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Help finding chairs and/or fabric

2 months ago

I’m looking for suggestions on two occasional chairs to add to my living room. Photos are attached
of the sofa and the Hancock And More tilt back chair. It’s large and I don’t want anything as large as that but something that will complement that size and the sofa.

I’d love help choosing styles and fabrics that balance the room and keep it feeling cohesive.

I’m Open to suggestions for neutral textures, subtle pattern mixes, or rich colors that tie in with what I already have.

Thanks in advance

Comments (20)

  • PRO
    2 months ago
    last modified: 2 months ago

    Post more pictures, we need to see the entire room, all 4 walls. Also need to see the area rug you have.

  • 2 months ago

    Area rug photo is above. Disregard the area rug that is there now. Will be replaced withwith geometric area rug. Room is very open with really one solid wall. Doing a refresh—- some things will stay, some will go. The black wing chair will be reupholstered for a guest room.

  • 2 months ago
    last modified: 2 months ago

    I would look for low back swivel chairs like this to compliment your sofa and light room.

    Look for a light faded patterned medallion/border print area rug. (wondering what draws you to the geometric rug???)


    https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/Home-Garden/Cecilia-Fabric-Swivel-Club-Chair-by-Christopher-Knight-Home/12199661/product.html?opre=1&option=82252321



    https://www.wayfair.com/rugs/pdp/dakota-fields-rectangle-codrin-wool-area-rug-w110736579.html?piid=1892128842

  • PRO
    2 months ago

    Do you mean this is your rug?

    Looking at your picture the tone of this rug doesn't seem to coordinate with the sofa. If it's a rug you're considering, you'd better get a sample before going ahead with this colour. I'll work on coming up with suggestions for you...

  • PRO
    2 months ago



  • 2 months ago

    Thank you so much for the thoughtful design suggestions. I really appreciate the time you put into it!

    The large Hancock & Moore leather tilt-back chair is definitely staying. It’s my husband’s chair, and that one is non-negotiable 😊. Ideally, I’d still love to do two matching chairs flanking the fireplace, but we do need to work around keeping the larger tilt-back in the space.

    The rug really does work beautifully with the sofa. Colors can be so misleading online, but in person the tones blend very well. I especially like the idea of striped chairs to complement it.

    I truly love wool rugs — they wear beautifully in family rooms. We’ve had wool on our stairs and bedrooms for over 10 years and they still look fantastic and clean up so well. I’m just partial to wool. This one is actually a wool/poly-silk blend . The geometric design feels timeless and gives the room a nice transitional look.

    I’m slowly moving away from our older Oriental/Persian rugs. They’ve had their day, and I’m ready to refresh this room and others in the house. Two of those rugs had medallion patterns, and I’m not looking for anything subtle or anything that leans toward a traditional Oriental design again. Also, having several grandchildren and a medium sized dog, wool works great for us in terms of wearability and Cleanability.

    Excited to keep refining the space. thank you again for your ideas!

  • PRO
    2 months ago
    last modified: 2 months ago

    Great ideas from @lisedv. Wondering, can the recliner go in the space that is occupied by the yellow chair? It is closer to the t v. With the find other rooms for the yellow chair and what I think you are refering to as a wing chair. Now you have room for two chairs and by the fireplace.





    Color:


    Suggestion: have a non-glare glass replace the glass on your art over sofa. Impossible to see.

  • 2 months ago

    First concentrate on layout, chair size, then fabric.


    I would not have two chairs flanking the fireplace. You already have that and the leather one blocks the doorway. Even if you put a smaller chair there, it will still block the doorway.


    You are keeping the sofa, the leather chair and ottoman, and seeking two additional chairs - correct?


    Tell us first, who will sit in these two chairs, when, and for what activities? Will they be watching TV, are they for occasional visitors?



  • 2 months ago

    I need to clarify something — what I referred to as a “wing chair” is actually a Hickory Chair Marlborough lounge chair. It’s beautifully made and incredibly comfortable, visually as a modified wing chair.

    The yellow chair was pulled in from our study temporarily when we purchased the new sofa, mainly to provide extra seating for TV watching. It isn’t the long-term solution.

