Recliners as Furniture for the Living Room

When thinking about what to write for this post, I realized that there would be two camps of readers: those who adore recliners and those who despise them. :-)

One of the best investments you can make in turning your house into a home is a set of comfortable chairs, like recliners, for the living room. This is true whether your decorating tastes lean toward the traditional, the farmhouse, or the modern.

Too much attention to a room's aesthetics, in my opinion, can cause people to neglect its occupants' needs for restful surroundings. That's why I'm going to go over some simple guidelines for incorporating recliners and other upholstered seating pieces into your living room's decor in a way that makes you fall in love with them, not just for their practicality but also for their aesthetic value.

Two Distinct Categories of Seating

When it comes to seating options, most households have both chairs meant for sitting ON and chairs meant for sitting IN.

Chairs of the type typically found in a dining room are fine for sitting in while consuming food, but they aren't the kind of chairs we typically reach for when we're in need of a quiet place to unwind.

For long periods of time spent lounging in front of the television, reading a good book, watching movies, or just relaxing at the end of a hard day, nothing beats a comfy chair with plenty of padding and a deep seat cushion. Ideally, every house would have one of these chairs.

If you're lucky enough to own at least one recliner, you know how much cozier your living room, family room, or den can be.

Here are some suggestions for how to present them most attractively.

Read on to learn why even those who dislike this cozy home seating option are missing out. :-)

What's the Difference Between a House and a Home?

I talk about the structure of my home in terms of its walls, fixtures, flooring, and studs. Words like "haven," "comfortable," "cozy," and "personal" appear frequently in my descriptions of my home.

To most people, home is more than a physical location. If you own a house, you know the feeling... it's the only place on Earth where you can relax completely.  

Every time you walk through your front door, you are greeted by a sense of comfort. Not even the most luxurious hotel or the most tastefully decorated room we see on Pinterest or Instagram can compare to the actual experience of being there.

Adding Some Human Touch to Your Family Room

We must stop treating recliners as if they belong in some dark, hidden corner. Used to be like this, but not anymore Too little time is spent at home for it to be unbearable.

My decorating manifesto is a blog post I published a few years ago with the catchy title, "How to Decorate So You Feel at Home."

I described how I take pleasure in my home through all five of my senses and how I prioritize form and function in its design.

In my living room, I have two recliners, which serves both a practical and relaxing purpose. The multi-function recliners are situated in front of the room's focal point, the fireplace. When we need some quiet time to think, they're great.

When we watch movies in the reclined position, the chairs face forward like they do in a theater, and when we want to read facing the fireplace or simply gaze out at the lake, they swivel 360 degrees, giving us the best of both worlds.

Not one of these features would ever be included on a chair that moves on its own. There would be a constant struggle to rearrange the furniture in the room to make room for the non-motion chairs. It's convenient to have a single seat that can serve multiple purposes.

The two matching recliners I purchased were rocker recliners with swivel bases because I wanted the flexibility to move them around the room as needed. There was a lot of reading and visiting of furniture stores involved.

Not what I was looking for, but good luck finding me a power recliner, one with built-in massage settings, or one that's more than twice my These are great if they are what you need to relax and unwind.

Decorating is not an area to strive for perfection.

Since decor with a few flaws adds character and charm, I didn't try to achieve perfection when I was doing my living room.

The idea that a home should be a haven of tranquility is lost on some pieces of interior design advice. The only things they care about are how they look and what's in style.

A room's aesthetic qualities, such as its sense of harmony, the use of calming colors, the ease with which it can be used for social gatherings, and the presence of unique, personal touches, all contribute to the homey feeling.

The best investment you can make in the comfort of your home is to get rid of any old, uncomfortable furniture and replace it with new, suitable furniture for you and your family. If you do this, the room will become even more lovable in your eyes.

I had to wait 8 weeks for my recliners to be delivered after I placed my order. Back then, I gave my older daughter the couch I'd promised her. A lack of comfortable seating in the room initially didn't seem like a big deal to me, but boy was I wrong.

