Armchair for Living Room: How to Choose the Right Type, Size and Placement

An armchair for the living room does more work than it gets credit for. It gives a guest a seat of their own, turns an empty corner into a reading spot and balances a long sofa. It is also one of the easiest pieces to get wrong. A chair that looked perfect online can turn out too deep for your parents, too low beside the sofa, or simply too big for the door.

This guide explains how to choose the right chair for the living room: armchair, accent chair, lounge chair or single seater sofa. It covers how much space a chair needs, where to put it, which materials suit an Indian home, and the mistakes worth avoiding.

Quick answer: Most living room armchairs are 70–85 cm wide and 75–90 cm deep (about 2.3–2.8 × 2.5–3 ft). Allow about 80 × 80 cm of floor per chair, plus 60–75 cm of walkway beside it. Keep the seat within about 5 cm of your sofa's seat height, place the chair within 2.5 m (8 ft) of the sofa so people can talk easily, and leave 35–45 cm between the chair and the coffee table.

Start with the job, not the look

Before you browse, decide what the chair is for. A chair for long evenings with a book needs to be deep and soft. A chair for guests and elderly relatives needs a firm, upright seat and arms to push up from. A chair that mainly fills an empty corner can be more about shape than comfort. Most disappointment with armchairs comes from buying a chair for one job and using it for another.

Armchair, accent chair, lounge chair or single seater sofa?

Shops use these names loosely, but the differences matter once the chair is in your home.

Type	What it is	Choose it if
Armchair	Arms on both sides and an upright, supportive back	You want everyday seating for anyone, including older family members
Accent chair	A chair chosen for its shape, colour or fabric, often without arms	The room needs one bold piece, or the corner is tight
Lounge chair	Lower and deeper, with a reclined back	You want a reading chair or a place to unwind
Single seater sofa	Upholstered all over, like one seat of a sofa	You want something soft and enclosed that sits well beside a fabric sofa

Classic armchair

If you are buying one chair that everyone in the family will use, make it a classic armchair. Arms you can rest your elbows on, and push up from, make it easy to sit down and get up, which matters more than most people expect. The Morjim Armchair, the most viewed armchair on our site, is a good example: an upright cane back and a cushioned seat in a black wooden frame.

Accent chair

An accent chair is about shape first. Without arms, it takes up less visual space and you can sit in it from any side, which is why accent chairs work so well in corners and at the end of a bed. The trade-off is comfort over long periods: there is nowhere to rest your arms. The Nord Armchair shows the idea at its boldest, with the seat and back in one continuous upholstered curve.

The trick with an accent chair for the living room is to make it different from the sofa in one way and the same in another:

• Change one thing: colour, texture or shape. A curved chair beside a boxy sofa, or a rust or olive fabric against a beige sofa, is enough. Change all three and the chair looks like it belongs to another room.
• Keep one link: take the colour from a cushion or the rug, or repeat the wood tone of the coffee table.
• Check the back. Accent chairs often sit away from the wall, angled into the room, so the back is on show from the doorway. Make sure it looks as finished as the front.

Lounge chair

A lounge chair sits lower and deeper, so you lean back rather than sit up. That makes it the best reading chair, but also the hardest to get out of. If grandparents will use it often, choose an armchair instead. The Ron Armchair is our lowest chair, with broad wooden arms that double as a place to rest a cup.

Single seater sofa

A single seater sofa or single sofa chair has no exposed frame. It feels soft and enclosed and sits naturally beside a fabric sofa, but it also looks heavier, so it suits larger rooms better than small ones. The Soho Armchair is upholstered all over in a plush, textured fabric that wraps around you.

How much space does an armchair need?

Most armchairs are 70–85 cm wide (2.3–2.8 ft) and 75–90 cm deep (2.5–3 ft). The number people forget is the space around the chair: 60–75 cm wherever people walk past, and 35–45 cm between the chair and the coffee table so you can stretch your legs without kicking it.

The quickest way to check is the newspaper test. Tape sheets of newspaper to the floor in the chair's footprint, then walk around the room as you normally would for a day. If you keep stepping on it, the chair is too big for that spot.

Seat height: match the sofa

Most sofas and armchairs have a seat 40–48 cm (16–19 in) from the floor. When the chair sits much lower or higher than the sofa beside it, the group looks uneven and conversation feels awkward, as if one person is sitting on a stool. Measure your sofa's seat and keep the chair within about 5 cm of it.

Armchair for a small living room

In a small living room, look for three things: a chair about 70–75 cm wide, visible legs so you can see the floor underneath, and a back no higher than about 75 cm. Each one makes the room feel larger. Slim or open arms help too. The Logan Armchair has all of these, with slim wooden arms and a woven cane back you can see through.

Where to place an armchair in the living room

An armchair works best when it is part of the conversation. Keep it within about 2.5 m (8 ft) of the sofa, and give it a surface within arm's reach for a cup.

• A pair facing the sofa: two armchairs across the coffee table from the sofa make a conversation circle. This is the most sociable layout, and the one that works best when relatives visit.
• One chair angled at the end of the sofa: turned at about 45°, it adds a seat without closing off the room. It suits long, narrow living rooms where the far side is a walkway.
• A reading corner: beside a window for daylight, with a floor lamp behind your shoulder for the evening and a side table at arm height. Our side table guide shows how to match the table to the chair arm.
• Not in the walking line: keep the chair out of the path between the door and the sofa, or everyone will end up walking around it.