    Believe me, I’ve thought about the layout of this room for years. We’re very limited because there’s minimal wall space — the trade-off of having an open family room, which I absolutely love. The Hancock & Moore tilt-back chair is too large to place where the yellow chair currently sits, and that entry is quite wide, so there’s no issue keeping his chair where it is. There’s plenty of room for traffic flow in and out of the space.

    Ideally, I would love two chairs flanking the fireplace for a more symmetrical look. I agree it would be beautiful. The challenge is that those chairs are also used for TV watching. My husband primarily sits in his leather Hancock & Moore chair, while I usually sit on the sofa. We also often use the Marlborough lounge chair for reading or catching up at the end of the week. it actually creates a really nice conversation setup.

    We’re not huge TV watchers, but when we do, comfort matters. The real struggle has been finding something to replace the yellow chair that doesn’t encroach on the hallway leading to the kitchen and study. The space is tighter than it may appear, and I’m trying to avoid anything oversized or bulky that interrupts the flow.

    It’s definitely been a balancing act between aesthetics, comfort, and function!

  • 2 months ago

    I'm even more confused now. So the sofa stays where it is. The leather chair stays where it is, the chair to the right of the fireplace stays where it is. And you want two additional chairs that go where the yellow chair is now?


    What is the maximum number of people you have in this room?


    Yes, I can believe it is a small space. It feels very crowded to me.

  • 2 months ago

    K, please read the previous posts. The black chair will be reupholstered and likely moved to one of the guest rooms.

    The Hancock & Moore chair is nonnegotiable. It’s my husband’s chair for reading and relaxing, and it’s staying. I would actually love to place it where the yellow chair is, but it’s simply too large and would encroach on the hallway that leads to the kitchen and study. That’s really been the challenge in this room.

    What I’m looking for is something that balances the Hancock & Moore chair without being another heavy leather piece. I don’t want anything visually bulky. I’d like one chair to replace the black Marlborough lounge chair and another smaller-scale chair to replace the yellow chair, ideally coordinating with matching fabric. Leaning towards two matching for cohesiveness. .

    Ultimately, I would love to have two matching chairs flanking the fireplace. I think that symmetry would look beautiful. The reality, though, is that it’s hard to compete with my husband’s favorite comfy chair, and I don’t see him giving that up anytime soon!

    For context, the current sofa replaced a small sectional that just wasn’t working for me anymore. So now I’m trying to rework the seating to better suit the space. This room has been tricky because the leather chair stays and if it didn’t, it would be so easy to simply put two matching chairs in front of the fireplace and call it a day.

    It’s all about finding the right scale and visual balance without disrupting traffic flow.

    If anyone has a lay out that might work better than the existing furniture arrangement, I’m all ears. Thank you everyone

  • 2 months ago

    K, lids are adults with children so when we gather it’s six adults and four children. When we entertain, it’s usually a small crowd and it could be anywhere from 6 to 10. Grandkids usually play on the floor, and the playroom in the lower level or study. When we have a larger crowd, the house has a good flow and people meander into all the rooms where there’s plenty of seating in the living room and study. The room I’m working on is the family room, not the living room as previously stated.

    Hope this helps!

  • PRO
    2 months ago

    First off, I love your room--the open flow, big windows and traditional trim all combine for a lovely gathering space.

    However, without dimensions, it's a bit difficult to give you good advice on furniture placement, but you've gotten some good ideas. Keep in mind that decorating any room is, as you said, a balancing act between aesthetics, comfort and function!

    Here are my thoughts:

    • If you are convinced that the only space for the leather chair is where it is now, then you cannot have two chairs flanking the fireplace, there's just no room.
    • You can either keep the Hickory Marlboro chair where it is, or move it to where the yellow chair is. Then get one new chair for either space. Four chairs and a sofa are a bit overkill for the room.
    • Consider a swivel chair for added versatility for TV viewing.
    • Replace the two small ottomans with one large one.
    • What is on the other side of the sofa? between it and the yellow chair? I would hope it's an end table with a lamp on it. Speaking of lamps, I'd replace the one on the table next to the Hickory chair.
    • Add some sort of window treatments. It looks like right now you have cellular shades? I'd replace them with something organic/textural, like bamboo, reeds, grasses, etc. I might even add curtain panels as lisedv showed in her mock-up. They soften the room but don't block the light or views.

