What is the Hive opinion on power-recline furniture?

[Ginevra]

Since I have a Speed Queen because of the Hive, pack properly for Europe because of the Hive and will soon have a yellow (“gold”) front door due to Hive, I might as well let you all help pick my new sofas. ?

I have still not purchased new family room furniture, though I have been fence-sitting for several years. Our early-marriage set lasted miraculously long, seeing that it was not a particularly special brand or very high quality. (Okay - the tables did not last well; the wood was too soft and the kids “distressed” them badly, but we lived with it.) The fabric held up remarkably well. It is twenty years old and there is only one noticeable stain on a cushion. It is dark green with a sort of corderouy-like nubby texture. 

So, that windy explanation brings me to this: I stopped into a furniture store today with DS13. I have always shunned the reclining furniture because I don’t like that bulky shape. However, he immediately relaxed into one that, while still looking like reclining furniture, was tolerably okay-looking. It wasn’t as gigantic as they sometimes are. And truthfully, DH really ought to have a reclinable seat. Part of the wear on my table has been due to his feet propped up on it. 

Much to my surprise, I am strongly considering getting the reclinable set. It is not as “pretty” as I want, but that furniture is never going to be sat upon in the proper, formal manner. It is used for watching TV and movies and DH reclines on it, whether it is a recliner or not. I do imagine, though, that the power adjustment will not last twenty years, if it even lasts ten. It even has a USB port in it, but that is also a dubious feature to me. 

Lastly, there is an option that has cupholders in a center console for the love seat configuration, though I could buy a loveseat without it. I don’t really want to encourage drinking beverages on it, but as DS pointed out, they do so anyway and with the holders, at least spilling is less likely. 

Have you had power recline furniture? Did you regret it? Do you think the cupholder console is a good idea? I’m trying to think of it in the manner we actually use it, not in the Martha Stewart manner in my head. 

[Carol in Cal.]

There IS reclining furniture without the need for the power.

Last summer DH and I were in a furniture store, and I absent mindedly sat down for a minute on a really ugly chair to make a note.  And I was absolutely amazed at how unbelievably comfortable it was.  It was a Norwegian brand called Ekornes, and the line was called Stressless.  I grabbed DH and said, you are the one with the bad back--sit on this and see what you think.  He was amazed, too.  At this point we didn't even know that these reclined.

We asked the sales person about them, and found out that they come in custom sizes for different builds (S, M, L), they come in high and low backed chairs, loveseats, and couches, and they recline without the need for power.  There are also some that are not ugly, LOL.  

If we were seriously considering a recliner, no question about it, that is the brand we would buy.  Worth looking into for sure.

[Pink and Green Mom]

This is a bone of contention between DH and I.  Over my dead body does reclining furniture come in my house. It all, to me, looks like old people furniture (old being my parents age, not 47).  I understand its function, and I'm here with DH snoozing on one couch,/feet up on the armrest and me with my feet all over the other.  But no, I just can't get over the looks of any of it (and DH has tried to convince me).

Sorry.

[Annie G]

I fought it for years but three years ago we bought a double reclining thing- kind of like two chairs with a console in between. It has been wonderful. My legs feel better when propped up and a power recliner lets me choose exactly how far to bring my feet up. A regular recliner doesn’t give me all those positions.  It’s not beautiful, but it is comfortable. 

Ours is Flexsteel and made here in the US. It was a couple thousand. we really loved chairs by Smith Brothers but the cost was more than three times the price of the Flexsteel. 

[Carol in Cal.]

Something else to consider--the reclining sofas pretty militate toward only sitting upright or recline.  I tend to curl up in a corner of the couch, and that is really not comfortable with the reclining ones.  So if we got recliners, they would be individual, and we would still have a couch or loveseat.

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

Something else to consider--the reclining sofas pretty militate toward only sitting upright or recline.  I tend to curl up in a corner of the couch, and that is really not comfortable with the reclining ones.  So if we got recliners, they would be individual, and we would still have a couch or loveseat.

But the power recline has myriad small adjustments, the way power-adjustable car seats do, so I don’t see that as a problem. That might be a good point against the love seat with a center consol, though. You could not lay lengthwise on it. 

[Carol in Cal.]

1 minute ago, Quill said:

But the power recline has myriad small adjustments, the way power-adjustable car seats do, so I don’t see that as a problem. That might be a good point against the love seat with a center consol, though. You could not lay lengthwise on it. 

Right, that is why DH also wants a couch.  I would be fine with the 'also' being a loveseat, but I can't curl up in a recliner.

