Armchairs

Choosing an armchair

An armchair is the one piece of furniture bought for a single person, so it should fit that person: the reader who wants a high back and a footstool, the parent who needs a swivel chair to turn towards the room, the bedroom that needs a chair to sit on while putting on shoes. Whether you call it an armchair, an accent chair, an occasional chair or a lounge chair, start with where it will go and who will sit in it.

Accent chair or everyday armchair

An accent chair is chosen for the room: a curved tub chair in boucle or velvet, a sculptural shape in a colour that lifts a neutral lounge. It is sat in occasionally and should be comfortable, but its first job is to look good. An everyday armchair is chosen for the sitter: a deeper seat, a taller back, generous arms and a cushion that keeps its shape after years of evenings. Most living rooms want one of each, the armchair beside the lamp and the accent chair across the room.

Swivel, tub, wingback or lounge chair

A swivel armchair turns to face the television, the garden or the conversation, which makes it the most useful chair in an open-plan room. A tub chair has a curved, enclosed back that hugs you and takes little floor space; it is the classic occasional chair and the best choice for a bedroom corner. A wingback has a tall back and side wings that frame the head, for reading and for a formal room. A lounge chair is lower and wider, often with a matching ottoman, for stretching out. An armchair with an ottoman gives you a reading nook in a single corner.

Fabric, velvet, boucle or leather

Fabric armchairs offer the widest choice and the softest feel; a textured weave hides wear on the arms. Velvet accent chairs bring colour and a formal, glamorous note to a room, and modern velvets are tougher than they look. Boucle has the soft, looped texture that suits curved tub chairs and coastal rooms. A leather armchair wipes clean, ages well and suits a study or a room with a leather lounge. Match the frame finish, in timber, black metal or chrome, to the legs of the lounge or the coffee table so the room feels planned.

Size and comfort

Measure the corner: an armchair needs about 80 to 100 cm of width and the same depth, plus room to walk past. Seat height around 45 cm is easy to get out of; lower, deeper chairs are for lounging. Sit in it with your shoes off, rest your arms, and check the back supports your shoulders, because no photograph tells you any of this. A chair that will sit beside a sofa should have its seat at roughly the same height.

Styling an armchair

Pair two matching armchairs opposite a sofa for a conversation layout, or one armchair in a contrasting colour to break up a neutral modular lounge. A side table at arm height, a floor lamp behind the shoulder and a small rug under the chair turn a corner into a reading spot. In a bedroom, a tub chair by the window with a throw over the arm finishes the room.

See them in a Perth showroom

The Furniture Gallery is WA owned and family run, with showrooms across Perth and regional WA. Sit in the armchairs, compare fabrics and velvets in natural light, and ask an interior stylist which chair suits the corner. When you have chosen, add the chair to your cart and enter your postcode for a delivery price; our white-glove delivery team will unpack it and take the packaging away.