A reading corner is the most common reason people buy an armchair, and the most common place they get it wrong. Because the armchair is chosen with the eyes, while reading is about the body: where your head goes, where your elbows go, what to do with your legs after an hour.
Let's go through the four things that decide it, and see what our range offers.
Backrest height: is there somewhere to rest your head
This is the main parameter and the main cause of disappointment.
When you read, your head tilts forward and your neck is working. After twenty or thirty minutes it gets tired, and you want to lean back. If the backrest ends at shoulder-blade level, there is nowhere to lean back, and the reading session ends before the book stops being interesting.
In our range, armchair heights go like this: Kamal and Only, 70 cm, Mone and Saarika 75 cm, Sussex 78 cm, Candy 79 cm, ADDA and Novial 80 cm, Shellie 82 cm, Lavita, 104 cm.
The honest conclusion: only one model in our range gives full head support: Lavita. The other armchairs support the back but not the neck. That doesn't make them bad; it makes them armchairs for conversation, not for reading.
If you've fallen for a different model, a headrest cushion solves 80% of the problem. But it is worth knowing this before you buy, not after.
Depth: where your knees end up
The second most important figure, and it doesn't work the way you'd think.
A deep armchair isn't always more comfortable. If the seat is deeper than the length of your thigh, your back doesn't reach the backrest, and you either sit on the edge without support or slide down.
Our range varies widely: Saarika, 67 cm, Only 69, Novial 71, Mone 73, Candy 74, ADDA and Shellie 87, Lavita, 92, Sussex 98, Kamal, 102 cm.
- 67–75 cm: an upright seat. You can read, but it is a "sitting at a table" position: back vertical, feet on the floor. Good for short reads and for working with papers.
- 85–95 cm: a semi-reclined seat. The optimum for reading: you can lean back, tuck your legs up and change position without getting up.
- Over 100 cm (Kamal): this is already a lounge chair. You can only read there with your legs up on the seat; sitting upright won't work.
The ideal combination for reading is a depth of 85–95 cm plus a high backrest. In our range, Lavita (92 × 104 cm) meets both conditions at once.
Armrests: a working part, not decoration
When you read, your hands hold a book or a device, and they tire faster than your back. Armrests take that load.
Almost all our framed armchairs have them: ADDA, Kamal, Lavita, Mone, Novial, Only, Saarika, Shellie, Sussex.
What to look at besides whether they are there. The armrest should be at about the level of your relaxed, lowered elbow. Too high and it lifts your shoulders; too low and you have to reach down. Both are tiring within an hour.
The check when you try it: sit down, relax your shoulders, rest your arms. If your shoulders have risen or your elbows are hanging in the air, it isn't the armchair for you, however it looks.
Width: can you tuck your legs up
People don't think about it, but it is half of the comfort: people rarely read sitting upright. They tuck their legs under them, drape them over the armrest, let them hang to the side.
That takes width. Only and Novial are 70 cm: comfortable to sit in, but not for tucking your legs up. Shellie (94), Sussex (110) and Kamal (102) give room for any position.
The rule. If you read sitting upright, 70–80 cm is enough. If you like to curl up, go for 90 cm or more.
What to put next to it
A lamp. The light should come over your shoulder from the side opposite your dominant hand, so the shadow of your hand doesn't fall on the page. A floor lamp behind the armchair works better than a table lamp to the side.
A surface. A cup, a book, glasses, a phone: all of these need a place within arm's reach, without getting up. A small pouf (35–45 cm) or the ONLY coffee table (69 × 69 × 30 cm) will do.
A footstool pouf. The cheapest way to turn an ordinary armchair into a reading chair: raised legs change the angle of the body and take the load off your lower back. The pouf height should be level with the armchair seat or slightly lower. On sizes: pouf size: 40, 50 or 100 cm.
Fabric: one practical detail
A reading armchair usually stands by the window, because that is where the light is. And by the window, fabric fades.
Tell the manager the armchair will be on the sunny side: fade resistance varies between collections, and it is the detail you only notice a year later. A general overview of fabrics: types of upholstery fabric.
If you need an armchair shaped to the way you sit
We change the backrest height, depth and armrest height to order. For a reading armchair this makes more sense than for any other piece: here comfort is measured in centimetres, and everyone is a different height.
And an armchair from a reference too: send the manager a photo, and our technologist will look at the construction.
Read also: how to choose an armchair and what a designer armchair is.
In brief
- A backrest lower than 90 cm doesn't support the head: you need a cushion or a different model
- A depth of 85–95 cm is the optimum; over 100 cm is a lounge chair, not for reading
- The armrest should be level with your relaxed elbow
- If you like tucking your legs up, choose a width from 90 cm
- A footstool pouf does more than you'd think and costs less than an armchair
An armchair for evenings with a book: choose the fabric from 320 options.
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