6 TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT CHAIR

6 TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT CHAIR. Good to know tips for finding the perfect chair for your home.

I bet you would be surprised if you went through your home and counted how many chairs you have! Kitchen chairs, island chairs, occasional chairs, rocking chairs, reading chairs, lounging chairs, dining room table chairs, just-for-show chairs, office chairs, bedroom chairs, club chairs, recliners, tv-watching-chairs, accent chairs… the list goes on and on! But, are they all the perfect chair? Here are 6 things to consider so you will always choose the perfect chair for your home!

CHOOSE THE RIGHT CHAIR FOR THE RIGHT PURPOSE

6 TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT CHAIR. Good to know tips for finding the perfect chair for your home.

When choosing the perfect chair keep in mind it’s purpose. This is the most important step. You may love that darling, petite French chair but if you are going to be sitting in it while you watch your favorite tv show you won’t be comfortable and it might not hold up.

Make sure the chair you choose is the right height and width for it’s purpose. Does is need arms or not? Should it be ergonomic? Does it need any special features? Answer questions like this now and it will help you weed out chairs that are not THE perfect chair.

Determine it’s use and go from there.

PAY ATTENTION TO SCALE AND PROPORTION

6 TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT CHAIR. Good to know tips for finding the perfect chair for your home.

A chair must be a perfect “fit”! The scale of a chair is how it relates to the size of the room and to a person who is using it. Proportion means how a piece relates to other pieces in the room. Both are important in finding the perfect chair! 

A chair must be scaled to a room… sorta like Goldie Locks! Not to big, not too small, but just right! And just like finding the perfect proportion, the scale must fit too! It can’t look out of sync with what you already have in your room. A big recliner would not work in a mid century modern room! 

It’s important to pay attention to the measurements of an area you want a chair to fit into. Don’t try to cram a too big chair in a small area. The same goes for a small chair is a large area. The chair and the room and the things around it and the space need to work together.

Buying new chairs was not an option so I painted my dining room chairs. They fit the size of my dining room and work with the other furniture in the room.

CHOOSE A STYLE YOU LOVE

6 TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT CHAIR. Good to know tips for finding the perfect chair for your home.

Once you pick a chair’s purpose, scale and proportion then you can start looking for a style you like. There are so so many styles to pick from… how to choose?

The first thing you might want to consider is who will be using the chair. Woman, men and children are all different and fit into chairs differently too. It’s probably a good idea to choose a style that fits all the people in your home comfortably unless it is statement piece and will get little wear or the chair is being purchased with a specific person in mind.

Also to consider how long the style will work for you. This ties into price point which will be discussed further down in the post. 

The more classic the styling the more years you will probably get from your chair. Trendy styles are more suited for great accent chairs that will give a room personality and not are not costly because you will probably tire of them more quickly when they look dated. If you are looking for something that will live in your home for more than 7 years… go classic!

Peruse magazines, Pinterest and blogs for chair styles you like. And make a few trips to your local furniture stores and get some help. You don’t have to buy, but you can get lots of ideas and learn lots too!

These “bubble” chairs are my very favorite. It was love at first sight! There classically updated style speak to me!

DECIDE ON A FABRIC, COLOR AND PATTERN

6 TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT CHAIR. Good to know tips for finding the perfect chair for your home.

Now this is the fun part… at least for me. Some people get totally overwhelmed with all the fabric, colors and pattern choices for chairs. I can see why. If you choose custom fabric you may not be able to return a chair if you make a mistake! YIKES!

Here are a few things that will help…

When deciding on a fabric think about WEAR. Match the amount of wear a chair will get with the durability and stain resistance a fabric has.

When thinking of color think of WASH. As in color wash. What overall color do you want your chair and room to be washed in? Do you want to coordinate it with the rest of your room? Or will this chair bring a much needed pop of color to a room? Will this color stand the test of time (in my book that is 7-10 years for most chairs) or will you get tired of it? Can this chair be moved to another part of your home if needed?

Now think about WOW when you think pattern. Pattern bring a certain wow factor with it. Bold, geometric, botanicals, abstract, subtle, stripes, checks, plaids, basketweave, hound’s tooth, ombre, tapestry and paisley are just a few of the hundreds of interesting patterns to pick from. Find a pattern that works with the other things in your room. 

The big hound’s tooth print is perfect for our very neutral family room that needed a little excitement. And it’s a recliner! This great chair came from Lazy Boy.

WEIGHT QUALITY AND PRICE POINT

6 TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT CHAIR. Good to know tips for finding the perfect chair for your home.

Quality versus price point can’t be stressed enough. I learned this lesson the very hard way.

When I was a young homemaker a “certain wood and style” was all the rage. Bobby and I saved for 5 years to buy some very expensive dining room furniture in the latest style. It was GORGEOUS! And is still in amazing shape to this day. But I got tired of it after 10 years. And in 20 years it was really out of date and made my home look dated!

The furniture was still exquisite, but gone was my love for it.

We have kept that furniture for almost 30 years because we had invested so much money into it that we could not get rid of it in good faith. I painted the chairs and love them, but the table (although so so amazing) is not what I want… at all. (I’ll let you in on a little secret… make sure you come back in mid November and see my new table!)

My best advice for you is… DO NOT… I repeat… DO NOT over invest in furniture. If you have the income to support changing up your furniture then you go girl! But if you are like most of us, please listen to me! Only invest in furniture to last 7- 10 years. That’s my mantra! And if it’s an accent piece or you have chosen a trendy color or pattern, make that 5-7. The only thing that I would pay more for is a great sofa (because of wear) and a mattress (because a good night’s sleep is priceless).

