50 Comfy Chairs Every Dad Will Want to Sit In
We've extolled on the virtues of the “Dad Chair” in a previous article, but in honor of Father’s Day, we thought we’d take the concept one step further and curate a collection of 50 chairs that would make any guy stop, plop and reflect.
Click on the first photo to get started (switch the green product tags on and off via the tag icon at the bottom of each photo’s page). Then tell us which one you’d want to while away the day in reading, listening to music or, best of all, just napping.
Click on the first photo to get started (switch the green product tags on and off via the tag icon at the bottom of each photo’s page). Then tell us which one you’d want to while away the day in reading, listening to music or, best of all, just napping.
1. A vintage leather armchair and stool sit on a custom circular rug to create a reading nook in an unused corner of a large master bedroom. The broken-in look invites anyone nearby to take a seat, while the retro shape of the pieces and pops of blue make the corner visually stand out when not in use.
2. Professional home stager Rachael Honnerknows how to make interiors look good. So it’s no surprise that her own home follows suit. This reading nook, which is right next to her TV area, changes often depending on the season or her mood, so she keeps the pieces flexible. But let’s hope the vintage chair and distressed ladder stay together forever.
Deer head: Wall Charmers
Deer head: Wall Charmers
3. Homeowner Steven Bugler custom made this wooden Stickley-style chair for his Toronto home. Walnut shelving holds a large collection of literature and engineering textbooks.
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4. An Eddy-style yellow lounge chair allows for breaks between practicing one’s short game in this Chicago penthouse.
5. A playful pattern on this contemporary chair, with contrasting fabrics on the cushion and footrest, coupled with an equally cheerful pattern on the curtains, sets a supercasual tone in this Vancouver living room.
6. When Family Guy writer and producer Kirker Butler wants to write a new script, he heads to his Los Angeles home office and man cave. A Mortise & Tenon armchair provides a respite near a built-in mahogany bookcase that houses Butler’s books, comics and movie and sports memorabilia.
Chair: Mortise & Tenon; wall paint byBenjamin Moore: Bryant Gold (top half),Huntington Beige (bottom half); sconces: Restoration Hardware
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Chair: Mortise & Tenon; wall paint byBenjamin Moore: Bryant Gold (top half),Huntington Beige (bottom half); sconces: Restoration Hardware
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7. A simple, deep high-backed chair and well-positioned lamp give this relatively open corner a feeling of privacy. Custom-made curtains in a hand-printed fabric add dimension to the neutral chair upholstery, while a print of artist Malcolm Bucknall’s “Ancestor Image - Great Horny Rabbit” on the wall signals that this space doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Table: Zanotta; drape fabric: Smokebush, Galbraith & Paul; lamp: Holly Hunt Design
Table: Zanotta; drape fabric: Smokebush, Galbraith & Paul; lamp: Holly Hunt Design
8. Who could resist sinking into this thick-cushioned chair on a sunny afternoon? The toadstool-style foot rest encourages the perfect position for thumbing through a large book resting on the knees. Meanwhile, a large Chinese garden stool is one of the most helpful furniture pieces you may ever own.
Chair: Havana WL105-CH, Vanguard
Chair: Havana WL105-CH, Vanguard
9. There’s just something about a large brown leather chair and ottoman that will forever symbolize comfort. While the applied molding on the walls says traditional, the chair, blanket and pillow say “whatever.” Notice how there’s no lamp or side table for resting a book on? This spot is for one thing and one thing only: napping.
Leather chair with nail studs: Staples Design Group
Leather chair with nail studs: Staples Design Group
10. The appropriately named Papa Bear chair by Hans Wegner is perhaps the original sophisticated Dad chair. It was released in 1951, a full five years before the introduction of the iconic Eames lounge chair and ottoman. Its winged armrests and lean-back design make it perfect for kicking back and reading a good book. Here, the neutral upholstery pairs swimmingly with the whitewashed brick walls, sheer shades and white painted floors.
Chair: Papa Bear, Hans Wegner; floor lamp: Gordon Martz for Marshall Studios
Chair: Papa Bear, Hans Wegner; floor lamp: Gordon Martz for Marshall Studios
11. Again, “big” and “leather” are the highlights of this reading chair in a London living room. Windows provide plenty of reading light during the day, while a retractable-arm sconce provides the right amount of task lighting at night.
