Accent Chairs
How to Choose an Accent Chair or Armchair
An accent chair is a chair that stands on its own rather than arriving as part of a matched set. It may be an armchair or a lounge chair, upholstered in leather, boucle, velvet, or performance fabric, or made with wood, cane, or rattan. The name describes the role the chair plays in a room, not a particular form.
Accent chairs cover a wide range of proportions. An armless chair can fit into a narrow spot, while a large accent chair can have the scale and depth of a club or barrel chair. High backs and wingbacks add height without taking up more floor space. The useful measurements depend on what the chair is sitting beside and how much room is left around it.
Accent chairs for a living room may sit opposite a sofa, at one end of it, or as a pair. A bedroom accent chair is often pulled closer to a wall or tucked into an unused corner. A swivel chair needs room to turn. An accent chair with ottoman takes up more floor space but changes how the chair is used.
What is an accent chair, and how is it different from an armchair?
An accent chair is a broad retail term for a single chair used on its own rather than as part of a matching suite. It describes the chair's role in a room. Occasional chair is the trade term for much the same thing.
An armchair is any chair with arms. Some accent chairs have arms and some do not. A slipper chair is armless, for example. A lounge chair is usually lower and deeper, with reclining in mind, and often works with an ottoman.
How big is an accent chair?
Most accent chairs are 28 to 32 inches wide and 30 to 34 inches deep, with seat heights between 17 and 19 inches. Overall height usually falls between 30 and 40 inches. A high back goes past 40 inches.
A slipper chair or other armless chair can be under 24 inches wide, which makes it useful as an accent chair for a small space. A club chair or barrel chair often passes 34 inches. Width does not tell the whole story, since a deep seat can add considerably to the chair's footprint.
How much space does an accent chair need?
Allow about 30 inches for a walkway around the chair. Facing seats can be up to about 8 feet apart before people start raising their voices.
A pair of chairs facing a sofa usually needs 3 to 4 feet between them if a shared side table sits in the middle. Also look at the backs of the furniture. A chair that rises well above the sofa can start to dominate the arrangement when the two sit close together.
Do accent chairs have to match?
No. Two matching chairs flanking a sofa give the arrangement a clear structure, and a pair is often the easiest choice when the chairs face each other across a table. A set of 2 accent chairs for a living room also makes sense when symmetry is doing most of the work.
Different chairs can work together if they share something substantial. Similar seat heights are often enough. The same wood tone can do it too, or two fabrics with a similar visual weight. A chair does not need to match the sofa, and matching it too closely can make the room look like it was bought as a suite.
Leather, boucle, velvet, cane, or performance fabric, which should you choose?
Top-grain leather develops patina and can be conditioned. A brown leather accent chair will show wear differently from a pale fabric chair. Bonded leather is ground hide on a backing and cannot be conditioned in the same way.
Boucle has loops that can catch on claws or rings. Velvet shows pressure marks and directional shading because of its pile. Cane and rattan are light and breathable but dislike damp. Performance fabric is woven or treated for cleanability and is often rated in double rubs, with contract grade starting around 30,000.
How do you clean an accent chair?
Vacuum first. For a spill or mark, blot rather than rub and work from the outside inward. Most upholstery has a cleaning code on the product page: W for water-based cleaning, S for solvent, WS for either, and X for vacuuming only.
Leather needs a damp cloth and conditioner, not a household cleaner. Vacuum boucle with an upholstery head rather than a beater bar, which can catch the loops and pull at the surface.