My West Elm Chairs Are Still Perfect After 9 Years

I am not the type of person who will casually drop hundreds of dollars on a dining chair, let alone six of them. My favorite place to “shop” is my local Buy Nothing group, with Facebook Marketplace being a close second. But I love to cook , eat, and host even more, so I spend a lot of time at our dining table.

Back in 2016, after years of wobbling on budget-friendly chairs, I was ready (with lots of deep breathing) to invest in West Elm’s best-selling Slope Leather Dining Chair. Nine years later, they’re still one of the best things I’ve bought for our dining setup. 

There are plenty of reasons the Slope Leather Dining Chair is a bestseller at West Elm. Not only is it beautiful and comfortable (a must), but it’s also extremely sturdy, thanks to the angled structure of the base. Because it doesn’t have armrests, it can squeeze easily into small spaces, or make larger spaces feel airy and less cluttered. Our “dining room” is a small nook between the living room and kitchen, and we were able to squeeze all six of our Slope Dining chairs into the space, with plenty of elbow room.

The chairs are available in both traditional leather and a vegan alternative, in up to 13 different shades. We opted for the saddle leather in the Nut color, which not only has a lovely warm tone, but also a smooth, supple feel. I try to refrain from asking guests to feel our chairs, but it takes effort.

I knew the chairs would look great and be comfortable, but I didn’t realize that being so comfortable at dinner would also translate to family and friends lingering well after dishes were cleared and chatting until the candles were nubs. Without meaning to, we were spending twice as much time at the table instead of decamping quickly to the couch. 

That said, not all of us were comfortable. Our children, in preschool and early elementary at the time, had to earn the privilege of sitting on the leather chairs. Let me tell you — there is nothing more motivating to a 4-year-old than a “grown-up chair.” Buying the Slope Leather Dining Chairs was probably our single greatest table manners intervention.  

Despite our best efforts, there are occasional spills, but the leather is surprisingly easy to clean. According to West Elm, oil-based spots and spills should be wiped, and that’s it — don’t even apply water. “In most cases, the spot should dissipate into the leather after a period of time,” the care instructions read, and that has been my experience.

For deeper cleaning, the brand recommends Mohawk Leather Repair Kits, also available in wipes. For vegan leather, plain ol’ water is the recommended cleaning method for spots or smudges. 

If these chairs are objectively not in your budget (they weren’t in mine), keep an eye out for West Elm’s big sales, including Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and Black Friday.

If you can swing the cost, these chairs are a buy-it-for-life investment. Nine years later, our chairs are still in fantastic shape, despite daily use. I fully expect that someday my grandchildren will be earning their right to sit in the very same seats my children occupy now.

Buy: West Elm Slope Leather Dining Chair (Set of 2), $719.20 (normally $799)