Best Reading Chairs UK 2026: 4 Comfortable Chairs with Footstools

The best reading chair for most people is the Vesgantti Velvet Wingback Armchair with Stool, about £175 when we checked. The tall wingback holds your head when you lean back, the seat is pocket-sprung, a matching stool is included, and it has 4.7 stars from 403 Amazon UK reviews. If you read curled up rather than sitting back, the INMOZATA Swivel Cuddle Chair with Footstool (about £170) is 85cm wide, with room to tuck your legs in.

Choosing between those two is most of the decision. Some people read sitting back with their feet up, and they need head support. Others read curled sideways or cross-legged, and they need seat width. Few chairs do both well. All four picks below come with a footstool, because for anything longer than half an hour you'll want one.

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Reading chairs compared

Ratings are Amazon UK stars, with review counts in brackets, as listed on 10 October 2026.

1. Vesgantti Velvet Wingback Armchair with Stool: Best Reading Chair Overall

Best for: reading sitting back, feet up, head resting Avoid if: you like to curl up sideways, or you want a swivel

Wingbacks have been the default reading chair for a long time, and the reason is simple. When you lean back to read, your head needs somewhere to go. On a low-backed chair it hangs forward or tips back unsupported, and your neck takes the strain. The Vesgantti is 89cm tall, with wings that come forward either side of your head.

The seat is pocket-sprung under high-density foam, closer to a decent sofa cushion than the plain foam most Amazon armchairs use, and that probably explains the reviews: 4.7 stars from 403 ratings, shared across its colour options. A lumbar pillow is included, which helps if the back feels too upright. The matching velvet stool works as a footrest, and as a dressing-table seat when it isn't one.

It's 74cm wide and 82cm deep, so it's a generous armchair but not a curl-up chair. Velvet shows fingerprints and pet hair. The chair weighs 27kg; assembly means screwing on the legs, which come zipped inside the seat. Colours include cream, grey, blue, green and orange velvet, with teddy-fabric versions a few pounds cheaper.

Pros:

• High back and wings support your head
• Pocket-sprung seat
• 4.7 stars from 400+ reviews
• Stool and lumbar pillow included

Cons:

• 74cm wide: no room to curl up
• Velvet marks easily
• No swivel

2. INMOZATA Swivel Cuddle Chair with Footstool: Best Cuddle Chair for Reading

Best for: reading cross-legged, sideways or with your legs tucked under you Avoid if: you need head support, or your room can't spare about 85 x 130cm

At 85cm wide, this is a proper 1.5-seater. You can sit sideways against one arm with your legs along the seat, or cross-legged, and swap positions when one gets uncomfortable. The matching footstool is 68 x 33cm and about 38cm high, close to the seat height, so your legs rest level when you do sit forward. There's a cup holder built into the arm and three cushions in the box.

The swivel turns 360 degrees on a metal base, which is handy in a reading corner: face the window in daylight, turn back towards the lamp or the room later. The footstool doesn't turn with the chair, so you'll be moving it now and then. The chair is jumbo cord, rated to 150kg.

The back is the drawback for reading. It's a low, rounded cuddle-chair back with no wings, so leaning back with a book gives your head less support than the Vesgantti. And INMOZATA has only been around since 2022: this set had just 6 Amazon UK reviews averaging 3.7 stars when we checked, too few to tell much either way. It was £199.99 for most of September and has since dropped to about £170.

Pros:

• 85cm wide: room to curl up and shift position
• Footstool, cushions and cup holder included
• Swivel lets you face the light
• 150kg rating

Cons:

• No head support
• Only 6 Amazon reviews (3.7 stars)
• Cord picks up pet hair

3. DEKKETO Chenille Swivel Cuddle Chair with Storage Footstool: Best for Long Sessions

Best for: a dedicated reading corner where the chair is the main event Avoid if: your budget is under £300 or the room is small

The DEKKETO is a swivel tub chair with a wraparound U-shaped back, so the back curves round your sides and shoulders as well as behind you. The cushions are 16cm-thick foam, and four pillows come with it to prop yourself up however you like. The footstool has a lift-off lid with storage inside, which is the obvious place for the next few books and a blanket.

It's expensive at about £470, up from £399.99 in the spring, and the 110kg weight limit is the lowest of the swivel chairs here. Chenille can pill on the seat and arms with heavy use. At this price you're also competing with high-street chairs from Dunelm and others that you can sit in before you buy.

Pros:

• Wraparound back supports your sides
• Storage footstool for books and blankets
• Swivel, thick cushions and four pillows

Cons:

• About £470
• 110kg limit
• Bulky: assemble it in the room it'll live in

4. Marketero Bucket Arm Chair with Ottoman: Best for Small Reading Corners

At about £130, the Marketero is the cheapest set here and the smallest: 67cm wide, 63.5cm deep and 73cm high, a mid-century bucket chair in textured linen on solid wood legs, with a matching ottoman. It fits a bedroom corner or a box room where an 85cm cuddle chair would take over. You sit back in it with your feet up rather than curling up, it doesn't swivel, and no weight limit is listed. It has 4.4 stars from 122 reviews. The legs twist on by hand, so there are no tools to deal with.

