Are you sitting comfortably? Top 10 Accent Armchairs
What’s more satisfying than curling up on a sumptuous armchair with a hot drink and good book at the weekend, or at the end of a long day? We all have our favourite spots for these deserving moments don’t we? and the best chairs are those that hug us back and feel great to touch, as well as fabulous to look at.
I have a major thing for chairs, as I think a few of us do and as much as I love a classic Eames, Vitra and Cassina option, purchasing a designer chair right now would swallow all my savings, and then some.
High street and online stores including Oliver Bonas, Habitat and Swoon offer considerably more affordable options, in beautiful saturated hues and many material variations to work with your home interior, including my favourite fabric of all, velvet. But it’s still important to do your research when purchasing to make sure the chair is well-made, comfortable and tactile. Always comfort test armchairs and sofas before you buy them online, it’s really not just about looking good when it comes to buying higher ticket items.
Image of Oliver Bonas Tress armchair in situ
Whatever your budget, its always going to be worth buying the best that you can afford, and with armchairs this means looking for structures made of a wooden frame, a sprung seat and foam cushions. These elements will ensure that your armchair lasts those many weekend and evening wears, proving to be good value for money.
Better still, if you opt for a quality manufacturer its likely that you’ll receive a guarantee. Arlo & Jacob offer a lifetime guarantee on their hardwood frames and steel springs, and Sofa.com’s lifetime guarantee covers their frames too. Being safe in the knowledge that your purchase is quality and will last a lifetime will surely allow you to sit even more comfortably.
Personally, I love to see an accent chair next to a lush, deep comfortable sofa, more so than a matching three piece suite. I think its a great opportunity to pack some personality punch into a room and be daring with a colour choice that you may not be brave enough to use en masse for say, your sofa or your walls, so it can look more imaginative than the ‘full set’ option.
The use of different furniture styles, bursting with personality. Image - May 2019 Living Etc Magazine
Accent chairs are great for those unused corners of the room that need a bit of thought. Why not add a statement floor lamp or a length of flex to create a hanging pendant above, with a side table and textured rug to create the perfect reading nook? Some ideal peace and quiet set away from the TV at the end of the day.
As we’re thinking more about how furniture can be used in different rooms for different functions, some of the options that have made my Top 10 are also great for small spaces and can be easily moved from room to room depending on your mood and the function of the day. The Claude (4), Misty (6), Knox (7) and Tress (9) are ideal to cuddle into bijou spaces, whilst some of the larger pieces would work great as your main living room armchair.
An accent armchair is also a great investment for us renters. Where we may find ourselves in rooms that are a little constrained in terms of space, these more petit options can work great in a bedroom or office corner and offer that element of sanctuary away from the living room if you need some ‘me time’ (i.e. an hour or two away from the partner!)
We’re in the market for a small chair to sit in the corner of the office (for exactly the reason above… quarantine has certainly made us realise how important ‘me time’ is!), which inspired this whole search, yet we are fully aware that whatever we buy will be moving with us to the next home. We want to make sure that it’s the best quality we can afford, robust and an excellent fabric choice that will give us joy now, and in homes to come.
My personal favourites; the Hendricks from Habitat (unfortunately this is too large for the office and won’t go passed our awkward staircase) in this rich, cocooning orange velvet, so stylishly Mad Men with its low back and wide arms, perfect to rest your martini and magazine. And the Ernest swivel from sofa.com in this intense cobalt blue velvet, providing a bold modern take on the gentleman’s wing back (the chrome swivel base is so good!)
On the pricier end of the scale is the Fabulous Fringed pink armchair from Rocket St George, currently on sale at £1,125 (50% off its original price!) This three tier fringed icon is certainly sure to turn some heads when entertaining and would work as a statement piece in any room. See the 3D visualisation I designed below to see how I styled it within a space inspired by Pantone Colour of the Year 2020; Classic Blue.
3D visualisation designed by me inspired by Pantone’s COTY; Classic Blue, modelled by Gabriel Fernandez Castano. Read the full article here.
If any of these armchairs have turned your head, take a look at them in more detail via the shopping list below and let me know which is your armchair of choice.
Shopping List
Ernest armchair in Cobalt - sofa.com
Hendricks chair in orange - Habitat
Catalan chair in Petrol Blue - Swoon
Claude armchair in peony - Sofa.com
Trino armchair in kingfisher - Swoon
Misty armchair in Cobalt - Habitat
Knox chair in Weaver print - Made
Fabulous Fringed pink armchair - Rocket St George
Tress Azure Blue Velvet Chair - Oliver Bonas
Kooper armchair - Nutmeg - Made
