Rotterdam Panel Dining Chair Detail

Accent chairs are more than just places to sit in your living room. They are stylistic linchpins for your room design and your seating comfort. There are an assortment of different accent chair designs and types and each have a distinctive look and use case. The wide range of accent and occasional chair colors, from versatile white chairs to eye popping blue accent chairs, make it easy to style your new furniture piece anyway you like. We will try to simplify the range of different accent chairs with this quick guide below.

Chair Type

Arm Chairs: This prototypical accent chair with arms comes in a range of sizes, and are a great choice if you and your guests will be spending a lot of time relaxing in them. Often upholstered, arm chairs are a great way to contrast a room’s primary color pattern, and because it's an accent chair with arms contrasting the look of the arm and chairs can be a striking visual draw.

Lounge Chairs: These chairs are perfect for sitting back and putting your feet up after a long day. Because who doesn’t love lounging around? The lounge chair is characterized by a slanted back that lets you recline when you sit in it. An ottoman is a great addition to this piece of living room furniture so you can sit back and enjoy the chair to the fullest.

Slipper Chairs: Slipper chairs are small, upholstered chairs that are generally armless. They are named slipper chairs because in the 1800s they were used as a place to slip on shoes before going out. Now they serve as light, comfortable chairs that are perfect for entertaining guests or adding dimension to a large wall.

Barrel Chairs: A barrel chair is a chair type where the back curves around the entire seat of the chair. This makes a U shape which is comfortable and cozy to sit in. Need to fill up the corners of your dining room? Barrel accent chairs look great in pairs and are good for balancing out space. Opt for a pair of barrel chairs opposite a larger furniture item like a couch.

Club Chairs: These tufted accent chairs are upholstered with deep seats, and plush cushions. With an open look and plush feel to them, many leather accent chairs are outfitted in the style of a club chair. There are few things more comfortable than a leather bound, tufted accent chair, making it the perfect addition to your living room, sitting room, or office.

Wingback Chairs: The wingback chair is a heavy, classic style chair. It is characterized by a tall back and winged sides. Because of its heavy nature it is not moved around often and tends to stay in the same place once it has been moved.

Complement Design and Color

If you are going to get a new accent chair, make sure that the design style and color complement the rest of the room. You want a room where the colors match and the different furniture pieces work well together to strengthen you room design. A good example would be a room with beige walls and brown hardwood floors could use a white accent chair to complement the other colors and blend in with the rest of the room.