The New, Somewhat Ridiculous Chair
Posted on June 22, 2013 Posted by John Scalzi 70 Comments
I noted yesterday that the old recliners in the front room were being taken out to make space for new furniture. Here’s one piece of that furniture: A new recliner whose proportions seem better suited for Andre the Giant than me. Seriously, I look even more like a hobbit in this thing than I usually do. On the other hand, it really is pretty damn comfortable and I can already tell that I’ll be happy to sit in it and type away when I need a break from my office (I’m sitting in it right now as I’m typing this).
The chair is accompanied by a sofa of similar ridiculous size and reclination (not pictured) and a coffee table and two end tables (one of which is shown here). Krissy bought the set while I was away on tour, which I suppose puts me on notice that when I go away for three weeks at a stretch, I should not be entirely surprised if this is how she decides to keep herself occupied. Fair enough.
Are you sure you’re not shrinking? That would be incredible, man.
Holy crap, that thing looks incredibly comfortable. Wouldn’t mind one of those myself.
I bet all the cats could sit on that at once. Even with you in it — those armrests and chair back look suitably wide for some types of cat lounging.
My first thought was that you bought the chair from Dr. Horrible.
Surely you’re aware that such a chair is for snuggling? Your lady *did* purchase it when you weren’t around to object, after all.
If I’m sitting in a chair, even if I’m lounging to read or something, I prefer to be able to put my elbows on both of the arm rests. That chair would make me insane.
It’s a chair you can grow into. And hey, who knows. Sit there long enough, and maybe you will.
You sure you’re not sitting on the new sofa by mistake, Scalzi?
That’s bigger than the “comfy chair” Tammy bought while we still lived in NYC. Turned out since it didn’t have recliner features it’s not that comfortable really, and is so big she can’t easily get out of it – so now it’s The Cats’ Chair….
John Scalzi is in an immense recliner. Your argument is invalid.
womb chair
Can we get more details on where the chair came from?
Because that LOOKS AWESOME!
That may be the most awesome chair in existence!
That chair is the elephant in the room
I legitimately need that chair.
That chair is big enough for at least one Scalzi, all three cats AND the dog, on a cold night.
My immediate reaction is that the chair is the perfect size for you and Krissy to watch a movie or listen to music of both read or just enjoy each other’s close presence. And given Krissy’s apparent incredibility you should suggest one of those immediately.
That is the ideal husband and wife movie-watching chair. Just enough room for both, with a little snuggling.
John, No!
Yes, that looks like a snuggling chair, and when you add the reclining feature, I’m sure it is. The sofa, now, might be NSFW. Leg scratchings are concealed by the long pants?
I think the extra space is for the cats. They’d fit perfectly. You look comfy.
Definitely a cuddling item and if it reclines even further it’s also an instant guest bed, needs a drink holder of some kind though.
It’s an R.O.U.S. — a Recliner of Unusual Size.
(Sorry, it was the Andre the Giant reference that triggered that.)
matt
That thing is huge! :) I think furniture’s getting bigger in general. Several friends of mine who’ve purchased new homes and furniture have all gotten similarly large sofas and chairs. It’s insane! I think that’s “the fashion” these days. So, there’s that. You’re officially one of the cool kids. ;)
Maybe it’s like jeans — the sizes keep increasing, but they’re just as snug as they used to be.
@Lila- A three cat plus a dog night? Name for a band, just sayin’
Best writer’s chair ever. Lean forward a bit and the cat will function as a backwarmer. Mine does, anyway. Fiction-bound, Feline fortitude.
That is awesome. I want one. Would you be so kind as to ask Krissy what brand it is?
It needs a name such as Big-Ass Chair
Yes, that is a chair upon which many mammals could snuggle. With a little squooshing, I think you might be able to get all the Scalzi mammals onto it at once.
We here have a LaZBoy (TM) couch. Each end is a recliner (not all the way flat, sadly) with footrest, and the middle is regular couchness which folds down into a tray table with two cup holders. I am not making this up. It’s only regular couch sized, though, being some years old. Still big enough for us and the cats and we could probably fit several more.
I highly recommend reclining couches. Me and my Chromebook are on one right now.
I have a Barcolounger Titan. Sadly, no longer made. That recliner appears to be broader than the Titan, way broader.
Do not be surprised if the cats claim northern and southern sections of that chair and maintain their previous relative napping positions.
I need one of those. My daughter and I have outgrown the oversized chair we used to sit in to watch Mythbusters.
