An accent chair is the one seat in the room that doesn't have to agree with anything else. It gives you somewhere to sit that isn't the sofa, and it does the job of pulling a corner together that would otherwise just sit there empty, a lamp and a plant with nothing to talk to.
These work hardest in living rooms and bedrooms, the spot by a window where you actually read, or that awkward nook off the kitchen that needs a reason to exist. They suit older houses with a bit of character just as well as a plain rental, maybe more, because a good chair can carry a room that has nothing else going on architecturally. Cold months are when you notice whether one earns its spot, when you're sitting in it for an hour with a book and a blanket rather than passing through. When you're shopping or unpacking a delivery, sit in it properly, not a quick perch, and check the arm height against where your elbow actually falls, check the seat depth against your own thigh length, not some average person's, and look at how the fabric is attached at the welting and seams, because that's where cheap ones start to pull first. Give the frame a shake. If it wobbles in the shop, it will wobble worse at home.
Fabric matters more over time than it does on day one. A tight weave or a performance fabric will shrug off coffee, red wine, a muddy paw print, wipe it, let it dry, move on. A loose linen looks wonderful in a photo and shows every mark within a month, and cushions on a well loved chair will need plumping and occasionally refilling after a year or two of actual use, which is normal and not a sign you bought the wrong thing. Wood legs scuff during a move, so wrap them, and a chair that's shifted houses twice with no tightened screws is a chair that will start creaking on you.
For size, measure the space with the chair pulled out to where you'd actually sit in it, not pushed against the wall, allow at least a foot of walking room on at least one side, and bring a tape measure to the doorway and stairwell before you buy, because an accent chair with a fixed frame and a wide arm can get stuck in a hallway turn in ways a flat pack sofa never will. The biggest mistake is buying one too large for the corner because it looked small in a showroom. It won't look small at home.
I'd put the first one by a bedroom window, where the morning light is good and nobody else has a claim on it.
Aisha's pickBedroom Accent Chairs That Get Better With Age
Aisha's pickModern Accent Chairs That Go With Most Rooms
Aisha's pickWhite Accent Chairs the Cat Will Claim Within a Day
Aisha's pickBedroom Accent Chairs with Backrest the Cat Will Claim Within a Day
Aisha's pickModern Bedroom Accent Chairs That Seat Guests Without the Squeeze
Aisha's pickWood Accent Chairs for Long Sunday Afternoons
Aisha's pickBlack Accent Chairs Comfy Enough for a Movie Night
Aisha's pickModern Fabric Accent Chairs That Don’t Sag After a Year
Aisha's pickWooden Accent Chairs That Don’t Sag After a YearAlso worth a lookErgonomic ChairsThe thing nobody mentions is that an ergonomic chair looks ridiculous for the first two weeks.See the collections →
Aisha's pickClassic Accent Chairs From Stores Big and Small
Aisha's pickModern Solid Wood Accent Chairs That Are Easy to Keep Clean
Aisha's pickCompact Accent Chairs for Apartments and Small Houses
Aisha's pickModern Velvet Accent Chairs That Survive Kids and Pets
Aisha's pickContemporary Accent Chairs We’d Happily Nap On
Aisha's pickModern Wooden Accent Chairs Comfy Enough for a Movie Night
Aisha's pickContemporary Fabric Accent Chairs You Won’t Want to Hide Away
Aisha's pickNatural Accent Chairs We Keep Coming Back To
Aisha's pickCurved Accent Chairs That Get Better With AgeAlso worth a lookSeatsStanding in a showroom trying to decide on seats, the first thing I'd tell you is to sit in it for longer than feels normal.See the collections →
Aisha's pickRattan Accent Chairs Without the Silly Price Tag
Aisha's pickFabric Accent Chairs That Look Good From Every Angle
Aisha's pickRetro Accent Chairs That Don’t Sag After a Year
Aisha's pickFabric Bedroom Accent Chairs That Survive Kids and Pets
Aisha's pickSets of 2 Accent Chairs That Work in Old Houses and New Ones
Aisha's pickGreen Accent Chairs That Look Good From Every Angle
Aisha's pickSolid Wood Accent Chairs for Long Sunday Afternoons
Aisha's pickGray Accent Chairs That Make a Room Feel Finished
Aisha's pickSwivel Accent Chairs That Fit Through a Narrow DoorAlso worth a lookLiving Room ChairsLiving room chairs get treated like an afterthought, the thing you add once the sofa's in place and there's an awkward gap by the window.See the collections →
Aisha's pickLeather Accent Chairs for Long Sunday Afternoons
Aisha's pickUpholstered Accent Chairs That Don’t Sag After a Year
Aisha's pickAccent Chairs You’ll Keep for Years
Aisha's pickLinen Accent Chairs for People Who Know What They Like
Aisha's pickUpholstered Bedroom Accent Chairs You’ll Sink Into at the End of the Day
Aisha's pickAccent Chairs for Living Room Comfy Enough for a Movie Night
Aisha's pickLuxury Accent Chairs Comfy Enough for a Movie Night
Aisha's pickUpholstered Fabric Accent Chairs That Do the Job Right
