Velvet Accent Chairs

Few fabrics change character as fast as velvet, and a velvet accent chair carries that shift into a room. These velvet accent chairs sit among our modern accent chairs for every room, in blue, green, olive and taupe pile on wood, brass and steel.

Why velvet changes color through the evening

Velvet is a pile weave, and the pile leans. Light hits it from two directions at once, so a deep green or blue looks lighter from one side and darker from the other, and the whole chair shifts as the lamps come on. The velvet here is polyester, and the nap is what gives the color its movement.

Velvet chair colors that behave in low light

Jewel tones suit velvet well: teal blue, deep green and olive, along with quieter taupe, hazelnut brown and gray. Dark colors gain richness in shadow instead of going flat. A taupe velvet chair is the calm option, and it sits easily beside dark wood and deep wall colors.

Velvet armchair shapes, from tufting to waterfall arms

Shape is where these differ. Channel tufting pulls the light into lines across the pile, button tufting adds small points of shadow, and waterfall arms flow into the seat in one rounded outline. Tapered legs in birch or walnut stains lift the chair off the floor, while brass and steel legs add a metal accent. The frame decides whether a velvet armchair reads Art Deco or mid century.

Velvet that turns

Several of these sit on a swivel base, which suits reading corners and open rooms. Look at the swivel velvet seats if the chair needs to face two directions, and note that the pile will catch a different light from each side.

Rounded shells and velvet accent chairs for living rooms

Pile deepens at every fold, so a curved back is a natural place for velvet. The barrel back shapes wrap the sitter in a single band of nap that goes dark at the edges and lighter on the face. Straighter frames show the fabric as a flat plane instead, which suits a leaner room.

Place velvet where the light moves

Put a velvet chair near a window or beside a lamp, where the light changes through the day. In a room with flat overhead light the pile has little to do. Give it a side table with a metal base or a wood top so the surface contrast stays in view.

Matching velvet to velvet

Pairing a velvet chair with a velvet sofa in the same weight and shade flattens both. Vary the color, or pair velvet with a more textured piece such as a boucle alternative that gives the eye a different grain to read.

Crushed velvet is a different finish

Crushed velvet reads differently from regular velvet. It has an irregular, rippled surface that catches light unevenly, which suits an Art Deco room better than a quiet one. It matters most when the room already has a lot of pattern.

Legs and frames in wood, brass and steel

The frame sets the era. Wood legs in birch and walnut stains give a mid century stance, while brass and electroplated steel legs lean toward Art Deco and make a thin, bright line under the dark pile. Powder coated steel bases keep a swivel velvet chair quiet and low. Match the metal to the lamps in the room and the chair settles in.

A velvet chair is a color decision first. Decide which hour of the day you want it to look richest, and place it for that.