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POLL: Recliners - Love them or Hate them?

Emily H
10 years ago
Do you shudder at the sight of a recliner in someone's living space or do you long to curl up with your legs up and sink into your very own?

VOTE and share your experience in the comments! (Photos encouraged)

Comments (164)

  • zazfuzzroc
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago
    Had a recliner, no one except the occasional visiting family member used it. I find that everyone tries to steal my big round ottoman. Doubles as extra seating too. As for the recliner,we gave ours to a neighbor, they were quite happy, it had massage too. :)
  • PRO
    Interior Affairs -- Vickie Daeley
    9 years ago
    Love them...they are so comfy...but they have to look like a real chair not one of those overstuffed beasts...something more in line with a look I am trying to achieve...and believe me they are out there...so don't settle for those other ones!
  • Gloria Montgomery
    9 years ago
    Recliners are fine if they do not look like recliners--JC Penny's High Leg Wing recliner looks like a classic wing chair and is well made
  • rach71
    9 years ago

    At the end of the day, whether you like the look of recliners or not, the space needs to fit the people and activities you plan to do in it. If reclining is something you like to do, then go the recliner.

  • sherrihf
    9 years ago

    I was going to say "HATE THEM" because when I think recliner, I think of Frasier's Dad's recliner or the ugly thing in my family room right now that we borrowed for my husband to sleep in after shoulder surgery. But as seen in many of the posts above, there are much more attractive options available now. And one should be comfortable in one's own home. Compromise is possible!

  • marfrans
    8 years ago
    I have the ugliest recliner, uglier than you can imagine. And i love it. It belonged to my dad who has passed away sone years ago. He always sat in his chair. I feel comforted sitting in this big dark green leather monster. It feels like a big hug...
  • Carol Woolf
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    We have two overstuffed recliners that look exactly two wing-back chairs with Chippendale legs. They are lovely and work well in our media room. Sorry for those who cringe but I love them. I would not even consider the old fashioned recliner that looks like a recliner. Awful.

  • PRO
    Billiard Factory
    8 years ago

    Recliners are great! Especially in media rooms or just your living room. We have a lot of media seating that recline back making it more comfortable for everyone at your home!

    Palliser Home Theater Seating · More Info


    Billiard Factory Home Theater Seating · More Info

    For more ideas go to billiardfactory.com and look through our projects!

  • Momof5x
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    We have ( had) a brown leather one up to a few days ago. I never used it but hubby did, I didn't like it as when I sit down in it, I can't get that flap thing at the bottom to go back down again then I can't get off ! You have to tap it really hard with both feet ( and this chair is suppose to help rest your feet!), having said that hubby took it to the farm and now has another futuristic looking massage chair, which all the kids find very interesting! Similar to one one below but far better to be honest than the one below.

  • cheriealford
    8 years ago
    NO to recliners unless a health issue necessitates.

    I feel the same about furniture that converts to a recliner. Ugly!
  • Gary Dixon
    8 years ago

    I love my two MacMotion leather recliners with ottomans but was about to give up on recliners in general because every one I owned had a problem with the mechanics. Weak steel. But the new ones are constructed differently and are holding up fine.

  • PRO
    Abbie Jacobson Design&Decoration
    8 years ago

    some of my senior clients want to incorporate recliners in to their design plans these are some pieces I've used ...


  • Judy
    8 years ago

    These are the kinds that I like too. Could you give their names please, some of them are new to me

  • Momof5x
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Added note: Just found out the recliner/massage chair is called a Isukoshi Royal UFO Massage Chair.

  • PRO
    Accurato Furniture Store
    8 years ago

    These are some of the fabulous ergonomic Lafer Recliners from Brazil with retractable footrest that we have sold to customers all over the USA. Great modern styling, high quality leathers, numerous adjustments for headrest, footrest, and the seat reclines down to 180 degrees. You can't beat a comfy Lafer Recliner!

    Lafer Valentina Recliner


    Lafer Demi Recliner


    Lafer Kiri Recliner

  • PRO
    Darla Scheuerman
    8 years ago
    I love my 2. over sized smugglers in my casual family room.
  • Mandee Trom
    8 years ago
    Love them! Function > form
  • PRO
    Lauren Elyse Art
    8 years ago
    Love the idea of them, wish they weren't so cumbersome and awful looking (in 9/10 cases)
  • Pickynpokey
    8 years ago

    Nice recliners I would love to have.


