Conversation Starter: Circular Seating

If you want to make a more intimate spot in a large room or create a seating area in a tight space, placing armchairs in a circle could be the answer. Gather ‘round while designers explain how they got it right by creating a ring of chairs.

Minneapolis designer David Heide says that taking a seat alone or with a few others in a large room can feel a bit like sitting in an empty train terminal. Making smaller seating areas within a larger space solves the problem.

These chairs are in an alcove adjacent to an open-plan living room, dining room and kitchen. “We made the decision that the space needed a cozy place where the owner could sit alone or with a few friends,” says Heide. “It also allows the owner to easily access the cabinetry behind the chairs.”


A ring of Hans Wegner Papa Bear chairs makes what could be an awkward space in a Chicago townhouse by designers at Wells & Fox Architectural Interiors beautiful and functional.

The space is both a stair landing and an entry from the garage with several doors opening from it. The chairs give the owner and guests a spot to relax by the fire but don’t constrict the space the way a sofa might.

“A group of chairs are much easier to circulate around and through,” says Heide.


Interior designer Melanie Millner of The Design Atelier in Atlanta also employed a grouping of armchairs when furnishing a long living room. “On the other end of the space, there is a seating area with a sofa,” she says. “But the family always seems to gravitate here.” Like Heide, this designer wanted to provide the owners with a cozy spot for smaller gatherings. “When you are just sitting and talking, it’s great to face each other,” she says. “Sitting on a sofa and having to turn to each other can be awkward.”

Noting that this a great place to enjoy a cocktail by the fire, Millner says it’s important to include occasional and/or coffee tables in the mix.


In a loft in New York City’s SoHo district, designers at GRADE gave a ring of chairs a more eclectic, but still unified, look by using two different pairs of armchairs. This space is used for performing (the square on the back wall acts as a stage for the musicians in the family), dining and conversations.


In another open room in San Diego by Von Fitz Design, rugs and unique seating configurations delineate the spaces. Instead of four chairs, the designers completed the circle with a bench seat.


The circle strategy works outside as well as inside, as seen in this project by Thompson Custom Homes in Houston.

Millner notes that comfortable chairs such as these are a good idea in a seating arrangement designed for conversing.

It’s that concept of simple conversation that draws many people to this configuration. “In this day and age, something that promotes simple, face-to-face conversation is attractive,” says Heide.

Discuss amongst yourselves: Do you want to look your guests in the eye?

More: Could Your Living Room Be Better Off Without a Sofa?

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