The ALMA Reclining Rocking Chair

A five-position rocking chair with a notched backrest

Two flat strips of pale wood run along the top of the arms, on black metal supports. They are the hard surface the hands meet on this rocking chair, and against the cream pile everywhere else they read as a line drawn through it. The covering is short and curled, dense enough to hold a handprint for a moment. Below, the same pale wood returns in the runners.

Changing position is a movement, not a setting. Lean back and the frame gives, then stops; lean a little further and it gives again, five times over, each stop holding until the weight comes off it. The footrest comes out at the front on its own arm, adding length to the seat. Nothing beneath the seat locks, so the arc is the same at the last notch as at the first.

Two clearances decide where it goes. Behind, the back needs room to travel: at the last notch the top of the frame sits well back, and a wall is the first thing it meets. In front, the footrest adds its own length, and that length appears only in use, which is when someone is most likely to walk past.

Pile, light and contact points on an adjustable-back rocker

The finish was settled in advance: cream against pale wood, with the metal in black between them. Teddy velvet is a short curled pile, and it reads differently by the hour — flat and almost matt under an overcast sky, then broken into small highlights when the sun crosses it. The wood keeps its tone throughout, so the two never compete for attention.

Contact points show it first. The seat flattens where a body sits, the arms take the pressure of hands leaving and returning, and the top of the back keeps the shape of a head that rested there. A soft brush lifts all three, and a vacuum with the brush head takes dust out before it works into the curl. Spills are blotted, never rubbed.

Set beside three things, the differences come out: the seats that raise the feet, which answer the same need another way, the models chosen for their build, where the structure is the point, and the chairs with a fixed back, which move without adjusting.

Set positions separate a stepped rocker from a free recline

A free recline stops wherever the body stops pushing, which means the angle is decided again every time and never quite repeats. A notched back does the opposite: the setting that worked yesterday is still there today, found by counting rather than by feel. Neither is better, but they are used differently — one is adjusted continuously, the other is chosen once and left. The frame is rubberwood and metal, rated to 150 kg.

It suits a room where the chair can stand clear on both sides: the middle of a wall rather than a corner, a spot beside a window with a walkway in front. In a tight lounge the last notch is the one that will not get used. What a fixed back cannot give is a second position for the same seat, reached without getting up.

The pile is what gets noticed. The notches are what get used.

Clearance and type

Two questions about the room around a chair like this, rather than the chair itself.

How far from the wall does a recliner need to be?

It depends on how the mechanism works. A back that tilts backwards takes the most, and a hand's span is the usual starting point before testing it with the chair fully open. Designs that slide the seat forward instead need far less, though even those do better with a small buffer than flush against plaster.

What is a wall hugger recliner?

A chair whose seat travels forward as the back goes down, so the top of the frame stays roughly where it was. The mechanism sits in the base rather than pivoting from the rear legs, which is what lets it stand close to a wall. Standard recliners tilt instead, and need the gap behind them.

Type: Reclining Rocking Chair
Upholstery: Teddy Velvet Fabric
Padding: High-Density Foam
Frame: Solid Rubberwood and Metal
Rocking Base: Solid Rubberwood
Reclining Positions: 5 Adjustable Positions
Retractable Footrest: Yes
Dimensions: 85 × 57 × 25 cm
Maximum Load Capacity: 150 kg
Assembly: Simple and Quick

• Free delivery anywhere in the UK
• Dispatched within 24 to 48 hours, delivered in 2 to 5 days
• 14 days to change your mind
• Guarantee against defects or damage on receipt
• Customer service available 7 days a week