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Benefits of Buying a Recliner
Before going into how to choose a recliner, it’s essential to note some of its benefits. Well, a recliner can be the owner’s best friend, and for a good reason. They’re generally very stylish, comfortable, and can add color, charm, and elegance to your home or living room and that’s just part of the story.
In addition to offering complete comfort, a reclining chair is known for the numerous health benefits that it offers. You can easily lower the back of this chair or raise its foot so that you enjoy the utmost relaxation after a long and tiring day.
A reclining chair is known for enhancing blood circulation, reducing pressure on the spine, and can allow you to breathe more easily by offering more room for the lungs and diaphragm to expand.
A recliner can also be ideal for pregnant women particularly during their last months as it can allow their weak back to rest. It’s also perfect in maintaining good body posture and can prevent any harm that might interfere with the unborn babies.
If you have weak bones or suffer from arthritis, a recliner can be perfect for providing optimum comfort. A recliner can be ideal for a paralyzed individual who has to spend many hours in a single place or position.
Things to Consider when Choosing a Recliner
Here’s how to choose a perfect recliner chair for you.
Choose an Appropriate Size
When looking to buy a recliner, finding a size that fits your body shape and living space are some of the most important things to consider. Well, recliners come in various shapes and sizes. They can also be made-to-measure so that they serve your exact shape, weight, size, living space, and health needs.
This is exactly why you should consider your own size and the available space in your home before buying a recliner. You have to keep in mind that the recliner is designed for comfort and you shouldn’t take it if it doesn’t offer comfort. In short, it wouldn’t make any sense to buy a recliner that squeezes you tightly or doesn’t fit in your living space.
So if you’re pregnant or big-bodied, you should go for a recliner that’s meant for a big person. Make sure that the recliner fits your body properly and can be adjusted to take the pressure off your knees or legs. After all, a recliner will be comfortable only if it fits you well.
Consider Your Space
You have to consider your living space if you want to choose the right recliner for you. It’s important to consider the dimensions and features of your room and even take measurements before going to your local furniture retailer or before perusing online.
Where will it be placed? Will it be in the family’s living space? Do you want it in an adults-only room? Will it be in your home office? This means that you have to measure the room and make sure that you take into account things such as doorways, windows, and a fireplace.
You have to keep in mind that a furniture store can be deceiving in the sense that they’re much larger than your living space or room. This is why taking with you the measurements will enable you to easily find a good fit for you and your living space.
Choose the Right Type of Recliner
Recliner chairs come in various types with each designed to serve a specific purpose. While most of them are meant to enhance your comfort, others are designed in such a way that they can be useful for those with medical issues such as back pain and limited mobility.
You should choose the right type of recliner based on the purpose that you want it to serve. For example, you can go for an electric rise-and-recline chair that enables the user to stand easily, especially if it’s meant for an elderly person. Differently, you can go for a model that relaxes your legs and back if you want a recliner chair that relaxes your body after a long day.
With that in mind, let’s look at some types of recliners.
Rocker Recliners
This is a recliner chair that’s meant to rock and recline. It can be ideal if you’re an insomniac as the rocking motion will easily induce sleep. It can also be ideal if you’re a nursing mother in the sense that it provides comfort for you as a mum while the rocking motion relaxes the baby.
Lift Recliners
Perfect for elderly people who have issues with standing up easily, lift recliners are designed with a motorized mechanism that pushes the chair from its base, thus making it a lot easier to stand up.
This type of recliner is more expensive than other models and can be designed in different shapes and sizes.
Wall-Hugger Recliners
An ideal choice for a small room, a wall-hugger recliner is one of the most common types of recliners as it takes up less space. It offers straight sitting, which makes it easier to stand up. It can also be adjusted if you want to sit higher, especially if you have bad knees.
Massage Recliners
This type of recliner chair can massage your back and the back of your legs. They’re generally designed with a heating function and can shift you from a sitting position to a lying position and vice versa. They’re normally more expensive than wall-hugger recliners and rockers but you can still find one within your price range.
Manual Recliners
These can fall in any of the above-mentioned types but are operated manually without electricity. The lever is usually on the side and can be used to switch positions.
Swivel Recliners
They’re similar to manual recliners but have the additional feature of swiveling around. It can face any direction at 360 degrees.
Electronic Recliners
These are electronic-powered recliners and can be raised or lowered by a push of a button. This makes them very convenient for people with disabilities and limited mobility. Modern models have USB charging ports.
Recliners with a Separate Footstool
While most recliners have legs that rise up and out from the base, others come with detachable footstools. This is stylish and can also function as another seat whenever required.
Consider Quality and Comfort
Of course, you do not buy a recliner as a décor. You want to enjoy the comfort of your recliner daily, so you have to make sure that the recliner is of great quality and can remain cozy for a very long time.
Generally, a good quality recliner should last for more than a decade. This means that you should refrain from buying cheaper and low-quality models. Instead, look for top-quality features such as soft and plush top-grain leather, soft luxury appearance, and top-notch fabric that ooze durability.
Simply put, choose a recliner that’s made from the right materials and great finish. You have to keep in mind that recliners are made from different fabrics and come in varying colors. Whether you love leather, which is the most common recliner fabric, or a microfiber fabric make sure that it’s of top quality and suits your preferences.
In terms of color, you can go for your favorite color or a color that matches your home décor. If you have kids, you can go for a color or fabric that’s easy to clean.
Make a List of Must-have Features
Modern recliners come with a wide range of features. While the available features can affect the prices of the recliners, you should have a list of the features that you want most in a recliner. There are various extra features that you can consider, so it’s upon you to choose the must-have features.
Here are a few of them.
Back-up Battery – This is ideal for electronic recliners that can operate or rely on the main power source.
Pressure Relief – You can be at risk of pressure damage if you spend much time sitting or lying. Again, pressure injuries are very painful and can be difficult to treat, so the best thing is prevention. Some recliners come with pressure relieving features, which is a special foam-filled with liquid cells to deal with pressure.
Anti-crush Technology – Most modern recliners are designed with an anti-crush mechanism that is essential in preventing potential injuries to pets or children. This mechanism includes an automatic stop feature that stops the recliner whenever an obstacle is detected.
Swivel Facility – These are recliners that are designed with swiveling bases so that you can change your viewpoint in varying degrees and can rotate up to 360 degrees.
Lockable Handsets – This is to prevent anyone from operating the recliner chair inappropriately. They can be done through a locking mechanism or a key. This is of great importance if you have kids around.
Have a Budget
Although recliners are mainly built to provide support and comfort, they’re an investment that should serve you for many years. You have to keep in mind that recliners will be generally more expensive than your regular furniture given the kind of work and technology that’s required to make it.
That being said, recliners can be quite expensive but you should work with a budget. In other words, go for it when you can afford it. You have to remember that it will be much more expensive if it has more features. With around $800 to $2,000, you should get a really perfect recliner.
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