Sofa size questions; compromise btw short person and guests

[BarbieA1]

So... I made the mistake 4 years ago of buying a custom sofa (buildasofa.com) and asking them to make it even shallower so I wouldn't need to always have a pillow behind my back. Oh my gosh. No one else above about 5' was comfortable on it - including me. Felt like a bench. I actually gave it away. (Been w/o a sofa for 2 years now! I don't like most current styles, and I don't like pushy sales people.)

That's an extreme example, but I don't wanna make the mistake of buying a sofa that will only be comfortable for a 5'4" person. I figure if it's a little deeper than I need it's okay - b/c I always prop my feet up on coffee table or ottoman anyway.

I'm considering the smaller 9840 City sofa now, vs the larger 9844. The difference is 10" in length, and 23" depth vs 20.5". The shorter depth woud be comfortable for me. But 23" is probably too deep (for me).

As to the height: The City sofa is only 36" tall. I measured the recliner i'm replacing, and it's 39" tall. All other things considered, is 36" height comfortable for people >= 6' tall? It seems kind of short!

Important: these sofa needs to be nappable (for me).

Argh. I'm just trying to come up with a good compromise for me & family members. How about the 1667 Evening? Back height 39", depth 21.5", seat height 20".

Suggestions?... How about:

-Bradley 4115
-Garden 4111
-Member 1904

I prefer a traditional (usually roll-arm) non-fussy style that won't fight with Austin Tilt 2023NB.

[needstuff]

About comfort: it's not just the seat depth, it's also the combination of seat height + seat depth that matters.
As well as the firmness of the cushions and the angle of the back. There's really no great substitute for sitting on the actual piece you want to buy.
My wife & I are both short, we sat in lots of sofas in stores and very few of them were really comfortable for us. Most were too deep. Lots of them caused us to sink in more than we found comfortable, and I had difficulty getting up/out.

The 23" depth was generally too deep for us too, on most seating we tried. So, once I realized that, I wondered why we liked our H&M Gordon chair, which has that spec. The answer was: the actual chair we received wasn't 23" deep. It is 20-1/2" deep. And the seat height wasn't 20-1/2" as the specs show, it is 18'. We liked it because it deviated from the specs, in our favor.

The floor model we tried probably deviated from the specs the same way, or we wouldn't have liked that one either. But I don't think that any particular set of deviations can be guaranteed. So I don't know where that leaves somebody in terms of ordering something, where sensitivity to dimensions is a factor.

In our case, we finally realized the sofa we were buying wasn't intended to be used by us really, it was for guests. So we stopped agonizing about our own peculiar dimensional challenges and just got one with generic dimensions. It is 23" deep, and it is in fact too deep for us. If we sit on it we have to use pillows. I would not like it to be our everyday sitting piece, But fortunately it isn't. And we were at least put out of our misery and finally bought something.

In your case, I would keep going to stores and trying sofas till you find one that works well enough for all of you. Then stop right there, and buy that one.

[BarbieA1]

Thanks, I appreciate the input. Yes seat height is very important also. I prefer 20" seat height. In fact I just looked at the Bradley again and it has a 21.5" seat height. Would work for me as long as I prop my feet up, but truth be told I'm not crazy about that french(?) arm style.

Unfortunately I'm trying to meet the H&M 5% deadline tomorrow! I tried out a City chair at a local dealer and found it comfortable. I'm thinking about gambling on the larger City sofa... I too want something comfortable for guests - and for me, napping. A 23" depth would fit that bill.

[drcollie]

I'm 6' 0" shrinking to 5" 11" and I find the 9840 City too compact for me. Not that it uncomfortably so - its just a little cramped. The 9844 City on the other hand, is roomy and would be my preference. You are right on the money with your observations - anything suitable for someone 5' 4" and built for you will be tight for those taller. I've been trying to convince Hancock and Moore for close to 6 years now that there is a market for a sofa that worked like a car seat, where you could bring the seat height down and the back forward with electric motors, or go the opposite way for tall people - but I haven't been able to pitch it well enough for them to build one! So we are stuck with what we have. I think the 9844 City is more versatile, and its definitely better for napping with the deeper width and the trick just may be to buy a little bolster pillow the the sofa order that you could place behind your lower back when you want to sit upright. One of the "D" series pillows that are 12" x 27".

