Armchairs & Ottomans: How to Choose, Place and Style Them

An armchair earns its place when it adds a seating option the sofa can’t — a reading corner, a second conversation point, or a visual anchor in an empty part of the room. The right armchair for most Australian homes in 2026 is an upholstered fabric design at 75–85cm wide with a high enough back to support the neck. Add an ottoman the same height as the seat or slightly lower, and you have a complete, self-contained rest zone that works independently of the sofa.

An armchair is one of the most versatile pieces of furniture in any home. It doesn’t need to match the sofa. It doesn’t need to sit next to it. It can anchor a corner, define a reading nook, or act as a deliberate contrast piece in a room that needs a second focal point. The range of accent armchairs in Australia has expanded significantly in 2026 — boucle, velvet, leather, swivel, wingback, barrel — and choosing the right one comes down to three things: where it’s going, who’s using it, and what the room already has.

This guide covers how to choose the right armchair for your space, which ottoman type pairs with it, and how to build a reading nook that actually gets used.

Key Takeaways

• An armchair should be 75–85cm wide for most adults — anything narrower feels restrictive for everyday sitting
• Seat height should match or sit within 5cm of your sofa seat height so the room reads as connected
• A boucle armchair is the highest-impact single purchase for adding warmth and texture to a neutral living room
• An ottoman paired with an armchair should sit at seat height or slightly lower — never higher than the seat
• A reading nook needs four things: armchair, ottoman, floor lamp, and a surface within arm’s reach
• Storage ottomans are one of the most practical pieces of furniture in any living room — they hold blankets, remotes, and charging cables out of sight

Types of Armchairs: Which One Is Right for Your Room?

The category has expanded well beyond the traditional fixed-back armchair. Here’s a plain guide to what’s available and where each type works best.

The Boucle Armchair: Why It’s Everywhere in 2026

Boucle has become the dominant upholstery fabric in Australian interiors in 2026 for the same reason it’s been popular in European interiors for decades: the looped, textured surface adds warmth and tactile interest that smooth fabrics and leather can’t replicate. A boucle armchair in cream, oatmeal, or warm white works as a contrast piece against a dark sofa, as a tonal companion to a light neutral sofa, or as a standalone accent in a bedroom or reading corner. It’s one of the few furniture pieces that looks intentional in almost any context.

The practical case for boucle: it doesn’t show everyday wear the way smooth fabrics do, it’s warm to sit on without trapping heat the way velvet can in summer, and the texture naturally breaks up the visual monotony of rooms with a lot of flat surfaces.

How to Choose the Right Size Armchair

Armchair sizing is the most overlooked part of the buying decision. Most people choose based on appearance and discover the proportions are wrong only after delivery.

Width

75–85cm is the practical range for most adults. Narrower than 75cm feels restrictive even for smaller frames — it limits how you can position your arms and makes long sitting sessions uncomfortable. Wider than 90cm starts to feel more like a loveseat than an armchair and can overpower smaller rooms.

Seat Depth

45–55cm seat depth suits most people. Deeper seats (60cm+) have a more relaxed, sunk-in feel and suit taller people or those who like to curl up. Shallower seats (under 45cm) are more upright and formal — good for a chair that’s used for reading or conversation rather than long rest sessions.

Seat Height

This is the measurement most buyers miss. Your armchair’s seat height should be within 5cm of your sofa’s seat height. When they’re at the same level, the room reads as connected and the conversation flows naturally between the two. A significant height difference — even visually — makes the room feel like two separate spaces that ended up in the same place.

Standard sofa seat heights in Australia sit between 43–48cm. Check the armchair’s spec sheet before purchasing and compare it to your sofa measurement.

Back Height

High-back armchairs support the head and neck — better for long sitting sessions, reading, and napping. Low-back or mid-back armchairs have a cleaner visual profile and suit more design-forward uses where the chair is more accent piece than comfort piece. If you’re buying a reading chair, go high-back.

Where to Put an Armchair: Placement Rules That Work

Most people put their armchair beside or at an angle to the sofa and leave it there. That works — but it’s not the only option, and it’s not always the best one.

Angled Toward the Sofa

The classic arrangement: armchair angled at roughly 30–45 degrees toward the sofa, creating an L-shaped conversation zone. Works in most living rooms. The angle feels more natural than placing the chair parallel to the sofa, which can feel forced and overly formal.

In a Corner

A corner placement works particularly well for reading chairs. The corner naturally encloses the seating and creates a sense of destination — a specific place you go to rather than an overflow seat. Add a floor lamp behind one shoulder and a small side table within reach and the corner becomes the best seat in the house.

As a Room Divider

In open-plan homes, an armchair positioned at the boundary between the living zone and a dining or study area creates a soft visual division without walls or shelving. It signals that the space has zones without making the room feel smaller.

