Out of all the choices, I think the west elm chair goes best with the sofa style and color you picked, however that's my personal opinion. I too would want to test out the chair and make sure its comfy. Are there no stores even within an hour drive that sell this chair?

#2 or #3

I like the Macy's chair.

The Macy's chair. I think it would look great with the sofa. Edgy and fun.

From my experience with West Elm they furniture is low quality...

@amity no, it's from last year's collection and not on the floor. I just noticed though that they do now offer 1 fabric in quick ship. It's not a good color but I could buy it to sit on it but then I'd have to return it. If I could bring it to the store, I'd be fine with that but not if I had to ship it.

@Porter I didn't love any of the other ones so no offense. They were a selection -- any chair that didn't have giant rolled arms. I agree.

@sammy @ibk01 @markbrunner Thank you. I agree. Without a sample of the sofa color in hand, I really couldn't tell if the Macys steal would match. It's close but could clash! The sample is on its way and I'll be back at Macys to check it out. At that price, if it matches, it's mine!

@sofikbr I wouldn't be terribly surprised. At its price point, they are all kind of the same to me, short of their esthetic.

Macy's chair

What about two leather armchairs?

wmsimons85 has a post going for while about her living room and she has soft arm sofas with brown leather armchairs. I hope she doesn't mind me swiping one of her photos for reference. And granted, my whole condo could fit in her living room but hey, you gotta start somewhere.

Could chairs like this work with my sofa?

#2

Chair prices drive me crazy. How a chair can be so close to the price of a couch is totally beyond me. Agree that west elm is by far the best option. Also agree with the earlier poster that you need to be careful with west elm - their quality is often nowhere near their price point. Are the chairs mostly accent pieces where no one uses them too long? If so it might be worth checking Pier1 and World Market. Their quality and comfort won't be as high but they sometimes have attractive chairs at a modest price.

I have this chair from Bassett (in a different fabric). They often have 20-30% off sales and at that rate I think it would be in the price range of the West Elm chair and be much better quality with lots of fabric choices.

@lwfromny, I had no idea and I was surprised. In theory, the chairs are accent pieces as I live alone but I'm terribly utilitarian and if I buy two chairs, I plan to sit in them myself as well as for visitors but for both, I want them to be comfortable. It's a tiny space and they have a pretty prominent spot at the end of the room from where you enter so I'd like them to be smart looking too.

I sound like one of those posters that irritate me -- "I want the best quality on the market on a budget price." LOL

@iwfromny I love how that chair matches the sofa but it almost matches too much. The pros all say don't buy "the set". Do you think they could be too similar?

@Joe in that case if you think the one I posted from Bassett might work then you should really check them out. They are both comfortable and have a small footprint relative to other chairs I saw. That's why I chose them (even though I wasn't 100% enthused about the style) - I needed a comfy, reasonably priced, reasonably modern chair that did not take up much space. They are not my absolute favorite chairs I've ever owned, but they ticked all the boxes and still do.

@joe just saw your second comment. I actually thought the same thing looking at your sofa but I do think they still might work. They have a less prominent leg, and also if you got a different enough fabric they hopefully wouldn't look too matchy. Honestly I do really love the west elm style more but I know I personally will absolutely not buy anything I can't sit in, and I worry about west elm quality.

@lwfromny I was thinking that too. I'd never be so bold but It's kinda fun in red! I'm going to go see it. Thanks!

Let us know how you do! I have it in an ikat fabric.

I googled it and found a few local stores that I never considered visiting so thank you very much! With 850 fabrics, I think a small print would separate it from the sofa.

I saw this one too but it requires a 30% sale. LOL

It's sort of like the West Elm chair, sort of.

Hi Joe. I have this chair made by Capris Furniture and it comes in lots of fabric choices. I got it for $600 at my local furniture store and it's covered in Sunbrella fabric. It's comfortable and well made. Not sure where you are, but you may be able to find it at a store near you. Here's a link to their website if you want to contact them directly. They're made here in Florida and that's where I bought it but I'm not sure where else they're distributed. http://caprisfurniture.com/about-capris-furniture-industries

@katinparadise they have some really nice options for this style chair with varying degrees of slope in the arms. They are made in Ocala. Not exactly my area but within 2 hours drive so there must be some local stores. I'll give them a call. Thanks!

