An armchair should earn its place in your home. Perhaps it becomes the spot where you read before bed, drink your morning coffee or watch a film without sharing the cushions. Whatever its role, it should be somewhere you genuinely want to sit—not simply something that fills an empty corner.
The tricky part is finding a chair that feels right as well as looks right. A design you love in a photograph might be too deep for your preferred sitting position, too wide beside the sofa or awkward to walk around.
When comparing armchairs and 1-seater sofas at Furniture in store, start with how you plan to use the chair. Then consider its size, upholstery and the space it needs around it.
Start with the seat you actually need
Before thinking about colours, ask yourself a simple question: what is this armchair for?
For a reading corner, concentrate on how comfortable you feel sitting upright. Try resting your elbows on the arms and holding a book as you normally would. Can you settle back comfortably, or do you find yourself leaning forward?
For evenings in front of the television, you might prefer a more relaxed position. Try different seat depths and backrest styles rather than assuming the biggest, softest-looking chair will suit you best.
A chair mainly used by visitors calls for a slightly different approach. Think about where it will sit in relation to the sofa and whether the arrangement makes conversation easy.
Choose for the way you live now. There is little point buying a formal occasional chair when what you really need is somewhere to curl up every evening.
Check the measurements: one seat does not always mean small
It is easy to underestimate an armchair because it only seats one person. But padded arms and a substantial backrest can take up more room than you expect.
For example, Furniture Instore lists the Dalmore Genuine Leather Tan Armchair at 103 cm wide and 97 cm deep. That is worth measuring properly before assuming it will tuck neatly into a spare corner.
Look at the full width, depth and height, then check the seat measurements separately. Overall dimensions tell you about the space the chair occupies; seat height, seat depth and the usable width between the arms help you compare the seating itself. Furniture Instore’s buying guide distinguishes these measurements and recommends checking the delivery route too.
For a small living room, try marking the chair’s outline on the floor with suitable low-tack tape. Include the side table or footstool you intend to use.
Then walk around it. Open the nearby cupboard. Pull the curtains. Check whether someone could pass while another person is sitting down. Those ordinary movements are a better test of the layout than an empty patch of floor.
Choose upholstery you will enjoy living with
The choice between a fabric armchair and a leather-style design is partly about appearance, but give the material description just as much attention as the colour.
For a relaxed scheme, try a textured fabric alongside your existing rug and curtains. For a more defined contrast, consider a tan or dark leather-look finish against softer furnishings. Where samples are available, look at them in your own room before deciding.
Read the specifications carefully, particularly when shopping for a leather armchair. For instance, the Valencia Leather Tan Manual Recliner Armchair is specified as Leather Aire, despite “leather” appearing in its product name. Furniture Instore describes Leather Aire as a leather-look material rather than genuine leather.
Before buying, ask what routine cleaning involves and how spills should be treated. Check whether removable covers are actually washable rather than assuming they are. Furniture Instore provides separate care guidance for fabric, genuine leather, Leather Aire and other upholstery types, so choose the instructions that match the particular chair.
Be honest about your household, too. A chair used occasionally in a quiet bedroom has a different job from the family’s favourite seat beside the television.
Decide whether a recliner suits your routine
A recliner is worth considering when putting your feet up is part of the plan. Furniture Instore’s armchair collection includes fixed chairs, manual recliners and electric recliners, giving you different seating options to compare.
Try the controls where possible. With a manual chair, check whether you find the mechanism comfortable to operate. With an electric design, check its power requirements and plan where the cable will go.
Most importantly, ask for the fully reclined dimensions and required clearance, not just the chair’s upright measurements.
Imagine using it with the rest of your furniture in place. Would the footrest meet the coffee table? Would you have to move a side table whenever you recline? Could another person still pass through the room?
For a fixed armchair, consider whether you would prefer a separate footstool. Include that in your measurements and budget from the beginning, rather than trying to squeeze it in afterwards.
Your armchair does not have to match the sofa
You can buy a matching chair, but you do not have to build the whole room around a matching set.
Try keeping one element consistent instead. That might be a similar arm shape, a colour already used in your cushions or a finish that complements the room’s woodwork.
Beside a grey sofa, for example, consider a tan chair and repeat a little of that warmth elsewhere in the room. Alongside a dark sofa, try a lighter fabric chair with a cushion that picks up the sofa’s colour. These are starting points to experiment with, not rules.
Also look at the two pieces together in terms of scale. Before committing, compare their back heights and overall proportions. Decide whether you like the contrast or would prefer something closer in shape.
Bring photographs of your existing furniture when viewing chairs. You are choosing something for your living room, not recreating the showroom.
Give the chair a useful place in the room
An attractive armchair can still go unused when it is placed awkwardly.
Instead of automatically pushing it into the emptiest corner, think about what you will need while sitting there. A reading chair needs somewhere for the book and a light you can position comfortably. A seat used for conversation should face towards the other seating, rather than away from it.
Try angling the chair slightly towards the sofa. For a reading corner, experiment with a position near the window, then check how it works in the evening as well.
Leave room for the practical things. Can you reach your drink without stretching? Is the lamp switch accessible? Is there somewhere to put your feet without blocking the doorway?
Keep the styling simple at first. One cushion and a throw may be all you need. Use the chair for a few evenings before deciding what else belongs beside it.
Check the details before placing your order
Once you have a favourite, give the practical details one final check.
Confirm the packaged dimensions and ask whether any parts are removed for delivery. Measure the narrowest points along the route into the room, including tight hallway turns, communal entrances or stairs where relevant.
Ask what the delivery service includes, whether assembly is required and how packaging removal is handled. Read the return conditions and warranty terms before paying, and confirm the final total for your address.
Keep a note of the exact model, colour and upholstery you have chosen. Similar-looking chairs are much easier to compare when you have their specifications beside each other.
Choose a chair you will keep coming back to
A good-looking armchair is easy to admire. The real test is whether you will choose to sit in it when the rest of the room is free.
Take time over the measurements, try the seating position where possible and picture the chair among the furniture you already own. Whether you settle on a fabric armchair, a leather design or a reclining 1-seater sofa, let everyday comfort guide the final decision.
You are making room for a favourite seat. Choose it accordingly.