flexible seating for guests

July 21, 2017 3:23 AM

I am looking for suggestions for comfortable, attractive floor seating solutions that I can fold or roll up and put away when not using them.

I have a tiny flat and would love to be able to entertain more but I only have a sofa that seats 2 and a swivel chair. I would like some floor seating to allow people to sprawl out and get comfortable but I don't have the space for an armchair or a large bean bag that I can't put away when I am not using it.

It's not that I haven't found some options online, but they're all kind of ugly or don't seem to be well-reviewed or from reputable sellers. It would really help me to have some personal experience-based recommendations.

Alternately, any other suggestions for how to comfortably fit more people into my apartment for relaxed get togethers? I would like to do this without resorting to plastic/foldable/stackable chairs.

posted by Ziggy500 to Home & Garden (15 answers total)

Response by poster: Oops! Should have added that I'm in the UK.
posted by Ziggy500 at 3:23 AM on July 21, 2017

I'm assuming your looking for seating that's more for a party? Or just hanginging around. These crazy creek chairs are ridiculously comfortable (when you are se them you tend to lean back into them so the front isn't on the ground). However, not everyone is going to be happy getting on the floor like that (or if you're wearing a skirt or dress).
posted by raccoon409 at 4:01 AM on July 21, 2017 [1 favorite]

Maybe something like this or this?
posted by Mchelly at 4:19 AM on July 21, 2017

A few thai-style triangle cushions?
posted by citands at 5:24 AM on July 21, 2017 [10 favorites]

Best answer: Hiya! We have a house that is 12 feet (3.6m) wide so I feel your pain. I made a plan where every surface doubled as seating. Our coffee table is a Bjurstra bench (but there are loads in many lengths.) A stack of Halo cushions with the ties cut off sits underneath. We have a stack of two Frosta stools on each end of the couch as end tables.

Functionally, we mostly use the Halos on top of the bench as foot rests but we have had 14 people in here, using the bench as seating, people on the floor on cushions, people on the un-stacked stools, etc.
posted by DarlingBri at 5:28 AM on July 21, 2017 [7 favorites]

Best answer: I think DarlingBri has it! Was going to suggest floor cushions. A few of these at least and I like the idea of pairing them with other dual-functional furniture. We have a little more room but I still like furniture to have multiple functions and multiple lives.
posted by amanda at 5:38 AM on July 21, 2017 [1 favorite]

Bench (that usually lives at the foot of our bed) + stacking stools as Darling Bri mentioned... and they work surprisingly well if you do the stools up against a wall- you can lean against the wall and it's pretty decently comfy. You can also ikea hack the marius stools to better match your décor.
posted by larthegreat at 5:43 AM on July 21, 2017

Best answer: Floor cushions work really well for this. I think mine are from Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel, but I'm not sure the specific manufacturer matters so much for this, as just "find a color/pattern you like." They stack easily or can be tucked away under a coffee table or something when not in use. (Or if you want to leave one out, they dual-purpose as cat beds, but then you do have to lint-roll them very well before you entertain. Ask me how I know.)
posted by Stacey at 5:59 AM on July 21, 2017 [3 favorites]

I love my Lamzac hangouts. I use them all the time. A lot of people seem to find it hard to inflate them, but once I figured it out, it's actually very easy. I bought the first one online and found a second one at Marshall's the next year for a fraction of the price.

Super comfy and they fit into a bag the size of a medium purse.
posted by futureisunwritten at 6:03 AM on July 21, 2017 [6 favorites]

Inflatable furniture / bean bag chairs?
posted by blue_beetle at 6:10 AM on July 21, 2017

Yoga mats? The thick kind. Maybe have some around as an alternative to cushions or low chairs for guests who get uncomfortable being stuck in one position for too long. Someone had a question on MeFi about the discomfort of sitting upright in an office chair for a long period of time. Floor cushions and the like can be similarly uncomfortable for the uninitiated. I know yoga mats would not work in most offices, but as a guest, I would certainly be very appreciative of one.
posted by Crystal Fox at 6:40 AM on July 21, 2017

We have storage ottomans instead of a coffee table. Great for seating (and storing!). I don't think you have Crate & Barrel in the UK, but these are the ones we have.
posted by radioamy at 8:55 AM on July 21, 2017

Even the fairly cheap storage ottomans I have support up to 300 pounds, and they come flat-packed, so all you have to do is flip up the bottom and fold them flat with the tray/seat/lid on top and slide them under your sofa when not in use. This one, from Amazon UK, says it supports up to 300kg.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:14 AM on July 21, 2017

Best answer: Adding: if you can use ottomans as a coffee table/foot rest, that is also a great solution because hey who doesn't like storage. Almost all ottomans I could find were too wide for our space. A few centimeters doesn't seem like it would be all that important, but flow is key to a welcoming space. If items look like they are obstructing peoples' ability to walk freely through clear paths, the outcome is sub-optimal.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:31 AM on July 22, 2017

Response by poster: I think a combo of the floor cushion plus coffee-table solution offered by DarlingBri is the way forward. Thanks so much, all.
posted by Ziggy500 at 2:02 AM on July 27, 2017