Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
lyvia_gw

where to find short people furniture

lyvia
13 years ago

I found a beautiful armchair - the seat height and depth fit my short legs, it has some back support, and it fits my coffee nook area. But the price!!! Anybody know anything similar for less? I particularly love the size/fit, and I should be able to find that for less, no? (I actually have sevral months before the coffee nook area will be built, but I am looking early for a source for furniture for short people)

Alex black chair

28.5"w x 32.5"d x 36.5"h for $2799 on sale for $1899

{{gwi:1520945}}

Comments (18)

  • jr1000
    13 years ago

    Lyvia,
    I have the same issue. So far the only solution I've found is to go to furniture stores and sit in all the chairs. I've found various brands which work.

    If you're looking online, it can be tough. Usually, they just list the overall dimensions, when what you need is seat depth and height.

    That is a beautiful chair you've found! I hope you find a more economical alternative.

  • LuAnn_in_PA
    13 years ago

    Shoot... most of the furniture out there is for short people!
    I have trouble finding the opposite....

    lyvia - have you tried estate sales/antique stores/resale shops?
    I avoid those like the plague as NOTHING is suitable for my family. (I am the shortest @ 5'11", DS is tallest @ 6'8")

  • B H
    13 years ago

    I've had the same issues - needing short furniture for me at a more economical price. Everything I've found is in the 800-1k range, too. :(

    Unfortunately, amongst our family & acquaintances, I'm the only one under 5'4" (5'2" is being generous, lol). One of these days, I'm going to buy a comfortable reading chair JUST for me!

    Good luck in your search & please post back if you find anything. The one you posted is so nice...I hope you find something similar!

  • chispa
    13 years ago

    We are a normal/short height family who just bought a house built by giants!!! I think the mom is around 5'10" and one of the kids is 6'8". Mostly it is a positive as we have high openings and doors. Lots of storage, although I have to use a step-stool to reach the higher shelves.

    Here is a chair I love by Cisco furniture, but it isn't any cheaper than the Arhaus one. I plan on getting 2 of these for my family room. They are comfortable, look good and can be made with a mix of fabrics.
    http://www.ciscobrothers.com/CatalogueRetrieve.aspx?ProductID=1194803&A=SearchResult&SearchID=1780749&ObjectID=1194803&ObjectType=27

  • northcarolina
    13 years ago

    We got our living room sofa and chair from a local furniture company that constructs them to specifications -- or maybe they just had different depths you could order, I don't remember exactly. They didn't advertise that they had that available; we found out when we went in. We are not THAT short, but it is very annoying to feel like your feet are barely touching the floor. Looking for a bathroom vanity or pedestal sink was annoying too. I considered getting an old pedestal from the Restore just so we wouldn't have to use a so-called "comfort height" one.

    Some of the furniture stores close to our city center -- the ones that have contemporary or Euro-style lines for uptown condo dwellers -- have smaller-scaled furniture for small rooms. Those might or might not also fit short people; you could check.

    I haven't sat in much IKEA furniture, but they might have some smaller things, and the price would certainly be lower. Might something from there work for you? The style would be very different than the one you have linked, though.

  • oceanna
    13 years ago

    You could find a piece you like the shape of in a thrift shop, pay to have it professionally reupholsterd having it in any fabric you pick, and come out ahead money-wise, and with a sturdier piece.

  • gracie01 zone5 SW of Chicago
    13 years ago

    I have a Flexsteel sofa & loveseat that I love. My 4'11" best friend bought the same set. My sister is also short and she found 2 chairs that I think are Broyhill.

  • prairiemom61
    13 years ago

    I spent weeks looking for a sofa last year for our tall family, (I'm shortest at 5'10",DDs are over 6' and DS is 6'9")
    I hoped for Flexsteel, a great brand in the past, but felt like we were sitting on doll furniture. Found an awesome Lane sofa, tall, deep and a great length.
    Keep looking, you'll find the perfect match.

  • massagegirl
    13 years ago

    I want to echo the person above that mentioned Ikea. In my experience the couches and chairs are very low to the ground and not very deep. Maybe you can find a piece that would blend in with your style.

    I was recently at a slipcover/re-upholstering shop and the woman there mentioned that many of their clients are having their little chairs re-upholstered because all of the furniture out there these days is so big no one can find anything similar in size.

  • pelletis
    13 years ago

    Try world market cost plus- all of their furniture is small in scale

  • sheshe
    13 years ago

    Same problem I have had too. Here is an idea. Measure from
    your backside to underneath your knee. I am short and found
    it was 19 inches. Then I went about looking for a sofa.
    Depth 19 inches. It was tough to find but I found one at
    Hancock and Moore that was close. Not cheap. But I thought about how much
    time at night I used it and how much it costs to buy a used
    car for example and how long it would last. Everyone needs to have
    at least one comfortable spot to sit down on.
    Others in my family are as tall as 6' 7". They need their
    spot too.

  • lyvia
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    thanks for the great suggestions! I will make time to visit the local upscale resale.

  • Cloud Swift
    11 years ago

    I've been shopping for a couch and possibly a love seat or a chair or two depending on what layout I can make work. I'm 5'1" and I think I've sat in about half the couches in stores the Sacramento area now. Most stores have between none and 2 models that work for me.

    Sat in one Flexsteel that almost worked for me so they have some that will work for you depending how short you are.

    Scandanavian Designs had a few that worked well. The Pavia sofas and chairs were relatively reasonably priced and comfortable for me and my 5' 10" husband. The Ekornes Stressless sofas are extremely comfortable for us but cost a lot more. We are currently debating whether to go with the very expensive Ekornes or the much cheaper not quite as comfortable still very comfortable Pavia.

    There were a few at Lazyboy (of all places) that were about as comfortable as the Pavia and I'm thinking of going back there to look at their reclining sofas now that we're considering the Stressless reclining sofas. Lazyboy has some pretty transitional not-your-father's Lazyboy models.

    At both the Lazyboy store and Scandanavian Designs, the sales person was good at directing me to sofas that would work for a short person. I still tried a few other ones to check their judgement but the good sales staff saved me time and effort.

    Ikea couches didn't work for me. They were too deep and a bit too high. I found a model at Crate and Barrel that was okay but not as good a fit as the others I've mentioned and style wise it wasn't as good a fit either.

  • palimpsest
    11 years ago

    Do you have a Room and Board nearby?

  • Cloud Swift
    11 years ago

    palimpsest, I'm not the OP, but need some seating compatible with short stature. Looking at their website, there's a Room and Board within feasible distance (I'm about 100 miles from their San Francisco store). Please tell me more to help decide if it's worth the trek.

  • Fori
    11 years ago

    Cloud, I'm sitting in a R&B chair right now. I'm 5'1" and can sit like an adult in this chair. It's worth the trek to SF--they even have a free parking lot! I mean, plan on hitting a museum or something else to round out your day, but if you add it in to a nice trip to the city I think you might find it worthwhile.

    (Of course look at their website and see if their stuff even appeals to you. They do have a certain look!)

  • palimpsest
    11 years ago

    Their furniture has a modernist vibe. 90% (reportedly) of their pieces are made in America. They have pieces in a variety of small, medium and large in terms of seating depth and such.

    It is best to go particularly for chairs, because these can be tricky to suss out online. I found some of their pieces sat "too deep" in person and I would not have thought so reading the specs.