How to Style your New Recliner Chair

Investing in a recliner chair is a big decision, and choosing the right chair for your health and lifestyle is crucial. Once you’ve settled on the model and features that best takes on any health conditions you may have, the fun begins and you can enjoy deciding on the chair’s fabric, patterns and colours.

Remember, it’s not enough just to pick a shade you like – you should also consider the room the reclining chair will be situated in. It’s likely that you already have furniture that will sit alongside the reclining chair, along with a style and colour scheme that you want your new chair to fit in with.

Fortunately, you don’t need a degree in interior decoration to get it right. A few simple tips will ensure your new favourite mobility chair will complement, rather than clash, with your current home décor.

Decorating with leather recliners

When it comes to materials and fabrics, it’s easy to be overwhelmed – The Mobility Furniture Company, for example, has a plethora  to choose from – but you can narrow it down by considering where your reclining chair will go and what it will be used for.

Leather is smart, stylish and hard-wearing but suffers from sunlight and oil build up. A leather recliner needs regular treatment if it sits by a window or where people will walk past and touch it. If the chair is going to be used for eating in, or is likely to be exposed to spills, then consider a wipeable material. If it’s going next to a fire or heater, then you’ll want something heat-resistant. The good news is that leather can be both.

Choosing a colour for your recliner chair

The first thing to decide is whether you want your chair to blend in, or stand out and be a statement piece. To blend in, choose a colour in the same scheme, but perhaps a different shade or hue. To stand out, pick a colour that is different but complementary – the Adobe Colour Wheel is a good tool for this. Or use these handy tips based on the colours you already have:

• Neutral: if your room has mostly neutral shades, choose a colour for your chair that picks up on any brighter features such as paintings or curtains. Geometric shapes and patterns are a good choice for sparse or minimalist décor, or floral prints for a country cottage feel. If the room is already quite busy then solid, muted colours may be best.
• Browns and earth tones: brown leather matches well and can be brightened up with cushions in honey yellows or even daring fuchsia. On the other hand, bold patterns or shapes, especially florals and forest greens, look great against exposed bricks or timber.
• Grey or monochrome: this is a great scheme to start with, because you can choose almost anything. For a softer feel, choose gentle pastel colours, or contrast with something vivid and bold for a modern vibe.
• Blue: this is the colour of serenity and calm, and different shades work well together, so if your room is blue, there’s nothing wrong with adding a blue chair. Or if you want to be different, try a retro beach shade such as white, red or sandy yellow.

How to arrange recliner furniture

Fitting a new recliner chair into a room with established furniture can be tricky, and it’s better to get it right first time as they can be difficult to move. Consider whether it needs to be near a power source, for operating the chair or for any accessories you might want near it, like a lamp.

Because a recliner chair can be fairly big and bulky, place it opposite another feature item, such as a large table or bookshelf, to balance the room. Also consider whether it needs to face the TV or catch any natural light from a window. If you want a table next to it, choose one with a sturdy base so it can’t get knocked over if it is clipped by the motion of the chair.

What to put behind a reclining sofa

Most chairs need at least 40cm – 60cm (15 inches – 24 inches) behind them in order to recline, so try hanging a picture or tapestry to fill the wall space behind it. If your room is on the small side, consider a wall hugger design, which moves forward as it reclines and therefore only needs 15cm (5 inches – 6 inches) of space behind.

How can you style a recliner sofa?

There are plenty of things you can do to jazz up the look of your sofa or help it blend in with your room. If you’ve chosen a muted colour for the chair, opt for a brighter colour for the head and arm covers. Or, if you like variety, keep several throws in different colours and change them whenever you feel a new look is in order.

To help balance the recliner with other furniture in the room, try to match as many features as you can, such as the arm rests. Balance colours by using cushions that match the existing sofa, or order cushions in the same fabric as the recliner to go on the existing sofa.

The Bottom Line

For many people, choosing the upholstery, fabric and colour – or colours – is the most fun part of purchasing a new recliner chair. Whether you want to match the colour and features of your room, or use the new chair as an excuse to redecorate entirely, is up to you.

Our friendly and experienced home demonstration team can look at your colour scheme when they show you potential rise and recliner chairs in the comfort of your home. Feel free to ask them for advice. They will also bring a whole range of upholstery and colour samples that you can look at alongside your current décor, all helpful in making your end decision.