Well, Capris Furniture gets a thumbs down from me. Customer Service rep was completely bothered and uninterested in my inquiry for local retailer information.

Maybe I'm old but does anyone take pride in what they do?

Love the Macy's chair, I think the lines work well with the sofa. Also I love a good bargain.

To me, the only way to buy a chair is to sit in it. I have done tons of online shopping for furniture, but for chairs (and couches) I have to sit in it to feel the comfort. I bought one of my accent chairs in a Capital Lighting store! Crazy, right? I was there for something else (lighting) and had to wait for a rep. Saw this chair and fell in love - after I sat in it. Bought it right then and there. So keep an open mind. Accent chairs don't have to match the style of your couch....just coordinate and accentuate its style.

the macys would look good imo

I've opted against the Macy's chair. It is comfortable but now that I've been to more shops, it's comfortable for a visitor who will be sitting up. On the other hand, I will be Mr. Slouchy reading my book and the wooden back it not conducive.

I went to a bunch more furniture stores today and only found the same sort of chairs but also happened upon a consignment shop and they had a bunch of sloped arm, mini wing-back chairs and I think they will work. They were also a modest price. They are not pre-owned but are supposedly from stagings only. They had cream, beige and grey so I'm sure one will work once I have the sofa fabric swatch; assuming they are not sold.. I think it stands up to the sofa lines but doesn't quite stand-out (but that's not my style anyway).

There were also these and they had a nail head trim and were swivels but I think I prefer the chair off the ground and I think the nail head thing has been overdone. .

Any thoughts on these last two?

I like them both but agree that the first one (non-swivel) is my preference. Nice finds!

@lwfromny I saw the chair, it's lovely and there was amazing fabrics but with the fabric I wanted and even with the current little sale going on, they would still be over $1,000 each. These consignment chairs are similar and about 1/3 the price.

Thanks again though, i found a lovely store I didn't even know was in my neighborhood because of the recommendation!

Sorry about the customer service at Capris. I bought mine from Matter Brothers and they were great to work with. The consignment store chairs are a great find! I like the first one best but waiting for a fabric sample to match it up is a good idea.

@katinparadise The sofa fabric is pretty neutral. Since they had pairs of those identical chairs in cream, beige and grey, it just seemed best to wait. surprisingly, I think I like the cream ones. They were bright and kind of cheery but I think the grey will contrast the best. Stay tuned!

By tomorrow, I could have a whole new direction.

What I really need is for the carpenter to finish making a mess so I'd be forced to make furniture decisions and not have all this time to vacillate.

Number two seems the best choice for what you are wanting.

@nicola yes, I agree that #2 would be best. It certainly looks like the most comfortable too! I'm going to search that silhouette thanks!

I have read all of your Design Dilemmas. You are having a blast. I am so looking forward to seeing the results of all your research.

Ugh Joe I agree that's too much. I refuse to pay over 1k for a chair! Glad you're finding other options!

@shwshw I'm glad you're following along and even moreso that I seem to be having a blast. It's all consuming! I have never invested this much time in design....ever.

If you're following the black and white stair thread, I was actually a little scared to post that I mixed the black and white choices once I saw the samples and the two I picked supposedly aren't best matched for each other. But I liked them and contractor is already painting so there's no going back now.

Feel free to comment especially if I'm totally off the mark! A very cool friend of mine, asked me if I was decorating my gran's parlor today. I didn't think this chair was so terrible but she certainly did! I thought the orange fabric would make it more current. Not so much. LOL

@lwfromny Yeah, they were just too much but it's a nice chair, you're lucky!

Do you think the consignment chairs are too similar to the sofa and the little differences (like the wingback and a rounder top) will make them seem like they don't belong with the sofa or they're close enough that they're a nod to each other? They are absolutely the most comfortable of every chair but they will be across the room from each other so I do want them to really work.

In my house comfort is king, well, within reason - no leather recliners.

@shwshw there's a small loft landing at the top of the stairs. Only 8x6' before you enter the master (and that's all that's upstairs) so that landing may be my leather recliner, a good lamp and book/nap spot!

That's a good plan, and besides, you're a guy, and many guys just gotta have a leather recliner.