Decorating Guides
Picking an Accent Chair: What’s Your Design Personality?
Choose among 8 different styles from classic to edgy and discover what your favorite seat says about you
From traditional upholstered armchairs and soft leather recliners to hanging basket chairs and other unconventional seats, there’s an accent chair out there to suit every room and personal style. Perhaps the chairs we’re immediately drawn to when entering a room can reveal something about our personalities as well as our aesthetic preferences.
Just for fun, take a look at the eight accent chairs below and see if your favorite one speaks to your design personality as well. And check out the ideas for materials, colors and furnishings to use with each type of accent chair to pull together a room.
Just for fun, take a look at the eight accent chairs below and see if your favorite one speaks to your design personality as well. And check out the ideas for materials, colors and furnishings to use with each type of accent chair to pull together a room.
2. Chic and Sophisticated
You’re someone who likes a little flair and appreciates the finer things in life. Your style is sophisticated without being boring — picture a little black dress or a perfectly tailored suit with accessories that take it to the next level. You’re drawn to accent chairs that are elegant and have a little something that sets them apart, like crushed-velvet upholstery or butter-soft leather.
How to use it. If an accent chair is on the bolder side of chic and sophisticated, keep other elements in the room more neutral to avoid taking the design too over-the-top.
“If you prefer a more monochromatic palette, using a crushed velvet will add depth and interest to the room,” says interior designer Sharon Blaustein of B Interior. “The light will hit the surface and create a luxurious look.”
Chair: B&B Italia
You’re someone who likes a little flair and appreciates the finer things in life. Your style is sophisticated without being boring — picture a little black dress or a perfectly tailored suit with accessories that take it to the next level. You’re drawn to accent chairs that are elegant and have a little something that sets them apart, like crushed-velvet upholstery or butter-soft leather.
How to use it. If an accent chair is on the bolder side of chic and sophisticated, keep other elements in the room more neutral to avoid taking the design too over-the-top.
“If you prefer a more monochromatic palette, using a crushed velvet will add depth and interest to the room,” says interior designer Sharon Blaustein of B Interior. “The light will hit the surface and create a luxurious look.”
Chair: B&B Italia
3. Warm Contemporary
You’re forward-thinking. Rather than dwell on the past, you prefer to look toward a future full of new beginnings. When it comes to furniture, this doesn’t mean you have to ditch comfort for an ultramodern silhouette or cold, industrial materials. Look for chairs that are designed to hold and support your body and are made with classic materials that make the style more enduring. Leather and wood, for example, “only get better with age,” Flanigan says.
How to use it. Contemporary accent chairs often benefit from being softened and warmed up a bit. Try draping a sheepskin or decorative throw over the back.
Chair: Silla Trenzada saddle chair, Jan Barboglio
You’re forward-thinking. Rather than dwell on the past, you prefer to look toward a future full of new beginnings. When it comes to furniture, this doesn’t mean you have to ditch comfort for an ultramodern silhouette or cold, industrial materials. Look for chairs that are designed to hold and support your body and are made with classic materials that make the style more enduring. Leather and wood, for example, “only get better with age,” Flanigan says.
How to use it. Contemporary accent chairs often benefit from being softened and warmed up a bit. Try draping a sheepskin or decorative throw over the back.
Chair: Silla Trenzada saddle chair, Jan Barboglio
4. Iconic Modern
You know your way around the design scene and can easily spot an Eames lounge chair from across the room. You favor iconic styles over what’s trendy now. As you already know, iconic modern styles generally have clean lines and standout silhouettes, which help make them look so good from afar.
Keep an eye out for contemporary designs that fit the bill for becoming timeless, iconic styles. You may be able to snap them up now, before they become even more pricey.
How to use it. “Many chairs from the midcentury period work well together or when you mix them up with more contemporary pieces,” says interior designer Lindsey Roberts of Forrester Roberts Interior Design. Try mixing and matching chairs in a conversation area or around a dining room table for a fun, approachable style.
Orange chair: Masters chair by Philippe Starck and Eugeni Quitllet, Kartell; metal chair: Bertoia side chair with seat pad by Henry Bertoia, Knoll
You know your way around the design scene and can easily spot an Eames lounge chair from across the room. You favor iconic styles over what’s trendy now. As you already know, iconic modern styles generally have clean lines and standout silhouettes, which help make them look so good from afar.
Keep an eye out for contemporary designs that fit the bill for becoming timeless, iconic styles. You may be able to snap them up now, before they become even more pricey.
How to use it. “Many chairs from the midcentury period work well together or when you mix them up with more contemporary pieces,” says interior designer Lindsey Roberts of Forrester Roberts Interior Design. Try mixing and matching chairs in a conversation area or around a dining room table for a fun, approachable style.
Orange chair: Masters chair by Philippe Starck and Eugeni Quitllet, Kartell; metal chair: Bertoia side chair with seat pad by Henry Bertoia, Knoll
5. Colorful and Bold
“More is more” could be your motto. You’re not afraid of saturated colors or mixing prints and patterns. In fact, you feel right at home in a room filled with bright hues and patterns.
If you don’t find an accent chair that speaks to you, make one that does. For example, interior designer Michael Tavano of Michael Tavano Design upholstered this wingback armchair with blue and turquoise striped menswear suiting fabric and lacquered the frame in turquoise to match.
