The Ashford and the Henley are both curved-back mid-century dining chairs on warm wooden legs. How they differ in shape, width, seat height, colours and upholstery, and which suits your table.
By Furniture1002 min read
The Ashford and the Henley are close cousins. Both are mid-century dining chairs with curved backs, padded seats and warm wooden legs, both are armless and both are sold as a set of two. The differences are in the back, the width and the upholstery, and they decide which one suits your table.
The Ashford has a tall, gently curved upholstered back that flows down into softly shaped seat sides. It reads as one continuous shape, soft and enclosing.
The Henley has a lower, pill-shaped padded back with a curved wooden rail behind it, so the timber frame shows. It is more open, and more about the joinery.
| Ashford | Henley | |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 48 cm | 56.5 cm |
| Depth | 53 cm | 52.5 cm |
| Height | 81 cm | 81 cm |
| Seat height | 50.5 cm | 49 cm |
The Ashford is 8.5cm narrower per chair, which matters most on a long table or in a tight kitchen. The Henley is the broader seat if you want more room each side.
The Ashford comes in three textured fabrics: a warm cream-beige, an olive green and a grey. The Henley comes in seven: camel, beige, light grey, a muted grey-green and a muted blue in fabric, plus black or white faux leather.
If you want green, the Ashford's is a deeper, earthier olive and the Henley's a softer grey-green. If you want a wipe-clean chair for a busy kitchen, only the Henley comes in faux leather.
The Ashford has adjustable foot pads that steady it on an uneven floor, a stated weight capacity of 113kg per chair, and needs partial assembly with tools included. The Henley's frame is walnut-finished, with the curved wooden rail behind the back.
Choose the Ashford for a soft, enclosing back, a narrower chair that fits more around the table, and a deeper olive green. Choose the Henley for the open back with its wooden rail, the wider seat, more colours, or faux leather. Both look at home with oak and walnut, and both come with free UK delivery.
Want something more compact? The Elmsworth is a smaller curved-back chair in cream fabric or brown faux leather. Our guide to the Elmsworth, the Ashford and the Henley compares all three.
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The Ashford, at 48cm wide against the Henley's 56.5cm. Over a long table that difference adds up if you are trying to fit an extra chair along each side.
The Ashford, with a 50.5cm seat height against the Henley's 49cm. Both are 81cm tall overall.
The Henley, in black or white. The Ashford is fabric only, in beige, olive green or grey.
They share warm brown wooden legs and a mid-century shape, so they sit together better than most pairs. A common approach is one design along the sides and the other at the ends.
The Elmsworth, the Ashford and the Henley are all curved-back dining chairs on warm wooden legs. How they differ in shape, size, seat height and finishes, and which suits your table and your room.
The Ashford: a tall, gently curved upholstered back that flows into softly shaped seat sides, on tapered solid wood legs, in cream-beige, olive green or grey. Sizes, the 113kg rating and which colour suits which room.
Three new Henley colours in textured woven fabric on a solid rubberwood frame with a walnut-toned finish: a calm light grey, a muted grey-green and a muted blue, with sizes and which room suits which.
Designer looks, a fraction of the cost
