Different Types of Recliners You Need to Know About
Are you ready to get extremely comfortable? Is your current seating arrangement not quite up to scratch? Perhaps your man cave, sunroom or study is missing that little something that would make it perfect. If so, then this is the list for you.
There is nothing better than a recliner chair when you want to kick back and take a load off your feet. There are some pretty famous brands out there when it comes to reclining chairs, but the most famous aren’t the final word in this genre of seating. You can find a whole range of reclining chairs in good furniture shops and online.
Before we get into all the ins and outs of different styles, let’s dig a little more into what a recliner is and why it is so popular. The most basic description of a recliner is a seat with an adjustable headrest and footrest.
If you are wondering why recliners are such popular choices, we need to look back in history. Believe it or not, the roman empire was one of the biggest proponents of recliners. The ancient Romans liked their food and long, lavish dinner parties. To keep everyone around the table comfortable, couches that were angled back were the norm. In the 16th century, this trend translated into Chaise Lounges, which are still popular today.
While the working parts of a modern-day recliner are nowhere to be found on these historical models, they were the forerunners and inspiration behind recliners today. A special mention also has to be given to Benjamin Franklin, who is credited with inventing the rocking chair in 1710. As we will see, the rocking motion is an integral part of some recliners.
Whether you are looking to buy your first ever recliner or are planning to replace a well-loved one, you won’t want to miss our recliner buying guide rundown of styles when deciding on the best option for you.
Push back recliner
The classic recliner. A manual recliner requires you to do the work. You can push the headrest down and the footrest up to recline to your heart’s content by leaning back. Some models will work simply with your body weight, but most traditional recliners have a lever on the side of the recliner that is used to allow and control the movement.
Power recliner
Considered the Rolls Royce of recliners, these beauties effortlessly move from one position to the next at the touch of a button. Powered either by a battery or by being plugged into a power source, power recliners will either have a remote control or a control panel on the chair itself to allow you to choose the position. There is no denying the luxury of a power recliner; however, it is worth bearing in mind that they tend to be larger in order to house the required electric motors.
Rocker Recliner
As mentioned above, we have Benjamin Franklin to thank for this type of recliner. The classic rolling chair was made of wood with curved feet to create a rocking motion. Recliners provide a lot more padding than your standard rocking chairs and rock back and forth via the use of specially designed arched tracks, making them a more stable option.
Glider Recliner
Gliding rockers can give a smoother movement than rocking ones, going back and forth without the dip of a rocker. This movement makes them firm favourites with nursing mothers who find the movement particularly soothing for little ones and can help make feeding a more relaxing experience. A gliding footstool or a footrest adds to the comfort.
Lay flat Recliner
Researchers studying back pain have found that a reclining angle of 135 degrees is the most effective at reducing back pain. If this is an important fact for you, you may want to consider a lay-flat recliner to get the ability to go to 180 degrees and, more importantly, everything in between (depending on the model) you.
While sleeping regularly in a lay-flat recliner is not recommended, it can be a good occasional guest bed option if you have limited space.
Swivel Recliner
Many of these different types of recliners will also include the ability to swivel left and right. This combination is most often found in tandem rocking recliners.
Power lift Recliner
We all need a little extra help sometimes. When it comes to struggling to get out of your chair, a power lift recliner will gently tilt you up to a standing position. This is the ideal model for people who are struggling with mobility and can be the perfect chair to help avoid strains and falls. Similarly to power-assisted recliners, a power source or battery will be required.
Compact Recliner
If space is at a premium, then a compact or wall hugger recliner is the model to choose. Compact recliners have a small footprint and are designed in such a way that they only come out a few inches beyond the base of the chair when in a reclining position. While most recliners need to be placed in the middle of a room, wall huggers are so-called because they can easily be placed close to a wall and still give the opportunity to lean back.
If you’re sitting in a bog-standard armchair, it’s probably feeling a little bit boring and uncomfortable now! Whether you decide to go with a rocker, power-assisted or lay flat option, you are sure to love reclining as much as the ancient Romans did!