  • Mike Keith
    8 years ago

    You people that say you "shudder" at the sight of a recliner sound like the most stuck up A-holes I've ever met. It's a piece of furniture. I could see if it has duct tape all over it, but a brand new one!?! Come on, get over yourself. Sounds like the same kind of person that wouldn have to get a dent taken out of their car or have it taken to the body shop everytime it gets a little scratch.

  • Darzy
    8 years ago

    You're right, Mike Keith, we are a bunch of snobs! Button your shirt up. :)

  • Darzy
    8 years ago

    There are attractive recliners, I shudder at the oversized, bulky, puffy, faux leather crap.

  • A. Hunter
    8 years ago

    <<< SHUDDER >>>

    When I'm 90 I'll be ROCKIN' ... not RECLININ'

    lol....Great Post !!!!

  • Bev
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I used to shudder when I was younger because they were just plain ugly! They all seemed to have the same dark upholstery and most of it was either leather or vinyl, which makes me too hot! I purchased two beautiful Lazy Boy rocking recliners last year for my family room. Since I had a choice of fabric, I chose a charcoal gray fabric that feels like butter and looks like leather without the discomfort of sticking to leather when it's hot! I had to get reclining furniture due to living with chronic pain daily and my cardiologist suggested it since I have a problem with swelling as well.

  • stlouisgaltoo
    8 years ago
    I love my ladies petite sized one! Hubby loves his manly man recliner. We live in our home. How about shuddering at yet another couch that no one sits in? Talk about a waste of furniture and not comfortable.
  • Judy
    8 years ago

    @Pickynpokey those are not really recliners AFAIC. I hate separate footstools, because they become a tripping hazard and are always in the way when not in use. OTOH, I definitely don't like the huge overstuffed vinyl ones. In fact, I don't like those huge overstuffed ones, unless I had a separate room, like a library or something.

    I don't think I'm a snob, but I do like my loungeroom to look nice and be comfortable at the same time. So, I do have a recliner, but you can hardly tell it is a recliner - it has the same upholstery as my other furniture and isn't huge - even its shape fits it with everything in the room

    They finally started making some nice ones - although they are still pretty hard to find

  • joanbllt
    8 years ago

    I have 2 recliners - smaller style that don't look clunky - just recently recovered them. Lazy Boy has discontinued this model but has a similar one (Amelia?) that works with a cottage look.

  • Bev
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I like what you all call the large, puffy, and chunky recliners because they are the most comfortable! I have Fibromyalgia and Osteoarthritis and my Lazy Boy furniture is the most comfortable sofas and chairs that I have ever sat in. I also love that they have a lifetime warranty and I received a cleaning kit for all of the furniture in case of spills. Cat hair just brushes right off the fabric and talk about soft fabric! I chose one that is so silky feeling and beautiful at the same time. I do not like bulky fabrics like corduroys and tweeds on these furnishings because they look even more bulkier.

  • Ann Smitt
    7 years ago

    Recliners get a bad rep. Designers all seem to turn their noses up at them without giving them a chance. A recliner is a chair that provides comfort, respite and warmth to a home. It's the favorite comfy chair for reading stories to your kids; cuddling with your spouse/partner at the end of a hard day; a guilty pleasure to sit in and put your feet up chair; a fort, castle or other imaginary place to play on but never under and it's a 'must have' chair for most homes. It's also a chair you pick out with or for a loved one in mind, it doesn't have to be ugly, there are so many recliners to choose from these days that even the designer's who loath them could find one to compliment ANY room.

  • Ann Smitt
    7 years ago

    PickynPokey those are beautiful Eames-style chairs you have chosen to share pictures of. Eames chairs are classic, design meets engineering, furniture. You can see original Eames chairs on display at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. A recliner doesn't have a detached foot stool. A recliner is a chair with a foot stool built in that is lifted via lever usually mounted on the side of the chair that also tilts back. Lazy Boy, a Monroe, Michigan company, is best known for it's reclining furniture now in designer styles. Barcalounger is another recliner manufacturer. Enjoy your beautiful Eames-style chairs and foot stools/ottomans.

  • PRO
    User
    7 years ago

    I like both, but for designing purposes, I can only say that I've had clients who want seats with legs! Here are my best!

    http://www.saritasimpsondesign.com/


    City Market at O Street Apartment Models · More Info

    City Market at O Street Apartment Models · More Info

    City Market at O Street Apartments Rooftop · More Info

    Minimalist Modern Renovation · More Info


  • sabra900
    7 years ago
    Just got a vintage wingback recliner to recover for use in a reading nook. You would never know it is a recliner and has wonderfully elegant lines. If you had a third option for beautiful recliners I would pick no. three :-)
  • Double D
    7 years ago

    In a theatre room only

  • Judy
    7 years ago

    Well, some of us don't happen to have a separate "theatre room" Our living room doubles as theatre room :-)

  • sharbutt
    7 years ago

    I'm 71, have several health issues, and need a comfortable place in my home to rest and relax. I currently have a chair with a footstool. Because of the room layout it's placement makes it difficult to get in and out easily. It's not as comfortable as a recliner. I'm currently searching for a new recliner, and the progress is disappointing. I don't want to order one that I haven't been able to sit in. Most of the recliners in the stores I've visited are ugly. Flexsteel makes some that look good but finding one to test is hard in my area.

  • D. L.
    7 years ago

    Even my couch is a reclining couch. Every chair has a place to put your feet up. I went to my relatives house last Thanksgiving and they have the same set up. Endless reclining opportunities.

  • Amy Tiffany
    6 years ago
    Just getting started with remodeling and decorating. I think I made a mistake buying the (old-style of modern) Stressless Recliner from Ekornes, because there are no tables to "match" that don't look like an accident. I mean it, its infuriating to buy a single chair over $2,000 that already looks old, yet nobody has made a decent side table?
  • Judy
    6 years ago

    Don't know about the side-table, but AFAIC the Stressless is NOT a recliner. It is an armchair with a footstool. This one looks similar to yours, but really IS a recliner

    http://photo.foter.com/photos/pi/282/small-modern-recliners.jpg

  • Laurie Schrader
    6 years ago

    Judy, I got an Ekornes Stressless for my husband, in his office. He spends a good deal of time wandering and talking, on the phone, also sitting at his desk. He's a cardiac patient (doing WELL!) who likes to nap. The one piece chair he has allows him to bring the footrest up/forward, recline as far as he wants- and nap in place. A recliner, to me.

  • Jamie Beck
    5 years ago

    15 years ago I bought an expensive recliner. I hated it. Gave it away after a few months. Recently bought another. Hate if

  • Jamie Beck
    5 years ago

    The second recliner made my back and neck ache and made my living room look like it belonged to a lazy redneck slob. Will not make the mistake a third time.


  • Daisy S
    5 years ago
    Your home should be about comfort...I never can comprehend the snobbery...
  • violetsnapdragon
    5 years ago

    The recliners with cup holders in them? They are the worst. In the sports den in the basement, they would look okay, though. I saw a coffee table today with a lid--I thought there was a fire pit in there, but it was a place to put ice and beers. THAT is the table to go with the recliners with the cup holders.

  • printesa
    5 years ago

    Daisy, it's not being a snob if one doesn't like recliners or really anything else..Everyone buys what they like. Just because something is comfortable, doesn't mean that I'll buy it..if something is ugly, comfort or anything else doesn't matter

  • Jennifer Hogan
    5 years ago

    Amy Tiffany, have you tried looking on Etsy for a side table that is also MCM? I have several that would work just fine with your chair, but my whole home is MCM.

  • Jennifer Hogan
    5 years ago

    @ Ann Smitt - How can you say that a chair that reclines and has a separate footstool is not a recliner. Just because we commonly see the built in footstool does not mean that it is required.


    One benefit to the Stressless foot stool is that the foot stool can be set flat, locked into place and used for additional seating when needed.

  • Debra Hopkins
    5 years ago

    Have changed the color scheme and recliners

  • carolkelley
    5 years ago

    The trend I hate is theatre seats that are basically recliners. They're uncomfortable and I don't want to recline when I pay good money to watch a movie. I want to sit upright. (That reminds me that I need to pre-order my tickets for True Grit next weekend (May 5) so I can pick out the seat I like.)

  • PRO
    Norwood Architects
    2 years ago

    Middle of the road here. Don care for the look of most recliners but sure do like the comfort.

  • Sara V.
    2 years ago

    I love them, except for the puffy headrests that cause neck pain, as well as the upper backs that have zero support which become more of a problem as you get older.

    If you don't already have back problems, you will get some with these cluelessly made recliners on the market today.

    - It's the same obnoxious trend in car headrests too that cause migraines just 5 minutes into a trip, never mind 4+ hours.

    The people who design this crap deserve migraines until they get their act together & stop this foolishness.