Although it might seem easy, finding an armchair that fits your space and furniture can be daunting. There are so many things you need to consider, colours, fabrics, styles, and most importantly scale. That is probably why you see many homes matching their armchair to the sofa, the easiest way to do things, and get the job done. However, more often than not, the pairing is boring, gives a box store aesthetic, and definitely does not leave any room for design and personality.

With a little bit of work you can find a unique armchair, that will elevate your space and make the armchair a piece of art. While being comfortable of course!

If you are looking for an armchair for the living room make sure you pick an armchair that compliments your sofa in scale and is close to the size and proportion. You definitely do not want a big sofa with a skinny small armchair. Just like you don’t want a big space with a small armchair.

Another very important tip is the height of your armchair seat. You want it to be as close as possible to the height of your other seating. If not, you and your peeps will be sitting on different heights in the space which doesn’t give the best feels. It doesn’t have to be exactly the same but we suggest not having a variation more than 3” – 4”.

Then the legs, often forgotten but also very important. The trick here is to consider the other legs in the room J no pun intended - are they heavy and boxy? Then look for a long slender profile of legs. The goal is to balance out the visual weight that is going on in the space. You don’t want it to feel too heavy or too light.

Photographed by Kiley De Visser for Ames Interiors.

Fabrics, the saying “save the best for last” we totally applied here. Fabric and texture we love! When choosing fabrics one of the main things you want to consider is making sure the pairing has two complementary fabrics. We don’t suggest having a velvet couch paired with two velvet armchairs. For those who have a velvet couch and velvet armchairs, we are certain it looks great and speaks to your style. We just think it’s a bit harder to pull off but you’ve made it happen. The best part about armchairs is that you can pick whatever fabric and texture you like, as long as you have the frame you can go to a fabric shop and go wild. This works best when you have one armchair in your space that you can make the statement piece.

Bonus: If your space is large enough it is much easier to match one set of armchairs to your sofa and bring in another set to break the matchy-matchy vibe.

Remember there is not a perfect match for picking the right armchair for your sofa, but if you take these things into consideration you will find the perfect armchair for you and your space.

Are you still stuck on how to pick your armchair, have no fear DM Designo is here! DM us and send us pictures of what you are stuck and we will be delighted to guide you to the “right” choice for you.