This little accent chair came from HomeGoods. It was very inexpensive. It’s a fun accent chair in one of our guest rooms. Because it does not get much wear it will probably hold up well.

SPEND SOME TIME IN A CHAIR

6 TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT CHAIR-comfortable-chair-stonegableblog.com

Don’t buy a chair for looks alone unless it is a statement piece that will hardly ever get use. If at all possible cozy down in a chair and make sure it’s comfortable and is the height and width that feels good to you. Yes, be like our girl Goldie Locks. Snuggle down and when you find a chair that you are very very comfortable in… then that just might be your chair! I can’t over emphasize how important comfort is above form when buying a chair! And this is hard for me because I like pretty.  Always choose comfort first! 

If you can’t test the chair out then make sure to read every single review on that chair. Other people, will give you the scoop on a chair you are considering!

Now you know! I hope the next time you are looking for a chair to bring into your home this gives you lots of information to help make the perfect choice!

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6 TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT CHAIR. Good to know tips for finding the perfect chair for your home.

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25 Comments

  1. OOOh everytime I see pics of those “bubble” chairs my heart starts beating harder and harder! Oh how I love them!! Can’t wait to see that new dining room table!!

    Have a blessed day, Yvonne! (And everyone reading this I wish you a blessed day as well!)

  2. I have a “bubble” chair in my living room (family room). It’s dark brown wood, covered in a brown and tan cow “skin” fabric. I love it and everyone who sees it seems to love it too!

  3. Where does one get a “bubble chair”….? Thank you so much for this post.

    1. Hi Theresa,
      I got my chairs at Ethan Allen. I have seen them at Joss & Main and Wayfair too!

  4. I luv luv the lazy boy chair and it’s a recliner -makes it even better. It doesn’t look like the stereotypical recliner. The fabric is neutral but still adds a pop to the room. Thanks for sharing and giving us your great ideas.

  5. shane davis says:

    I LOVE the table next to the houndstooth chair. Where did you get that, if you don’t mind me asking.
    I love your blog by the way. I stumbled upon it this summer and visit frequently for inspiration.

    1. The table came from a local furniture store years ago. I painted the base.

  6. Love the Lazyboy recliner because it doesn’t look like the “olden days” recliner, and I love your French Script document chair too. By the way, we have the same dining room chairs, but I’ll never tire of the beautiful mahogany wood. I always kook forward to your posts.

  7. Perfect timing and great post! I’m starting to look for chairs for my living room. I made those same mistakes 25 years ago. Lovely furniture … older sister talked me in to high quality because you re-upholster. Well…that didn’t happen and I have given away those classic pieces this past year. Because of their quality they have great bones and I’m thinking someone will tinker with recovering to make them more current.

    Every young person should get lessons on how to make purchases and be practical at the same time. I have passed along a lot of my mistakes to my kids and hopefully they won’t fall in to the same trap.

  8. Elaine Culbert says:

    May I add a point to consider when buying (dining room) chairs, Yvonne?

    A few years ago, I already had a nice table in the room then saw two chairs (with arms) that were love at first sight. I could picture them at each end of the table. We brought one home to see how it would look ( lovely, by the way!) BUT the arms of the chair wouldn’t fit/slide in under the tabletop. Sadly, the chair went back to the store and I had to continue looking.

    Many times we fall in love with a chair but forget about the height of the table!

    1. I know exactly what you mean! I fell in love with upholstered chairs black and white checked chairs for my breakfast room. They were on the Ethan Allen show room floor and they let me take one home and I had the same problem. So I did not buy them. Lucky they let me take them home to try out!

  9. Yvonne,
    Great advice, dear friend!!!
    Furnishings can really make their “hit” on one’s budget!!!
    I greatly appreciate your advice of choosing the perfect chair!!!
    Fondly,
    Pat

  10. Great advise, Yvonne. It’s too bad I didn’t learn half of this when I was younger! I bought a red denim couch about 15 years ago, and while I might love the color “red”- she’s not so pretty anymore. The cushions and pillows are still in great shape, so until I make myself give it a slipcover, she sits in the basement! Lol! Thanks for the tips:)

  11. What a great time boosting of all the beautiful things you have around.

    I have the same french print of one of your chair which I purchased directly from Provence.
    I love it, but as I am an fur allergy, sad to say that I need to rid out of them 2. Break my heart.
    We didn’t expect that the stuffings is down §:-(

    Have a nice day and week ahead.

    Best regards from cold Stockholm.
    /CC

  12. Great post.can not wait to see your new table

  13. Sherry Myers says:

    This is a great post, Yvonne! It is very informative and the absolute truth! I have been making a home for over forty years. I wish I had been able to get this kind of advice as a young bride and homemaker! It would have saved me some disappointments. Keep up the good work! Others will benefit and save a lot of money by taking heed to such a smart lady.
    Sherry

  14. Dee Pruitt says:

    Thanks Yvonne as always great advice.

  15. Deb O'Keefe says:

    I Love you newsletter. So many beautiful ideas. I especially like the Pumpkin with the succulents. I would like to know how long this would live. Can you transplant it?,

  16. I have a few chairs and little accent tables….. my weakness

  17. Hello, what color is the top of your pineapple table?
    Thank you and Happy 2017,

  18. I like that you point out that the chair must be scaled to the room. I can see why this would be important so that nothing looks out of place. My sister is wanting to get a couple new chairs to put in her living room. I’ll have to point this out to her the next time I see her.