For the duration of the 8 weeks, I brought in two outdoor wicker rockers to sit ON rather than IN. Never before had I felt so uneasy in my own home. These outdoor seats were lovely to look at, but far too rigid to use for anything more than a few minutes of reading or television.

My mood brightened as soon as the recliners and a new, deep-seated Pottery Barn sofa were delivered.

Have you ever spent about half an hour sitting in every chair in your house? Can they relax? If it doesn't, then you should probably get rid of it. Is it purely aesthetic?

Comparing Form and Style

It's important to think about how each piece of furniture will be used before purchasing it for a room. Get rid of the extraneous stuff so you have more room for the things you really need to make your home a haven.

• If you frequently gather in your living room to watch movies as a family, for instance, you may prefer to replace the stiff, upright seating arrangements typical of more formal living rooms with more relaxed, "sink-into-it" options.  
  • It's possible that this is a large sofa set that also includes a chaise or two. Alternately, a set of coordinated lounge chairs

• Do you read in front of the fire, or do you play board games? If so, you won't have much fun reliving your past if you don't have a table, a table lamp, and some chairs set up in a convenient location.

3. Set Aside Personal Area

Putting some of your own personality into a room makes it feel more like home. Make a comfortable spot where you can unwind in whatever way appeals to you most.

Disregard what other people may think. You can still have a fabulous home even if it doesn't look like it belongs on the cover of a design magazine. I hope you take pleasure in every corner of your home.

Make this corner of the room your own, whether it's a small living room or not, and use it as your personal reading nook, knitting corner, music room, or television viewing spot.

My favorite spot to relax in my living room is shown above. I spend most of my evenings there, from watching TV and reading to writing and editing blog posts.

My needs are met by the combination of the cushy leather recliner, the dimmable floor lamp, and the basket table I made, on which I keep throw blankets and candles.

Ed has a matching recliner in my living room, situated along the fireplace's narrow wall. A chair and a small table next to it are all he needs to relax with a drink.

Invest in making this your ideal private haven by including:

• Put your knitting supplies within easy reach by setting up a basket next to the chair, or line the wall behind it with shelves to store your entire book collection.

When Purchasing a Reclining Chair, Four Key Considerations

I wish there were more manufacturers who produced recliners with modern aesthetics, but if you're looking at one in a furniture store, you should imagine it in a different color or with a different pattern of stitching.

It's imperative that you sit in a recliner before buying it for your home.

Since we're all different heights and weights, widths, and girths, recliner reviews written by strangers are of little help when making a purchase.

After all, La-Z-Boy is well-known for their reclining chairs, so I was confident that we would be able to find one that would please both Ed and I at their local store. However, despite making two trips to the store's showroom to try out all of their recliners, we still weren't able to find any that we found to be comfortable.

A local furniture store carrying products from a number of recliner manufacturers was where we finally found a design we could both agree on.

We tried out dozens before narrowing down to our top picks. We took our top picks home and tried them again a few days later to make sure they still felt good, and eventually settled on the one pictured above as being most accommodating to both of our needs.

Choosing a Relaxing Reclining Chair

While a well-styled photo of seating in a home decor magazine or catalog is sure to pique your interest, the real question you should be asking yourself before purchasing a recliner is:

• Do you feel supported whether you're sitting up straight or fully reclined?

• Can you put your feet up?

• What is the fabric like when it is in contact with your skin?

• Do you think it's of high quality? With all the time you'll spend in it and the fact that it's likely to be the most used chair in the house, you'll want to make sure it's sturdy. Even if the price goes up, it is well worth it.

• Too much padding in the head rest can cause the user to lean forward, which is an uncomfortable position. The stuffing in seats and cushions should be distributed evenly.

• Is it pleasant to have your legs hit the space between the seat and the footrest when you recline?  

• Do your feet touch the ground when you're standing, or do they dangle freely?

• Do the arm rests extend to a level that is suitable for your height and comfort?

• Whether or not your upper thighs are the same length as the seat's back and front is a good indicator of comfort. You need just the right amount of words here; you don't want it to be too short or too long.

• If you're looking into getting a recliner, know that a power model will allow you to customize both the seat and the headrest. However, keep in mind that there will be a cord running from the chair to the outlet, and that the chair must be placed in close proximity to a power source.
  • It's important to note that the chair's electronics could fail long before the chair itself needs to be replaced.