How to use it. If you’re layering bold colors, patterns and prints in a single room, keep one hue as a consistent, unifying factor, or pair colors with black and white. If you’re using a bold accent chair in an otherwise neutral room, also look for one element — a color in the upholstery or the wood stain for the base of the chair — to tie the chair in with the rest of the room for a more cohesive look.
“More is more” could be your motto. You’re not afraid of saturated colors or mixing prints and patterns. In fact, you feel right at home in a room filled with bright hues and patterns.
If you don’t find an accent chair that speaks to you, make one that does. For example, interior designer Michael Tavano of Michael Tavano Design upholstered this wingback armchair with blue and turquoise striped menswear suiting fabric and lacquered the frame in turquoise to match.
How to use it. If you’re layering bold colors, patterns and prints in a single room, keep one hue as a consistent, unifying factor, or pair colors with black and white. If you’re using a bold accent chair in an otherwise neutral room, also look for one element — a color in the upholstery or the wood stain for the base of the chair — to tie the chair in with the rest of the room for a more cohesive look.
6. Elegant and Traditional
You’re drawn to classic design and old-world elegance. You’re an antiques lover, with an appreciation of the history held by each piece of furniture. Elegant and traditional style doesn’t have to be formal, however. Adding an accent chair to a more contemporary room can help bring in a sense of time and place.
How to use it. Combine elegant accent chairs with rich fabrics like silk and satin for a sumptuous look. In more contemporary spaces, choose an elegant accent chair that picks up colors or materials of other features of the room — such as the bronze of a bar cart or the upholstery color of a sofa — so the more traditional style looks at home among the more modern neighbors.
You’re drawn to classic design and old-world elegance. You’re an antiques lover, with an appreciation of the history held by each piece of furniture. Elegant and traditional style doesn’t have to be formal, however. Adding an accent chair to a more contemporary room can help bring in a sense of time and place.
How to use it. Combine elegant accent chairs with rich fabrics like silk and satin for a sumptuous look. In more contemporary spaces, choose an elegant accent chair that picks up colors or materials of other features of the room — such as the bronze of a bar cart or the upholstery color of a sofa — so the more traditional style looks at home among the more modern neighbors.
7. Boho
Your style is laid-back and relaxed, with a bit of a throwback ’70s vibe. You gravitate toward chairs made of natural materials like wood, bamboo and wicker, and anything that’s handcrafted.
While there are plenty of boho designs on the market these days, flea markets and garage sales offer great opportunities for picking up vintage styles. Who knows, you might just score an original leather Butterfly chair.
How to use it. Pair a boho accent chair with a Moroccan pouf, shag rug and plenty of houseplants, and you have the boho look nailed.
Your style is laid-back and relaxed, with a bit of a throwback ’70s vibe. You gravitate toward chairs made of natural materials like wood, bamboo and wicker, and anything that’s handcrafted.
While there are plenty of boho designs on the market these days, flea markets and garage sales offer great opportunities for picking up vintage styles. Who knows, you might just score an original leather Butterfly chair.
How to use it. Pair a boho accent chair with a Moroccan pouf, shag rug and plenty of houseplants, and you have the boho look nailed.
8. Playful
You don’t take yourself too seriously, and your style reflects your kid-at-heart attitude. Bring on the colors, textures and unusual shapes — anything that rocks, swings or swishes is a good bet. A youthful style can still feel adult-appropriate: Just avoid the beanbags unless you’re a recent college grad, and instead go for cushy ottomans and poufs in ikat or mud cloth patterns and texture-rich wicker.
How to use it. More playful accent chairs like hanging baskets or poufs can work well with the light wood and generally minimalist furnishings of Scandinavian style. The chairs bring a welcome dose of color and texture and add a carefree feeling.
You don’t take yourself too seriously, and your style reflects your kid-at-heart attitude. Bring on the colors, textures and unusual shapes — anything that rocks, swings or swishes is a good bet. A youthful style can still feel adult-appropriate: Just avoid the beanbags unless you’re a recent college grad, and instead go for cushy ottomans and poufs in ikat or mud cloth patterns and texture-rich wicker.
How to use it. More playful accent chairs like hanging baskets or poufs can work well with the light wood and generally minimalist furnishings of Scandinavian style. The chairs bring a welcome dose of color and texture and add a carefree feeling.
Your turn: What’s your accent chair style? Show us in the Comments below.
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These Questions Will Help You Choose the Right Accent Chair
Decorating 101: How to Shop for Furniture
Find an interior designer in your area
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More
These Questions Will Help You Choose the Right Accent Chair
Decorating 101: How to Shop for Furniture
Find an interior designer in your area
Browse armchairs and accent chairs
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You’re someone who appreciates timeless design but doesn’t like things to feel too stuffy. You’re drawn to materials like wood, leather and rich fabrics but aren’t afraid to experiment with an edgy color or pattern choice for upholstery. “Keep things relevant by updating classic shapes with fresh color stories, and the end result is sure to brighten up your home for years to come,” says interior designer Marie Flanigan of Marie Flanigan Interiors.
How to use it. Classic styles work with a wide range of home styles, from country farmhouse to more contemporary. The key to making this style feel like your own is to add a twist to an old piece. Try reupholstering a classic armchair in a bright color like mustard yellow or Kelly green, or swapping out more traditional chair legs for updated ones.
Green chair: Mecox; see more green velvet chairs