If it were my room the chair would have to go :-)

The sofa is lovely and surely you could replace the chair with something as comfortable and even a similar blue color if that is your color scheme.

Chair is going to win. It is just a question of how soon.
When sofa gets replaced it will be with a stressless wave lowback.

Yeah i know... i am asking for advice and many will say I am still going with ugly. that sofa is number one on my biggest disappoinments, I bought it for looks, started looking frumpy after a few months of little use and I want to keep it a little longer just to enjoy looking at it.
Absolutely no regrets on that chair for comfort or quality so going to just go with ugly and eventually get the sofa.

Get some black and white throw pillows and call it a day. :)

Not at all! They're fine together.

Get a Persian rug, and they'll actually look GREAT together. I see that style all the time in more affluent contemporary houses. Glass coffee table, and you're done.

Similar to my husband's chair/ottoman. Took him 6 mos to decide to get it. No way that chair could be removed. And grateful it wasn't a recliner. I didn't find it difficult to decorate around. And even reupholstered it in the same leather at one point in time.

love the sofa, have seen far worse chairs

I agree w tibbrix, glass or lucite coffee table, persian rug, done

Looks a lot like my family room....my husband's "puffie" chairs and my narrow armed couch. I put a throw over my mis-matched couch, and have wrought iron end tables and keep it clean and straightened and it is fine.. I am with tibbrix.....glass/wrought iron tables, pillows and pretty rug and you will be fine.

do they have to be adjacent to each other? (pillows for sofa will help)
i'd have put some distance between them if i could

The chair would definitely be the winner in our house too. The comfort factor is high and they are beautifully designed. I don't think there's anything ugly about an ekornes stressless atlantic chair.