Types of Accent Chairs and How to Choose One
Few things make a room come alive more than an accent chair. These beautiful, stylish, and often colorful seating options are called accent chairs because they accent, or highlight, the larger furniture in a room, such as the dining room table or the couch.
Accent chairs serve two main purposes in a room:
- They add beauty to the room’s overall design, and
- They provide extra seating for company.
When carefully chosen and placed, accent chairs can elevate a space from ordinary to breathtaking, all while making it easier to welcome your guests into your home.
Choosing an accent char isn’t always easy, though. From sorting through multiple styles to making sure you have the right measurements, there are a number of factors to consider before you bring an accent chair home.
Types of Accent Chairs
There are dozens of types of accent chairs from which you can choose, which means you can bring any vision of your living room or dining room to life. Here is a look at 5 of the most popular types of accent chairs.
1. Armchair
The armchair, as its name implies, is an upholstered accent chair with two arms.
This versatile piece of furniture comes in many styles, including the club chair, oversized chair and a half, Chesterfield chair, and a tub chair.
The armchair is typically considered a classic design, although some types of armchairs boast more of a mid-century modern design.
These chairs also come in hundreds of different designs and styles of upholstery so you add the right design look to any space you want to improve.
2. Slipper Chair
The slipper chair is an upholstered chair without arms.
This type of accent chair, because it lacks arms, is thinner, smaller, and lighter than a traditional armchair.
As a result, it makes a good addition to a room where you lack space or need extra seating that does not impeded pathways through the room.
They often make a stylish accompaniment to a couch and, like the armchair, come in hundreds of fabric patterns and styles for the perfect fit no matter the design of your room.
3. Chaise Lounge
Literally meaning “the long chair,” the chaise lounge is a combination of footrest and chair, though some lounge chairs separate the footstool from the chair.
Armless and often reclinable, the chaise lounge allows for maximum comfort in your living room while still providing a very stylish profile that can enhance the elegance of your space.
Some of these accent chairs are also intended for outdoor use, and the style you choose can either dress up your room with a formal look or give your space a more casual and comfortable feel.
4. Side Chair
A side chair often has a straight, high back.
Traditionally very light, and with a small profile.
These chairs are ideal for small spaces and for situations where you need to quickly move chairs in or out of the room.
Because of their straight backs, these chairs often create a more formal or elegant feel in a space.
The side chair often ends up besides larger pieces of furniture because of its size.
But their design and style only adds up to the accentuation that they can achieve in a room.
5. Wingback Chair
While the wingback chair can technically be considered an armchair, it is unique enough to stand on its own.
This upholstered chair boasts “wings” along its arms that give it a formal and traditional look while also being very comfortable.
As one of the larger types of accent chairs, the wingback chair is heavy and needs space, but can serve as a very cozy location for reading a book or curling up with a blanket.
How to Choose an Accent Chair
The first thing you will notice when selecting an accent chair is the sheer number of options that you have. Ranging in price from less than $150 to more than $1,000, and arrayed in hundreds of styles, colors, patterns, and types, you could spend weeks looking for the right chair.
However, there are a few things you can consider to narrow down your choices and ensure you select a chair that will serve your space, and your design aspirations, well.
1. Measure how much space you have.
The most basic consideration is the amount of space you have available for your new piece of furniture.
Accent chairs come in many different sizes, so you need to make sure the one you choose will create additional seating and style without blocking traffic flow through your room.
The best approach is to measure your space and then find a chair that fits.
2. Define which purpose you want to accomplish.
You are likely adding a chair to your room for a specific purpose. The right accent chair will fulfill this purpose naturally and comfortably.
For example, you may want a cozy club chair for your book nook, and a parsons chair for your extra seating.
One major consideration when looking for a chair that fits a specific purpose is the weight of the chair.
If you need a way to gain extra seating, you may want to choose a lightweight chair that is easy to move around a room. Cozier and more permanent seating, on the other hand, can be heavier.
3. Choose a chair that fits your style.
Placing a wooden-framed chair in a cozy living room may not be the best move. Placing a navy blue chair in a room that already has a lot of blue may also not create the impression you desire.
An accent chair should create pops of color and visual appeal that complements the style of the room where you are placing it.
To that end, consider style carefully as you choose your accent chairs. What does your room look like now? What do you want it to look like?
Make sure your accent chair elevates your space and contributes to your ideal vision of a place where you will, hopefully, be spending quite a bit of time.
With so many style options and fabrics available, finding the right accent chair is simply a matter of looking.
Here at Niu Urban Living, we can help. Not only do we offer a wide variety of beautiful designer accent chairs, we also offer complimentary design consultations to help you craft a space, and choose an accent chair, that is perfect for you.
Stop by today to create the space you desire in your home!