You know, if you added some casters and rolled it into the office you’d have the most comfortable (and probably counterproductive) office chair ever.
On second thought, never mind. ;)
According to the @Scalzi twitter feed, it is a Signature Design by Ashley Hogan Zero Wall Wide Seat Recliner from HomeFurnitureShowroom. Or Hulk for short.
Yep, that was my first thought: John has shrunk!!
I really like it. Admittedly I’ve been standing up, doing some ironing, and the sight of an awesomely snugly chair seems to suspend critical thought function, but I’m pretty sure that I’ll still really like it when the initial endorphin surge wears off…
That isn’t a chair, it’s a reclining loveseat.
Furthermore, that isn’t a chair, it’s a statement: I am going to be comfy. Interior decoration snobs can go jump in a sewer.
That isn’t a chair. It’s a womb.
Am I the only one who immediately thought of Edith Ann?
Well, now there will be room for you and two cats. Even if the cats are mountain lions.
So now we know that PeeWee has a line of furniture, ’cause that is so totally Chairy!
@Xopher: if John had had his tongue sticking out, he would have been an excellent Edith Ann. And that’s the truth.
Are you kidding me, a small refugee family could camp out in comfort on that thing !!!!
Now you need an over sized quilt to snuggle UNDER
I LOVE this chair! I want one!! :)
@ Xopher:
No. And that’s the truth. TTTTHPBT!
@Geoff K – three cat plus a dog is my three dog night cover band. :D
Did you have to remove a wall from the house to get it in there?
@Shane
I’ve learned this the…well I won’t say hard way, but I had to be taught. Left to my own devices, I’d never sit in anything softer than a executive office chair. Soporific sofas just relax me more than I like.
” I look even more like a hobbit in this thing than I usually do…”
Not quite, your feet needs much more hair on them.
Be careful Mr. Scalzi. That chair is perfect size for the Engineers from the movie Prometheus. I’d be wary of sitting in a chair designed for those guys.
I try to be a good person but I am consumed with envy. My cat, Catfish, and I would quite possibly never get out of that chair!
Wow, that’s a recliner? It’s frickin’ huge. But, is that a bad thing? No! Imagine your next party at the home. People are gonna want to sit in that, have pictures taken. Krissy can say she bought it from Ikea and if they want one it’s listed as BAC-5000. I like it.
Looks like a scene from ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Kids’! It also looks VERY comfy :).
That’s a chair for a heavy-gravity planet.
@ntsfo79: I’d be wary of attaching my self, name, or reputation to anything from the movie “Prometheus”…
We’ve had a similar recliner for about 10 years now. They’re known as a chair-and-a-half. They are great for reading with little kids, for two adults, they’re a little too cozy for comfy snuggling.
Our home is all recliners all the time. The important things are to have enough room for you, a laptop, at least one or two dogs and/or cats and a few books. Also, it has to be comfy for passing out while watching or reading something, but supportive enough so when you finally wake up, you still have a usable spine. Congratulations. Looks like a winner.
I have a great fondness for ridiculous things. Congratulations on the chair.
LOVE that chair!
so have the cats tried it out yet? While there is definitely room for two cats, from the cats’ point of view, it is less easy to know exactly where the territory reserved for one of them ends and the territory reserved for the other begins…
Am I the only who hates the way the chair looks? I think even Andre the Giant would find it lacking in any aesthetic qualities. It looks as if the State Puft Marshmallow Man was poached for his hide in making this monstrosity. Despite this, if it helps you write, I say buy three more.
@Charles Pearson: As long as John doesn’t make a hobbit of it, he shouldn’t grow hairy appendages (with apologies to the shade of RAH).
My office chair (I work at home, so my chair gets to be awesome) is a recline built along those lines. But seeing as I am nearly twice John’s size, it’s a lot closer to be normal for me. Even so, it looks like a comfy throne
We got one similar for Father’s Day. Fits my husband and our two kids perfectly – they read together!
My parents gave me a similar recliner when I moved to New Orleans. As a warning, if it’s the kind that has the footrest release next to the cushion on the inside of the chair, the handle snapped off at the beginning of this year, which means that it lasted about six years. Be careful with that pulley handle!
WANT! That makes my recliner look sad by comparison.
Oh, if I had the money, I would order one of those post haste! Hell, I might even get rid of my futon couch and sleep in the darned thing. It looks wonderful – may you get many years’ enjoyment from it, John!
You need to invite Lily Tomlin over.
Man. Where can I get me one of those?
I am coveting that chair so very much! Maybe in a nice gray…