CushionGuide
Get a quote

The Cutting Table · a question, worked through

How high is the floor sofa seat, and can it be raised?

Measure it on day one and you'll write down the wrong number. Vacuum-packed foam needs a couple of days before a tape measure is worth anything.

Answered by

The Pattern Engineer of Detroit · · Updated

Pinned by Nate

The quick answer

The floor sofa seat sits about 13 1/2 in (34-35 cm) off the floor, built from two stacked cushions of roughly 6 3/4 in (17 cm) each. Wait 36-48 hours or more for the vacuum-packed foam to expand before measuring. If it is still too low, extra seat cushions or 4 or 8 in (10 or 20 cm) foam layers raise it, with a matching ottoman layer.

Get a quote for a modular floor sofa

Key facts

  • Seat height: about 13 1/2 in (34-35 cm) from floor to top, two 6 3/4 in (17 cm) cushions stacked.
  • The pouf sofa is 43 x 43 in (109 x 109 cm) with a 13.5 in (34 cm) seat height.
  • Allow 36-48 hours or more for vacuum-packed foam to expand before measuring.
  • Seat height can be raised for an extra charge.
  • Extra seat cushions or 4 or 8 in (10 or 20 cm) foam layers are sold through a direct link.
  • A matching layer can be added to the ottoman so the heights line up.
  • Custom foam layers are made to order; ask for the making time in writing.

Have it made

Have Nate’s workshop cut this for you

Every edge and both diagonals, to the nearest 1/4 in. If the numbers do not close, the workshop will say so on the call. — Nate

Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
The cover cloth: weave, color and care code.
Foam
Allow 36-48 hours or more for vacuum-packed foam to expand before measuring.
Piping
The corded seam edge: matching, contrast or none.
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

Measuring the seat without fooling yourself

  1. Wait out the expansion

    Give the foam 36-48 hours or more after unrolling; a day-one reading comes up short.

  2. Tape floor to top of seat

    Measure to the top of the seat cushion, not the backrest. Expect about 13 1/2 in.

  3. Size the gap

    Compare with a seat you find comfortable; the gap picks a 4 in or an 8 in layer.

  4. Level the ottoman

    Order a matching ottoman layer at the same time.

Follow-up: the listing says 14 in, mine reads 12

A buyer in the US wrote exactly that. Step one was patience: 36-48 hours or more for full expansion. Measure twice; the fabric remembers.

If it still falls short, the fix is a layer, not a return. The workshop offered an extra foam layer, for example an 8 in (20 cm) mattress to pair with a 6 in (15 cm) one, plus a matching ottoman layer. Those custom layers were quoted at 7-9 days of making, and the added height carried an extra charge.

Run your numbers through the seat height calculator first, and see modular floor sofas for the layouts.

Ways to gain height

AddHeight gainedNotes
One more seat cushionOne cushion's thicknessBought separately through a direct link
4 in foam layer4 in (10 cm)Custom, made to order
8 in foam layer8 in (20 cm)Custom, made to order
Ottoman layerSame as the seat layerKeeps seat and footrest level

Follow-up: what about the pouf sofa?

Same rule, different numbers. The pouf sofa measures 43 x 43 in (109 x 109 cm), and its 13.5 in (34 cm) is floor to seat, not floor to backrest. When it looks small at first, that is the vacuum packing; it takes a few days to fully expand.

What is the seat height of the chair you sit in most comfortably, partner?

Floor sofa seat height is about 13 1/2 in, two 6 3/4 in cushions stacked; a 4 or 8 in foam layer raises it, with a matching layer for the ottoman.

Nate Kowalski
Share on X (opens a new window)

Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    How high is the corner sofa from the floor to the top of the cushions?

    The workshop's answer

    About 13 1/2 in (34 cm): two stacked cushions of 6 3/4 in (17 cm) each. The height can be increased for an extra charge.

  2. A common question

    Can I buy extra floor cushions to sit higher?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Extra seat cushions are sold separately by the same workshop through a direct purchase link.

  3. A common question

    Is the pouf sofa truly 43 x 43 in, and is 13.5 in the seat height?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes on both. It measures 43 x 43 in (109 x 109 cm), and 13.5 in (34 cm) is floor to seat. When it looks small at first, that is the vacuum packing; it takes a few days to expand fully.

  4. A common question

    Can the floor sofa be made narrower to fit my space?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Order the standard sofa and write your width in the note, such as 60, 65 or 70 in (152, 165 or 178 cm). A narrower sofa has been priced the same as the standard size, and the custom width added some production time to that order.

Questions buyers ask next

Why does a brand-new floor sofa look lower than its listing?

Because vacuum-packed foam is still recovering. Straight out of the roll the cushions sit low; after 36-48 hours or more they reach full height. Measure only after that, from the floor to the top of the seat.

Should the ottoman get a foam layer too?

Yes, if you raise the seat. A matching layer for the ottoman keeps the footrest level with the new seat height. Order both layers together, since each custom layer is made to order.

Is floor sofa seat height measured to the backrest?

No. Seat height runs from the floor to the top of the seat cushion. The backrest stands higher and plays no part in the 13 1/2 in figure, or the pouf sofa's 13.5 in.