12. In the Melbourne, Australia, home of designer Jessica Viscarde and her partner, Ryan Ward, this corner and its brown leather chair and footstool belong to Ward. Smaller, intimate zones like this one help break up the open floor plan.
Hektar floor lamp: Ikea; Mr. Jones chair:Freedom; “Soriano 1951 Italy” print in yellow:Form Function Style; footstool: Ishka
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Hektar floor lamp: Ikea; Mr. Jones chair:Freedom; “Soriano 1951 Italy” print in yellow:Form Function Style; footstool: Ishka
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13. This retro green chair sits in the home office of the founders of VisuaLingual, a design and print studio in Cincinnati. Graphic posters and a nearby stack of art books ensure that this lounge spot is all about fostering creative ideas.
14. Natural wood on the mirror frame, fireplace mantel and floor lend this reading chair in London a bit of traditional charm, while vintage sports photos signal that this is a spot for important reflection. And if the nearby fire isn’t blazing enough, a herringbone-patterned throw blanket finishes the job.
Forså work lamp: Ikea
Forså work lamp: Ikea
15. An antique Italian chair steals the show in this West Palm Beach, Florida, home office. A superslim side table and a built-in bookcase keep reading material close by, while a matching upholstered ottoman encourages bookworms to stay awhile.
16. Custom bookshelves hold dozens of art books near a pair of brown leather club chairs, but this Seattle family room is more about watching the game with man’s best friend.
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17. Designer Megan Close made the most of her 450-square-foot Vancouver studio by turning on the serious style charm. Here, a small but cushy blue chair with a dip-dye pillow and slender side table make for a dramatic punctuation mark in the compact living room.
“La Lune” poster: The Calm Gallery; dip-dye pillow: The Cross
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“La Lune” poster: The Calm Gallery; dip-dye pillow: The Cross
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18. Dimmer switches on the lighting near this soft fabric chair with nailhead trim create the perfect ambience for relaxing near a faux-brick fireplace.
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Brick-facade fireplace: Brick Design; wall paint: Perfect Taupe, Behr
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Brick-facade fireplace: Brick Design; wall paint: Perfect Taupe, Behr
19. Dallas couple Joseph Rogers and Felix Lopez hung some of their favorite albums above a wall-mounted multidisc player to turn this corner into a cherished spot. “I love that red chair,” Lopez says. “If I’m not cooking or cleaning, I can be found firmly planted in that chair.”
Chair: Cost Plus World Market
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Chair: Cost Plus World Market
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20. It’s safe to say these New Orleans homeowners like to read — a lot. A brown leather club chair (no surprise there) is paired with a Frank Gehry Wiggle stool so one can literally turn one’s back on the TV in favor of a good book.
Gehry Wiggle stool, Vitra
Gehry Wiggle stool, Vitra
21. Wheels on this tufted leather armchair in this Austin, Texas, home give it versatility to be moved with the light for better reading, or pushed farther into the living room for more social interaction.
22. A hefty upholstered chair and floor-to-ceiling bookcase establish a cozy reading nook in this Washington, D.C., master bedroom.
23. A fauteuil is an upholstered armchair with open sides and usually an upholstered seat, back and arm pads on an exposed wooden frame. This version in a Providence, Rhode Island, living room is likely the most popular spot in the house when the fire’s roaring.
24. A mohair-covered chaise longue and vintage reading lamp no doubt encourage hours to be whiled away in this Austin, Texas, living room.
Chair: Cisco Brothers
Chair: Cisco Brothers
25. Sometimes simple is best. After a long day at work, easing into this brown leather chair is probably the best thing to happen all day.
Chair: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, via Williams-Sonoma Home; pillow and Hudson side table: Williams-Sonoma Home
Chair: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, via Williams-Sonoma Home; pillow and Hudson side table: Williams-Sonoma Home
26. A 19th-century antique chaise longue from England reclines into two positions, likely called “ooh” and “ahh.” A chinoiserie nightstand and screen cap off the smart look.
27. With a Sunday-afternoon golf game on and a fire crackling, naps should come quickly and frequently in this stately lounge chair, which sits in a sun-filled Chicago garden room atop a dry-laid limestone floor in a herringbone pattern.
28. Josh Amstone, a special-education teacher in Long Beach, California, enjoys reading, listening to music, thinking, chatting and otherwise enjoying life in this sunlit midcentury rocking chair.