Opposite the Sofa

Placing an armchair directly opposite the sofa across a coffee table creates a formal, symmetrical conversation area — better suited to rooms that are used for entertaining than for everyday family living. If you want two chairs opposite the sofa, ensure the coffee table between them is wide enough to leave comfortable walking space around it (at least 40cm clearance on each side).

Ottomans: More Useful Than Most People Give Them Credit For

An ottoman is one of the most misunderstood pieces of furniture in Australian homes. Most people think of them as a footrest and nothing else. In practice, a well-chosen ottoman acts as a footrest, an extra seat, a coffee table, a storage solution, and a visual anchor — often all five at once. Marco Furniture’s range of storage ottomans includes cushioned footstools, storage designs with lids, boucle rounds, and bench ottomans.

Ottoman Types: What Each One Does

Pairing an Ottoman With an Armchair

The ottoman should be roughly the same width as the armchair seat — wide enough to support both legs comfortably, not so wide that it crowds the space. Height: at seat level or slightly lower (3–5cm). Never higher than the seat — a footrest higher than the seat forces your knees above your hips, which is uncomfortable after more than a few minutes.

For a reading nook, place the ottoman directly in front of the chair with a 10–15cm gap between them. The gap lets you stand up without shuffling the ottoman out of the way every time.

The Storage Ottoman: The Most Underrated Living Room Purchase

Every Australian living room accumulates things: blankets, remotes, charging cables, magazines, kids’ toys. A storage ottoman with a lift-off or hinged lid holds all of it out of sight while functioning as a footrest, extra seat, and surface for a tray, drinks, or books when the lid is closed. It’s one of the few pieces of furniture that genuinely earns its floor space in every direction.

How to Build a Reading Nook That Actually Gets Used

A reading nook sounds like a design indulgence. In practice, it’s just a chair in a specific spot with the right things around it. The reason most people don’t use their armchairs for reading is that the setup isn’t quite right — the light source is wrong, there’s nowhere to put a drink, or the chair isn’t comfortable for more than 20 minutes.

Four things make a reading nook work:

• The right chair — high back, comfortable seat depth, armrests at elbow height
• The right light — a floor lamp to the side and slightly behind your reading shoulder, never in front of you
• A surface within reach — a small side table or corner table at armrest height for a drink, book, and phone
• An ottoman — legs elevated takes pressure off the lower back for long sessions

For the lamp, a directional floor lamp positioned 60–80cm to the side of your reading shoulder and tilted to direct light onto the page (not into your eyes) is the correct setup. Most people position their lamp directly above or in front of them, which creates glare and eye strain. Side and slightly behind is the position.

For the side table, the surface should sit at armrest height — typically 55–65cm from the floor. A corner table or lamp table works well here. You should be able to pick up and put down a drink without leaning forward or reaching down.

When to Choose an Armchair Over a Second Sofa

If your living room already has a sofa and you’re considering more seating, the default assumption is a second sofa or a loveseat. An armchair is usually the better choice for three reasons.

Space: A two-seater sofa takes roughly 160–180cm of floor space. An armchair takes 80–90cm. In most Australian living rooms, two sofas crowd the space and leave no room for a coffee table at the right proportion. An armchair gives you a second seating option without the footprint.

Visual variety: Two sofas in the same style creates a symmetrical arrangement that can feel static and overly formal. An armchair in a contrasting material or colour — a boucle chair beside a fabric lounge, or a leather chair beside a fabric sofa — creates visual interest and a layered look that’s harder to achieve with matched pieces.

Flexibility: An armchair can be moved and repositioned far more easily than a sofa. If you entertain regularly, a lightweight armchair can be pulled into different configurations for different occasions without rearranging the whole room.

Shop Marco Furniture’s Armchair & Ottoman Range

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Frequently Asked Questions

What size armchair do I need?

75–85cm wide suits most adults. Seat height should be within 5cm of your sofa — standard Australian sofas sit between 43–48cm.

Can an armchair be a different colour to my sofa?

Yes — and it usually looks better when it is. Keep one element consistent, such as the leg finish or colour family, so the pieces feel related.

What height should an ottoman be?

At seat level or slightly lower — typically 3–5cm below the armchair seat. Never higher than the seat or it becomes uncomfortable quickly.

What is the difference between an ottoman and a footstool?

A footstool is smaller and designed purely as a leg rest. An ottoman is larger and more versatile — it works as a footrest, extra seat, coffee table, or storage solution.

How do I build a reading nook?

You need four things: a high-back armchair, a floor lamp to the side and slightly behind your reading shoulder, a small side table at armrest height, and an ottoman to elevate your legs.

Is a boucle armchair practical?

Yes. Boucle doesn’t show everyday wear the way smooth fabrics do and is warm without trapping heat in summer. Avoid sharp pet claws — they can snag the loops over time.

Can I use an ottoman as a coffee table?

Yes — place a rigid tray on top to create a stable surface for drinks and objects. It also doubles as extra seating when guests arrive.

Questions about which armchair suits your room? Visit the Marco Furniture showroom or browse the full range at marcofurniture.com.au.