Bedroom Furniture Sets and Armchairs: Creating a Coordinated Look

An armchair coordinates with a bedroom set when it shares one clear element with the furniture, not all of them. Match the leg finish, the metal detail or a colour drawn from the room, then let the chair differ in material and shape. A chair upholstered to match every other surface looks like part of a showroom display. A chair that echoes one detail looks chosen.

This is the piece most UK bedrooms leave out, usually because the room feels too small. In fact a well placed chair often makes a bedroom function better, giving you somewhere to sit and put shoes on, somewhere to read that is not the bed, and somewhere for clothes that are not quite ready for the wash.

Decide what the chair is for

Three uses dominate, and each points to a different type of chair.

For reading, you need back support, a seat depth of around 50cm and an arm height that allows you to rest a book comfortably. A tub chair or a low armchair with a slightly reclined back suits this.

For dressing, the requirement is lower and simpler. A compact chair or an upholstered bench beside the wardrobe is enough, and it should be light enough to move.

For appearance, where the chair mainly balances a corner, you have the most freedom. Choose something sculptural with a distinct shape, since it will be seen more than sat on.

Finding the coordination point

Match the leg finish

The simplest and most reliable link. If the bedroom set has tapered oak legs, an armchair on similar timber legs will read as related even in a completely different fabric. The same applies to black metal or brass feet.

Match the metal

Where the furniture has brass handles, a chair with brass studs, a brass frame or brass tipped legs makes the connection. This works particularly well with mirrored or gloss sets, where the metal is the only warm element.

Draw a colour from the room

Pick up a tone already present in the bedding, the curtains or a rug. A sage armchair in a room with sage cushions looks deliberate. A sage armchair in a room with no other green looks stranded.

Echo the shape language

If the bedroom set has rounded corners and curved fronts, choose a chair with a curved back. If the set is square and architectural, a boxier chair suits. Shape is a subtler link than colour but often the most convincing.

Choosing the right chair type

Tub chairs are the most space efficient option, with a wrapped back that gives support without a large footprint. They suit smaller bedrooms and sit well in a corner. Our modern tub chairs UK sale range covers fabric and faux leather versions in a wide colour range.

Accent armchairs with exposed legs feel lighter than fully upholstered designs, because you can see the floor beneath them. In a bedroom where floor space is tight, that visual gap matters.

Wing chairs and high backed designs bring presence and are excellent for reading, but they need a room with some height and space around them. In a low ceilinged bedroom they can feel imposing.

An upholstered bench is the alternative when a chair will not fit. Placed at the foot of the bed it gives you a seat and a surface, and it takes no more depth than the mattress overhang.

Where to put it

The window corner is the natural home. Light is good for reading, and the chair fills an area that otherwise collects clutter. Angle it slightly towards the room rather than facing the wall, so it looks inviting.

Beside the wardrobe works when the chair is mainly for dressing. Keep it clear of the door swing, which means allowing at least 75cm in front of hinged wardrobe doors.

At the foot of the bed suits a bench or a pair of low stools rather than a full armchair, unless the room is large enough that the chair can face back towards the bed.

What rarely works is a chair pushed against the wall behind the door. It becomes a shelf for laundry within a week.

Adding a footstool and a side table

A chair on its own is a place to perch. A chair with a footstool is a place to stay. If the room allows, a matching or coordinating footstool transforms how much the chair gets used, and many double as extra seating or a soft surface for a tray. Our modern foot stools UK selection includes storage versions that hold spare bedding.

A small side table completes the arrangement. It needs to be close to the arm height and large enough for a cup and a book, which usually means around 40cm across. A round table is easier to move around than a square one.

Add a floor lamp or a wall light nearby. A reading corner without its own light source will not be used after dark, which in a British winter is most of the time you are in the room.

Fabric choices that last

Bedroom chairs see gentler use than living room seating, so you can be more adventurous with texture. Velvet, boucle and heavy weave linen all work and bring a tactile quality that suits a bedroom.

That said, a chair used daily for dressing will wear at the arms and the front edge. If that is the purpose, choose a fabric with a reasonable rub rating and a colour that hides marks.

Consider how the fabric relates to the bedding rather than the furniture. The chair and the bed are the two soft elements in the room, and they should feel like they belong to the same family even if the colours differ.

Coordinating chairs, stools and complete bedroom collections can be viewed together at Furniture in Fashion, with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes when you are ordering several pieces for one room.

Scale and proportion in a bedroom setting

Bedroom furniture is mostly tall and rectangular: wardrobes, chests, headboards. An armchair introduces a low curved form into that composition, which is part of why it improves a room visually as well as practically.

The proportion to watch is height. A chair with a back around 80cm to 90cm sits comfortably below the top of a chest of drawers, which keeps the room feeling layered. A very high backed chair placed beside a tall wardrobe creates two competing vertical masses in one corner.

Seat height also matters more than people expect. A low slung lounge chair looks relaxed but is difficult to get out of first thing in the morning, particularly if you are using it while dressing. Around 45cm from floor to seat suits most people for everyday use.

Finally, consider the arms. Chairs with slim or low arms take up less visual space and tuck closer to a wall. Deep rolled arms can add 20cm to the overall width without adding any usable seat.

Using the chair to zone a larger bedroom

In a generously sized bedroom, the opposite problem arises: the room can feel like a large empty box with a bed in the middle. A chair, a footstool, a small table and a lamp form a second zone that gives the room purpose beyond sleeping.

Define that zone with a small rug if the floor is hard, or with the arrangement of the furniture if it is carpeted. Turning the chair away from the bed slightly, towards the window or a corner, makes it read as a separate area rather than an extension of the sleeping space.

Two chairs facing each other across a small table work well in a master bedroom with the space for it, and they change how the room is used through the day rather than only at night.

Common mistakes

Choosing a chair that is too large is the most frequent error. Measure the overall width including the arms, and remember that upholstered pieces look bigger in a bedroom than they do in a showroom.

Matching the fabric exactly to the curtains is another. It reads as dated and leaves the room with no variation. Relate them instead: same tonal family, different texture.

Finally, do not buy a chair simply to fill a corner. An empty corner with a plant and good light is better than a chair nobody sits in. The piece has to earn its floor space like everything else in the room.

Frequently asked questions

Does a bedroom armchair need to match the furniture set?

No, and an exact match usually looks flat. Share one element such as the leg finish, the metal detail or a colour from the bedding, then let the chair differ in fabric and shape.

What size armchair suits a bedroom?

For most UK bedrooms, look for an overall width under 80cm and a depth under 80cm. Tub chairs and accent chairs with exposed legs suit tighter spaces best.

Where should I put an armchair in a bedroom?

The window corner is usually the best position, angled slightly towards the room. Avoid placing it behind the door, where it tends to become a laundry pile.

Is a bench better than a chair at the foot of the bed?

A bench suits that position better, since it matches the width of the bed and keeps the walkway clear. Reserve armchairs for corners where they can be used properly.

What fabric works best for a bedroom chair?

Velvet, boucle and textured linen all suit bedrooms and bring welcome softness. If the chair is used daily for dressing, choose a hard wearing weave in a forgiving mid tone.