[Farrar]

I've seen the nicer ones. They are legitimately nicer than the recliners of my youth. But that just means I'm looking forward to enjoying whatever they've come up with by the time I'm in my 70's or 80's and need this stuff. It's a no for me.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, happysmileylady said:

You cannot.  My parents have a manual recline couch with a center console that honestly, I think is a bit of a pain. 

Yeah...the center console might not be as good an idea. Maybe just a sofa and a loveseat that both have two reclinable seats. 

[Lawana]

We have a LazyBoy reclining sofa with the center seat back that folds down with cup holders. Win! It is a manual recliner. We also have a LazyBoy power recliner from when dh injured his foot. I really like the power recliner because it adjusts to more positions. 

[Jann in TX]

We have 2 rooms with power recliners!

Our great room has 2 power sofas, an over sized chair and a curved chair (to make sort of a sectional with one sofa and the oversized chair).   We have had this set for nearly 10 years-- still going strong and still comfy.

Our home theater room (hubby is a huge geek!) has 4 fancy leather power reclining seats on the top level and a power reclining couch on the lower level. The couch has 2 'ends' that recline-- the center back folds down for cup holder/table/charging access.  The 4 fancy chairs all have cup holders and usb ports as well as small tray tables that can be removed-- did I mention that the cup holders have a 'chill' button!!  All of the above also have 'butt kickers' (real name for a vibrating feature that is synced with the sound system)- so we 'feel' the movies we watch!   We have had this set for about 3 years.

 

[gardenmom5]

I have reclining furniture in my family room - it's very uncomfortable to lay down on.  they're manual.  getting them to "lock" in the down position can require some effort as they get up there in age.

my dr has power recliners for her iv infusion room.  they appeal to the lazy side of me - my concern is how much fun kids would have making them go up and down and what would that do to the motor . . . plus, what happens when the power goes out . .

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

I have reclining furniture in my family room - it's very uncomfortable to lay down on.  they're manual.  getting them to "lock" in the down position can require some effort as they get up there in age.

my dr has power recliners for her iv infusion room.  they appeal to the lazy side of me - my concern is how much fun kids would have making them go up and down and what would that do to the motor . . . plus, what happens when the power goes out . .

If my kids were younger, I would give more concern to them wearing out the motor playing with the buttons. But I think barking at my youngest a few times will end that and I would expect it would cease being fascinating after the first week. 

When the power goes out? Like, an electrical power outage? Or when the power mechanism itself breaks? Because for a power outage - meh. Don’t recline today. When the power mechanism breaks, well, yes, that is part of my concern. My SIL has a manual reclining sofa and the spot where her DH sat for fifteen years is now thoroughly broken and the footrest will no longer contract. It is terribly ugly.

[Selkie]

My dh has a reclining leather massage chair. It gives an awesome massage but is ugly as heck, so it's in our basement rec room. 

[Ottakee]

My brother with health issues has a couch with dual recliners.  He loves it and the ability to adjust it is great.  His is one you can comfortably lay down on as well.

 

[CAJinBE]

I'm recovering from back surgery right now and really want a good quality recliner for myself like the Ekornes. I simply can not sit for long in a straight-backed chair and our sofas are too big and soft. To watch TV I have to lay on my side on the sofa and watch everything at a 90 degree angle. I'm not enjoying my evenings anymore. During the day I can sit briefly at the table to eat, walk, and lie in bed reading or playing with my phone. I can see now that most living room furniture (at least ours anyway) is not conductive to back health. When I have the strength to go shopping again, I'm going to get myself a recliner. I'm not going for electric though since there is no easy way to plug it in in our house. 

[SarahCB]

I've never been a big fan of reclining furniture because so much of it is really puffy and kind of ugly. That being said, we found a beautiful sofa and 1 1/2 size chair at La-z-boy that doesn't even look like it reclines. I'm putting in a link which I think is the right one, but I can't remember exactly what it looks like. We ordered it in April and it's being delivered to our new house. It's a power recliner with a USB port (cause every sofa needs a USB, right?). It's super comfortable - that's what sold me. Super comfortable without looking puffy and ugly. 

https://www.la-z-boy.com/p/sofas/edie-duo-reclining-2-seat-sofa/_/R-92P897 

[Guest]

@Sarah CB I love that one a lot! 

[DawnM]

We have always had reclining sofas and love seats.  For one thing, DH likes that they all have higher backs, so he can lean his head back, whereas non-reclining backs tend to only go up your back a ways and not enough material to rest your head.

We got La-Z-Boy leather furniture when we first got married (24 years ago) and we still have the sofa.  It is in the basement.  The recliners have worn out.  

