Types of Floor Seating for Office: From Cushions to Low Sofas

Floor seating became very popular when pictures from the offices of Google were introduced to the world. There was a sense that it was going to become the preferred seating method in offices, particularly for millennials. As the years went on, some of these cushions started to disappear a bit from workplaces. 

Now, many people question whether floor seating cushions are a good idea in office spaces. Maybe the biggest problem with some of these is that they weren’t really comfortable floor seating. People started complaining about back issues from sitting on bean bag chairs for extended periods. 

This doesn’t mean that floor seating ideas can’t benefit an office space. The key is to find the best floor chair that people will actually want to sit on. We’ve explored plenty of options and have come up with some key features that we feel are essential to create truly comfortable floor seating areas. 

Pros and Cons of Floor Seating

There are certainly positive elements to sitting on the floor. That’s why many cultures continue to habitually sit on the floor within their own homes. When it comes to office spaces, the sense was that it allowed “creativity” to flow a bit better than it did a desk. Is there any truth to these ideas? 

Pros

It’s going to be easier to stretch your legs out if you’re sitting on the floor. Even if you do cramp up after a while, you can switch your seating position much quicker than you would in a larger chair. It could also be a way to fit more people within a smaller space. 

If everyone in the workplace took their office chair to a meeting point, it could get really hectic. That’s why many companies have opted to feature the typical floor gaming chair in their lounge areas. These chairs also tend to be much cheaper than larger, more formal seating options.

Cons

The main issue that we see is that you may need to buy an office chair for tailbone pain after sitting in these chairs for a long time. Even some of the options, like the best papasan chair you can find on the market, which is not at floor level, won’t be too comfortable. There could also be a very serious durability concern brewing here. 

People will be more willing to throw themselves at a bean bag chair than they will be at a chair with lumbar support. Since these chairs are more likely to be thrown around, they start to rip, and the insides go flying all over the place. There are different types of chairs that don’t have this flaw but could exhibit other issues.

Types of Floor Seating for Adults

We just mentioned that not all of the floor chairs out there are bean bags. There are other options available that could actually be a better match for some office spaces. That’s especially the case when you’re trying to build an area that people can feel comfortable sitting in for longer periods. 

Cushions

Cushions can come in all shapes and sizes. Ideally, if you’re trying to set up a seating area, you’ll want to use cushions that are thick and won’t lose their shape when a person sits in them. Otherwise, they could be a really uncomfortable option. 

The good thing about cushions is that they’re usually cheap and easy to find. They can come in all different colors to match the room or the table that they'll be placed around. Some people just won’t feel comfortable in these, though.

Poufs

Poufs are almost like oversized pillows. It’s important to check what they’re actually made from, both on the inside and out. That’s going to determine whether or not they’ll be comfortable. Some may be a bit too large for some office spaces, that’s something to keep in mind.

Meditation Pillows

It’s kind of hard to put all of these pillows in one category because they can be so different from each other. If you can find some of the longer pillows that are more comfortable versions of a yoga mat, those can look great around a small table. They can help precisely create a meditation room in an office.

Low Sofas and Loungers

These can be perhaps the “comfiest” of the bunch. Another benefit that workplaces could have is that they’ll be able to seat more people. People who work on their laptops are going to be more willing to spend considerable time on these loungers. 

The only thing about these that we felt was an issue is that they’re not a great option for certain companies. There are industries, particularly in the creative sector, where you may want your employees to walk around and not be tied to a desk. In other industries, these can be considered a bit of a distraction. 

Bolsters

Bolsters can be more of an add-on to floor seating areas. They can work really well with the meditation pillows. Especially if you’re setting up an area with longer meditation pillows like we suggested. 

What we don’t love is that, in many cases, they’re just a neat design element in some of these areas. Since they are not overly necessary, it may be hard to justify the costs of adding even a few of these. That’s all going to come down to what the company wants to do. 

Bean Bags

We’ve already referenced these, and even though they may not be as popular as they were in the late 2000s, they can still be found in company “lounges.” They provide a nice opportunity to “politely” stretch your entire body out. Even if you’re sitting in the best ergonomic chair that you can find, your muscles can get tight. 

