The reason why people invented chairs and sofas is because we realized that seating on the floor isn't so comfortable.

It's all fun and games until you wake up with back pain. It's fine to do it once in a while, but unless you have amazing posture, I think it would eventually start to hurt if you did it consistently.

Plenty of people around the world sit on the floor instead of using chairs and sofas, and they are perfectly comfortable. You wouldn't call them uncivilized, would you?

No, TripleNerdScore, I wouldn't. I believe sitting on the floor is perfectly healthy and comfortable!

TripleNerdScore, i am not saying that they are uncivilized because I grew up sitting on the floor too. it was never so comfortable.

Being in my 50's, it's so much more comfortable (and easier) to sit in and rise from a chair. But my daughter would love this!

I once mentioned to a friend that I hate sitting on the floor more than anything.

"Really?" he replied, "More than EVIL?"

My answer was yes.

btw, EVIL is a great Swedish movie I highly recommend. lol

I don't call you uncivilized... I call you YOUNG! Give me a cushy chair over hauling my aging bones off the floor any time.

Yep -- definitely for the younger set and those who find it customary. I'll keep my elevated seating, thanks very much! (But I do find the "Flying Carpet" a fascinating idea for a kids' area...)

I echo TripleNerdScore's remark. Plenty of refined cultures around the world sit on the floor. Take Japan, who many would argue is far more civilized than any western country.

Sitting on the floor is only difficult for older folks who never sit on the floor. In floor-sitting cultures, elders routinely sit on the floor and get up with no problem whatsoever. It's all about the muscles people use on a routine basis.

My old apartment was quite small. Rather than put in a dining set (which there was room for), I opted to do without one to free up open floor space. That left plenty of room for a larger living room table and cushions, which is where we ate our more leisurely meals (we also had a kitchen peninsula counter with stools for breakfast and such). Our living room table seated 6 people with ease, and when we entertained, nobody seemed to mind.

sitting on the floor is great if you live in a place where you never host visitors that are not even willing to take off the shoes at the door. As we live in America (even though in California) we gotta have chairs.

and with so many pretty chairs, how can you settle with floor cushions. lol

I say, take a Japanese home decor magazine, and look thru it. There are plenty of inspirations for low-to-the-ground seating.
And I like #9 pic.

I too am a big floor sitter, and it is my main hesitation in getting hardwood floors.

I definitely have bad posture on the floor, though - we recently unfolded our living room futon/sofa when my husband was home sick and have left it as a flat surface for weeks. But we're slouching and lounging and draping ourselves over pillows, not sitting.

I also did the coffee table with pillows as dinner table thing in my first apartment out of grad school. I thought I was a genius until my dad visited, shared a few choice words and a hand-me-down table appeared in my life shortly after.

I have a really comfy couch & loveseat, several chairs, and a pouffe. My seat of choice is the floor. It is a little harder to get up lately (age does sneak up on you when you're not looking), but I sit cross-legged on the floor so much that one of my ankles is black (from being on the floor). Periodically I have to put Vaseline on my ankle and make myself sit on the sofa for a couple of weeks to get that ankle back to its normal (brown) color.

I know I'm not the only one. Recently my Vietnamese manicurist showed me her one black ankle too, lol.

I have been seeing those pillow in the first picture at Home Goods a lot lately. Floor seating is much more natural to the human body than chairs. It isn't a matter of age either. Whole cultures survive very well without chairs. Unless there's a disability involved, the discomfort might be an indication of being a bit out-of-shape.

I like lounging on the floor occasionally, and using my very low coffee table for occasional meal...
However, I feel a need to have a very comfy and soft carpet, and cushions... Cushions on bare wood floor seem kind of hard?

I really like/prefer to sit close to the ground - maybe not for work - but for pleasure time yes - the trick is to sit slightly above the ground (~10cm), which relaxes your knees and offers much more possibilities to sit as well as your legs wont fall asleep that easily - another big plus is, that the room seems emptier, even as it´s fully equipped.
What I learned on a presentation of my carpet-furniture - Kids love it - when they are young they/you spend so many hours playing on the floor - so - using down-to-the-earth furniture makes it much easier for you and your kids to play together,...
one big point against it, might be the visit of your parents in law - well - depends... ;-)