Great Ideas for a Comfy Reading Chair

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A reading chair is one of the few pieces of furniture bought for a genuinely specific purpose. If you're an avid reader, it's worth real thought in how you set up a home — you may spend hours in the same spot once a book gets good enough that you can't put it down, so comfort has to be a given, and good ergonomics matters to avoid the aches that come from sitting still too long.

What to actually look for

Integrated storage

Some of the better designs build storage into the frame itself — a side pocket or under-seat compartment for the book you're currently reading, rather than a stack building up on the floor next to the chair.

Built-in charging

A growing number of reading chairs now include their own electrical outlet, so you can charge an e-reader, tablet or laptop without a trailing extension lead across the room — a small feature that makes a real difference if you read on a device.

Fabric and style range

There's enough choice in fabric and colour that tying the chair back to the rest of a room's design is easy, whatever the style — from traditional wingback through to something more sculptural.

Chair types worth knowing

• The recliner. A genuine practical advantage if you have the floor space — being able to change position shifts pressure points on the body and lets you sit comfortably for far longer.
• The swivel chair with a separate ottoman. Gives you the flexibility to turn toward the light or a window, with the ottoman doing the footrest work a recliner's mechanism does in one piece.
• The egg chair. More sculptural than practical, and suits a library or shared space as much as it does a private reading nook — it reads as much as an art object as a place to sit.
• The zero-gravity chair. Reclines to a position that takes pressure off the spine almost entirely — a genuinely different feel from a conventional armchair, worth trying before you commit given how different it is.