The first small chair I bought was a folding wooden one from a yard sale, meant to live in the corner of a bedroom and hold a stack of sweaters. It taught me that a chair nobody sits in is just an expensive shelf, and that the ones worth keeping are the ones you actually use, not the ones that look nice empty.
These chairs make the most sense in rooms where a full armchair would be too much, a bedroom corner, a spot by a window, a narrow entryway, the end of a hallway where you need somewhere to put your shoes on. They work in bathrooms too, holding towels or just a pile of clothes you'll deal with later, and in kitchens as an extra seat you pull up when someone drops by for coffee and there aren't enough chairs at the table. Apartments benefit from them more than big houses do, because a small chair can do a job without eating the room, and in summer especially, when you want less bulk around you and more floor space, a light chair in a corner feels right in a way an overstuffed one doesn't. Over time, how it wears depends mostly on the frame and the seat. Wood frames hold up fine with an occasional wipe and keeping them out of direct sun, which fades and dries the finish faster than you'd expect. Upholstered seats need more thought, a cushion that's removable and washable will save you in year two when coffee happens, and a fabric with some texture hides daily use better than a flat smooth one. Cane or rattan seats look lovely at first but can sag or crack if the room is too dry, so if you have a woodstove or forced air heat running all winter, that's worth knowing before you fall for the pretty one. When you're buying one, whether in a shop or the day it turns up at your door, check the seat height against a table or desk you actually own, sit in it for longer than ten seconds, and look at how the legs meet the floor, because a wobble on a showroom rug can turn into a real tip on a hard floor at home. Check the joints too, if it's wood, give it a gentle twist and see if anything creaks or flexes.
The mistake is buying one for how it photographs in the corner of a room and never actually sitting in it, because a chair that only looks good ends up as the place where your coat lives instead.
Aisha's pickOur Shortlist of Small Armchairs
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Aisha's pickCompact High Chairs That Seat Guests Without the Squeeze
Aisha's pickSmall Recliner Chairs We’d Happily Nap On
Aisha's pickCompact Living Room Chairs That Hold Up to Everyday LifeAlso 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 →
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Aisha's pickNo Fuss Small Vanity Chairs
Aisha's pickCompact Reading Chairs That Don’t Sag After a Year
