TAKE A SEAT

Although the sofa tends to dominate the living room, often people make a beeline for a single-seater chair and with good reason, says Jacqueline Wake Young

You don’t have to have a sofa you know – it’s not the law. There are alternatives to the ubiquitous sofa set, although you wouldn’t think it as so few people venture beyond this combo. A sofa is usually the biggest, most expensive piece of furniture in a home, dominating the room.

And yet an armchair is often top dog in the pecking order of living room seating choices.

Scuffles can break out when a movie or sports event is about to begin as everyone tries to get this seat to themselves instead of having to squash on the sofa with everyone else.

Guests may find it more comfortable to sit in a single-seater chair in their own space, plus it’s easier to talk to people when at an angle, rather than side-to-side.

Armchairs and other accent chairs are also typically favoured by elderly people, who can struggle to get in and out of a low, squashy settee.

So if chairs have so much going for them – can’t you just forget about a sofa altogether?

Well yes, you can. Instead of having a sofa and chairs pointing at a coffee table, you could have four chairs instead. This highly sociable set-up means the TV is no longer the main focus of the room – and that might be a good thing.

If eschewing a sofa seems too radical, consider a secondary seating area, such as two chairs around a small table or a single armchair under a lamp – add a footstool and you’ve got a cosy reading nook.

Brown leather chair with wooden legs, £499.99, Homesense.

Carl Hansen & Son Dream Chair, £5,298, Nest.

Rosie accent chair with black legs, £250, Next.

Zola accent chair, £150, Next.

Club accent chair in teal velvet, £349, DFS. Pale blue chair, £129.99, Homesense.

Arc accent chair in Grand Sovereign leather in brandy, £499, DFS.

Tub accent chair in orange velvet, £299, DFS.

Grey fabric horseshoe chair, £179.99, Homesense.

Mitford Chair in Maroc Teal, from £1,111, Parker Knoll.