Best armchairs 2022 UK: where to buy great living room chairs, from leather, deep seat, to mid century frames

Stylish, elegant, cosy - a great armchair has one advantage over a comfy sofa: it’s all yours.

Nothing more luxuriant than settling into a plush, deep seat armchair in your living room or study, beverage in hand, a good book or telly show to indulge in - and no one else hogging the comfort from you.

A great armchair offers a safe space to relax and decompress after a hard day. But good armchairs shouldn’t just be supportive and comfortable, given that you’ll spend so much time in them, but should look good too.

Whether as a standout piece in a minimalist room, or as part of a larger suite of furniture, you want your armchair to look as good as it feels.

Best armchairs 2022 at a glance:

• Best for decadent lounging: Swoon Editions Tulum Love Seat
• Best for sumptuous affordability: Dwell Bordeaux Curved Accent Chair
• Best for an affordable splash of colour: made.com Doris Accent Armchair
• Best for perfect relaxation: The Mars - Genuine Leather Recliner Swivel Chair & Matching Footstool in Chocolate
• Best for mid-century chic: Kolton Accent Armchair
• Best for space saving genius: Oak Furnitureland Texas Armchair Sofa Bed
• Best for a touch of vintage: Cox & Cox Mid Century Buttoned Leather Armchair
• Best for an elegant linen chair: Alcee Natural Linen Armchair

Linen, leather, wool or velvet? Which armchair is right for me?

There are so many options to choose from that it can feel overwhelming to even start looking: with materials ranging from leather and velvet to wool and linen, and then that’s not even mentioning the styles, from love seats and accent chairs to club chairs and recliners.

The most important thing to do is first consider the look of your home: is it more minimalist, with neutral tones, or do you love splashes of individuality and colour? Then, as you search, you’ll find yourself more naturally drawn to certain shapes and materials, whether that’s boucle, velvet or leather.

Leather, we will add, is fantastic if you have messy creatures in your home, be they furry friends, wee ones, or even if you like eating in the living room and have a tendency to spill (guilty).

Velvet is luxuriant to touch, very tactile, while boucle, we will warn, tends to be tougher to clean.

Don’t disregard linen, however. Arguably a less sexy choice than leather or velvet, it’s machine washable, stain resistant and understatedly charming . It also feels linen feels comfortable against the skin.

How we’ve chosen the best armchairs

In our roundup of the best armchairs, we’ve included all sorts of styles, materials and colours, to make sure you’ll find one that resonates with you and your home. We’ve included a whole range, from the most traditional that will only get better with time, to those that have a clever trick (or a sofa bed) up their sleeve.

We’ve included some on the more expensive end of the price spectrum, but affordable options too, so that no matter what your budget or style, you’ll find an armchair you love.

Looking to furnish your living room? Look at our guide to the best UK sofas, or sofa beds for the spare room. Even the pets can rest in comfort with a fabulous dog bed.

Which online stores are best for buying armchairs?

If you’re on a tighter budget, Made.com and Wayfair are reliable.

Mid-range, Nkuku, Swoon, Cox & Cox, Maisons du Monde and Darlings of Chelsea are our go-tos Looking to purchase the best money can buy? Try The Conran Shop, who craft furniture that’s so stylish it is practically art, with top-flight specifications.