What's the deal with living room furniture?

A couple things. First of all, show of hands, who else read this and immediately heard in their head Jerry Seinfeld going “Who ARE these people!?!”

Second, I think best answer to your question is that ‘The Market” is why. If people wanted smaller couches in large enough numbers, there would be more small couches. Trust me, they WANT your money.

Personally, I like bigger couches because I like couches to be comfortable both when I have each seat loaded with a full sized people. I like them to be good for napping, which preferences a longer, deeper, and cushier couch.

Also, some of us all full-sized people ourselves and the couches really aren’t THAT huge. My current sofa is actually too deep even for me, but that’s because it was DESIGNED to have a full array of back pillows on it….which I seldomly deploy.

But, if I were a smaller person and wanted a smaller couch, I did see them at the furniture store last time I went sofa shopping. My attitude was ‘Why are the seats so darn SMALL?” So, different strokes and all that.

^^ I like the Seinfeld reference. I think I even “heard” him in my head. lol I may need to shop Japan or Taiwan. So many stores around here carry far too big models.

Where’s “around here”?

I suggest you get decorative throw pillows. Get many, and put them behind your back when you sit. Cushions comes in many sizes. Get a variety.

If you’re in the US, yes, you can still get smaller furniture, but I love a deep seat and ottoman, and very comfy furniture. I don’t have a formal living room anymore, but when I did I had sofas that were meant for sitting. My great room sofas and chairs are meant for relaxing.

You can put pillows behind your back as suggested by @Hawaii_Jake if you want to sit up like you’re in a dining room chair. Half of my friends are short and need two pillows to sit up.

Most houses are being built without a formal living room, so the need for smaller sofas and chairs is less now than years past.

Inexpensive furniture is likely to be smaller, but you might be looking for better quality. You can find it. It doesn’t exist.

Have you tried Ikea?

Typo: you can find it; it does exist.

Buy different furniture.

Those of us with short-ish legs would like our furniture to bend where our legs do. I have the same problem. I want to be able to just sit in a chair/recliner without the need for pillows to prop me forward. Sure enough, as soon as I stand the pillow/s fall forward and have to be rearranged when I come back, or they get mushed when I’m adjusting positions, or if I’m sitting even farther forward so I can do a craft or crossword or whatever on a table, then I need even more pillows.

I have two chairs with cane bottoms that my father refinished about 50 years ago. We’re talkin’ straightback chairs which you would use at the dinner table. They were my grandparent’s chairs and are probably 80–100 years old. Gotta say…people were smaller back then! At its widest point on the seat, it measures 14 inches. My recliner is 24 inches. Shoot, I’ve seen people who have one cheek that’s 14 inches!

We run into that quite a bit. I’m 6’ tall and most furniture fits me. Mrs Wulf is only 5’ tall. We often end up with Edith Ann furniture

We opted for comfy padded chairs. It’s your home, you should be comfortable.

It sounds like you want a more structured couch. They exist, but probably most stores sell the huge overstuffed things because that’s what is popular. I’m 5 foot 9 so I do ok on the overstuffed furniture but I see for shorter people, their feet might not touch the ground if they put their butts all the way in the back of the cushions.

How much do you want to spend and what style?

I agree with the IKEA suggestion above.

Also, it just occurred to me that you might have luck at a consignment store or estate sale and reupholster to update.

Any large traditional furniture should have options. Those are usually free standing, not in malls, but there are exceptions.

@seawulf575 awww…I loved EdithAnn. Hilarious pic!

I’ve had two easy chairs where the seat is too short for my long legs. Look around. They’re out there!

@seawulf575 That pic is hilarious! Thanks guys. Yeah that big overstuffed stuff is crazy. I nearly have to climb out of it.
@Jeruba Sun, sand, beautiful…

Blame McDonalds Super Size Me in bloating our preverbal seats.

^^ I didn’t want to “go there” but you may be right. Many Americans are on the large size and people like me are not exactly top priority here.

^^ same here. I go try to buy a new couch, sit on it and fall backwards into the cushion some 3 feet behind me. The salesperson says, “Oh, you need the ottoman”
“No, I’m over 6 foot, I don’t need an ottoman, I need a huge arse”

I’ve been buying antique furniture that have been sitting in all those formal living rooms, untouched, for decades. I buy them because the overall footprint is smaller, the seats are narrower, my 5“2’ legs fit over the edge—they’re better made and…. have character!

I just wish reupholstering companies were still a thing.

@linguaphile Most upholstery companies will also reupholster old furniture. Though it often costs more than buying new.

It sounds crazy. But if you think about it, it takes more work to reupholster (undo all of the work, figure out the pattern and redo all of the upholstery).

@raum You may save a tiny bit on the framing, but really (as far as I’m concerned) that is were you would need to start in order to make it smaller. So yeah, you’d end up spending much more in the long run. If done incorrectly it could separate in less than two weeks!

I just bought an Ethan Allen couch from someone, used, looked brand new but I wanted slipcover made for it. 2k but I chose an expensive fabric that was lined with vinyl (because I have cats). Just a thought – there are upholsterers around. The good thing is you pick your fabric so you can transform that couch or chair into anything you want.