The reading chair is not the sofa. It is a single armchair kept for one purpose: sitting still with a book. The good ones are old, with a beech or oak frame, a sprung seat and thick leather that has softened at the arms and gone pale where a head has rested for years. Beside it stands one floor lamp, and nothing else.
It lasts because it was made to be reupholstered, not replaced. A sound frame outlives three covers, and good leather darkens and creases rather than cracks, slowly taking the shape of the man who sits in it. It also gives a room a place for attention. Keep a chair for reading and you will read more, because the invitation is always there.
what to check before you buy one
Sit in it for ten minutes. The back should reach your shoulder blades, the arms should meet your elbows without lifting them, and your feet should rest flat. Tip it onto two legs: a solid frame feels heavy and stays silent. Press the seat and feel for springs beneath the padding.
Set the lamp just behind your shoulder, its shade below eye level so the bulb never shows, and choose a warm white light. Keep the chair out of direct sun and away from the radiator, and rub a little leather balm into the arms when they start to look dry.
Clear one corner, give it a chair and a lamp, and leave your phone in another room.
