collection use High Resiliency 40 foam, which rebounds to its original shape after use rather than compressing and staying flat. The Concave Short Back chairs carry an additional High Resiliency 20 specification in the back, a lower-density grade suited to back support rather than the sustained weight-bearing a seat requires. The Bedford Arm Chair uses tight seat and tight back construction, meaning the fabric is pulled directly over the form without a loose or removable cover.
How Does the COM Program Work, and How Much Fabric Do You Need?
COM stands for customer's own material: you supply the fabric, Fairfield Chair upholsters the piece in it. This is the standard route for designers specifying a project fabric or homeowners matching an existing room. Yardage requirements for 54-inch plain fabric are as follows:
- Bedford Arm Chair: 3.25 yards
- Concave Short Back Arm Chair: 2.75 yards
- Concave Short Back Side Chair: 2.75 yards
For patterned fabric with a repeat, order additional yardage so the workroom can align the pattern across chairs. Confirm with your fabric supplier that the cloth carries a rub count rated for heavy use before ordering.
For those who prefer a ready-specified finish, the Concave Short Back Arm Chair is available in Linen, Mica, Sheer Dove, and Tobacco frame finishes, each as a distinct option on the product page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an arm chair and a side chair in a dining set?
An arm chair includes armrests and is wider, often placed at the heads of a table. A side chair has no arms and a narrower profile, making it easier to slide into a run of seating along the table's length.
Can I use these chairs at a counter-height table?
The chairs listed here have standard dining-height proportions suited to a 30-inch table. Counter-height tables typically measure 34 to 36 inches, which requires a seat height of roughly 24 to 26 inches. Check the seat height of any specific chair before pairing it with a counter-height surface.
How do I know how many yards of COM fabric to order for a full dining set?
Multiply the per-chair yardage by the number of chairs, then add extra yardage for pattern matching if your fabric has a repeat. For a table of six using the Concave Short Back Side Chair, that works out to a minimum of 16.5 yards of 54-inch plain fabric before any pattern allowance.
The Sutter & Vale Team
