Short answer: Cozey's Vela lounge chair is the narrow, upright chair with wood legs and fixed covers. Cozey's Cassini lounge chair is the wide, deep-seat chair with a swivel option and washable covers. Choose Vela for a tight corner, Cassini if you have about 37 inches (94 cm) of width.
Both chairs sit at almost the same seat height, but they take up very different amounts of floor and they are built differently. For the full picture of each, see our Vela guide and Cassini lounge chair guide, and for the whole range read how to choose an accent chair.
On This Page
- What is the main difference between Vela and Cassini?
- How do Vela and Cassini compare at a glance?
- Which is better for a small room?
- Which is more comfortable to sit in?
- Which is easier to clean, and which is better for pets?
- Which fabrics and finishes can I choose?
- Which is easier to get through a door?
- Which goes better with my sofa?
- Which should I choose?
- Our recommendation
- Explore our lounge chairs
What is the main difference between Vela and Cassini?
At Cozey, we built Vela around a small footprint and Cassini around a generous seat. Vela is 22.9 inches (58.1 cm) wide, our narrowest chair, with solid ash legs, an ash veneer plywood shell and cushions on top, in an Oak or Walnut finish. Cassini is 37.0 inches (94 cm) wide, our widest chair, with curved arms, a fully upholstered body on a steel skirt and a choice of swivel or stationary base. The two seats sit at almost the same height.
How do Vela and Cassini compare at a glance?
The table shows the figures that differ most. Depths are rounded to the nearest 0.5 inch (0.5 cm), and every figure comes from our product pages and guides.
How do Vela and Cassini compare at a glance?
| Vela lounge chair | Cassini lounge chair | |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 22.9 inches (58.1 cm) | 37.0 inches (94 cm) |
| Overall depth | 30.5 inches (77.5 cm) | 31.5 inches (79.5 cm) |
| Overall height | 27.3 inches (69.4 cm) | 28.9 inches (73.5 cm) |
| Seat height | 16.3 inches (41.4 cm) | 16.5 inches (41.9 cm) |
| Seat depth | 22.0 inches (55.5 cm) | 22.5 inches (57.5 cm) |
| Base | Fixed ash legs | Swivel or stationary, your choice |
| Frame | Solid ash legs, ash veneer plywood shells | Plywood frame, steel skirt |
| Finish | Oak or Walnut | Fully upholstered |
| Fabrics | Performance Basketweave, Bouclé, Performance Chenille and Textured Weave | Performance Chenille, Aquaforte Velvet |
| Colours | Leaf, Fog, Cloud, Sage, White Sand, Smoke, Wheat, Desert, Midnight Blue | Aqua, Bordeaux, Cabernet, Chocolate, Crumble, Dusty Rose, Espresso, Frost, Pastis, Rust, Sage, Toffee |
| Covers | Not removable | Removable and machine washable |
| Boxes | Two (frame, cushions) | Two main boxes plus a cover kit; a third thin box if you choose the swivel |
| Assembly | Allen key in the hardware box, so mostly tool-free | Allen key in the hardware box, so mostly tool-free |
| Best for | Narrow corners, bedrooms, reading nooks | A corner with room to spare, sitting back or curling up |
Which is better for a small room?
Vela is the better choice for a small room, because it is about 14 inches (36 cm) narrower than Cassini. At 22.9 inches (58.1 cm) wide and 27.3 inches (69.4 cm) high it is our narrowest and lowest chair, which suits a narrow corner or a bedroom and keeps sight lines open. Cassini is 37.0 inches (94 cm) wide and 31.5 inches (79.5 cm) deep, so it needs a corner with room to spare.
If you choose the Cassini swivel base, leave open floor around the chair so the arms and backrest can turn without touching a wall or table. As general advice, not a product specification, leave about 30 to 36 inches (76 to 91 cm) for a walkway, and mark the footprint on the floor with painter's tape before you order.
Which is more comfortable to sit in?
It depends on how you like to sit. Vela suits sitting upright: the seat is 22.0 inches (55.5 cm) deep and 16.3 inches (41.4 cm) high, a fit for sitting upright with a book. Cassini has a deeper and wider seat, 22.5 inches (57.5 cm) deep and 29.3 inches (74.3 cm) wide, at 16.5 inches (41.9 cm) high, which suits sitting back or curling up. The construction differs as well. Vela has polyester fibre over foam cushions on a shaped plywood shell, while Cassini uses layers of foam with a layer of polypropylene fibre in the seat base and backrest. Our seat depth and height guide explains how those numbers feel in use.
Which is easier to clean, and which is better for pets?
Cassini is easier to clean, because its covers are removable and our product page lists them as machine washable. Wash them cold on a gentle cycle, air dry, and avoid wringing, bleach and high temperatures. Vela's covers are not removable and cannot be machine washed, so vacuum regularly with an upholstery attachment, blot spills straight away with minimal water and a mild, non-abrasive cleaner, and test the cleaner in a hidden spot first.
For pets, in our own assessment Aquaforte Velvet on Cassini is excellent and Performance Chenille is good. Our Vela product page lists the chair as pet friendly, and its ash wood is listed as scratch resistant. Our guide to the most durable sofa fabrics for pets goes into more detail.
