Furniture dimensions don't come out of the air. They come out of heavy research that, thankfully, a lot of people have already done for us and written books on; if you're a designer, you ought have a copy of one of these books (see bottom of this entry). While these reference bibles of human dimensions haven't yet been updated to account for us supersized Americans, they still provide a good jumping-off point for determining rough dimensions, angles and heights. But maybe you're designing something at the studio and the book is back in your dorm, or maybe you're at your office desk and the book is sitting on a shelf in the room occupied by that creepy new intern you're trying to avoid. Well, have no fear, we've gathered some basic reference info here that you can bookmark and refer to in a pinch. For those designing a basic chair, Wood Magazine has a great article called "Must-have measurements for comfortable seating" that draws on furniture industry guidelines to provide ideal figures.

(Well, ideal if you're a 5'10" male.) To read the details behind those letters called out on the drawings, read the original article here. Maybe you're designing something a little loungier, like a sofa or easy chair. A feature story in Futon Life (wow, there really is a magazine for everything) provides some basic figures for both level-bottom and tilted-bottom reclining.ace party & chair rental company Along these lines there is also this frustratingly unattributed image floating around the interwebs, which I assume was ripped off of Dreyfuss or perhaps Niels Diffrient's now-unaffordable Humanscale books.chair bed for elderly Office solutions provider Allsteel has combed through data from BIFMA (the trade association for Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers) to produce Ergonomics and Design: A Reference Guide [PDF]. antique mahogany dining chairs for sale

In it you'll find images like the following: For a more coherent set of workstation dimensions including the numbers for seating/worksurface on the same page, you may want to refer to the drawings below, from Ernest Irving Freese's Architectural Record. However, be aware: There are no measurements for computer monitors in these drawings—because they were developed way back in 1932. desk chair mat ikea(While it's not indicated on the drawing, all of these figures in the illustrations are starving because it was the Great Depression.)cheap swivel patio chairs If you've scored your first commission to design a bar or restaurant, or if you're looking to design a similar set-up for a domestic or office situation, these images from an Americans with Disabilities Act pamphlet may prove useful:dining chair covers taupe

If you're designing a bespoke piece of furniture for a single client, their body is the only one you need to worry about, never mind the 95th percentile. In that case, here are the measurements you'll need to take. (The image is from a 1962 U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare pamphlet called Weight, Height, and Selected Body Dimensions of Adults [PDF]. office desk and chair set - oak effectIt contains figures that are probably outdated, but this diagram will remind you what to measure.)wicker dining chairs ikea If you only need the rough dimensions of a chair--for example, if you're just banging out some quick mock-ups to populate a CAD environment and you'd like the scale to be close--you might find the following image helpful. buy cheap baby pushchair

(Again, the image is recirculating on Tumblr with no attribution.) If you look hard enough, you'll find some websites are blatantly posting scans of the books mentioned below. For those of you that would rather legally purchase them, here you go: Human Dimension & Interior Space The Measure of Man and Woman: Human Factors in Design Architectural Graphic Standards: Student EditionCornell University Ergonomics Web DEA 3250/6510 CLASS NOTES Sitting and Chair Design 1. Introduction - An estimated 50% of people in the industrialized world suffer some form of back complaint and many of these are related to poor seat design. sit and what we sit on affects the health of the spine. is the most frequently damaged (L4 and L5). The vertebrae in the lumbar region are the largest in the spine. 2. Posture - the relative orientation of parts of the body in space. 3. Biomechanics of Sitting - depending on chair and posture, some proportion of total body weight is transferred to the floor via the seat

pan and feet, armrests, and backrests. 4. Sitting Postures - Sitting with the knees and hips flexed, pelvis rotated backward leads to minimize lordosis, flat, or even kyphotic lumbarThree types of sitting postures normally distinguished: 5. Factors Influencing Posture - 6. Preferred Sitting Angle - Sitting leads to 40 - 90% more stress on the back (disc pressure) than standing posture. 7. Seat Design Criteria Back to DEA 3250/6510 menu Sign up or log in to customize your list. Here's how it works: Anybody can ask a question The best answers are voted up and rise to the top I'm building an outdoor couch and want to put an angle on the back piece. What is a generally acceptable angle for the back piece? In the photos below, I've rotated the back pieced to 15°, but is just a guess. I am sure there are some "standards" but note that there are individual preferences. Take car seats for instance with their range of adjustability.

However rear car seats in a sedan or those in many pickup trucks are not adjustable and you may be able to use that as a guide. Note that comfort in seating often has the seat bottom sloped down toward the back some too. Case in point would be for you to look at some plans for deck chairs or lawn chairs. The rear sloped seat bottom is especially pronounced in Adirondack style chairs. Another thing to think about. If the seat base is too long front to back the seat back slope can be extremely awkward for persons with shorter legs. Your pictures give the impression of seat bottoms that may be too deep from front to back for generally comfortable seating. It may be worth a half day trip to a furniture store and to a home center where deck furniture and lawn chairs are sold. You can learn a lot first hand from what you find comfortable to sit in rather than guessing while drawing away in a CAD program. Old question I know but since I am also building a sofa and Google kindly sent me here during my research today, I thought I'd finish off the piece....

15 degrees is good for the back angle, BUT you should also slope the seat base down towards the back 5 degrees also. This stops people sliding forwards when they lean back and maintains the ideal 100 degree angle for lounging... Michaels last point is extremely good advice. I did exactly that at IKEA and learned a lot. Mostly about how low outdoor sofas were and that most seemed to have quite low backs also. Take a tape measure plus a camera and photograph the tape in place across the parts you're interested in. Ignore the funny looks! Why not take advantage of the small fortunes these companies must spend on design. Incidentally IKEA sell their water resistant outdoor cushion range independent of the furniture, which is perfect if you're making your own hardware... Sign up or log in Sign up using Google Sign up using Email and Password Post as a guest By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service. Not the answer you're looking for?