How to incorporate accent chairs in the living room

Accent chairs in a living room can amplify an ongoing design theme already in place, soften a look, or used to help create a separate area within a room.

Amplify a Theme

If you have worked to bring focus to a rooms design based on a single theme, from casual to eclectic, accent chairs used properly can be the link that brings it all together. When most people think of a living room setting, they automatically think of a couch and/or loveseat, coffee table, and an end table or two. Add in a bookcase and possibly an accent table, and many people feel the room is complete. By adding an accent chair that is of a similar design theme though, can give the room that often referred to 'Wow' effect. An element that goes beyond the 'normal' living room arrangement, placed within the rooms grouping boundaries. A chair chosen for this purpose should lean towards the stronger elements within the room. For example, if the room's color is a neutral tone, but you have included a few items of color, choose the accent chair in a tone that is going to strengthen the suggested color scheme.

Tone Down

Similar to the ideas suggested for amplifying a rooms theme, the same principles can be used in reverse for toning down, or softening, a room's look. If you have chosen to go with a color scheme that is bright, by introducing a pale, light colored accent chair, you can immediately soften the overall tone of the room. If your living room consists of large-scale furniture, you can give the illusion of more space by actually bringing in one more item, a small-scaled accent chair. An accent chair situated between two larger objects, with an amount of space around, will draw the eye to this barrier between the large scaled objects. Illusion of space can go a long way!

A Space Within

Creating a space within the living room that is actually a very separate area can be the most creative way to introduce an accent chair into a living room. Have you always dreamed of that perfect corner in the world, where you can peruse the paper at your leisure, or settle down to read, or write, a few pages of a novel? Alternatively, do you have s special collection that you would like to create a space for, that yourself or others can settle down in and enjoy? By placing an accent chair, offset from the living room's main grouping of furniture, you can create the useable space you were trying to find. Just do not make some of the common mistakes many encounter when they try to create such a situation. For example, if you are creating a space for quiet pursuits, do not place it on the same side of the room as a busy entertainment center, or directly in the path of the entryway to an adjoining room, such as a kitchen. Do place it by a window for natural light if this is something you relish, or tucked into a corner for solitude. Then, make it useable! Choose a comfortable chair that beckons to be used, and accessories that will add use to the space, and not just use up space. A wicker basket for yarn if you are a knitter will call to you much more than a plastic tote. A small side table with a good reading light, and a spot for the current novel, will make for an enjoyable cozy read much more than an overflowing bookshelf jammed next to the chair, and a dull light bulb in an overhanging light, whose light does not quite reach the chair.

Most important when adding an accent chair to a living room setting, do not be afraid to experiment. Live with a setting for a few days. Give it time to work, and if it does not create exactly the tone, you were trying to achieve, try something else!