-Evening 1667: Has a heavier visual weight to it, sits plush and is popular.
-Bradley 4115: Good, mainstream sofa. English arm means a lower end profile on it.
-Garden 4111: Classic rolled arm sofa
-Member 1904: Has a little lower seat height on it which you might enjoy. Lighter visual weight and comes standard with gimp, A good looking piece.

[needstuff]

I think your "car seat" is a pretty good idea, actually. It's kind of amazing that nobody has done that.

[pstein15]

Feedback for shorter people. For years, we thought all sofa dimensions were the same, bought high end sofas on sale, and had back problems. We just got a loose cushion fabric Stickley Sofa from their new 500 series. Wife is 4 10, I am 5 7. Retired, with pains that come from age, and we spend an inordinate amount of time watching TV. My wife didn't want a recliner. My wife was no longer able to get up from our wonderful back saving 15 year old chairs from Klein Design (Brigger chairs). The Klein seat is deep, has a steep downward pitch, and she no longer had the arm strength to grab the wood sides and stand up. Our new sofa is great for her. She can stand up without holding the sides, super comfortable, and I am also very comfortable in it. I lie back, put my legs on the matching Ottoman. My daughter saw it, and immediately commented on the shallow depth of the seats. Not for tall people. We do have a Stickley Mission Chair on order, to accommodate our larger son/guests.

Since I mentioned the Brigger chairs let me add. They are a danger to families with young children and pets. One is a rocker, and like any rocker, you need to be careful of a small child or pet lying under the movable section. The other is a tilt back to a horizontal position, and if you tilt back without looking can easily crush the back/skull of anything lying on the floor behind it. It drops back 8 inches to a hard slam. Otherwise, great build, great leather, comfortable, probably will last forever. Just passed it on to our daughter. Loved the tilt back comfort.

So... I made the mistake 4 years ago of buying a custom sofa (buildasofa.com) and asking them to make it even shallower so I wouldn't need to always have a pillow behind my back. Oh my gosh. No one else above about 5' was comfortable on it - including me. Felt like a bench. I actually gave it away. (Been w/o a sofa for 2 years now! I don't like most current styles, and I don't like pushy sales people.)

That's an extreme example, but I don't wanna make the mistake of buying a sofa that will only be comfortable for a 5'4" person. I figure if it's a little deeper than I need it's okay - b/c I always prop my feet up on coffee table or ottoman anyway.

I'm considering the smaller 9840 City sofa now, vs the larger 9844. The difference is 10" in length, and 23" depth vs 20.5". The shorter depth woud be comfortable for me. But 23" is probably too deep (for me).

As to the height: The City sofa is only 36" tall. I measured the recliner i'm replacing, and it's 39" tall. All other things considered, is 36" height comfortable for people >= 6' tall? It seems kind of short!

Important: these sofa needs to be nappable (for me).

Argh. I'm just trying to come up with a good compromise for me & family members. How about the 1667 Evening? Back height 39", depth 21.5", seat height 20".

Suggestions?... How about:

-Bradley 4115
-Garden 4111
-Member 1904

I prefer a traditional (usually roll-arm) non-fussy style that won't fight with Austin Tilt 2023NB.

[needstuff]

Our new sofa is great for her. She can stand up without holding the sides, super comfortable, and I am also very comfortable in it. I lie back, put my legs on the matching Ottoman. My daughter saw it, and immediately commented on the shallow depth of the seats. Not for tall people.

.

Just looked that Stickley 500 series sofa up, at specification 20-1/2" deep it would be just as you say. We wound up getting a Stickley sofa too, but we must not have seen that one in the store. if we did, we probably would have bought it!