The Valentina Chair by West Elm comes in both a swivel and non-swivel version, priced $799 and $699 accordingly. It photographs pretty well with its soft looking “velvet” upholstery, slanted back and deep seat. So how does it far in the real life test?
To start with, it looks kind of small. It is kind of small, width-wise, at 27.75″. When you sit in it you definitely feel the size of the chair as compared to most living room or accent chairs you’ll sit in. It’s somewhere between a true living room chair and a dining chair, and therefore might not be very comfortable for a larger person to lounge in.
The “velvet” being almost exclusively polyester carries that high sheen polyester velvet is known for, and that not-so-soft, quite rough to the touch feel. Design-wise, it looks basically how it does in photos but the design suffers a bit from its stature, and gives off something of a spaceship seat vibe.
It’s pretty comfortable to sit in, assuming your’e the right size. The back has some nice support but isn’t too stiff. The seat cushion is a little softer but still reasonable support. The arm rests on this chair are actually pretty functional and support your elbows. The back is high enough to afford you the chance to lean back.
And lastly, the construction seems durable. A fairly simple metal frame screwed in at the corners of the seat base, or the center for the swivel version. We don’t anticipate this having any issues holding up over time. The finish on base is a powder-coated bronze, and it doesn’t show any noticeable signs of quick wear which is consistent with the other powder-coated finished we’ve seen at West Elm.
At the price point we think it’s too expensive. It’s a well built chair that should last. It looks nice in person but doesn’t offer anything spectacular, and due to its size may not be truly functional for every person or quite the right fit for your decor. We’d score it higher if the velvet was a better quality, and outside of that we’d say the main decider for you in choosing to purchase or not should be how much the style speaks to you.
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