Just like the fabled Goldilocks and Three Bears, it's no easy feat to find the "just right" chair for your living room. We've all experienced uncomfortable furniture: the cushions are too thin or too firm; the back leans too far back or too upright; the frame is too small or too big. Well, we set out to find the most comfortable living room chairs for you and found the most highly recommended chair styles for any living room.
No matter what kind of chair you're looking for--traditional, contemporary, mid-century, or simply a standard, upholstered chair--here are the most comfortable living room chairs we discovered, listed by style:
- Club Rolled Armchair
- Chair and a Half
- Accent
- Recliner
- Barrel
- Chaise Lounge
- Wingback
- Gliders
Plus, we define what "comfortable" means, breakdown a chair's anatomy, and suggest a few options that you may have not originally considered. Read on to find the various styles of living room chairs, and you're sure to find what appeals to you.
How Do You Choose A Comfortable Chair?
Good question! Asking this question is the best starting point for choosing furniture, even though some tend to skip this part and choose based on looks alone, resulting in both discomfort AND buyer's remorse. Here are the components to consider as your find your "just right" chair.
Function
How do you intend to use the chair? Curled up for reading or TV watching? As a place for visitors during social conversations? Or maybe as a decorative statement piece to showcase? This will help you determine the chair style you need. And, logistically, figure out where in your room you'll place the chair. Consider the different viewing angles; is there a desired focal point or multiple focal options such as a TV and face-to-face socializing?
Also, make sure the chair fits proportionally with the other furniture in the room; you'll want to ensure all your furniture in the room is equal to scale. And, lastly, measure your living room. No matter how comfortable the chair, if it's too big or too small, you'll defeat your original purpose.
Cushions and Padding
Most people equate comfort with soft padding, especially for the bottom and back cushions. But it can be taken to extremes. You may find a wonderfully plush, enveloping cushion; however, will you or your guest be able to stand up and get out easily? Conversely, there are chairs with minimal padding that provide a hard, firm surface but are not necessarily comfortable.
Unless you need substantial back support, a soft and firm mixture is probably ideal--a firm cushion base topped by soft padding. The material used for the cushion is critical to your comfort level so check the chair's item details for material content.
Feathered or down filling typically offers the most plushness, while foam or polyester fillings, in varying density weights, tend to be less expensive. To create more softness when using foam, some brands add batting to the top of the cushion.
Chair Measurements
Cushioning is not the only measure of comfort for a living-room chair. Considering the height and depth of a chair is equally important. Think about your size and body type and choose accordingly. While sitting in a chair, your thighs should be parallel to the floor, your feet touching the ground, and your knees at a straight 90-degree angle. Thankfully, living room furniture in various dimensions is easier to find these days.
Seat depth is relatively dependent on preference, with taller people requiring a bit more depth and vice versa; people of average height or shorter benefit from a chair with less depth. A good note to remember is that the chair's depth significantly affects the chair's size and overall fit in a living room.
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Chair Backs and Arms
One of a chair's primary purpose is to support the lower back. Generally, if you prefer to sit up straight for ergonomic or formal purposes, chairs with lower backs will serve your purpose well. Otherwise, for TV-watching and reading activities, a higher back will offer better head and neck support.
Regarding chair arms, the majority of living room chairs will have arms for convenient elbow, and hand rests. As you'd expect, you won't get an armrest with armless chairs, but they should not be confused with being uncomfortable. Many types of chairs and lounge chases can be luxurious pieces for comfort and rest.
The Most Comfortable Chairs
Club Rolled Arm Chair
Click here to see this Club Rolled Arm Chair on Amazon.
When you think of your standard upholstered living room chair, one that often comes in a sofa set, this might be what you imagine. It's the standard for reason-it hits all the important criteria for a comfortable living room chair: padded cushions and arms and a tall back for head and neck support. In a soft, linen fabric, this chair is timeless.
Chair And-A-Half
Click here to see this chair-and-a-half on Amazon.
What Is A Chair And A Half?
During the 1990s, when living room furniture evolved into creative, new designs, the chair and a half became exceedingly popular. Bigger than a chair, but not quite as large as a sofa, a chair and a half is, by nature, a comfortable and cozy piece.
Click here to see this comfortable chair and a half on Amazon.
The velvet microfiber material on this oversized chair makes the already-plush cushions extra inviting.
Accent Chair
Click here to see this velvet accent chair on Amazon.
With a high back and higher-than-usual armrests, this comfortable, lush, velvet-foam accent chair is available in a range of colors, including grey, light green, and even pink.
What Is An Accent Chair?
An accent chair is a decorative chair piece used mostly to complement or contrast a room's surrounding furniture. It is often a focal point in a room, more for decoration than function, and is differentiated from its surrounding decor based on material, shape, or style. Even though it's just a single piece, the right accent chair can transform any room.
Click here to see this whimsical accent chair on Amazon.
Recliner
There is perhaps no other chair as relaxing as a recliner. It appears to be a standard living room chair; however, its main feature, the ability to both recline and provide leg support for its user in one swift motion, makes it the ultimate comfort chair of all time.
Click here to see this highly-rated recliner on Amazon.
If you're looking to up your relaxation options, check out this recliner with a built-in massage component. And it comes in multiple colors!
Click here to see this recliner and the other color options available on Amazon.
Barrel
Retro-looking but always in style, these Barrel chairs will create the perfect place to sit and talk for hours on end. The style listed below provides an extra swivel option--always a popular feature!
Click here to see this comfortable Barrel chair on Amazon.
A Barrel chair's curved back and wrap-around sides make this style ideal for comfort and security.
Click here to see this chair on Amazon.
Chaise Lounge
The Chaise Lounge is a perfectly versatile piece--you can sit with your feet on the floor or put them up, and of course, it is the perfect place for a nap. Its familiar silhouette instantly brings a sense of elegance to any room.
Click here to see this Chaise Lounge on Amazon.
Whether it has two arms, one or none, the Chaise Lounge comes in all styles, including this contemporary convertible style.
Click here to see this convertible Chaise Lounge on Amazon.
Wingback
If there's ever been a chair that has stood the test of time, it's the Wingback--and for good reason. The jutted-out sides on this chair create a "winged-barrier," rising from the armrests to the back's top. The Wingback was originally designed in the 1600s to keep its users' bodies warm in front of a fireplace; the "wings" protected against drafts and kept people warm. Hundreds of years later, it is still a classic.
Click here to see this wingback chair on Amazon.
Are Wingback Chairs Comfortable?
Yes, wingback chairs are comfortable for several reasons: their cushions allow just the right amount of space to tuck up your legs; the frame's sturdy structure holds your body in place, and the wings are at the perfect height for nodding off to sleep--comfort at its best.
Gliders
Like rocking chairs, gliders provide comfort not only in their soft, padded upholstery but also in their soothing, rhythmic movement that can lull anyone to sleep.
Click here to see this glider on Amazon.
In Closing
As you have seen here, there is no shortage of comfortable living room chairs! Your important task now is to choose your favorite style and think about how it will fit into your family's day-to-day living experience. And if you'd like more guidance, check out these helpful posts: