Accent Chairs
Accent chairs are useful furniture pieces that can be strategically placed in a variety of locations around your home. In the living room, you can use them to provide seating in spots that are too small to fit a larger furniture piece. In the bedroom, you can add one or more comfortable accent chairs near closets, close to the windows or anywhere it would be handy to have a place to sit down.
What types of accent chairs are available?
Just about any type of chair can be used as an accent chair. The following are several common types of accent chairs:
- Club chairs: Club chairs come in a variety of materials. You often see them upholstered in leather and accented with matching nail head trim. Sometimes they're upholstered with bright geometric fabrics.
- Swivel chairs: A swivel chair can revolve in either direction, and you can turn it all the way around. Swivel chairs are useful additions to your décor in spots where you want people to be able to choose which direction they're focusing their attention. For example, if you place these chairs between the kitchen and the TV set, people can turn their chairs towards the TV set when something interesting is on, or they can turn the chairs towards the kitchen when the chef is cooking up something remarkable.
- Slipper chairs: Slipper chairs are armless chairs that work well for decorating small spaces. They can be upholstered with either fabric or leather.
- Wingback chairs: A wingback chair is a historic style of armchair that features protective wing-like structures at the sides. Some people refer to them as wing chairs. They're frequently made with leather, although fabric-covered wing chairs are common as well. They're often found in pairs in the study, near the fireplace and in the bedroom.
How do you choose the right accent chairs?
There are many possible ways to choose the right accent chairs. The most important consideration is that the chairs' users will love them, enjoy them and feel comfortable using them.
One possible way is to have the design-savviest family member select multiple options that could work well in the home; then let the entire family vote on which of those chairs should be the final selection. This is one way of ensuring you'll choose accent chairs that you and your family members will all love.
If you have a matching set of furniture in your living room, the prevailing design advice is to choose harmonizing accent chairs that are not intended to be part of your furniture set. The same advice applies if you have a sectional sofa. Choose accent chairs that complement your sectional without being an exact match. The idea is to accent your other furniture yet provide variety in the look of your design scheme. Using different fabrics and textures helps to enliven the space and make it look more interesting.
When you select accent chairs, always consider the colors, textures, styles, and proportions of the other elements in the room including furniture, textiles, flooring, and other surfaces.