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Choosing a reading chair

Iain

I hope some of you avid readers can recommend a chair that is comfortable for sustained periods of reading.

At the moment my living room is full of 1950s and 1960s chairs that I have bought as junk and restored so are all quite good now but are not comfortable for sustained periods of reading.

Ideally it will need to have padded arm rests, a high back and decent padding for my bum (I've lost most of that padding through getting fit).

I did use to have a victorian wing chair that was nice but I can't find them where I live (Brazil) as most stuff here is from the 50s at the oldest.

Most of what I find is the contemporary recliner chairs and I don't think I could stand the look of them - too much association with old people for my taste.

At the moment it tends to be the hammock but it is way too easy to fall asleep there.

Any thoughts on what works for you? 

  • in reply to Iain

    Can I employ you as a tailor? I can make dress patterns, but sewing machines hate me.

    I think some make a macquette and use it as an undercover before putting the main fabric on?

  • in reply to TheCatWoman
    TheCatWoman said:
    Upholstery will be a good skill to learn.

    It was a natural progression from all the practice I got working with my wife in fashion - we would often make out own samples and she would often take on projects from other designers to make their sample collections too (with me helping behind the scenes) so I have worked on everything from ballgowns to 18th century corsetry to winter coats.

    Upholstery is largely a case of working out the pattern of panels needed using the existing ones where they exist and mocking them up from cheap fabric if they don't - and all the repairs of the wooden frames or metalwork (springs etc) is not much different from the property renovation woodwork or from when I used to restore old motorbikes.

    As Liam Neeson said, "I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career,"  LOL

  • in reply to Iain

    You may get on with the poang chair, they look uncomfortable but they're really not and rock slightly too. I guess being designed by Scandinavians, who are often quite tall people, they've thought about the dimensions of longer backs and legs and what problems having them to short can cause. My varicose veins are much better now I'm not having the blood cut off half way down my thighs from the seat of the old chair and my back and neck are better too.

    Happy hunting in junk shops, do you have auctions too? Upholstery will be a good skill to learn.

  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    I find so many chairs and sofas have short back rests and I like to rest my head back when reading and just cannot do it with these.

    The ones that are more recliner like just make me fall asleep with isn't a bad feature but I want something slighty more upright but still with support for my back, bum and elbows.

    I'm starting to suspect I'll have to make my own by taking one of those 1950s armchairs and reworking the arms to have padding for my elbows and maybe extend the back if it isn't tall enough. Not really rocket science but still a lot of work as I'll have to redesign the upholstery to fit.

    I'll go browsing through the junk furniture shops here to see if I can find a good donor.

  • I just have furniture and don't have space for a seperate reading chair, that said I did spend a long time finding our new furniture. Most modern sofas are more like shelves than sofa's the seats are so short, most of them came barely below my bum and whilst my bums fairly big it's not that big! They don't seem to make furniture for tall people, I found most chairs to short in the seat and what was supposed to be the head rest was poking me between the shoulders. Another thing I noticed was that chairs that were big enough were fancy looking "executive" upright desk chairs and seemed made with the male body in mind, I'm woman shaped and the lumbar support was poor to non existant for me. I went to one of those specialist places and they're chairs were even shorter in the seat and although they said they can make them to measure it would of cost thousands. We did get a lovely big 4 seater sofa with matching chair that suited both me and Mum who's a short person. I have the sofa, with cushions in the right places.

    Poang chairs are quite comfortatble but I wouldn't want to sit in one for a long time. I used to like those 1920's-30's arm chairs, they had a nice long seat and back and good arm rests, but I just don't see them anymore

  • I like Ikea's poang armchair, but I don't read for a long time.

    https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/poaeng-armchair-white-stained-oak-veneer-knisa-light-beige-s89286612/

    It comes in different colour and wood combinations;  unfortunately it doesn't have padded armrests though so probably isnt suitable for you.

    However, you might find a nice chair at Habitat (they do wing backed chairs) and also IKEA (which might be cheaper) does do other chairs which might be suitable.    Visiting either shop might be worth it to try them out, but you can browse online.

    https://www.habitat.co.uk/browse/sofas-and-armchairs/armchairs/c:809185/?tag=browse:plp:sofasandarmchairs:spot4:m052:image:armchairs