Which fabrics and finishes can I choose?
Vela offers more fabric families and a wood finish, while Cassini offers two fabrics and twelve colours. Vela comes in four fabric families in nine colours, with Oak or Walnut on the legs. Cassini comes in Performance Chenille and Aquaforte Velvet, and Sage is the one colour name both chairs share. The Martindale scale measures abrasion resistance, and a higher number means a more abrasion-resistant fabric.
Which fabrics and finishes can I choose?
| Chair | Fabric | Colours | Martindale count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vela | Performance Basketweave | Leaf, Fog | more than 100,000 |
| Vela | Bouclé | Cloud | 15,000 |
| Vela | Performance Chenille | Sage | 48,000 |
| Vela | Textured Weave | White Sand, Smoke, Wheat, Desert, Midnight Blue | 54,000 |
| Cassini | Performance Chenille | Bordeaux, Espresso, Frost, Sage | 48,000 |
| Cassini | Aquaforte Velvet | Aqua, Cabernet, Chocolate, Crumble, Dusty Rose, Pastis, Rust, Toffee | more than 200,000 |
Aquaforte Velvet on Cassini is the most abrasion-resistant choice on either chair. Bouclé is the lowest at 15,000, so we suggest it for lighter use and spot cleaning. Check the product page for the current range; our velvet colours guide covers the newer Aquaforte Velvet shades.
On Vela you can also pick the wood. The legs are solid ash, stained with a satin finish. Oak and Walnut also appear on our Mensa tables, so a chair and a side table can share a finish.
Which is easier to get through a door?
Vela is easier, because its boxes are smaller and lighter. The Vela frame box measures 24.6 x 23.5 x 11.2 inches (62.4 x 59.7 x 28.4 cm) and weighs 27.2 lb (12.4 kg), and the cushion box measures 23.8 x 22.7 x 7.8 inches (60.4 x 57.7 x 19.9 cm) and weighs 17.3 lb (7.9 kg). Cassini ships in separate boxes too, but they are larger. The seat box is 30.7 x 23.5 x 19.7 inches (78 x 60 x 50 cm) at 36.6 lb (16.6 kg), and the arms and backrest box is 33.9 x 19.5 x 27.8 inches (86 x 49.5 x 70.5 cm) at 48.5 lb (22 kg). The swivel mechanism and the cover kit come separately. Measure your doorway, hallway and stairs against these sizes first, and see our guide to measuring stairs, elevators and doorways.
Which goes better with my sofa?
Cassini goes best with our Cassini sofa, and Vela is the one we pair with Atmosphere and Neptune. The Cassini lounge chair shares its curved arms, its two fabrics and its twelve colour names with the Cassini sofa, so a chair and sofa in Sage use the same fabric. It is a separate piece, though, and you can place it beside any sofa. Our guides suggest Vela with the Atmosphere and Neptune sofas. Cloud bouclé on Vela matches the Cloud bouclé on Atmosphere, which makes a tonal pair. Our guide to pairing a sofa, accent chair and coffee table shows how.
At Cozey, we make four modular sofas and two sofa beds:
Which goes better with my sofa?
| Collection | Defining trait |
|---|---|
| Ciello | Very soft, loose-cushion sofa with a dedicated chaise |
| Gaia | Soft seat with a high back and French seams |
| Cassini | Curved, low and compact, with a 45-degree wedge |
| Atmosphere | Medium-firm and deep, with storage and sleeper versions |
| Neptune | Firm sofa bed with the tallest back |
| Orian | Compact queen-size sofa bed |
To see a sofa shape first, build it in Cozey Studio, our guided 3D configurator, which adds one module at a time and shows the overall dimensions on screen. For a reading corner, a Vela beside our Themis shelves, 11.0 inches (28 cm) deep, or Altitude shelves, 9.5 inches (24 cm) deep, keeps books within reach. See the Themis guide and Altitude guide.
Which should I choose?
Choose Vela if:
- Your corner is narrow, because Vela is 22.9 inches (58.1 cm) wide.
- You like to sit upright, for reading or working.
- You want Oak or Walnut to match a table or shelf.
Choose Cassini if:
- You have about 37.0 inches (94 cm) of width and want a deep, enveloping seat.
- You want removable, machine-washable covers.
- You have pets or children and want Aquaforte Velvet.
- You own a Cassini sofa and want a matching chair.
Our recommendation
At Cozey, we suggest Vela for small spaces and Cassini for generous ones. If the footprint is the deciding factor, Vela is the safer fit; if comfort, washable covers and a swivel base matter more and you have the floor space, Cassini is the stronger choice. Measure the corner and mark it with tape before you order.
Explore our lounge chairs
- Vela lounge chair
- Cassini lounge chair
- Lounge chairs
- Cozey Studio
- Vela guide
- Cassini lounge chair guide
- How to choose an accent chair
- Matching a sofa, accent chair and coffee table
More Cozey comparisons: Mira vs Vela Lounge, Mira vs Cassini Lounge, Naos vs Vela Lounge, Naos vs Cassini Lounge Chair, Hubbel vs Vela Lounge, Hubbel vs Cassini Lounge.
Product specifications can change. Check the current dimensions on the product page before ordering.