What do you sit on, and why does it matter, and much more?

I grew up in the 60's and 70's. I was surrounded by all these wonderful new inventions - most of them involving at least some degree of "chemistry" in the manufacturing of them. It was normal, it was considered wonderful, it was considered the future. But now it's 2025 and I've been enlightened by the permaculture movement.

But what hasn't changed, is the furnishings in my home.

So I'm hoping people will speak up about real life examples of furniture they sit on and relax in, that isn't full of foam that turns into powder, and covered with artificial fabrics likely treated with potentially toxic burn retardants.

I'm not at the point of looking for perfection - I will post a couple of examples of "getting there" or "has potential.

The first piece of furniture we bought was a wood rocker.  We still have it and use it.

My mother bought a kitchen dining set.  Not exactly this, but it gives the idea:


I suspect - but haven't disassembled it to prove it - that the padding in the seat is some sort of upcycled scrap fabric - maybe natural, but quite possibly not. If there's foam in there, it has to be quality, because they're still in use 50+ years later.

What material is out there that would still have some "bounce" to it after this long?

The fabric covering the chairs has been replaced multiple times. It went through a stage of "artificial leather" when my children were young, but that's not only not that nice to sit on, it cracked and looked yucky after a decade or so.

Currently, it is covered with an "end of roll" fabric I spotted at a fabric shop. Sure looks and feels artificial to me, but I wasn't as enlightened when I bought it likely 15 years ago.

What would I cover it with now? Wool isn't particularly practical for a kitchen chair - or is it? Old English trains used horse hair, because of how tough the fabric was. (Supposedly harvested from tails and mains, but not necessarily humanely. It would be possible to do so sustainably.) I would probably be looking at some sort of cotton canvas that hasn't been treated with chemicals to make it resistant to all sorts of things. Finding a leather that's hasn't been treated/ cured with chemicals would likely mean me harvesting and curing the skin myself - that would be a learning curve! There are permies out there doing it, so I would have reliable instruction at least.

I know at least one permie who believes that a well designed wooden chair should be comfortable to sit on without any padding. Not me. I'm skinny as a rail and *finding that chair* would be difficult to impossible. They are not designed for my size and lack of internal padding.

All those thoughts aside, I inherited 4 of these chairs. They still get used. They're still sturdy and functional. My grandchildren, if I'm blessed with any, could likely inherit them yet again. They are the antithesis of the modern, disposable society.

That's what this thread is about!

PS - there's a PEP badge for this: https://permies.com/wiki/167429/pep-textiles/comfy-chair-PEP-BB-textile
It calls for a wood, rather than metal frame and is intended to be a relaxing chair rather than a kitchen chair, but the point is, the SkIP program believes this is possible and important enough to earn you 25 points if you attempt it!

I sit in an office chair.  We have 2 recliners and four office chairs.

I have spent most of my life sitting in an office chair.

My neighbour has sold her late mother's house and had a few bits and pieces to clear out. I've just picked up some furniture from her that I'm intending for my polytunnel - I'm envisaging me having a relaxing time with a cup of tea and a book (fat chance!). There is a wicker chair that looks a bit like this one:


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The wicker provides quite a bit of springiness, so with a stiff cushion they are surprisingly comfortable! Also what I would describe as a metal telephone table with glass surfaces. It also has a little square cushion (to perch on when you make your call on the land line ) But I may remove that and have more surface...

We are also having the two leather sofas out of the living room and the tall sideboard (which looks to be oak).

Last time i looked into this, i found someone in Canada made sofas with latex and or down filling, and your choice of natural fabrics and natural-er leather, and hardwood frames. Not perfect, but much better, and also likely much $$$. In the "we don't post prices" range of pricing but probably excellent quality.

I've considered getting a latex futon as an environmentally friendi-er choice, without quite so high of a price tag.

Right now though, my soft furnishings are still all hand-me-downs, which have their own type of environmentally friendly ness (even if i'm not thrilled with the idea of microplastics and offgassing).

Leather has my vote as a seating material for both durability and allergen-friendliness, but I admit chrome tanning is problematic.

I have some of the This End Up furniture. The cushions are foam, covered in whatever cloth, but the frames are solid wood. And the cushions could be replaced with more natural options. I see it as a good step forward, but not as far as I would like to go.

Matt McSpadden wrote:... And the cushions could be replaced with more natural options. I see it as a good step forward, but not as far as I would like to go.

At least you're thinking about it Matt. I've been saving feathers from my ducks, and wondering how hard it would be to make cushions that would at least not be totally foam. The trouble would be making pockets to hold the feathers, so that they wouldn't all clump up in a heap. Getting "ticking" - the special cloth for making feather comforters - is not nearly as easy as it was 20 years ago. I might have to order it off the web.

I have seen a movie demonstrating how much safer wool fabric is than artificial in fire situations, so I suspect that even sewing wool covers for my existing sofa cushions might make them safer. I have done easy reupholster jobs, but never anything as fancy as a sofa. I like that Matt's sofa looks pretty easy!

Jay Angler wrote:The trouble would be making pockets to hold the feathers, so that they wouldn't all clump up in a heap.

