Short answer: Cozey's Naos is the roomier, more upright chair, with wood armrests and a 17-inch seat. Cozey's Vela is our narrowest and lowest chair, at 22.9 inches wide. Choose Naos for a living room or office corner, and Vela for a tight nook or reading spot.
Both chairs have a mid-century look, an Oak or Walnut wood frame and fixed covers, so the choice comes down to the space you have and how you like to sit. For all five of our chairs, see our guide to choosing an accent chair.
On This Page
- How do Naos and Vela compare at a glance?
- How do the sizes compare?
- Which is better for a small room?
- Which is more comfortable to sit in?
- How do the frames, fabrics and colors differ?
- Which goes better with my sofa?
- Which should you choose, Naos or Vela?
- Our recommendation
- Explore our lounge chairs
How do Naos and Vela compare at a glance?
At Cozey, we publish the same measurements for both chairs, so you can compare them line by line. Depths are rounded to the nearest 0.5.
How do Naos and Vela compare at a glance?
| Feature | Naos | Vela |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 31.9 inches | 22.9 inches |
| Depth | 31.5 inches | 30.5 inches |
| Height | 30.1 inches | 27.3 inches |
| Seat height | 17 inches | 16.3 inches |
| Seat depth | 22.0 inches | 22.0 inches |
| Armrests | Wood armrests | None |
| Frame | Ash wood armrests and legs, plywood seat and back | Solid ash legs, ash-veneered plywood seat and back shells |
| Fabrics | Performance Plain Weave, Performance Basketweave, Performance Textured Weave, Aquaforte Velvet | Performance Basketweave, Bouclé, Performance Chenille, Textured Weave |
| Wood finish | Oak or Walnut, set by the fabric you choose | Oak or Walnut, chosen separately |
| Assembly | Mostly tool-free; one box | Mostly tool-free; two boxes |
Neither chair swivels. Only our Cassini lounge chair does, and our Naos guide and Vela guide cover each chair in full.
How do the sizes compare?
Naos is 9.0 inches wider and 2.8 inches taller than Vela, but depth is closer: 31.5 inches against 30.5 inches. The seats are the same depth, 22.0 inches, so the extra width on Naos goes to the armrests and the frame, not to a bigger seat.
Which is better for a small room?
Vela is better for a small room, because it takes the least floor of any chair we sell. At 22.9 inches wide with a 27.3-inch back, it fits a narrow corner and keeps sight lines open.
Naos still works in a modest room if you can spare about 32 inches square. As general advice, keep walking paths at least 30 inches clear, and 36 inches is more comfortable. Naos ships in one box and Vela in two, so check the route in with our guide to measuring stairs, elevators and doorways.
Which is more comfortable to sit in?
It depends on how you sit. Naos suits an upright, supported posture: its seat and back use dual-layer foam over 0.5-inch plywood, and the wood armrests give your arms a firm place to rest. The foam is firm at first and may need a short break-in period.
Vela is lower and lighter in feel. Its seat is 16.3 inches high, with foam and fibre cushions on shaped shells, which suits sitting upright with a book. As general advice, a higher seat and armrests are often easier to get out of, which points to Naos.
How do the frames, fabrics and colors differ?
Both chairs have ash wood legs in a satin Oak or Walnut stain, and both covers are 100% polyester. The differences are the armrests, the fabrics and how you choose the wood.
On Naos, each fabric comes with a set wood finish, so you choose a color and wood combination such as Moss Green and Oak or Slate and Walnut. On Vela, you pick the fabric and then Oak or Walnut separately.
Abrasion resistance is measured in Martindale double rubs, and a higher number means a more abrasion-resistant fabric. Aquaforte Velvet, on Naos only, is highest at more than 200,000, Performance Basketweave on both chairs is more than 100,000, the textured weaves on both are 54,000, and Bouclé, on Vela only, is lowest at 15,000. Our guides to performance fabric and sofa fabric types explain the differences.
On our U.S. site, Naos comes in eight color and wood combinations: Moss Green, Fog, Slate, Parchment, Mocha, Crumble, Aqua and Chocolate. Vela comes in nine colors: Leaf, Fog, Cloud, Sage, and White Sand, Desert, Wheat, Midnight Blue and Smoke in Textured Weave. Colors change, so check the product page and order free swatches first. Our guide to choosing a sofa color applies to chairs too.
Which goes better with my sofa?
Both chairs suit our sofas, so repeat one color or wood tone. At Cozey, our sofa collections are Ciello, a soft sofa with deep, loose cushions, Gaia, a soft seat with a high backrest, Cassini, a curved, low layout, and Atmosphere, our deepest seat.
- Naos: we suggest pairing it with Atmosphere and Ciello. Its Oak and Walnut frames pair with our Mensa side table at the arm.
- Vela: we suggest pairing it with Atmosphere and Neptune. Cloud Bouclé on Vela matches the Cloud Bouclé on Atmosphere for a tonal pair.
Preview the sofa in Cozey Studio, our online configurator, and compare it with your chair swatch. Beside the chair, Altitude and Themis add wall storage without taking floor. For the full set, read our guide to pairing a sofa, accent chair and coffee table.
Which should you choose, Naos or Vela?
Choose by the floor you have and the posture you like.
- Choose Naos if you have about 32 by 32 inches of floor, want wood armrests and a firmer, more upright seat, or want Aquaforte Velvet or a wider range of colors.
- Choose Vela if your corner is narrower than 32 inches, you want the lowest back in our range, or you want to choose the Oak or Walnut finish separately from the fabric.
- Choose another chair if you want removable covers or a swivel. Our Hubbel, Mira and Cassini lounge chair have removable covers, and only the Cassini lounge chair swivels.
Our recommendation
At Cozey, we recommend Naos for a living room, home office or bedroom where there is room for a roomier chair with armrests, and Vela for a narrow corner, bedroom or reading nook where every inch counts. Both are mostly tool-free to assemble, and both have fixed covers, so choose the fabric with care.
Explore our lounge chairs
More Cozey comparisons: Mira vs Naos, Mira vs Vela Lounge, Naos vs Hubbel, Naos vs Cassini Lounge Chair, Hubbel vs Vela Lounge, Vela Lounge vs Cassini Lounge.
Product specifications can change. Check the current dimensions on the product page before ordering.