You shouldn't be shy about asking for customizations if you find a recliner you like but would prefer a different fabric or if the chair rocks or swivels but doesn't already have these features.

5. Leather or Fabric Recliners?

Make sure the recliner you're considering buying goes with the rest of your furniture in terms of style before you make your final purchase.

• Recliners with simpler lines are a great complement to sofas that feature tufting or other ornate decorative details.

• Traditional styles like those with nail trim, buttons, and wingbacks are perfect if you want to give a room a more formal air.

Sixth Room-Allocation Considerations for Recliners

If you want to make sure that everyone in your house has a cozy spot to sit, you should think about the available floor space and the number of existing chairs before you make your purchase of a recliner.

To allow for its full reclined size, a reclining chair requires more space around it than a standard upholstered chair. When reclining, you don't want your headrest to bump into the wall or your feet to bump into the coffee table.

• In order to fully recline, most recliners require a space of 10 to 14 inches between themselves and a wall or another piece of furniture.

Recliners should be strategically placed to complement the room's existing furniture.

• Recliners are bulky and can throw off the balance of a room; to remedy this, place it across from a similarly massive piece of furniture, such as a bookcase.

• Relax in a recliner on a rug big enough to hold it and some side tables. The result will be an inviting, homey feel.

Reclining Chairs: Accessorizing Ideas

Whenever you bring recliners into a room, it's important to remember to drape a plush throw over the back or arm of each chair. You can think of it as a little bit of texture, color, and interest for a cozy feel.

How to Style a Reclining Chair:

Spare blankets:

• One must think about the recliner's thickness in addition to the blanket's thickness when selecting a throw blanket. In the winter, when you want to bundle up for warmth and coziness, a thin fabric may make you look or feel weak. On the other hand, a thick, luxurious fabric like fur or velvet will do just the opposite.

Cushions for lounging around:

Recliners typically have sufficient padding without the addition of toss or throw pillows.

• However, a decorative throw pillow tucked into a seat's corner when the chair isn't in use can help a room feel more put together.

• When you're not using the chair, you can toss the pillow into a nearby basket.

Accent Pieces:

Place a large side table in front of a group of recliners for a polished look. A tiny table will make the room look cramped. If you want to use the foot rest, you'll need to move the coffee table a good distance away.

Reclining chair side tables should be chosen with the chair's size in mind. A mismatched end table is one that is too small.

Make sure the side table is stable with a thick base in case the swivel chair accidentally bumps it.

If you still dislike recliners, you may want to consider these alternatives.

If you're still not sold on recliners but want to upgrade your living room furniture, consider a reclining loveseat or couch. Reclining seats typically feature a lever concealed within the armrest that can be pulled to open the seat into a reclined position.

You and your loved ones are the only ones who need to know that the seats recline, so the added cost is well worth it.

This type of reclining chair can be easily mistaken for a regular piece of upholstered furniture, despite its unique reclining feature.

When I lived in my last apartment, I had a sofa and loveseat that looked just like this one because I was so against using recliners in my interior design.

Whether You Prefer a Chair and Ottoman Or a Sectional

• If you already have a couple of upholstered chairs in the room, placing a footstool or ottoman in front of them can serve as extra seating and a soft place to rest your feet.

• You can also find seating that's both stylish and comfortable with a chaise sofa or a well-made sectional sofa.

Do Not Neglect Your Comfort

My one decorating mistake was waiting too long to include a couple of comfortable recliners in my living room.

How do you create a relaxing environment in your home or apartment? At the end of a long day, we all need certain things and routines to help us unwind and feel at ease in our own homes. When it comes to goals, what are yours

Locations Selling Lounge Chairs

Despite the fact that I have stated previously that I will never buy an upholstered armchair without first sitting in it, I have gathered together a few recliners that I found online to demonstrate the wide range of designs available.

All of these recliners can be customized with your choice of hundreds of different fabrics and a wide variety of leather and leather-like trim colors and styles to match any aesthetic you have going on in your living space.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

The following links may also be of interest to you: