Best seat in the house
Posted on Saturday, January 3, 2009
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/FERRIS WILLIAMS
December through February is the No. 1 season for recliner sales.
And Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 1 this year) is the No. 1 day of the year for plopping into these laid-back chairs.
Almost 40 percent of Super Bowl viewers say a recliner is one of their favorite spots from which to view the game, according to a 2006 survey by Harris Interactive for Lane Home Furnishings. A recliner beats out a friend's house or a bar as the preferred place from which to watch.
More than half of those surveyed said they most need to unwind during and just after Christmas, and a recliner or other comfortable chair topped comfort food, silence and privacy as essential in helping to reduce stress. (Never mind that the survey was conducted for a maker of recliners; it seems intuitively accurate.)
These chairs play another role for many people: They provide relief from back, muscle and other pain, sometimes with additional health benefits.
Millions of recliners - not to mention couches and love seats with reclining sections - inhabit American homes, in brand-new to broken-down states. More of these stretch-out chairs will join them in coming months, even with the recession crimping furniture sales.
Recliners were once mocked for looking cheap and tacky (think back to the lime green striped version patched with duct tape featured on the hit sitcom Frasier, a nasty-looking chair beloved only by Martin Crane, psychiatrist Frasier's father).
These days, some styles of recliners can't be distinguished from regular chairs - until the occupant leans back. Shoppers can find hundreds of choices of colors and patterns in leather, vinyl and fabric upholstery as well as coordinated sofas, loveseats, chairs and sectionals, with and without reclining capabilities. The list of features is long, too.
GET READY
Before buying a recliner - for the first time or as a replacement - several considerations can simplify your shopping. Identify who will be using the recliner most often. Ideally, the person's feet will reach the floor when he's sitting upright. It's a bit like "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." Petite chairs are designed for shorter legs, large ones for taller people. Big men's chairs are engineered to withstand extra weight. Medium-size ones are a comfortable fit for most average-size people. Children's recliners are designed for 2- to 8-year-olds. Figure out what you want to pay. Prices are all over the board, starting around $400 for a well-constructed model up to $5,000 or more for a feature-laden massage recliner. Leather upholstery boosts the price considerably. Kids' chairs are generally about $129 (Internet sources include www.kidschairs.com and www.kidrecliners.com.) An Internet search will provide information on what you can get for your money. Look over the room where you plan to put the chair to assess what style would fit in best. Club-style recliners have the look of classic English gentlemen's chairs. Wingbacks have a more formal appearance - looking the least like a recliner. Modern chairs tend to be sleek and slimmed down. Retro recliners recall midcentury designs but are often adaptable to almost any room. You'll also find transitional styles as well as homey, comfortablelooking casual pieces.
SIZE, COLOR
Recliners take up more space than regular chairs, so planning where to put one can be tricky.
If you know right where you want a new recliner to go, measure the space's depth and width (measure distances from the wall or walls).
Wall-saver models are designed so that only 6 inches or so is needed between the back of the chair and the wall.
La-Z-Boy's Web site, www. la-z-boy.com, has instructions on how to measure, plus a room planner on which you can record your room size and other pieces of furniture already there to figure out an arrangement.
Consider coverings. What colors will complement the room? Will plaids, stripes or patterns work? A thick, top-grain leather is the most durable - and expensive - and often has the best long-term back support. Microfiber feels like suede and resists spills and wrinkling. Ask whether the fabric has been tested for wear resistance.
If you aren't sure about room arrangement and decor, many furniture and department stores and showrooms have interior decorators who can help - sometimes free and sometimes not. Just ask.
GO SHOPPING
In the store, focus first on frames, mechanisms and padding. Recliners take a much harder beating than regular chairs, so look for durability.
Some specialists have cutaway chairs that make understanding recliner innards easier. La-Z-Boy and Barcalounger (www.barcalounger.com) have pictures of cutaways on their Web sites.
