Floor Seating Ideas for Reading Nooks, Guests, Kids and Small Rooms
Floor seating ideas by room and use, from a reading nook with a backrest to a floor chair that opens into a spare bed, with tips to make floor seating comfortable.
Maybe the sofa is the only place to read, friends are coming to stay with no spare bed, or the living room has no space for one more chair. The floor seating ideas below start from those uses. A cushion you perch on for a few minutes can be almost anything soft. One you settle into for an evening needs something to lean on: a wall, the front of the sofa or a cushion with its own backrest.
Pick a triangle cushion with a built-in backrest for reading, a 3-fold one that opens into a mattress for guests, square cushions that stack for a small room, and a mat that rolls away for a quiet practice corner. Where one of our own pieces fits, we give its listing size. All are handmade in Thailand. We don't sell poufs, bean bags or floor sofas, so those appear as general ideas only.
Floor seating ideas by room and use
A reading nook with a backrest
A Thai triangle cushion is a flat seat cushion joined to a triangular backrest, a floor chair in one piece. For reading, a 1-fold version is enough. KAN YA PAK is 70 cm long, 50 cm wide and 32 cm high, with natural kapok filling and a cream woven cotton cover. Its listing calls it light and easy to carry and store.
Set it against a wall or bookcase and add a floor lamp. Our A SA RA bamboo floor lamp comes in seven sizes, 35 to 83 cm (14 to 33 in) tall, and its listing suggests a taller one beside a reading chair. It is for indoor use, and the bulb is not included.
A floor chair that becomes a spare bed
For guests with no spare room, a 3-fold triangle cushion does two jobs. PRA PA WEE has an ivory white cotton cover and 100% natural kapok filling. As a floor chair it measures 170 x 50 x 32 cm; opened out, it is a 225 x 50 cm floor mattress.
Even as a chair it is 170 cm long, so check the floor space first. At 50 cm wide it makes a bed for one; add a pillow and a duvet. Our guide to using a 3-fold Thai triangle cushion covers the ways to set one up.
Two square cushions for a small living room
A pair of square floor cushions gives two extra seats that disappear when you need the floor. KANTIMA is 45 x 45 cm, padded, with a cotton cover, and its listing describes it as easy to move, stack and store. Keep two stacked by the sofa and pull them out when people come round. A pouf does a similar job and doubles as a footrest. Neither has a back, so both suit shorter sits.
A kids' den or teenager's corner
Lay a rug to mark out the space, then add a few floor cushions to sit on, stack or build into a fort. A bean bag is the other familiar choice for a teenager. Pick pieces you don't mind being moved around, because they will be.
A lounge layer in front of the sofa
When the sofa fills up, use the floor in front of it. Put floor cushions on the rug so people can sit with their backs against the sofa base, and add a bolster to lean on or rest an arm across. GAVIN is a black kapok bolster, 66 x 25 cm (26 x 10 in). On its own a bolster is a backrest, not a seat, so pair it with cushions.
A quiet practice corner
A zabuton is the flat, square mat often laid under a zafu, the round cushion used for meditation. Used alone, it is a padded square to sit on, though with no backrest it suits practice more than lounging. PA THA PEE is 70 x 70 cm (28 x 28 in) and 4.5 cm thick, with natural kapok filling and a cotton cover. It rolls up to 70 x 20 x 20 cm to fit in a cupboard.
A covered terrace or balcony
Some of our floor cushions also work on a covered terrace, veranda or roofed balcony. KAN YA PAK's listing includes covered outdoor areas such as a shaded terrace, and KANTIMA's covers indoor and covered outdoor use. A stacked pair of KANTIMA is quick to carry out and back in. Keep them under cover and bring them inside afterwards.
A low corner for conversation, without a sofa
If you would rather skip the sofa, run seating along one wall at floor level: a large rug, a row of triangle cushions with their backrests against the wall, and a low table in the middle for cups. Three 1-fold cushions at 50 cm wide take up 150 cm of wall. Mixing colours from our Thai triangle cushion collection stops the row looking like a waiting room.
How to make floor seating comfortable
- Lean on something: a wall, the sofa front, a triangle cushion's backrest or a bolster.
- Put a rug or mat underneath to take the hardness and chill off wooden, tiled or decked floors.
- Keep a lamp for reading and a low table or tray for a cup within reach.
- Plan where it goes when you need the floor. Square cushions stack, a zabuton rolls up and a 1-fold triangle cushion is light to carry away.
Choosing between a floor cushion, a zabuton and a triangle cushion
| Seat | Backrest | Folds, rolls or stacks | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square floor cushion (KANTIMA, 45 x 45 cm) | No | Stacks | Extra seats, short sits |
| Zabuton mat (PA THA PEE, 70 x 70 x 4.5 cm) | No | Rolls to 70 x 20 x 20 cm | Meditation, quiet practice |
| 1-fold triangle cushion (KAN YA PAK, 70 x 50 x 32 cm) | Yes | Light to carry and store | Reading, covered terraces |
| 3-fold triangle cushion (PRA PA WEE, 170 x 50 x 32 cm) | Yes | Opens to a 225 x 50 cm mattress | Reading, overnight guests |
| Bolster (GAVIN, 66 x 25 cm) | Something to lean on | No | Lounging with other cushions |
Floor seating FAQs
What can I use for floor seating?
Floor cushions, zabuton mats, Thai triangle cushions with a built-in backrest, bolsters, poufs and bean bags all work. Choose by use: square cushions for extra seats, a triangle cushion for reading, a 3-fold triangle cushion that doubles as a spare bed, or a zabuton for meditation.
How do I make floor seating comfortable?
Give yourself something to lean on: a wall, the sofa front, a bolster or a cushion with its own backrest. Put a rug or mat underneath on hard floors, keep a lamp and a low table within reach, and choose pieces that stack or roll away.
What is a Thai triangle cushion used for?
A Thai triangle cushion is a flat seat joined to a triangular backrest, so it works as a floor chair. Our listings suggest them for reading, meditation and everyday floor seating in living rooms and bedrooms. A 3-fold version also opens into a floor mattress; PRA PA WEE opens to 225 x 50 cm, a spare bed for one guest.
Can floor cushions go outside?
Some of ours can, but only in covered outdoor areas such as a covered terrace, veranda or roofed balcony. KANTIMA's listing covers indoor and covered outdoor use, and KAN YA PAK's includes a shaded terrace. They are not for an open garden: keep them out of the rain and bring them inside afterwards.
