A living room, as the name suggests, is a place where we spend much of our lives. When selecting a sofa, we generally want to choose something suitable for a wide selection of people, as family, friends, and visitors to our house will be using it for years to come.
But when selecting a chair, it is more personal. It is an investment for ourselves, and one that should be taken seriously if we want to maintain our bodies health whilst we relax.
The most comfortable chairs are those that provide sufficient lumbar and pelvic support. Upholstered chairs can be one of the most comfortable seats for long-term relaxation; adding an ottoman prevents foot or ankle swelling. Alternatively, chairs that use memory foam designs or La-Z-Boy products can help your body maintain its natural posture.
With any type or style of chair, there are multiple factors to take into consideration, from height and width to its level of firmness. The importance of having armrests and the overall quality of the materials from which it is made.
Through the article, these different types of chairs will be explored, along with the pros and cons of low vs. high-backed chairs.
In addition, I’ll explain how the wrong choice of chair can cause long-term discomfort and how to combat that by utilizing accessories such as lumbar rolls, which can prove a worthy addition to any of your household furniture.
Read on to discover the ideal size, style, accompaniments, and ultimately, how to choose the right chair for you.
How Do I Choose A Living Room Chair?
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The living room is the central hub of the house, a place where family and friends gather to socialize, share a coffee, or watch a movie.
The average person will spend around 8.3 years of their life in front of the television, so buying the right chair that is fit for purpose and comfortable to spend significant amounts of time sitting on is imperative.
Choosing a comfortable chair is paramount for good back health and to help prevent the risk of herniated discs. Chairs that cause us to slouch can contribute to backache, headaches, fatigue, and a lack of concentration.
Therefore, when looking for a comfortable chair, it is advantageous to look for one that provides lumbar and pelvic support.
A quick search for this kind of ergonomic chair will likely return an array of office chairs designed specifically for the workspace. Finding a comfortable chair for your living room can be more time-consuming, as typically, the more comfortable the chair, the less support it provides for your body.
There are, however, a multitude of options that can provide comfort, support your back, and look stylish. Continue reading to explore some of these varieties.
What Should I Look For In A Comfortable Chair?
When selecting your chair, you must select the right fit. For this, there are multiple factors to consider:
- The Seat. Select a seat that feels comfortable yet firm, as you want to be able to relax for periods of time, but a seat that allows you to sink in too much is not ideal as it makes it difficult to get out of. The height of the seat is also important; when you sit, your knees should be perpendicular to the floor to provide you the maximum level of comfort. Finally, consider the size of your body in relation to the size of the chair. If you want to lounge, it’s ideal to have a seat width around 1.5 times the size of your body.
- The Back. Whilst a low-backed chair might be good for conversation as it forces you to sit up, you’ll want a high-backed chair for long periods of sitting. Continue reading further down to explore more information about low and high-backed chairs.
- Arms are important on any form of lounging chair as they provide additional support to your limbs.
Additionally, choosing the right quality is important for any long-term purchase. You want to ensure that the material, the fillings, and any mechanisms are built to last and will hold their shape over time.
What Is The Most Comfortable Chair To Read In?
If you’re an avid reader, chances are you spend several hours a day sitting with your nose inside your favorite book. Any chair that consumes large amounts of your time needs to be comfortable and supportive in equal measures.
As previously explored, a high back, wide chair with upholstered material is amongst the most comfortable for relaxing.
Armrests are significantly important in a reading chair to provide your limbs the support they require to hold up the book for long periods.
A seat height of around 17″ is most common, allowing its user to have their knees bent or stretch the legs out. Alternatively, you can add in a footstool to raise your feet closer to your heart and help prevent swelling. Read below for further information on chair accessories.
What Are The Best Chairs For Sitting All Day?
There are multiple styles of chairs that are comfortable for all-day seating and meet your body’s requirements for good health and posture.
La-Z-Boys have numerous health benefits, with research by the New York Dynamic Neuromuscular Rehabilitation demonstrating that this style of chair can aid in preventing back pain and leg injuries.
La-Z-Boy incorporates seven different forms of patented technology to provide support and alignment for your spine, no matter what reclining position you are in. Their technology ensures that the seat and back move together, thus ensuring no gap is formed as you recline.
A Chaise Lounge supports the natural shape of your body for good alignment. Many are available with memory foam coverings, which help to reduce stress on various body parts such as the back and hips, helps to improve circulation, supports healthy energy levels and digestive health, and, most importantly, feels really comfortable.
Upholstered chairs typically come with padded seats that provide you a high level of comfort, whilst their wooden frame gives your body the firmness and support it requires.
Modern upholstered chairs can be purchased with additional reclining features for optimum comfort.
Whatever style of chair you select, if you are sitting in it all day, it’s important to ensure that it’s comfortable, but the firm has a good height and width for your body and doesn’t encourage you to slouch, instead of providing good support for your back and limbs.
Are High Back Chairs Better?
A low-back chair is designed to support the mid to low back and is ideal if you spend a lot of time leaning forwards.
A mid-back chair gives support to your mid and lower back but sitting just below your shoulders. It does not provide a headrest. This type of chair is good for a small space or workspace, where you require some freedom of movement.
However, by lacking head support, this style of chair is likely to cause slouching if used for prolonged periods of time.
In comparison, a high back chair includes additional support for your head and neck, meaning that you are less prone to slouching and able to stay comfortable for longer periods.
Low and mid-back chairs have their place and purpose, but for a comfortable and relaxing living room chair, you will want to purchase a high-backed option.
Living Room Chair Accessories
Accessories that can be purchased to increase the comfort of your living room chair include ottomans or lumbar rolls.
Ottomans are versatile pieces of furniture often used as side tables or the focal point of a room. As a chair accessory, they can convert your standard chair into a chaise lounge and provide relief for your feet and ankles.
Ideally, you’ll want to purchase an ottoman that is no more than 100mm higher or lower than the height of your chair. In general, anywhere between 15.5 – 22 inches is considered average sizing.
A lumbar roll is designed to sit in the inner curve of your back to improve posture. Our spine is strong but flexible, and when we sit, the spine is usually flexed, meaning that the back muscles and ligaments can stretch, causing impaired function and support to the surrounding structures and tissues.
By utilizing a lumbar roll to cater to the natural S shape of the spine, back pain and strain can be prevented.
You’ll likely want to choose a living room chair that matches any other visible furniture within your room. With such a wide variety of options, that shouldn’t be too difficult.
Regardless of the style or variety of your chair, the most important factors to consider with regards to comfort are: that the chair provides you with the right amount of support, is a good fit for your body, and encourages you to maintain a good posture when you are sitting in it.
