Reddit reviews Zaisu Japanese Style Floor Chair
We found 2 Reddit comments about Zaisu Japanese Style Floor Chair. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Japanese style floor chair for watching TV, playing cards, eating at a low table, extra seatingThe wooden chair folds for easy storageHoney oak wood with neutral colored padded upholstered seat fits with most decor.The back is 17.5 inches high and the cushion measures 15 inches by 15 inchesStylish and suprisingly comfortable!
The table itself is usually about 30in by 30in. You can buy larger, but you'd be surprised how much you can fit on that space. We use it for laptops and as a dinner table, and it works fine. If we tried to add people on the other two sides, it would probably get a little cramped.
The kakeshiki (over and under blankets) are typically about 72-80in on each side, but you can find them much larger (like the under blanket in this gif being room sized). Ours is 80in on each side, and our kotatsu is oriented diagonally to the shikibuton (under-blanket) so it looks like this. That gives us a lot of room to lay down while sticking our legs under it.
There are legless chairs you can use to alleviate sitting on the floor if it causes you an issue. These are called zaisu (example). Or you can buy a shikibuton with a built in roll at the edge which is kind of a fusion between a sofa and a shikibuton. I've only ever seen it called a kotatsu sofa because it has no real precedent in Japan (this page shows what the hell I'm talking about). But that sort of kills the space-saving design and easy stowability of the kotatsu.
We do just fine with using spare blankets and pillows for padding if we feel uncomfortable sitting on the floor for extended priods. Something worth mentioning is that you can make a kick ass fort with a kotatsu and a few chairs covered in blankets.
EDIT: Just went through the arduous process of uploading a picture from my phone to Imgur. I took that immediately after setting up the kotatsu before she moved in. The room is 15.5ft x 11.5ft, so I hope that gives you a good idea of the space consumption. One bonus point is that it's easy to just move to the side if you want the space for something else like party games in front of the TV.
Your #1 layout looks best to me. Yes it's a little cramped, which is why if it were me I'd nix the dining table unless I got sufficient use out of it. If it's to be kept and you need more space for the couch, push the couch against the dining table when it's not in use. If you'll nix the dining table, consider going Japanese with floor chairs around the coffee table.