Short answer
It sits lower and deeper and leans further back: you rest against the back cushion instead of sitting upright on the seat.
An ordinary armchair, with a seat of 16.5 to 18.9 in, keeps you upright for conversation and lets you stand up easily. A lounge chair trades some of that ease for a relaxed position you can hold for hours.
The chart below sets the two side by side, with our own lounge chairs for reference.
| Lounge chair | Ordinary armchair | Kent and Einar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat height | 14 to 17.7 in | 16.5 to 18.9 in | 15 in |
| Posture | Leaning back against the cushion | Upright | Seat tilted slightly back |
| Getting up | Takes more effort | Easy | Arms at 19.3 in to push on |
| Best for | Reading, films, long evenings | Conversation, short visits | Reading corners and living rooms |
For most adults, a seat 14 to 17.7 in from the floor; within that range, lower feels more relaxed and higher is easier to get out of.
Seat height is measured at the front edge of the seat cushion. A low seat lets your weight move from your thighs to the back cushion, which is what makes a lounge chair feel like a lounge chair.
Kent and Einar sit at 15 in, a true lounge height. If standing up is hard for someone in your home, a higher seat is kinder; our guide to what makes an armchair comfortable explains the trade-off.
A seat depth of 19.7 to 21.7 in suits most adults: deep enough to sit back fully, with your knees at the front edge and your feet on the floor.
The chair itself is deeper than the seat, because the back cushion and frame sit behind it. Most armchairs are 29.5 to 35.5 in deep in total, so check the overall depth against the room, not just the seat.
Kent and Einar have a 20.9 in seat inside an overall depth of 32.3 and 31.9 in. In a deep seat, a shorter person can add a cushion behind the back.
It needs a back that supports you to the shoulders; anything higher, as on a wing chair, is a choice of style rather than a condition for comfort.
When you lean back, the back cushion carries your upper body. If it stops below the shoulder blades, your neck and shoulders hold themselves up, which most people feel within the first half hour.
Kent and Einar are 27.6 in tall, with a full-height back cushion over a deep seat cushion. Both cushions are removable and sold separately, so a worn cushion is replaced, not the chair.
When the chair is for relaxing, reading, a film, a long evening, rather than for sitting upright in conversation or for someone who needs to rise easily.
A lounge chair earns its place as the seat you choose on purpose: a reading corner, the chair opposite the sofa, a corner of the bedroom. An ordinary armchair is the better pick beside a desk, in a hallway, or for a relative who wants to stand up without effort.
A sofa and one lounge chair often cover both needs. Two lounge chairs can even replace a sofa, as our guide to two armchairs or a sofa explains.
Its footprint plus about 23.5 in in front where only the sitter passes, or about 35.5 in where it faces a main route, as a planning guide.
Because a lounge chair is deep and you stretch your legs in it, it needs more floor in front than its width suggests. A corner, or a spot beside a window, gives it shelter without blocking the room.
Kent is 26.4 x 32.3 in and Einar 28 x 31.9 in. Our guide to where to put an armchair gives the distances to a sofa and coffee table, and our guide to an armchair in the bedroom covers the other room where a lounge chair often ends up.
Will the armchair fit
Full placement guideFitsKent needs 26.4 × 56 in
Shop KentThe rule: the chair’s own footprint plus 23.5 in in front where only the person sitting passes, or 35.5 in on a route through the room. Kent is 26.4 × 32.3 in, Einar 28 × 31.9 in.
Choose by the room: a slim black steel frame looks graphic and modern, solid oak looks warm and classic, and the seat is the same on both of ours.
Kent is welded from Swedish steel in our own factory and powder-coated black, or Beige, White or Taupe through Design Your Own. Einar is built from solid A-grade FSC-certified oak in Oak, Dark Oak or Black Oak. Both come in bouclé, velvet and vegan leather, carry 440 lbs and arrive fully assembled. Our guide to oak or steel armchairs compares the frames.
Looking for a lounge chair for the garden? Kent and Einar are indoor armchairs; our garden lounge chair guide covers chairs built to stay outside.
Einar ArmchairDesign your own · three oak finishes · from $2,429View Einar
Einar ArmchairFrom $2,329Black oak · vegan leather
Kent ArmchairFrom $1,689Black steel · velvet
Einar ArmchairFrom $2,329Solid oak · ivory bouclé
Kent ArmchairFrom $1,689Black steel · black bouclé
