12 Occasional Chairs for All Occasions
Stylish Extra Seating You Won't Want to Stash in the Closet
An occasional chair — what exactly does this mean? The quick and dirty definition is that it's a somewhat portable chair that is used less frequently than the rest of the chairs in the room; often only when there is an extra guest on deck. If you don't have one, you may find yourself dragging in some tacky plastic chair off the deck, and quickly wiping pollen and dirt off it with a dishtowel. This is something that would make Southern people say "Oh, bless your heart!" which is the biggest insult a Southerner can dish out, besides calling something "precious," but I digress. What you need is an occasional chair with style that can float from room to room with ease.
Far Eastern Chic: This ornately carved chair can be moved around the room to accommodate that extra guest. Wherever it goes, it adds dark wood to the textural palette and a big dash of global style.
Transparent: This occasional chair is barely there; you can see right through it. Whether you chose the armchair or side chair model, a Ghost Chair is always a winning pick as an occasional chair; it can also serve as a stylish desk chair, dining chair, or dressing table chair when it's not working in the living room.
An extra Ghost Armchair takes up a very small amount of visual space and provides a perch for a sheepskin throw.
French Flea Market Style: A Bergere Chair is another good pick. It's light enough to be picked up and moved around when necessary, but is more substantial than your average side chair.
This cane-backed version of a Bergere chair is a lighter pick both visually and physically, and can transition into a host or hostess chair in the dining room when needed.
Tip: When shopping for an occasional chair that you know may not have a spot in your living room all the time, imagine how it will work in your dining room, entryway, bedroom or office. Finding a chair that is versatile enough to work in a handful of spaces in your home has a lot of value.
Tip: When shopping for an occasional chair that you know may not have a spot in your living room all the time, imagine how it will work in your dining room, entryway, bedroom or office. Finding a chair that is versatile enough to work in a handful of spaces in your home has a lot of value.
French Style that's a bit more Marie Antoinette: This chair adds a bit of shine and a lot of elegance wherever you place it.
Tip: Plan for a few different occasional chair placement spots. Here the artwork was hung high enough to leave room for a chair.
Tip: Plan for a few different occasional chair placement spots. Here the artwork was hung high enough to leave room for a chair.
French-Inspired Modern: This very portable Louis Chair floats between the living room and dining room with ease.
Starchitectural: A Gehry Wiggle Chair does double-duty as a sculptural, corrugated conversation piece. When asked about it, you can show off and talk about how Gehry designed it decades before he designed the Guggenheim in Bilbao.
Mademoiselle Chair | Kartell
Patterned: While you will get the most bang for your buck from a chair that works in every single room of your home, sometimes one or two of your rooms may be begging for the same burst of exuberant Missoni or vibrant floral Chinese printed fabric. The Mademoiselle chair works as a dining chair or as an extra seat in the living room. It's also an extra-special choice for a dressing table or desk.
Iconic Mid-Century: The Eames Lounge Chair is a good choice because of its relatively small stature and light weight. It's also a chair that works really well in a bedroom. You may also opt for the side chair model, which can serve double duty as a dining chair.
Bohemian: Blogger sfgirlbybay's occasional chair works hard as a bookshelf when not accommodating someone's seating needs.
Curvaceous: A Panton S Chair is a great choice for an occasional chair; it also works at desk and dining height, and is fairly lightweight. Choosing white means it will work anywhere in the house.
Scandinavian Modern: The Wegner Sawhorse CH28 Chair is one you'll want to show off all the time, but it's portable enough to move from place to place.
Indoor/Outdoor: Morgan of The Brick House is always switching up her decor, and the only thing lighter and more portable than a stylish BKF Butterfly Chair is an inflatable chair, which would definitely earn a few "bless your heart" comments.
More: Eight Great Accent Chairs
Take a Spin in a Swivel Chair
Browse: See more chairs in our products section
More: Eight Great Accent Chairs
Take a Spin in a Swivel Chair
Browse: See more chairs in our products section