Choosing the right armchair for your room and your needs

In today’s interior design, there is a strong trend that the traditional three-piece sofa suite becomes less popular. Homeowners prefer a much more flexible seating options. The sofa and armchair don’t have to be the same style or covered with same material. The sofa can be identical – a classic look – while the matching armchair can be a more adventurous choice. East meets west, classic blends to contemporary; all the mix and match make your decorating project more challenging and daring. A well-chosen armchair can be terrific for a living room seating marvel and is ready to help your decor leap into style!

Checklist before buying an armchair:

Who will be using the armchair?
- Children
- Adults
- Elderly people
How many people using the chair regularly?
- 1 – 2
- 3 – 5
- 6 – 8
How do they use the chair?
- Audio & video entertainment
- Reading
- Rest
- Play
- Eating

General guidelines for picking an armchair are:

Size and style

• The size of your room – consider the external dimensions in relation to room size.
• There are some styles such as Chesterfield, high back scroll arm, high back with wings or recliners are all take up spaces.
• The type or function of your room - living room, entertainment room or bedroom – if it is expected to have a lot of activities or traffic in the room, you should not look for bulk items.
• You need more consideration on construction for last longer or extra and removable upholstery fabric to cover the head and arm rest areas if anticipate high usage.
• The style of furnishing of the existing decoration – it can be complementary an existing scheme or in bold contrast.
• A bamboo frame style easily creates an oriental or tropical feel.

Comfort and price

There is no substitution to a comfortable armchair. You may like an armchair for lounging in, a comfy seat for sprawling. Take time to sit and try on an armchair to find out if it fits you.

• If you like support for head and shoulders try an upright high back chair and probably with wings.
• Consider the member who use the armchair such as seat height and depth; back height and length.
  - Low seats are difficult for elderly people to get up from
  - Tall people with long legs need a deeper seat
  - Very soft sofas don’t support your back properly
  - A low back will not support your head and shoulders
  - The arm rests should be at a comfortable height
• Soft stuffing and cushions is not very good for posture but encourage sprawling.
• Low armed chair make an ideal for curl up in.
  
  
  The construction and material of an armchair also provide different level of comfort. Of course the price is likely to reflect both of these two elements. The spring system, the foam and the fabric or material used for the upholstery is all-important factor that constitute to the price structure. Check carefully the density of the foam covering the frame and make sure the frame joints are strong. High priced pieces are quality handcrafted with sturdy, kiln-dried solid wood frames, individual coil springs and dense foam padding for comfort and support.
  Upholstered chair usually offer choice of fabric.Genuine leather chair is soft and pliable; it's also easy to clean and is specially treated to resist splitting and staining.

Seating is so important to comfortable living that it is worthy to buy a good one.