Oversized Chair for your Living Room

The basic function of an oversized chair is to make more space available for sitting; but like most other furniture, oversized chairs do more than provide seating space, they also add to room aesthetics, especially when they are more deliberately selected. If you want your oversized chair to be both functional and add to the beauty of your room, there are a number of factors you need to consider. Some of them are the chair type, size, style, upholstery material and frame type. This buying guide helps you make an informed choice – hopefully the right choice of oversized chair.

Oversized Chairs Styles

Oversized chairs come in different styles. You can select your preferred style depending on the look you want for your room or space.

Modern
The origin of the modern style oversized chair can be traced back to the19th century. The design featured here is usually not so elaborate and has a “straight to the point” feel to it. If you are not so concerned about aesthetics, this style may be just right for you. It does the job, but most times, you wouldn’t describe the piece as ‘beautiful’. ‘Nice’ is more like it.

Contemporary
The contemporary style is more recent, in that the idea really started in the late 20th century. They can be quite similar in design to the modern styled oversized chairs, but the colors eventually give them away. The colors and designs are seen to be bolder in this style. So, if what you’re going for is a simple and bold look, you may consider going for the contemporary style.

Traditional
Traditionally styled oversized chairs always have that vintage or classic look – the feel you get when looking at things from the past. The design is often characterized by warm colors and intricate artwork on them.

Types of Oversized Chairs

There are various types of oversized chairs. Let’s check the most popular ones out:

Arm Chair
The arm chair is made with the comfort-first approach. It is a full chair with two full arm rests. You can choose among different upholstery materials and cushion fillings according to your preference or taste. Even though they are very comfortable, arm chairs can also be quite stylish if you choose the right upholstery for your room.

Slipper
A slipper chair is basically an arm chair, but without the arms. It is a quite balanced mixture of beauty and comfort. With a slipper chair, you also have the advantage of conserving some space because of the absence of arms. The top of the chair—where you sit on is typically upholstered, so you have a wide range of designs to choose from; from frame type to upholstery material.

Side Chair
A side chair can be called a multi-purpose oversized chair. Because of its slim size and also due to the absence of arms, you can use it to sit and watch TV, at the dining table or to just relax. It can also fit in small spaces. Side chairs mainly consist of a cushioned and upholstered top and a frame. Even though the combination seems simple, you still have various design options from different combinations of frame material and upholstery material. You can also go for varying levels of comfort by choosing from the different cushion filling materials available.

Barrel
The barrel oversized chair gets its name from its shape – especially the back. The rear of this piece of furniture is made to look like a barrel. Another feature peculiar to this type of oversized chair is the high arms and back. If you want maximum comfort, you should make the barrel your friend. There’s a lot of cushion filling materials, from the arms to the seats, all padded up to make the chair really cozy. Although there’s not much to be seen as far as frames are concerned, you can still make creative choices with different upholstery designs available.

Lounge
Everything about a lounge oversized chair breathes comfort. It is made with ultimate indoor and outdoor relaxation in mind. The design is typically relaxed, with the back of the chair inclined at an angle. It also has a footrest which can either be attached to the lounge or separate. Before picking a lounge chair, you should decide where you want to place it first; inside the house, out on the porch or on the lawns. This is because lounges come in different forms and designs and will therefore fit in some locations than others.

Wingback
The wingback chair is one of the most exquisite types of oversized chair you can have in your room. Although there are more modern versions of the chair, the basic design has been around for a very long time. It is mostly characterized by a relatively tall backrest and winged armrests. You should be careful when picking a spot for your winged chair because it can be difficult to keep moving it around—it’s quite bulky. You should consider this size factor before even deciding to purchase a winged chair at all. That being said, if this beauty makes it way into your room, you’re in for a real treat.

Chair and a half Upholstery Materials

Taffeta
Taffeta is a material made from tightly woven fibers. Its strong point is its durability. The more tightly woven the fibers are, the more durable the fibers are, the longer the taffeta is likely to last. Taffeta is relatively costly, especially when its fibers are made of silk.

Damask
Damask is a soft fabric which shimmers on sight. It is made by weaving many different kinds of fibers into each other.

Cotton
Cotton is one of the most popular fabrics used for upholstery of oversized chairs. It’s not very costly, bur it easily gets stained. Also, if close care is not taken, cotton fabric can easily wrinkle.

Linen
Linen is a tough and long lasting upholstery fabric choice, but it is also relatively difficult to clean. Like cotton, linen is also prone to wrinkles.

Wool
Wool can serve you for a very long time—just make sure you prevent it from being attacked by insects. Wool is resistant to water, stain and even fire, to some extent. Just don’t let the insects get to it and you’re fine.

Leather
Leather upholstery is a lot of people’s choice because it is quite easy to clean and it is durable. Also, it ages well.

Faux Leather
It’s manufactured synthetically but looks and feels like leather. If you’re averse to using animal products but you like the look of lather, you can go for the synthetic option, although it may not last as long as real leather.

Frame

Oversized chair frames are mostly made from wood. Hardwood is always the better choice, but if you are on a budget, you can go for the softwood. The only issue you might have here is durability. Hardwood lasts much longer. You also have the option of plastic and metal frames, especially with contemporary designs used in making lightweight chairs.

Summary

Oversized chairs can be a really cool addition to your room, but you don’t want to pick the wrong one. By now, you should be better equipped to make a good choice. Cheers!