Pros: Cheapest set. Fits small rooms. Linen copes better with pet hair than cord or velvet. Cons: Too narrow to curl up in. Low back. No swivel.

For more chair-and-stool sets, see our cuddle chair with footstool guide.

What to look for in a reading chair

Back height

If you read sitting back, this matters more than anything else. Sit in the chair and lean back: the top of the backrest should reach at least the base of your skull. Most cuddle chairs and tub chairs stop around shoulder height, which is fine for curling up but leaves your head unsupported when you recline. Wingbacks and high-back chairs solve this.

Seat width

Measure between the arms, not the overall width. A standard armchair seat is about 55 to 70cm across, which allows one position: upright, feet forward. A cuddle chair seat is about 65 to 90cm, enough to sit sideways or cross-legged. If you shift around a lot during a long read, aim for an overall width of 85cm or more. The cuddle chair dimensions guide covers sizes and doorways.

A footstool at the right height

Aim for a footstool about level with the seat, or a little lower: 35 to 45cm for most chairs. Your legs should rest flat, knees no higher than your hips. All four chairs above come with one. If you buy a chair without, take a tape measure to the seat before ordering a stool.

Swivel

Useful in a reading corner, because you can turn towards the window during the day and towards the lamp in the evening. The catch is that the footstool stays put while the chair turns.

Fabric

Cord and chenille are soft and hard-wearing, but cord collects pet hair and chenille can pill. Velvet looks the most like a showroom chair and shows every mark. Linen weaves cope best with pets. In a reading chair you'll sit in for hours, pick the fabric you'll put up with brushing down.

The fire label

Every upholstered chair sold new in the UK must carry a permanent fire-safety label under the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. Check the listing or the chair when it arrives, and be wary of any seller who can't confirm it.

Setting up a reading corner

Put the chair where the wall is behind you or to one side, so there's less movement in the corner of your eye. Light matters more than people expect: a ceiling light sits behind or above you and throws your shadow across the page. A floor lamp beside the chair, on the side away from the hand you turn pages with, lights the book without glare.

Near a window, angle the chair across the light rather than straight at it, so the sun isn't in your eyes or on the page. A swivel chair lets you change that through the day.

Measure the space first. A chair and footstool together need about 85 x 130cm of floor, more for a barrel chair like the DEKKETO. In a tight bedroom corner, a compact chair such as the Marketero is the realistic option; the cuddle chair for bedrooms guide has more.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a good reading chair?

A back tall enough to rest your head on when you lean back, a seat wide enough to change position, and somewhere to put your feet. Head support matters most for sessions over an hour. A footstool roughly level with the seat takes the weight off your lower back. Width decides how you sit: under about 75cm you sit facing forward, while 85cm or more lets you curl up sideways.

Is a cuddle chair good for reading?

Yes, if you like to tuck your legs up or sit sideways. A cuddle chair's seat is usually 65 to 90cm between the arms, against 55 to 70cm on a standard armchair, so you can shift position during a long read. The weak point is the back: most cuddle chairs have a low, rounded back that won't hold your head. If you read sitting back, a wingback suits you better.

Is a wingback or a cuddle chair better for reading?

A wingback is better if you read sitting back with your feet up, because the tall back and side wings hold your head and shoulders. A cuddle chair is better if you read curled up or cross-legged, because the wider seat gives you room to move. The Vesgantti wingback in this guide is 89cm tall and 74cm wide; the INMOZATA cuddle chair is 85cm wide.

How high should a footstool be for a reading chair?

About level with the chair seat, or a little lower: 35 to 45cm suits most reading chairs. Your legs should rest flat with your knees no higher than your hips. A footstool that is too high pushes your knees up above your hips. Chairs sold with a matching footstool usually get this right.

What is the best reading chair for a small room?

The Marketero Bucket Arm Chair with Ottoman, at 67cm wide, 63.5cm deep and about £130, is the most compact chair-and-footstool set in this guide. It fits a bedroom corner or box room where an 85cm cuddle chair would take over. You sit back in it rather than curling up, and it doesn't swivel.

The verdict

Read sitting back? Buy the Vesgantti wingback: head support, a sprung seat, a stool, and the best reviews of anything here. Read curled up? The INMOZATA gives you 85cm of seat and a footstool for about the same money, with the caveat that its review record is thin. The DEKKETO is for a dedicated reading corner and a bigger budget, and the Marketero is for rooms where nothing bigger fits. For wider cuddle chairs without a footstool, see the best cuddle chairs guide.

Prices checked 10 October 2026. Amazon UK prices change often; each product page shows live price history.