Expert: Jamie Yocono - 10/9/2009

Question
Dear Jamie,

My sofas have too much Back Pitch Angle so when sat on, one's back go too far back; very uncomfortable. They have loose back cushions of 25/75 down/feather, the structure is beautifully filled; thick layers of foam. One advice that I got was to raise the front of the frame but I am afraid that that would create another discomfort; seat base will not be leveled. Any practical suggestion will be welcomed. Thank you.

Answer
Hi Laleh,

I agree with you, I'm not sure raising the front of the frame is going to accomplish what you're trying to do - change the angle of the back. I think the key is to change the angle by adding a tapered cushion behind the existing cushion, to change that angle. I would think that this tapered cushion needs to be out of a fairly dense foam, so that it remains firm when you sit back on it.

Any good upholsterer should have an assortment of tapered foam that they could probably supply to you, so that you can experiment with that angle. You could start with a one inch differential, like a piece of foam that is one inch at the bottom, and two inches on top. A tapered cushion like that will change that angle just a little bit, but you can experiment with it, double layering it so you get a two inch or three inch change on that angle, too. So if you get some of that foam, you might need more than one piece of it to play with.

There are all sorts of ergonomic studies for the correct angle of seating. Obviously, a dining chair has different needs than a couch. I am not home right now, so I'm not around my design books right this minute. And of course, I can't remember offhand what that angle is, right now. But I think it's something like six degrees or something like that. There's an excellent book on chair design that gives a lot of structural information, it's called Chairmaking & Design by Jeffrey Miller. Here's a link to it: http://www.amazon.com/Chairmaking-Design-Jeffrey-Miller/dp/1933502061

Sorry I can't give you a SPECIFIC answer right this moment, I'm on vacation right now and 2000 miles from my reference library.  But this should be enough to get you started in the right direction. Good luck, write back if you have more questions after reading this.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com