Seating with Exposed Wood: Frames, Legs and Finishes

Many armchairs and dining chairs show part of their wood: turned legs, a solid arm cap, a shaped back rail or a complete frame that outlines the seat. That wood is the part you look at and touch every day, so it deserves the same attention as the leather or fabric. This guide explains where wood typically shows on seating, how the common species and finishes differ, and how to combine wood tones with leather colours.

It also explains what stays hidden. In every upholstered Sitdesign piece the inner frame is kiln-dried beech, with high-resilience (HR) foam and sprung seating on top. The visible wood is a separate design choice, made for appearance and touch, and it is discussed together with the upholstery when you order.

Three ways wood shows on a chair

Most seating with exposed wood falls into one of three types:

• Legs only. The body is fully upholstered and stands on four wooden legs, typically 10–20 cm high on an armchair.
• Exposed arms or arm caps. A strip of solid wood runs along the top of the armrest. This is the most touched surface on the chair, so the finish has to cope with hands, rings and the occasional cup.
• Full show-wood frame. The wood forms the visible outline of the chair, and the upholstery sits inside it as a seat cushion and back panel. Here the wood is the design, and the leather plays a supporting role.

Wooden-frame armchairs of this third type were part of our stand at İSMOB 2016 at TÜYAP. When you browse our armchair collection, look at side views as well as front views: that is where the proportion of wood to upholstery becomes clear.

Hidden frame and visible wood do different jobs

The frame inside an upholstered chair has to keep its joints tight under daily load for many years. Kiln-drying matters here: wood dried to a controlled moisture content, commonly around 8–12% for indoor furniture, moves far less after assembly, so glued and screwed joints stay tight. Beech suits this role because it is hard, dense and holds fixings well.

Visible wood is chosen for other reasons: grain, colour and how it takes a finish. As general guidance:

• Beech has a fine, even grain and takes stain evenly, so it can be finished in a natural light tone, a walnut tone or a deep black.
• Oak has a more open, pronounced grain that stays readable even under a dark stain.
• Walnut is naturally dark brown with a lively figure and is often finished simply clear to keep its own colour.

Available species and finishes differ per model. If the chairs will stand next to a table or cabinet, look at our wood collection first and choose the wood tone of the seating with those pieces in mind.

Choosing a finish

The finish protects the wood and decides how it feels in the hand. The main options behave quite differently:

• Clear lacquer (matt or satin). A sealed surface that resists water marks and cleans with a damp cloth. A sensible choice for dining chairs and arm caps.
• Oil or oil-wax. Soaks into the wood and keeps a natural, open feel. It marks more easily and needs re-oiling from time to time, but small scratches can often be touched up locally.
• Stain under lacquer. Changes the colour while the grain stays visible; this is how a light species is brought to a walnut or ebony tone.
• Opaque colour lacquer. Covers the grain completely with a solid colour, useful when the seating has to match painted joinery.

A practical rule: the more a surface is touched or wiped, the more it benefits from a sealed lacquer. Legs mainly face shoes, vacuum cleaners and floor mopping, so a hard-wearing finish at the foot of the leg matters more than the sheen level.

Combining wood with leather

Wood and leather are both natural materials with their own undertone, and most successful combinations either contrast clearly or stay within the same tonal family. A few pairings that work in many interiors:

• Cognac or tan leather with a mid-brown walnut tone: warm, classic and forgiving of daily use.
• Black leather with black-stained wood for a graphic, monolithic look, or with natural light wood for strong contrast.
• Grey or taupe leather with light natural or slightly whitewashed wood: calm and cool.
• Dark green or burgundy leather with a darker wood tone, which keeps a deep colour from looking loud.

Our genuine leathers come in 76 colours in 12 colour families, and Italian leathers form our top leather group. The leather finish matters as much as the colour: an open, natural finish such as aniline leather darkens and softens with use, much like oiled wood, while a pigmented leather stays more even, like a lacquered surface. Always judge the pair side by side, in daylight, in the room where the chair will stand; we send leather samples on request for exactly this purpose.

Practical checks before you order

• Seat height. An armchair typically has a seat height of 40–45 cm; a dining chair around 45–48 cm for a table of 74–76 cm. Leg length is the simplest place to adjust this, and custom dimensions are available on request.
• Floor clearance. If you use a robot vacuum, check that the space under the seat is at least 10–12 cm.
• Floors and other wood. Matching the floor exactly rarely works; choose a clearly lighter or darker tone, or a different finish.
• Light and climate. Strong sun changes the colour of both wood and leather over time, and very dry air from heating can open small gaps in solid wood.

Every Sitdesign piece is handmade in our own factory in Büyükçekmece, Istanbul. If you are considering a model such as the Bellini dining chair or the Oscar armchair, send us the model name and we will confirm which wood parts and finishes apply. Contact us for leather samples and a quote.