Chair: vintage 1960s Koford Larsen for Selig; 1950s teak floor lamp: Paul McCobb; plant stand: Modernica
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Chair: vintage 1960s Koford Larsen for Selig; 1950s teak floor lamp: Paul McCobb; plant stand: Modernica
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29. An English rolled-arm chaise with a white linen slipcover completes the farmhouse look in this bedroom.
Wall paint: Fawn No. 10, Farrow & Ball
Wall paint: Fawn No. 10, Farrow & Ball
30. A leather wing chair sits like a dollop of chocolatey charm in the family room of a 1930s summer cottage in Menlo Park, California.
Chair: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams (Tobi chair is a similar style)
Chair: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams (Tobi chair is a similar style)
31. No doubt this antique London chair has seen its fair share of use. But like a fine wine, leather just gets better with age.
32. Thai batik fabrics inspired this wingback chair, which is upholstered in hand-printed linen.
Embroidered Kaili armchair: Anthropologie
Embroidered Kaili armchair: Anthropologie
33. An oversized linen chair with birch stump tables exudes soft rustic style in this Salt Lake City home.
34. A wide red chair complements an extensive collection of vintage fire trucks andfirefighting equipment and gear in a Paso Robles, California, home.
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35. The Viceroy high-back recliner from Thayer Coggin, designed by Milo Baughman, is the epitome of cool and comfort.
36. Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair has been tops in style and comfort for half a century. Its compact, simple design means it works in almost any size and style of room.
Barcelona lounge chair
Barcelona lounge chair
37. A simple lounge chair provides an island of calm, surrounded by reflective lapis-blue walls and a fireplace mantel wrapped in pewter-leafed travertine mosaic tile.
38. A contemporary deep purple chair, a graphic pillow and modern art send a clear message that creative reflection happens here.
Chair: Park, Bensen; pillow: Jonathan Adler; side table: West Elm
Chair: Park, Bensen; pillow: Jonathan Adler; side table: West Elm
39. A silk velvet midcentury chair allows for relaxing beneath a photograph of a busy beach scene.
Art: Massimo Vitali
Art: Massimo Vitali
40. A houndstooth chair and ottoman and vintage shoeshine footrest lend an air of uptown masculinity to this London dressing room.
41. Who cares if this rich leather lounge chair makes a bit of noise as you plop down on it? Chances are, you won’t be getting up anytime soon.
Wall paint: Crisp Khaki, Benjamin Moore; chair: via Ashley Campbell Interior Design; fireplace stone: moss rock
Wall paint: Crisp Khaki, Benjamin Moore; chair: via Ashley Campbell Interior Design; fireplace stone: moss rock
42. Amsterdam art dealer Hyland Mather found this worn leather chair on the street anddragged it in.
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43. Few designs say Dad Chair more than a classic Eames-style lounge chair and ottoman. This white reproduction sits near a mirror-backed Ikea bookshelf holding eclectic accessories.
Bookshelf: Expedit, Ikea; art: Victor Vasarely
Bookshelf: Expedit, Ikea; art: Victor Vasarely
44. An armless, caramel-y tufted leather chair adds to the eclectic vibe in this Pittsburgh living room.
Chair: Earl, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams;Studio floor lamp: Thomas O’Brien for Visual Comfort
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Chair: Earl, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams;Studio floor lamp: Thomas O’Brien for Visual Comfort
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45. A contemporary upholstery pattern on this reading chair gives a modern update to the traditional Boston surroundings.
Rowan Pharmacy task floor lamp: Restoration Hardware
Rowan Pharmacy task floor lamp: Restoration Hardware
46. A rattan chair and rustic metal outdoor side table establish a durable reading nook in this downtown Louisville, Kentucky, home. The homeowner made the floor lamp from an old surveyor’s tripod.
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47. Why recline when you can swing? This rope-hung chair puts these Denver residents as close to or as far from the fire as they like with just the push of their feet.
Maia Egg swing chair: Kettal
Maia Egg swing chair: Kettal
48. An antique rug and a worn leather chair make for an inviting reading nook in the living room of this home in France.
Wallpaper: Castorama; chair, rug and side table: antiques
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Wallpaper: Castorama; chair, rug and side table: antiques
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49. A vintage chair sits on an old wide-plank pine floor that’s original to this 1800s-era house.
Bookshelves: Billy, Ikea; table: vintage; pouf: CB2
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Bookshelves: Billy, Ikea; table: vintage; pouf: CB2
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50. A crushed-velvet armchair begs to be sat on with minimal clothing required in this Hungarian home.