Imagine sitting on your bed putting on socks when it dawns on you that you have been awkwardly balancing on your bed for the past eight months. That was how my roommate and I felt during winter last year. We jumped around from one foot like ridiculous flamingos while putting on socks.
We just came to terms with the fact that our tiny bedroom needed a chair. Living space My roommate has about 12 feet of actual floor space that isn’t covered by her bed, dresser, or pathway to her closet door. It was hard to imagine squeezing any furniture into that small bedroom.
After stubbing my toe for the tenth time while putting on socks and stockings that winter, I decided something needed to change. First, I knew I had to set my expectations low.
I took out my tape measure and calculated that I had about 28 inches by 30 inches in the corner of my bedroom.
I spent the next few hours looking up adorable chairs online only to find they looked nothing like their pictures. What looked like the perfect accent chair from far away turned into one of those wonky angle photos when you saw it up close. Trust me, I would know—they look like miniature chairs until they’re in your living room.
Ordering an Oversized Chair Online My initial approach was less than ideal. I ordered this horrible velvet tufted chair from a well-known homeware website that starts with Schmoverstock. It was labeled as 26 inches wide and just barely fit the dimensions I had measured.
The chair looked like it was designed for children or hobbits once I saw it in person. To make matters worse, it was velvet. Velvet soaks up every speck of dust and lint as if it’s going out of style.
I promptly returned it. The Chair You See In My Room Now Then I found her. Hidden behind an overly-printed couch that Satan spit out during one of his bad days was my throne.
An adorable wooden chair with clean arms and elegant upholstery. The furniture was this dark grey color that looked durable, yet soft to the touch. I inquired about the chair with the owner of the furniture shop and Janet told me that it used to belong to a local hotel that recently had an interior redesign.
The dimensions were perfect. 24 inches wide, twenty-six inches deep, and thirty-one inches tall. Buyer Tips If I could give any advice to future readers trying to fit furniture into a tiny room it would be to measure twice and live in your space.
Live in your space and know how you want to utilize that living space. I got so caught up on finding the chair that would fit into my space that I almost forgot why I wanted a chair in that specific spot. Will you enjoy sitting in it?
Does it pass the Sunday morning test? Would you be able to sit there with your coffee and a paper without feeling like you’re on display? These were all questions I asked myself when looking at this beautiful chair.
The build quality of this chair was impeccable. The frame is made from oak wood which is pretty standard. I say that because you don’t want your chair falling apart whenever you shift around.
You Might Also Like
As for the upholstery, it has lasted me six months of everyday use, two red wine spills, and my cat thinking she’s clawing her next meal out of it. Tip: the grey upholstery didn’t show dirt, but man did it show cat hair. Assembly was basically nonexistent.
Unless you count lifting the chair and placing it in the corner of your room as assembly. This chair has changed my life for the better. Not only do I have a seat to put on my clothes, but it’s somewhere I can sit and relax knowing that I don’t have to dump my clothes on the dining table to fold them.
I actually spend time in that corner of my room now. I wasn’t going to lie to y’all and tell you that this chair was cheap. It was $180, but here is what I found out.
Hotels usually spend anywhere between $300-$500 on new furniture for their rooms and Janet said they only paid $375 for this beauty. So if you do any research on retail prices for chairs like this, You’ll find that it’s definitely reasonable for the quality. The ambiance of my room changed when I put this chair in the corner.
It used to be wasted space. An open area that collected dust bunnies and piles of laundry I forgot I owned. Now it’s a cozy nook I find myself sitting in on weekends just to reminisce.
Cheesy? Maybe. But true none the less.
Side note, having a seat in that corner of my room actually kept it cleaner. I found myself throwing less stuff there since it was designated seating. It’s kind of like how you’re less likely to litter on Broadway than you would in an empty parking lot.
Fit and Finish The chair fits the scale of my bedroom perfectly. It’s small enough that it doesn’t overwhelm the space but big enough to actually sit.
The color wasn’t distracting and went well with my current bedding and curtains.
But also wasn’t bland that you looked at the chair and wondered where it was. I would recommend measuring your actual walk from your bedroom to your apartment floor the chairs will be moving up and down to ensure it can make the trek. Mine barely fit at the top of my stairs with about an inch to spare on my stair’s turn.
Also think about how high you want the arms to be. If you plan on sliding your chair under a desk you may want lower arms. All in all I learned that small spaces can be cozy and offer comfort in places you didn’t know you needed.
My local furniture shop proved that you can find lovely furniture at a great price if you just look in the right place. Someone else’s unwanted furniture is practically hotel furniture for a great price. The corner of my bedroom went from not existing to one of my favorite spots.
Best money I’ve spent on furniture recently. And yes it took me three tries to get there.
