If you don’t have room for a couch, an armchair might be more suitable for your home. I like this one from Inside Weather. You can customize it to no end by choosing the arm style, upholstery, pillow shape, cushion shape, leg style, and more. It’s spacious and comfortable; I found my partner, and even my dog, asleep on it several times. The arms are roomy too, making it easy to set a laptop on one and work off the chair when you need a break from the desk.

The upholstery I chose was mod velvet (which is 100 percent polyester); it’s stylish and manages to keep dog hair build-up to a minimum—always a concern for any pet owner. And as someone who has bought cheap armchairs before only to have a leg break after a short while, that’s not a concern here. The ash wood legs feel sturdy, support up to 500 pounds, and don’t rock at all.

The Levi starts at $598, but the model I customized (with beveled espresso legs and a stitched button on the pillow) costs $873. My issue is the seat cushion needs to be pushed in every now and then, and the pillow needs to be resituated upright.

The box my Levi came in looked like it survived a World War—it was almost in tatters. Thankfully, the chair was unscathed. I had to attach the back, sides, seat, and legs together.

—Julian Chokkattu

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