chair rail

noun

a molding on an interior wall for preventing the backs of chairs from rubbing against plaster.

Origin of chair rail

First recorded in 1835–45

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

I saw the top of the head over the chair-rail, and knew it was Sandy Carmichael's.
Nancy Stair
Elinor Macartney Lane
The dining-room should have a wainscot of dark paper below the chair-rail, and a paper with little or no figure upon it above.
The Boy Craftsman
A. Neely Hall
A chair-rail should be made in the dining-room of quarter-inch strips fastened to the walls three inches above the floor.
The Boy Craftsman
A. Neely Hall
He crawled on his hands and knees until he reached the chair-rail, which he clutched desperately, drawing himself up.
Parrot & Co.
Harold MacGrath
In another moment I was standing outside the hovel, my chair-rail in my hand, every muscle of me quivering.
The Island of Doctor Moreau
H. G. Wells