5 Interior Design Tips for Styling Around Your Recliner
La-Z-Boy Southeast | February 20, 2026
A recliner doesn’t have to be the awkward centerpiece of your living room. With a few smart design decisions, it can look just as intentional as the rest of your furniture — and still be the most comfortable seat in the house.
How do you style a recliner so it fits your room’s design?
The key is treating your recliner like any other piece of upholstered furniture. Choose a solid fabric color, anchor it with accessories, and consider the scale and shape of the chair relative to your room. If you’re open to it, a high leg or pushback recliner can take styling even further by eliminating the traditional “recliner look” entirely.
Here are five practical tips to help you get there:
Stick to Solid Colors on the Recliner Itself
When someone walks into a room, their eyes jump to patterns first — it’s just how our brains are wired. A recliner upholstered in a busy print or bold texture will immediately draw attention, especially if it’s a larger chair. Choosing a solid color — whether that’s a warm neutral, a deep navy, or even a rich jewel tone — lets the chair settle into the room rather than compete with it. You can bring in all the visual interest you want through throw pillows, rugs, and window treatments.
Anchor It with a Side Table and Lamp
A recliner floating alone in the middle of a room tends to look out of place, regardless of how nice the chair itself is. Adding a side table and lamp next to it immediately transforms a standalone piece into part of a cohesive vignette. This works because it connects the recliner to the rest of the room visually and gives the eye somewhere to land beside the chair. A small end table with a lamp and a few accessories is a low-cost way to make a big difference.
Use Accessories to Pull the Look Together
Accessories are the great equalizers in interior design. A throw blanket draped over the arm, a small tray on the side table, or a potted plant nearby can all work to tie your recliner into the broader palette of the room. Think of it as building a scene around the chair, not just placing furniture near it. The more intentionally you treat the surrounding space, the more purposeful the recliner looks.
Consider a High Leg or Pushback Recliner
If styling a traditional recliner feels like an uphill battle, it might be worth considering a different recliner silhouette altogether. High leg recliners and pushback recliners have a much more furniture-forward aesthetic — they look like sleek accent chairs until you actually use them. Because they sit higher off the ground and have a more refined profile, they’re easier to work into modern, transitional, or even formal spaces. They’re available in a wide range of fabrics and patterns, so you have more flexibility to make a design statement rather than trying to minimize one.
Match the Scale of the Chair to the Room
A recliner that’s too large for a space will always feel like it’s taking over, no matter how well it’s styled. Before choosing a chair, think about the scale of your other furniture and the size of the room. A smaller recliner in a compact living room — or a pair of accent-style recliners in a larger space — will always look more intentional than a single oversized chair crammed into a corner. Getting the proportions right is one of the most impactful (and often overlooked) design decisions you can make.
Getting the Right Help Makes a Big Difference
Styling around a recliner is one of those things that’s easier when you can see it in context. At La-Z-Boy Southeast, degreed interior designers are available at no cost to help you think through fabric choices, room layout, and how to make your furniture work together. You can visit any one of our eight locations in NC, SC, and GA. Whether you’re starting from scratch or trying to make an existing recliner feel more at home in your space, it’s a genuinely useful resource.
