Types of Seating for Your Living Room

At Kaplan’s Furniture in Elyria, not only do we house well-built pieces, but we also encourage our qualified designers to walk each of our customers through the design process. Today we are using the knowledge we have amassed over the last 80 years to describe some of the different seating options for your living room, so you have all the knowledge you need to make an informed purchase.

But before we get started, you need to know why finding the right type of chair or sofa for your space is important.

Different types of seats are made to accommodate different postures, and because every activity you do while sitting down requires a change in posture, some seats cannot be used for certain activities. For instance, a dining chair cannot be used for relaxing, and a sofa cannot be used in place of a dining chair. Seat usage is what makes one chair different from another.

The most basic function of a living room chair or sofa is relaxation. For this reason, living room furniture is commonly designed to provide the user with a cozy and comfortable seating experience. With comfort as the primary design factor, it’s important to understand the various comfortable sitting postures in order to choose the right type of chair or sofa for your living room.

You must keep in mind some key ergonomic factors when you are shopping, like the chair’s height and width, the size of any armrests, the height of the backrest, and the chairs depth. You must also consider the seat angle and shape to see if it aligns with your most comfortable sitting position. From here, you can begin to consider upholstery type and more aesthetic features.

It is also important to think about the placement of possible seats in your living room as this can also affect your comfort. The key factors in determining the correct placement of chairs are their use and circulation. If the chair is used as part of a conversational nook, then it must be angled appropriately. If it’s primary use will be to cradle you as you watch TV, you must keep this in mind when shopping. To allow for proper circulation, consider the natural flow of the room from its doorways and the distance between each piece of furniture when you are arranging it. For example, if two sofas are placed opposite each other, the distance between the two pieces should provide enough space to keep a coffee or cocktail table between them.

The sofa is often regarded as the centerpiece of the living room, and for this reason, it is often the first type of seat that people think of when they are seeking seating options for the living room. This type of seat has the ability to influence your guest’s opinion of your living room as it sets the mood for the space due to its size. This opinion will go on to influence the rest of your room, so it is important to choose a piece that you feel reflects your personal style. Luckily, the sofa is the most popular style of primary living room seating among Americans, meaning it is easy to find a piece that you love at a fair price.

You can find sofas in every style, from country to cottage or traditional to modern, but we think having knowledge about the structure of the sofa is important to understand if this is the right type of seat for your space. Moreover, once you have the language to describe the sofa you are interested in, you can tell store clerks exactly what you are looking for.

The average sofa has two arms that define its body. These arms serve both aesthetic and ergonomic purposes. They give the user a place to rest their arms on comfortably when sitting while adding complexity to the silhouette of the piece.

The most common type of sofa arm is the English arm. This style of sofa arm is low when compared to the sofa’s back. The end of the arm is set back from the front edge of the sofa’s seat, giving the piece an elongated look in comparison to the classic sofa.

Sofas with rolled arms are arguably equally as common as English armed sofas. However, despite this type of sofa being comfortable for lounging and reading, they do take up extra space, and this should be taken into account when shopping for a new seat for your living room.

The details surrounding sofa backs can also be used to help you decide if a sofa is right for your space. The height, shape, and cushion materials can vary massively depending on the type of sofa you choose. Tight-back sofas have a firm feel and are perfect for those that want a clean, tailored piece for a formal living room. Curved back sofas have backs that curve around the backside of the sofa to meet the arms. The look is ideal for modern spaces and those looking for statement furniture for their living room. Attached back sofas have cushions sewn to the back of the sofa. This stitching prevents the cushions from sliding down the back of the piece and making the piece uncomfortable to sit in.

Sofas are perfect for small families looking for a seat that the entire family can enjoy. For larger families, we suggest that you purchase two sofas for your living room to give yourself seating versatility and prevent overcrowding on one piece.

Close your eyes and picture a sectional. Do you see a huge L-shaped couch-like chair? While this is not incorrect, the sectional is far more than this due to its many configuration options. In fact, this type of seat is one of the most practical pieces of furniture available for the modern living room.

1. The chaise sectional is the most popular type of sectional. Chaise sectionals consist of one three-seated sofa with a single chaise seat on its right or left side to provide its user with enough room to stretch their legs while relaxing. We recommend this type of sectional to families that like to lounge.
   

2. The L-shaped sectional is similar to the above-mentioned chaise sectional in that it is perfect for big families that prioritize comfort. This type of sectional consists of two sofa sections with five or more cushions on each side and a connecting seat in the middle.
   

Since sectionals are among the largest pieces of furniture you can buy for your space, the price of a sectional is typically higher than that of the basic sofa.

Accent chairs can be a great addition to any home because they come in all shapes and sizes. The term accent chair refers to any chair designed to fulfill a role beyond the classic function of the chair. While they compliment the rest of the room’s decor and furniture by providing a secondary seating space for guests, they are valued for their aesthetic appeal. This is sometimes the focus over functionality. You will find that the vast majority of accent chairs use contrasting colors and fabrics to add character to a room. But how well an accent chair fits in your living room functionally as well as aesthetically depends on the type of accent chair you select. The key to achieving thematic design cohesion through your living room is to purchase an accent chair that stands out yet still adheres to your room’s original theme, whether that be in its color or shape.

There are various types of accent chairs. The following are the types of accent chairs that we most commonly recommend to our customers.

This is the most popular type of accent chair on the market. Not only can this type of accent chair be used to add a chic style to your living room, but armchairs are also designed with comfort in mind. Most pieces incorporate two comfortable armrests to rest your arms on, and they are usually tailored using an upholstered material. Due to their popularity, like the sofa, armchairs are available in a wide variety of materials, colors, and sizes to match your preferences.

Armchairs can be further categorized into various subcategories.

Barrel chairs have the rounded high back of curved back sectionals and the same rounded edges you can find in comfortable sofas around the world. The round-back support is similar in its look to the back of a barrel, giving this type of chair its name. Created from the ground up with comfort in mind and plenty of padding, this type of accent chair gives you a comfortable place to sit and relax.

Given the vast selection of material and color options available for barrel chairs from most brands, you can adapt the look of this type of chair to the design of your room and create a rustic feel in any space.

This type of accent armchair has been used as a staple in formal rooms for decades due to its ability to bring classic style to any room. Modern wingback chairs can look just as beautiful in a laid-back, relaxed living room. They can be placed in front of a fireplace, in an entryway, or at a desk.

Structurally, wingback chairs are accent chairs with a tall back and winged sides. However, the weight and size of this type of chair means that it is very heavy and difficult to move around. Therefore they should be placed in your living room carefully, in a position that it would not need to be shifted from on a regular basis.

As the name suggests, the Chair and a Half is an extended chair that has a greater seat width than the average chair. If you live in a small home and have a small living room, then a Chair and a Half can serve as a sofa as well as a chair since it can seat more than one person comfortably. However, this is still an accent item, and because of this, there are many options available for customization to ensure that you are happy with the piece you receive.

We hope that this guide listing different types of seating in the living room helps you decide what type of seat is right for your space. We know that this decision is very important because you don’t buy new furniture for your home every day. So, if you still have questions or are looking for a store that sells living room furniture in the Lorain County area, visit us today in Elyria. One of our dedicated sales assistants will be happy to help you find seating that meets your needs. You’ll be blown away by the quality of the pieces in our collection.

We hope to see you at our furniture store soon!