The height of things

[nfotxn]

Anyone ever notice how low to the ground most furniture is? I've heard that in general furniture is designed or people 5'8" as the ideal. I was just noticing today that the counter in my bathroom is just below my waist. I'm not freakishly tall or anything (6'2") but it is rather annoying to have to hunch around all the time in this house.

Comments

[cub4bear.livejournal.com]

I think the average height of an adult male is 5'9", so that would explain why they're designed that way.

We need bear-sized furniture!

[nfotxn.livejournal.com]

Well, the stuff in your living room works really well. We could turn this around into a CNN style head-line:

Tall people risk long term health detriment due to height. Stay tuned to find out what you can do!!

Tall persons at risk for spinal injury

[jwall.livejournal.com]

Sounds more like a CBC headline, followed by "Behind the Eyeliner: How to cope with your teen's deep angst."

Re: Tall persons at risk for spinal injury

[notofthisworld.livejournal.com]

American television news makes me laugh. Last night there was a story on "Is bottled water making you fat?".

Re: Tall persons at risk for spinal injury

[nfotxn.livejournal.com]

Oh don't tell me, they then proceeded to feature some obsessive compulsive who drank an unusually high amount of bottled water and therefore effected their body's metabolism or some such non-sense.

Ugh, sensationalism DRIVES ME TO MURDER!

[cub4bear.livejournal.com]

Remember, when I broke up with Eric, I had to go shopping for all new furniture. Because I was starting with nothing, I was able to purposely pick large-sized furniture (like my giant chair-and-a-half.) It was tough. My coffe table is huge, for example. Most coffee tables are not bear-sized!

[jwall.livejournal.com]

Bath surfaces (vanities/counters, sinks) are traditionally set lower than kitchen or work surfaces in European homes, though a lot of American homes have bath and kitchen surfaces the same height. It's sort of a throwback to home design based on the notion that indoor water was a luxury that only came in through the bathroom, if anywhere. I don't know exactly how "water is special" translated into "bend over to wash your hands," but that's what you get when the English pioneer something.

[jwall.livejournal.com]

Kitchen surfaces were common only a decade or so later, so why aren't they set just as low?

[kj.livejournal.com]

To many people, 6'2" is freakishly tall.

Hell, I'm only 3" taller, and I'm generally called "freakishly tall."

Shorty shorterston

[umkinda.livejournal.com]

My first boyfriend was around 5'6", as was most of his family. His parent's entire house was short of shrunken to fit them... so much so that my head hit the ceiling fan in the bedroom we were staying in. But later, post-boyfriend, I rented a room in a house built for tall people, and all the cabinets and countertops were nice and high.

Um, I swear there was a point to this when I started writing it. I just can't figure out what that point is anymore.




Oh wait. Tall counters are really nice.

There.

[jenneferre.livejournal.com]

I'll thank you to remember that some of us are only a mere 5ft4. While it must be a little tiresome for you to have to bend over a little, it's better than me having to clamber inelegantly onto a couch or grab a stool every time I have to wash my hands.

[robearal.livejournal.com]

I think bathroom sinks are still kept low so that children can brush their teeth without climbing on lots of dangerous stools. Personally, I think we should let Darwinism handle this. If the little rug rat doesn't have the skills to climb on a stool without suffering grievous bodily harm, do we really want him to grow up and add his genes to the pool?

I'm only 5'7", so I'm on the short side, and bathroom sinks are too low. I would much rather not bend in half to brush my teeth and wash my face.

[loganbeary.livejournal.com]

Just think of back when people had to actually lay on their stomachs to get a drink of water or wash their faces in the stream.

Ah the old days.

We were actually talking about this subject in my Architectural Standards class tonight.

Oh, that's all no solutions to give.

Although, maybe someone should make an adjustable sink?

The tale of a rich midget

[bigmacbear]

Speaking of making houses and furniture fit the residents...

Once upon a time, there was a rich midget who decided to improve the lives of his fellow midgets. So he got together with an architect and designed an entire apartment building, with the counters just right for folks his size, etc. etc. He spent a good chunk of his fortune and had the place built. But since he still had a good chunk of money left, he decided he wasn't going to charge rent on the apartments. So he put up a big sign out front that read... (drumroll please...)

Stay Free, Mini-Pads!

;-)

[gusmacroy.livejournal.com]

heh heh tall guys are like hot

one of my favourite rants

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

It's apalling actually - if everything were built to tall specs, it could be adjusted to fit the little people with boxes, step ups, extensions etc, but because it's built for the little people, we are screwed, because there is no adaption that can make furniture larger/taller. My back is permanently bent from working to countertops too low, a sink that's too low, desks too short, etc. Everything in the manufactured world says YOU ARE A FREAK and in a subtle but absolutely pervasive way tells you you are not welcome. Clothes are fat enough for me but the limbs are too short. Doorways are often just barely too low, so I duck every time I go through any doorway - you can't help it, it's automatic. Cars are too short, seats in planes, public transit and at movies are wide enough but too short, so my knees are in constant pain after about 15 minutes in any of these places. Handles are too small, finger grips are too close together, keyboards (especially those goddamn Mac keyboards) are just too tiny, coats are too short, pictures are hung too low at galleries, kitchen cabinets open into your face, the little people swing umbrellas into your face because anything above their little heads doesn't exist, and shower fixtures are at about shoulder-height. Think about it: it's absolutely pervasive, and while most of the things that are too big for short people can be adapted to fit them, short things generally cannot be adapted for tall people.