Would it have to be pockets? Someone shared a link here on Permies (that I cannot find right now) for a site that sells natural mattresses. One of their options is a bunch of small bags that are filled. You tuck them into the frame and cover with a sheet. I think making a bunch of small bags, and then covering with a larger piece of cloth sounds much easier than trying to sew pockets into the larger piece of cloth.

Matt McSpadden wrote: I think making a bunch of small bags, and then covering with a larger piece of cloth sounds much easier than trying to sew pockets into the larger piece of cloth.

Absolutely! However, if you want nice rectangular prism sofa cushions like the back of the sofa you pictured above, I think those bags would have to be tacked in place on some sort of backing.

You also might need something like a thick, felted wool layer as a lining between the bags and the cover material. But this is just conjecture. I know that old furniture that we've taken apart that pre-dates foam, there were multiple layers of different materials, and often for the seat part, they surrounded springs.  

Part of my questions relate to two footstools I made that both need some repairs. One in particular, the issue of the stuffing not staying where I want it is huge. I'm mulling over how to fix that, and hoping for some good suggestions from this thread. I am absolutely considering some sort of layered bag system, or a tube that is spiraled into the shape I want, but in both situations, I'm inclined to find a way to tack the results.

I am not a great carpenter, but I like to imagine I am!

In lieu of skill, I put together my pennies and purchased my wife a rocking chair made by the Amish in the USA. The chair arrived disassembled and required some assembly.

I haven't built any chairs, but I did build a couple of wooden step stools, which I use in my garage both for stepping and for sitting. I'd like to build some Adirondack chairs at some point.

I try (though I often forget) to sit on the floor once a day; they say it's good for your hips and general mobility.

That’s awesome! Step stools are super handy. I’ve also heard good things about sitting on the floor — definitely helps with posture and flexibility. Adirondack chairs sound like a fun project too!

I use an old office chair that I love, it's at least 12 years old, with adjustable arms.
I see it as the perfect recycling implement. As long as the structure is good and I need a desk chair, I'm keeping it. I've already recovered it several times. It was fake leather and after about 3 years it started to shed. I've made a new cushion for the seat and covers for the arms. Lately I'm thinking the arms need more padding, and that's the next project.
Pillows are one thing we tend to not know what to do with around here- because of mold they need to be replaced pretty often (every 3 or 4 years). An old pillow or two can be sacrificed for padding, and you can use a lot. I always have fabric around, and I can also knit or crochet components. My current bottom-cushion seat cover is made from the butt of a pair of work pants, which seems appropriate.

My grandfather made a simple looking chair with a back and no arms. There was a hinge in the middle of the seat. When I asked him about it, he flipped up one side and it turned into a 3 step, step stool. Really neat design.

A gallery of sitting options here. Not only does it imply that I do a lot of sitting it also proves that if you want such a collection of “sittery” all you have to do is outlive everyone.

The Amish rocker took three actual visits to the maker’s farm, no telephone. I once arrived and found two draft horses tied to a rail and the large family at dinner at a very long table. I bought two, walnut for my mother and cherry for my Aunt Nellie.

The other rocker belonged to “Uncle”, my grandmother’s brother who sat in it in his kitchen until he died at one hundred and one. The seat must have been replaced more than once.

The settee”?” was actually three wicker chairs configured in a couple of ways. They came out of a National Park hotel in the nineteen forties. The seats are deeper than standard and my seamstress sisters made the lovely cushions for them. The small settee, I was told, was a converted baby crib.

The sling chair was a garage sale acquisition. My adult grandchildren hang out in it in the garden and “mellow out”. I would be unable to get out of it short of on my hands and knees. I expect the fabric to give way at any moment. To each her own.

Matt McSpadden wrote:My grandfather made a simple looking chair with a back and no arms. There was a hinge in the middle of the seat. When I asked him about it, he flipped up one side and it turned into a 3 step, step stool. Really neat design.

Sounds like a library chair! Another thing you can still get from the Amish community if you are not gifted yourself.



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My sisters and I bought something similar for my Mum for her to reach the bookshelves in her house.

I do like multifunctional furniture - those modular wicker settee unitsof Roberta's are also pretty neat!

Nancy Reading wrote:Sounds like a library chair! Another thing you can still get from the Amish community if you are not gifted yourself.

I didn't know they had a name. That is exactly the kind of chair it was... though the one my grandfather built wasn't quite so pretty as that one :)

Nancy Reading wrote: My sisters and I bought something similar for my Mum for her to reach the bookshelves in her house.

A friend has one she uses as both a kitchen chair, and a kitchen stepstool. Saves having to have a spot in the kitchen for a stepstool! I should keep my eyes open for one.

I do like multifunctional furniture - those modular wicker settee units of Roberta's are also pretty neat!

Yes, I wish I had more furniture that is multi-purpose or that's at least easy to collapse and fold away, yet still really comfortable when it's in use. Too often, one use gets compromised due to cost or poor engineering.

I have been fallowing some families in rural Viet Nam that make stools or chairs just high enough to support them in a squatting position.  From a muscular skeletal perspective this is healthy.  Ideally when working while sitting 1/3 of your weight should be on each foot.   This allows the movement of the arms  and head to be supported by the ground force instead of putting strain on the pelvis and low back.