When that happens, you’re going to want to stretch out, but doing so in certain spots can be considered rude. It may not be the worst idea to have a couple of these chairs in a lounge area to allow employees to decompress. The issue is these chairs tend to make the person sitting in them sink to the floor, and that makes them a bit uncomfortable for long-term use.

How to Incorporate Floor Seating into Workplace?

The first thing that you’re going to have to figure out is what type of room you want to create. We’ve spoken a bit about the vibe that some of these floor seating options give off. The type of room that you’ll create with a few low sofas and loungers can be completely different than one filled with meditation pillows. 

You may want to ask yourself, when do you want workers to use this room? If it’s going to be a lounge where they can relax away from their usual desk, then maybe the bean bags and the couches will be great options. When you want to set up a meditation room, which is a growing trend for sure, then the cushions and meditation pillows need to be brought out. 

Where the space that you have is located and how much of it you have available can also dictate how you approach this. Let’s say that you want to create a place for people to meditate in the middle of the room, but you want to take up as little space as possible. In that situation, some nice cushions will be enough to “create” that area. 

One of the biggest mistakes that companies make is to cram a couple of bean bag chairs into a smelly backroom and call that an employee lounge. If the space isn’t welcoming, people are not going to use it. The result is going to be lost storage space in a room that has no real purpose.

 If you do have a spare room within the office, it can be a good idea not only to have different seating options but also to have certain perks. Maybe you can add a fridge with some cool beverages. Anything that you can think of that would make people actually want to use the space.

Where to Find and Buy Floor Seating?

Floor seating is a bit unique in the sense that some furniture stores, for example, won’t feature a massive line-up of options. They may sell a cross-legged chair and a couple of cushions. If you’re looking for meditation pillows, you may need to head to a specialized store. 

Here are a couple of stores that, in some cases, do sell a wider variety of floor seating options. That way, you can get a better sense of what direction you want to go in when you set up your floor seating space. 

1. Autonomous

Autonomous is better known for its ergonomic office chair line. The brand also features a larger marketplace that’s part of the site where you can find different types of chairs on sale. You could find bean bag chairs as well as small couches.

Exploring the wider marketplace, where you may find certain products that the brand doesn’t directly manufacture, you'll spot plenty of options to set up a floor seating area. One of the things that we really like about this marketplace is that most of the items that are there are sold at decent prices. 

You also get the assurance that the shipping is handled directly by the brand and not a third-party seller. That means you’ll have access to the warranty policies that the brand offers. All of this makes the buying process much smoother, even if you are buying a product that the company doesn’t directly make. 

The company also has an interesting bulk order program that you may want to take advantage of. This program grants discounts to clients who buy plenty of products from the brand. While you’re there, you may want to explore their smart desk options or any other gadgets since you can access more of a discount when you purchase more items.

2. Ultimate Sack

The name of the company gives people a clear sense of what they can expect to find here. This company specializes in bean bag chairs and poufs. It sells these items in all shapes, sizes, and colors. 

If there’s a downside to this company, it would be the fact that they feature a very limited selection of items. The benefit, though, is that they do make these chairs. Furthermore, the poufs tend to be a bit more durable than what you can find on some of the larger marketplaces. 

Bean bag chairs from no-name brands can be a coin flip in the durability department. Some of the product descriptions don’t end up matching what you actually get delivered to your door. If you want to buy one of these chairs, it wouldn’t hurt to give these guys a look. The prices on these chairs may be higher than you’d expect, but as we mentioned, they are higher quality items.

3. Chakra Galaxy

This store is going to be the perfect place to find all sorts of cushions and meditation pillows. They even sell bolsters as well if you want to complement your purchase. Many of the items that we just listed are not going to be found in regular stores. 

When going through the different options that we found on the site, we realized it’s an interesting marketplace. They sell mediation pillows, for example, of all shapes and sizes. If you have a particular type of pillow that you want to look for, this can be a good place to start. 

The main thing that worries us about this particular brand is that we don’t know that they have enough stock. That can be a problem for companies that want to set up a very large mediation space. It’s still completely worth it to give them a call and let them know that you may want to purchase multiple items.

Final Thoughts

There are plenty of great ways to set up floor seating areas in an office. As mentioned, the first step is figuring out what you want people to be able to do in that spot. If you want to make a place where people can relax, then don’t go with small cushions. 

Once you’re able to figure out what you want to build, you’ll have an easier path toward the construction of that vision.