Sofas get the attention, but chairs are where a room shows its personality, because they are small enough to take a risk on. Swivel chairs have become a favorite for living rooms that face two ways, with a fireplace on one side and a view or a television on the other.

An accent chair is the one piece where you can use the fabric you were too nervous to put on a sofa. Interior Define's Cyrus, Blake and Fiona are all made to order, with the Cyrus offered in more than 80 fabrics and the Blake and Fiona in more than 110. The Fiona has a curved silhouette that softens a room full of straight lines. Z Gallerie's Romy is the showstopper, a sinuous sculptural shape upholstered in a zebra performance jacquard chenille. Place an accent chair at an angle to the sofa rather than flat against a wall, so it joins the conversation.

Natural materials bring a relaxed, coastal feeling that works far from the coast. Our Boat House's Boynton Beach alternates stripes of color with natural rattan in a densely woven armchair with a high curved back, and the Jaden pairs a solid oak frame with an open cane rattan back and sides. The Cape May is a slipcovered chair with a sloped arm, high back and feather blend cushion, offered as stationary or swivel. The Klein is a tub-style lounge chair woven from whitewashed lampakanay, a grass similar to abaca, with a removable cushion. Mix one woven chair into an upholstered room and it instantly feels lighter.

Dining chairs are the easiest place to break the matching-set rule, and a pair of statement chairs at the ends of a table looks deliberate. Jonathan Adler's Cocteau has tapered lines and a surprising cut-out in the back cushion, and the Channeled Goldfinger sets channeled cushions on a pared-down frame. Lulu and Georgia's Carmella wears a snug slipcover with crisp inverted pleats and a loose pillow back. Z Gallerie's Nova is a swivel dining chair in ivory performance bouclé on a gold metal frame, so it also works at a desk. Test the seat height against your table, since most need around a foot of clearance between seat and tabletop.