If there's no cutaway, ask a sales associate to show you the underside of a chair, or at least photos or a video. You want to see kiln-dried wood or plywood, not particleboard. Higher-priced models could use hardwoods such as birch or poplar.
Look for heavy-duty screws, not small ones or plastic fasteners. Are wood joints solidly attached? You want mechanisms and springs of heavy-duty steel, not tubing. How are springs attached to the frame? If the back is removable, it should lock into place. Look at the back of the footrest to see if it's solid, covered in fabric, or without a covering.
As to padding and pillows, cut foam is superior to fiberfill or shredded foam, which lumps.
Have the salesclerk show you the different types of reclining mechanisms. In a push-back chair, you lean or rock back to recline and lean forward and push down on the leg rest to sit up. The most common are woodor fabric-covered levers on the side of the seat that should activate, not cause, the movements. Buttons instead of levers are an option. A few have pull cords hidden between the seat and armrest to hide the fact that it's a recliner. Or consider power mechanisms with motors like those found on many automobile seats. These chairs can lean back to a seemingly infinite number of positions. Check that the back and footrest work separately.
MORE OPTIONS
In addition to reclining, some chairs can rock, glide or swivel. A rocking recliner is a particular favorite of pregnant women and new mothers. "Pregnant ladies do well, especially with pillows on the arm rests," says Beverly Foster, a Little Rock chiropractor who's certified in chiropractic orthopedics. "This makes the arms bend, but elbows are almost as high as the shoulder, taking pressure off the upper trunk."
You'll see recliners with no footrests (you use an ottoman instead), footrest extensions, heat, storage space, coolers and cup holders in their arms. Some come in the form of sectional parts (minus left, right or both arms) designed for home entertainment centers, with optional rectangular or wedge-shape pieces with trays and storage areas that can go in between.
There are recliners with builtin MP3 players, woofers under the seat, game-playing chairs with built-in controls and attachments to hold a computer keyboard and monitor.
Lift-assist chairs for people who need some help.
Options can include heat, massage and other functions.
Recliners that lean back to a zero gravity position, or what NASA calls the "neutral body position," are becoming popular. Zero gravity means the legs are slightly elevated above the heart while the spine's natural S-curve is properly supported. In this position the lower back is not under pressure, disc compression is greatly reduced, and breathing and circulation can be improved.
TOP OF THE LINE
Leaning back is just the start when it comes to high-end recliners. These beauties can be almost as good as having a private masseuse on call. Not all options mentioned here are available in all models or brands.
Sensors may detect your body size and shape and map your back based on height and the spine's curve and width; some models claim to sense areas of stiffness and tension and places where pressure points are located. Then they customize the massage, often offering several programs.
You also can program a routine - short, long, or targeting specific areas. Some recliners have capabilities to massage calves, feet, thighs, buttocks, waist, arms, hands, neck and shoulders.
Different shapes and sizes of rollers and air bags simulate rolling, kneading, compression and percussive massage. Stretches can be incorporated, as can variable heat settings and massage speed and intensity. Controls are usually remote, sometimes voice-activated.
SETTLE IN
Comfort is key to choosing a recliner. Everyone who might use it should try out contenders for at least five minutes, more if possible. If the recliner doesn't match your body size, "it's just like having a bad mattress," Foster says, which can make you less comfortable.
Recline and return to an upright position several times, listening for squeaks or other noises that might mean built-in problems. If the lever is too difficult to operate, see if it's possible to change its tension. It should be an easy reach.
"You want good support under your buttocks and lumbar region," Foster says, "and be sure the head rest supports your head and neck without pushing your head forward."
If you have back problems, consult your doctor before shopping. "If you have a great deal of inflammation or a herniated disk, for example, a vibrating chair isn't advisable because it further irritates the problem," Foster says. You may need specific guidelines or a prescription.
Coming next week:
Find some ways to spend that cash you got for Christmas.
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