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A hunt for the perfect reading chair
Relax, stretch your tired feet and snuggle up with your favourite book. All you want to do this weekend is have a steaming cup of coffee and curl up with your favourite author. It’s time to read by Shreya Sethuraman.
All you want to do this weekend is have a steaming cup of coffee and curl up with your favourite author. But your bed isn’t the perfect place, it has no arm support, after all. And your dining chair only reminds you of food. So where and how do you go hunting for that perfect reading chair?
Punam Kalra, creative director of IM Centre for Applied Arts in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi, says comfort of the buyer is crucial when it comes to designing chairs. “Comfort and upholstery are two prime factors that buyers look for when shopping for reading chairs,” she says. Obviously, comfort comes first. And since people tend to spend a lot of time sitting, it’s okay to invest a fortune in a good chair. Depending upon features such as brand, built quality and ergonomics, most decent reading chairs are priced between Rs 25,000 and Rs 1 lakh.
Nitin Bahl, country manager of interior furniture brand Natuzzi India, adds, “Our objective is to sell a comfortable chair with a fair amount of lumbar and back support. Many buyers also ask for ottomans.” For the uninitiated, an ottoman is a piece of furniture with a padded, upholstered seat, usually without a back or arms.
While some of us are content stretching out on the quintessential recliner (a huge leather sofa with a lever, which when pulled, makes it a recliner) Bahl calls it an old concept. Chairs now come armed with automatic reclines and even multiple reclines customised for your head and other parts of the entire body.
Shipra Sharma, an interior designer with furniture store OMA, suggests rocking chairs or recliners to provide the comfort factor. As Bahl says, “Buyers today are particular about every nuance of what they’re buying, whether it is comfort, multiple density (ergonomics are different in each chair), or the add-on features.”
With designs and technology that’ll make reading a breeze, it’s time to read.
The Lazy Reader’s Guide
Now that you have the ideal reading chair, enhance the experience with any one of these bestsellers
Top 10 fiction titles
The Immortals of Meluha: Amish Tripathi
The Krishna Key: Ashwin Sanghi
The Secret of the Nagas: Amish Tripathi
Fifty Shades of Grey: EL James
Revolution 2020: Chetan Bhagat
I Too Had A Love Story: Ravinder Singh
Life is What You Make It: Preeti Shenoy
Chanakya’s Chant: Ashwin Sanghi
Can Love Happen Twice?: Ravinder Singh
2 States: The Story of My Marriage: Chetan Bhagat
(Data Courtesy Nielsen BookScan India week ending September 1)
From HT Brunch, September 16
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