If you are arranging the room by Vastu, our sofa and TV direction as per Vastu guide shows where guest seating goes and how to place the sofa and TV without the rules clashing.

Should the chairs match the sofa? Usually not exactly. A chair in a different fabric or a wooden frame makes the room look collected over time rather than bought as a set. One shared detail, such as the wood tone, a colour from the cushions or the shape of the arms, is enough to tie them together. Our coffee table buying guide covers the table at the centre of the group.

Choosing a material for an Indian home

Cane armchair

Cane is the woven outer skin of the rattan palm, so a cane armchair is what many people mean when they search for a rattan chair. It suits Indian summers better than any fabric, because air passes through the weave, and the open pattern makes a chair look lighter than it is. Keep it out of strong direct sun and wipe it with a barely damp cloth, and cane ages well. Morjim uses cane on the back and sides, and Logan on the back only.

Boucle and textured fabrics

Boucle is a looped, nubby fabric that feels soft and hides small marks well, which is why it has become so popular. Pale boucle does show dust and pet hair, so if you have children or a dog, choose a mid-tone or vacuum it weekly with a brush attachment. The Cloud Armchair puts ivory boucle on a classic rolled-arm shape, a good choice for a calm, light living room.

Leather-look and wooden frames

A leather-look chair, such as our Berlin Armchair in tan leatherette on a gold frame, wipes clean in seconds and suits a study or a more formal room. A wooden armchair with an exposed frame, such as the Cora Armchair with its solid wooden sled base, ties in with wooden coffee tables and side tables and is the easiest to keep looking good. For cleaning each material, see our care instructions.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Buying too deep for the people who will use it. A deep lounge chair is lovely to sink into and hard for older relatives to get out of. If the chair is for guests, choose an upright armchair.
• Forgetting the door. Measure your front door, lift and the living room doorway. A chair has to pass through its narrowest side, and that is usually its depth or height, not its width.
• Choosing by photo alone. Photos hide scale. Tape the footprint on the floor before you order.
• Leaving it without a surface. A chair with nowhere to put a cup down rarely gets used. Plan a side table at the same time.
• Matching the sofa too closely. An identical fabric often makes the chair disappear. A contrast in texture or a wooden frame looks more considered.

Ordering, delivery and custom fabrics

Every armchair is made to order by our artisans in Jodhpur. According to our shipping page, that takes about 40 days, followed by 10–15 days for delivery, so a chair ordered in mid-October arrives in late November or early December, in time for the wedding season. Every armchair page lists customisation in material, dimensions and finish, so you can ask for a fabric that suits your sofa or a pair in two colours. Contact us before you order.

If you are getting the room ready for guests, our Diwali living room guide has ideas for styling the furniture you already own.

Armchair buying checklist

1. Decide the job: everyday seating (armchair), relaxing (lounge chair) or a statement (accent chair).
2. Tape the footprint on the floor, allowing about 80 × 80 cm plus 60–75 cm of walkway.
3. Measure your sofa's seat height and keep the chair within 5 cm of it.
4. Check the distance to the sofa (within 2.5 m) and to the coffee table (35–45 cm).
5. Measure the doors and lift the chair has to pass through.
6. Choose a material for how you live: cane for warm rooms, boucle or textured fabric for softness, leatherette for easy cleaning.
7. Plan a side table, and allow for the making and delivery time.

Armchair FAQs

What is the standard size of an armchair?

Most armchairs are 70–85 cm wide, 75–90 cm deep and 70–90 cm high, or about 2.3–2.8 ft wide. Allow about 80 × 80 cm of floor for the chair itself, plus a walkway beside it.

What is the difference between an armchair and an accent chair?

An armchair always has arms and is chosen mainly for comfort. An accent chair is chosen mainly for its look, such as a bold shape, colour or fabric, and often has no arms. Many chairs are both.

Is a lounge chair the same as an armchair?

Not quite. A lounge chair is lower and deeper, with a more reclined back, so you lean back rather than sit upright. It is better for relaxing and reading, and an armchair is better for everyday seating and conversation.

Is a single seater sofa better than an armchair?

A single seater sofa is fully upholstered and feels softer and more enclosed. An armchair with a visible frame and legs looks lighter and suits smaller rooms. Choose by the look of your sofa and the size of the room.

How far should an armchair be from the sofa?

Within about 2.5 m (8 ft), so people can talk comfortably. Leave 35–45 cm between the chair and the coffee table, and 60–75 cm wherever people walk past.

How many armchairs should a living room have?

One is enough for a small room or a reading corner. A pair facing the sofa suits a medium to large room and makes a conversation circle. Add more only if there is still 75 cm of walkway around the seating.

Can I use an armchair in the bedroom?

Yes. A compact armchair or an armless accent chair in a bedroom corner makes a reading spot or a place to sit while dressing. Leave enough room for wardrobe doors and drawers to open.

Ready to choose? Browse all our armchairs, and compare each one with the measurements you took at home.