Armchairs – our pick of the best

Choosing a good armchair is fraught with various issues: Will it fit your space? Does the style suit your scheme? And, most importantly, is it comfortable? Did you know your comfort very much depends on how tall you are? An armchair has to have the correct proportions to be pleasant to sit in, with the seat height around knee level. Luckily there are plenty of different shapes and sizes available on a variety of budgets, that’s where we can help out with which is best for you.

As a stand-alone piece, armchairs do not need to match sofas, but rather complement the other furniture in your living room. No home is truly complete without a comfy armchair to recline in and although most associated with a traditional home in a statuesque wing back style armchairs can sit pretty in a contemporary setting too, whether you go for something clean-lined and modern or choose to mix and match retro or vintage-style chairs with 21st century furniture.

You could opt for exceptional comfort with a relaxed velvet or leather armchair, or look for firm support when you sit down to relax with a well-made upholstered high-back design.  Armchairs aren't just for your living room either - they also make the perfect finishing touch for a bedroom or dressing room, giving you somewhere to drape your clothes or sit down while you're pulling on your socks.

With costs ranging anyway from £200 to £1000 consider your armchair choice an investment piece, all the more reason to get it exactly right. We've chosen 10 beautiful, design-led chairs that stand out for their quality, style and snug appeal.

Add a little ray of sunshine to your living space with the help of this bold yellow armchair. The jolly sunshine shade is perfect for this season, it's cheering up interiors everywhere! The vintage shape will help add a retro touch to a decorating scheme, with a high back and armrests providing extra comfort. 

Iceberg Fabric Vintage Armchair in Yellow, £344, Maisons Du Monde

If you’re looking for a quality armchair on a low budget then John Lewis is the place to go. This is fantastic value tub chair that has John Lewis’ quality stamp on at a reassuringly low price. A birch frame provides the cocooning shape while the foam filling ensures comfort when you take the weight off. Seen here in denim blue upholstery fabric, a key trend for this season’s colour palette. 

Juliet Armchair, £179, John Lewis

This charming design will add instant retro style to a corner of your living room, it soozes 1960’s glamour by the bucket load. Upholstered in cotton velvet fabric in Claret with tipped solid wood legs. With a firm, reclined back and sweeping sides this tub design curves around your body to ensure complete comfort. Its neat proportions mean that this design could also be used as a bedroom chair in the dressing area. 

Seattle Armchair, £499, Made.com

The much-loved Finchley wing chair has been giving a makeover for this year, it's now available without buttons to gives it a more sleek finish. For a timeless country-style choose this beautifully crafted chair, which has a frame made of hardwoods and a traditional high winged back seat. A well-upholstered chair like this is well worth the investment for the years of comfort it will bring. Available in the stylish Highland Check in Dual Hedgerow (pictured) along with 129 other in-house fabrics allowing you to put your own stamp on the design. 

Finchley Plain Back Armchair, £1050,Laura Ashley 

With its sumptuous orange velvet, this is the kind of sink-into armchair that you might not want to get out of! The Hendricks orange velvet armchair is undeniably stylish, with low, wide arms and soft, deep cushions with button detailing, which give a nod towards mid-century design. Pine and chipboard upholstered in a velvet cotton and modal blend. 

A sumptuous armchair with a stylish design - give this chair pride of place in your living room.

Hendricks Orange Velvet Armchair, £995, Habitat

This new elegant chair from Cox & Cox ticks all the boxes for a Scandi-style update. The comfortable moulded armchair proves to be multipurpose; the perfect addition as an armchair in a living room for extra seating, an occasional chair for a bedroom and a comfy alternative to a swivel chair in an office space. The clean lines of this design are heavily influenced by Scandinavian design, as is the combination of grey cotton upholstery and beech wood legs. If you like a bit more wading when you sit simply add some fluffy cushions, that will not only give you that extra bit of comfort but will also inject some colour or pattern. 

Upholstered Armchair, £150, Cox & Cox

Tick the 'design classic' box with a stunning Art Deco-style lounge chair. The shape is true to the curvaceous styling of 1930s pieces, and the luxe tan leather finish is straight out of The Great Gatsby. This is a true investment piece that will age gracefully and never go out of style. 

Deco Leather Lounge Chair, £1050, Rose and Grey

The 1958 armchair is a statement silhouette, inspired by a classic, taken from an original design. Beech frame and legs upholstered in Sloane cotton fabric from Designers Guild. This mid century design with a modern twist is available in a choice of bright colours, from the fresh Jade (shown) to Clover pink. 

1958 Armchair, £585, Oliver Bonas

A classic French-style chair can work in any scheme - classic or modern. We love the way the natural wood and muted fabric give this design an understated elegance. Inspired by Louis XV-style, the Lille armchair features impeccable hand-carved detailing on its solid mango-wood frame. The armchair has a limewashed effect wood finish and hand-upholstered in duck egg blue cotton fabric. 

Lille Armchair, £399, Swoon Editions

Make a statement with this beautifully designed accent chair. Inspired by iconic Art Deco styling, a sculptural clamshell design is upholstered in contrasting charcoal and natural stripe linen and backed in muted mushroom cotton. Dark carved-wood legs add the perfect finishing touch. (cute dog not included) 

Ariel Shell Chair, £695, Graham and Green