Armchairs

How to choose an armchair

An armchair is the second most important piece of seating in most living rooms, and the one that gets used the longest each evening. The reading-corner chair, the partner-on-the-sofa-armchair, the snug chair next to the wood burner. Three specs separate the keepers from the impulse buys: seat depth, frame and fill quality, and whether the chair has a foot.

Seat depth is the single most important spec. 48 to 55cm is the standard range and works for most adults across reading, watching TV and sitting upright. 60cm-plus is "lounge" depth and only works if you're tall (over 5'10") or if you watch TV with your feet up. Anything under 48cm is more "perch" than "sit" and will stop being comfortable after twenty minutes.

Frame and fill are the long-term spec. Hardwood frames (beech, oak, ash) with mortise-and-tenon joinery hold shape for two decades. Glued plywood and chipboard frames in the £150 to £400 bracket start to creak in year three. Eight-way hand-tied springs are the upgrade over serpentine springs. High-density foam wrapped in fibre is the practical seat fill; pure feather is too soft once you live with it.

Footstool or recliner is the optional third decision. A matched footstool turns an upright reading chair into a feet-up evening chair, often for £150 to £300 less than buying a separate piece. Reclining armchairs (manual or electric) suit older households and anyone with knee or hip issues; they take up more floor space when reclined and read less elegant in formal rooms.

Style follows the room. Wing-back chairs suit traditional and country interiors, with the wings doing functional work in draughty old houses. Tub chairs and barrel-back armchairs are the contemporary middle ground. Slipper chairs (low, armless) suit small bedrooms and dressing rooms. Statement armchairs in velvet or bouclé in jewel tones work as a single accent piece in an otherwise neutral room.

The brands and retailers we list

We pull around 10,300 armchairs from across the UK retailer network.

The Range covers the broadest selection in the £100 to £500 value-to-mid bracket.

Robert Dyas stocks recliners, wing-backs and tub chairs in the £200 to £700 mid-market.

Cox & Cox covers the upper-mid bracket with country-modern and considered designs from £450.

Furniture in Fashion leans into contemporary tub chairs and statement pieces in velvet and bouclé.

Filter the grid above by colour, material or price to narrow things down. Prices update daily.