In the living room we now have a brown leather reclining set, made by Leggett and Platt.  And we have a la-z-boy reclining love seat in our bedroom where the TV is.  

We have a bigger house, so I don't care if the furniture is a bit on the larger size, but I definitely don't feel like it looks like old people live here!

Oh, and none are power reclining.  They are all manual.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I just purchased 2 power reclining couches for my newly redone living room.  I didn't even know that they reclined.  I wanted something not too fussy because I wanted comfortable furniture that didn't look messy.  It wasn't until my husband went to actually buy them that we found out that they were reclining and that it was power.  That said, I love them.  The fact that they are power vs not power is not what I like, just that they don't look like reclining furniture but they do recline.  The couches have only been here a three weeks, but we love them.  The only thing I don't like about the power feature is that it take a little more time to get out of them for answering the door or the phone.  

[SKL]

My opinion?  It's way too expensive and too bulky and heavy and I've never seen one I'd want in my living room.  Also how do you have a coffee table ....

But if anyone in the house needed it for health or mobility reasons, I'd probably buy one.

[Katy]

If your MIL is still rotating homes, I might get one for her.  But otherwise I'm not a fan.  OTOH, it's your house.  Do whatever you want.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Katy said:

If your MIL is still rotating homes, I might get one for her.  But otherwise I'm not a fan.  OTOH, it's your house.  Do whatever you want.

Well, it’s not the kind that can power-lift you out of the seat. She would probably never resurface if she reclined back all the way! OTOH, the springs are so shot on the existing couch, she could barely get off of it, too, when she stayed here. 

She is expected to come stay here again, probably in the fall, unless something changes. She did have a bad turn for a while there and, though we are still in rotation the same way, she has visiting nurse care a couple times a week now. 

[J-rap]

I've always been anti-recliner, but have decided that after our next move, I'm getting a couple!  And why do they have to be for people aged 70 and over?  My dh's parents had a double sofa recliner, and wow-- I loved putting my feet up.  Plus, getting your feet up higher is supposed to be good for you, right?  I don't think I'd get the power ones, but what do I know.  The one my dh's parents had popped the foot rests out so easily, that you really wouldn't have needed any extra power.

[Bambam]

We have a La-z-boy recliner and couch (both end recline, middle section is a regular seat with the back pull down to form a small table with cup holder between seats, but works as a seat too. 

We've had this set for probably at least 20 years - probably 22-24 years. It is still very comfortable to sit on. We have a teen friend who says he wants my furniture whenever I get rid of it. 

We will buy reclining furniture again. The recliner has been so handy for when someone has a cold to sleep in a more upright position. It was handy for the child who just got her wisdom teeth out to sleep in a more upright position. If anyone has nasal drainage, they like the sleep in the recliner. It has been handy through a couple of sprained ankles too as it is easy to elevate the feet - as well as bed rest pregnancies through PIH. There is no way we've give up the recliner for a regular hard rigid chair!

But I'm not sure I'll pay the extra $$ for reclining furniture. Because the electronics is usually the part that goes out first, so we'll probably stick to the manual recline features. 

Our recliner did have a massage feature (? no clue why we purchased it like that), but it doesn't work any more. 

 

[retiredHSmom]

We do have a power recline sofa, but it is not in the main, public floor of our house.  We have no TV on the main public floor.  We have a walkout basement media room with a 92" projector screen with a u-shaped couch. On the main floor we have two living areas with a couch and loveseat in one and two loveseats in the other. Then upstairs we have all the bedrooms come off a central "loft" room that is open to the main floor. We have 7 bookcases, a 32" TV and a power recliner sofa there.  The power recliner sofa is 8 years old and still works beautifully. Our children were all ten and up when we got it.  My parents got a regular recliner sofa at the same time (no power).They have no kids living at home but 12 grandkids between 1 and 24 in age who visit frequently and it has been broken for a few years. I think that power ones are less apt to break because you don't have to try to jam them back in.

[ksr5377]

Didn't read all the replies, so if this was already mentioned, I'm sorry.  Two things - on the loveseat, if you get the cup holders in the middle I don't believe you'll be able to lay across it.  This may not seem like a good idea but my mom is shopping for one right now and is insisting on one without the console in the middle because the toddler grandchildren are the perfect size for napping on the loveseat.  Second, I have experience with 3 different brands that are electronic, and I feel they are slow.  Slow enough that when you are reclined and need to get up quickly, it's not really possible.  My in-laws have a Lazyboy and if reclined, can not get to the phone before the answering picks up (6 rings).  I thought it was because they walk slower, but then I had the same experience.  So I would prefer the manual recliners, especially while everyone is still able bodied enough to use them.