Interior design, minus the upheaval
Your sofa has not been fired. Give the floor a small promotion: a comfortable spot, a little light, and an easy way back up. Start with the room you already have.
Start here
Don't redesign your home. Choose a single corner — by a window, near the books — and make it the nicest place to be low: a soft rug, one good cushion, a low table, a plant, warm light. Try a few short visits and see whether the spot suits you. Keep a stable support for getting up within reach, and adjust the setup before buying more.
Room by room
Lower the centre of gravity.
You don't have to lose the sofa. Add a firm rug over a dense pad, a couple of floor cushions and a bolster, and a low table within arm's reach. A lower sofa (or none) makes the whole room feel taller and pulls life down toward the floor.
Make room for a change of position.
Try a short task at a low table before redesigning a whole workday. A laptop alone can make it difficult to place both screen and keyboard comfortably; an external keyboard may help. Compare the actual adjustment range if you want a desk or monitor arm to serve several heights.
Dinner, at a different altitude.
A chabudai — a low Japanese table — turns meals into floor time, with cushions or a seiza bench around it. In cold months a kotatsu (a low table with a heater and a quilt) is the single cosiest object in floor living. Use only heating equipment certified for your local electrical supply and follow its installation and fire-safety instructions.
Roll the bed away.
A shikibuton — a thin roll-up futon, ideally on a tatami platform — lets the bedroom become a living room by day. It is the original small-space trick: one room, many lives. Choose bedding for your own pressure comfort and plan how to get up easily. Follow its care instructions and check underneath for moisture.
The one rule underfoot
A cushion should be comfortable; a surface you push against should be stable. Very soft padding can make a transfer feel less predictable. Try the whole route down and back up with support before settling in. Comfort is personal, and neither a hard floor nor an upright spine is a health requirement.
Build in layers if you like: a secure rug or mat, then movable padding where your body rests. Keep edges flat, walking paths clear, and a stable chair nearby. Choose washable materials and check for moisture beneath bedding. Warmth matters too, but ordinary heating and a blanket may do the job without adding electrical equipment under a rug.