An accent chair is much like a bottle of wine at a fancy dinner: It is an addition to the atmosphere that enhances the mood of your home, not the centerpiece of attention. How much attention your chair receives will depend on your styling choices, of course. However, you are probably wondering if all accent chairs have to be the same.
Accent chairs do not all have to be the same. Different styles can blend together in stylish ways. They are meant to enhance the overall look of a room. Think of an accent chair as an accessory. They sit on a room’s perimeter and provide a pleasing aesthetic, but are not front and center.
If you like decorating and like using furniture to manipulate the look of a room, you have probably wondered if accent chairs are all meant to look the same. You might even wonder if they are meant to look the same as everything else in the room. Keep reading to find out if all accent chairs have to be the same.
Do Accent Chairs Have to Be the Same?
Accent chairs do not have to be the same as each other, or as every color and hue in a given room, but they should match and flow with the colors on display. What that means is if you have, for instance, a room with white paint, then an accent chair should be a color such as green or blue, possibly red, because it flows with the white and improves the aesthetic.
An accent chair is not meant to be an exact copy of the couch or other chairs in the room, but it can be if you desire. An accent chair is meant to be a single-seat chair in a room that catches the eye and draws it to other style points throughout the space. Think of an accent chair like a side table or nightstand. It is there, but it is not the main focus.
You can also match multiple accent chairs to each other by covering them with the following items:
- Similar blankets
- Complementary throw pillows
- Matching cushions
This creates some similarity and helps them match the room and accompanying furniture. It will make the room and its aesthetic look much more cohesive and subsequently more calming.
In a fashion sense, an accent chair is a lot like a watch or a small bracelet: an accessory, not the main style point. When you are getting dressed up, you do not match your entire outfit to your watch. You build your outfit and then match your watch to the outfit once it has been created.
How to Choose an Accent Chair
When choosing an accent chair (or chairs), you only need one or two. However, you also need to match your accent chairs with the colors and other accessories in the room, so that it maintains a good aesthetic and does not seem out of place.
Size matters here.
- If your chairs are too small, no one will notice and subsequently they will not be used.
- If your chairs are too large, they will dwarf the furniture in your room.
- A good rule of thumb is to make sure your accent chairs are no more than half the width of your couch; this of course depends on the size of the couch.
The number of accent chairs you have also matters. If you want multiple accent chairs in a room, they do not need to match in size or color, but they do need to flow with the aesthetic of the room in both size and color. You can have two small accent chairs, or one big and one small; one chair should not be drastically larger, however.
Consider your lifestyle as well. If you are single or have a partner, you can get away with having more expensive chairs with fabrics such as suede. However, if you have children and still want accent chairs, consider getting chairs with easy-to-clean coverings, like leather, leatherette, or microfiber. They are stylish and easy to clean.
Match Chairs to the Room
You need to consider the size of the room when choosing accent chairs. A larger room will accept more chairs of varying sizes, while a small room will feel cramped and hemmed in with too many chairs or chairs that are too large.
Depending on how often you entertain people at your house, and what type of image you want to project, the accent chair will follow suit. If you have a lot of people at your house, a sturdy armchair will work well, as it will hold up to plenty of wear and tear while still being a casual piece of furniture.
If you want to be more formal, then you can also ensure that accent chairs take a more central role, and create a more spacious room with slender, dainty chairs. In fact, the relative size of the accent chairs helps accentuate the size of the room and can make it look larger.
Of course, you will not be doing this every time you have guests, but it does highlight the effect accent chairs can have on a room.
Match Accent Chairs to Each Other
Accent chairs do not all need to be exactly the same throughout your house, but that does not mean they cannot complement and highlight each other. Having accent chairs with matching or similar patterns and colors accomplishes two things: it draws attention to the chairs and to other points in the room that might otherwise be overlooked.
As accent chairs are meant to be a decorative piece, they should be eye-catching but not over the top with patterns and colors. For instance, an accent chair with a zebra print pattern would work well against a black wall, because it is a direct contrast and breaks the monotony of the black.
Matching accent chairs to one another means picking chairs with similar patterns or colors and accessories. Take for example a room with white paint, big windows, and some strategically placed plants. You can place some accent chairs with a light or dark blue coloring for a seaside look, or perhaps a light green chair for a desert setting.
Not only that, if you want multiple accent chairs, consider having multiple chairs of the same style in the room. Having multiple styles of chairs without some consistency can throw off the look of the room and make it look cluttered and unbalanced.
Should Other Furniture Match?
A loveseat is kind of like an accent chair, and it does not need to match the couch or even much of the room. You can use both a loveseat and an accent chair in the same room to heighten the style and comfort. A loveseat is supposed to be an expression of one’s personality and style, and right now it is also trendy to have the couch and loveseat mismatch.
That being said, it will preserve the overall cohesion of the room if the couch and loveseat match the style of one another, along with the accent chair. You can still make it work if the room flows nicely, then add a loveseat on top of it. Done properly, it will be a bright spot of color or something that draws the eye to the chair and again, other parts of the room.
Conclusion
Accent chairs are a furniture accessory; they can be a finishing touch or take a more central role in the overall look of a room. There are many different styles, colors, and patterns available, and therefore something for everyone.