    Here are a couple of swivel chairs that might work. You can choose the fabric.

    Ballard Designs:


    Pottery Barn:


    Large ottoman, leather works with the leather chair:


    Lamp ideas:





  • PRO
    2 months ago

    Window treatment ideas:

    Bamboo shades, plain panels with trim:


    Hopkinton Home · More Info

    Natural woven shades, no panels:

    Island Beauty · More Info

    Natural shades under cornices:

    The Knoll Drive House · More Info


  • 2 months ago

    Thank you so much for the thoughtful suggestions and photos! I may not be explaining myself clearly — or maybe my posts aren’t being skimmed and not fully read. 😊

    The Hancock & Moore tilt-back chair is definitely staying — it’s my husband’s chair and that’s non-negotiable. While I’d love two matching chairs flanking the fireplace, that’s just not an option for us.

    What I’m actually looking for are two replacement chairs…one to replace the Marlboro lounge chair and one to replace the temporary yellow chair that’s currently filling space since we swapped our sectional for this sofa. I’m not looking to add additional seating, just replacing those two pieces.

    Also indicated in previous post that if anybody has any design changes/layout, I would welcome your ideas, but this is pretty much the best we can do with this room. The entertainment center is placed on the long wall because it’s a long piece and if we placed it on the opposite wall, where the sofa is, we would get the morning sun right into the TV so a lot of thought went into the placement of the TV and furniture layout when we built the house. Down the road we may replace the Entertainment center and mount it under a console or chest of some sort.

    Appreciate all the ideas and help!

  • PRO
    2 months ago

    I had understood you wanted to the replace the 2 wing chairs by the window. I also find there isn't room for 2 larger chairs by the fireplace but you can move the Hancock chair and ottoman to the opposite side from where it is now.


    Regarding ideas for other furniture layout suggestions, we need a floor plan showing all dimensions including windows, doors, entrances to the room.

  • 2 months ago

    I don't know if these will work scale-wise in your room, but we have really been enjoying the low, large and comfy Four Hands Maxx swivel chairs in our den. Four hands has other swivel chairs too.

    https://www.perigold.com/furniture/pdp/four-hands-maxx-swivel-205-armchair-p001139673.html?piid=159831419









  • PRO
    2 months ago

    Oh, I misunderstood your plans for the Hickory Marlboro chair. You want to reupholster it and move it to a guest bedroom? In that case, then two swivel chairs, one where the Hickory chair is now, and one where the yellow chair is. What did you think of the swivel chairs I posted?

  • 2 months ago

    First, total respect to your husband's chair. Comfort is important and I get why he loves that chair.


    You mentioned you don't watch a lot of tv, that morning sun comes on to the TV, and that you built your home around this. Fine, but modify the design for what your needs are now.


    How many minutes do you watch TV in the AM? Invest in motorized shades with a remote. You hit the TV remote in the AM, you hit the blinds remote too. TV on blinds down. TV off blinds up.


    - Husband's chair to the right of the fireplace.

    - Your sofa where the huge entertainment center is.

    - TV on the wall where the sofa is.


    We'd need the measurements of your room for a scaled plan to see where to best fit the two other chairs but there are a lot of available placement options depending on the size.


    In a tight space, it looks better to have skirtless furniture with open arms and open legs.





  • 2 months ago

    Diane, I love the chairs you suggested…great options.

    K, regarding the Hancock & Moore chair, it really does need to stay to the left of the fireplace. If we moved it to the right side, it wouldn’t face the TV properly. I could consider moving the TV, but that wall gets a tremendous amount of sun — and we faithfully watch “Sunday Morning” every week.

    Unfortunately, that’s exactly when the sun is streaming in, and I hate closing the shades because I love the open, bright feel of the room. It’s something I’ll consider and discuss with my husband, but it would mean pulling the shades every Sunday morning to watch our favorite show.

    I’m also not planning to invest in changing the window treatments, other than possibly adding a simple cornice. We love the open look, and realistically we’ll probably only be in this home another 3–5 years. Our plan is to eventually scale down. Hopefully, we can bring the family room furniture with us.

    And just to clarify — I didn’t build the home around the TV. I arranged the TV placement around the sun exposure. That was really the driving factor in the layout.

    Thank you both again for the thoughtful suggestions. I really appreciate the input!