By Toni Ojo, Founder of Couch Cameo and Editor in Chief of The Afroniche Society
Height has always had its biological advantages. In the animal kingdom, tall animals can see further, above the brush and treetops, making it easier to spot prey or incoming danger. Amongst humans, taller people tend to have lower risks of certain diseases, perform better in education and even earn more, according to Professor Majid Ezzati who studied global height patterns over the past 100 years.
However, there is an African proverb that quietly flips this logic on its head: ‘What a child can’t see standing up, an elder can see sitting down.’ The proverb aligns clarity with age and a resting position, suggesting that wisdom and perspective are not always gained by being taller, but by being grounded. Furniture design tells a similar story. In many traditions, the lower the seat, the closer it brings people to one another and to the space around them. A chair’s proportions quietly signal who sits on it, how they sit and the atmosphere it creates.
Many Asian cultures traditionally favour low seating. Some chairs are so low that they do not have legs at all, like the Zaisu chair from Japan. Typically crafted from wood with a padded backrest or seat for comfort, they are often found in traditional tea rooms or used during meditation and gatherings around low tables. For such intimate rituals, the unusually low design aptly encourages a sense of peace and attentiveness in the body, as, no matter your status or role, everyone is physically (and symbolically) brought to the same level. It creates a more unified environment where conversation can flow without the weight of hierarchy.
Similarly in Ghana, ceremonial stools are deeply embedded within Akan culture. Considered sacred artefacts rather than household furniture, they are often carved from a single block of wood and sit low to the ground. They are a core part of chiefship, with each leader receiving a stool as a symbol of historical and spiritual authority during their formal installation, known as ‘enstoolment’. By keeping the chief near to the ground, the stool blurs the line between ruler and community, suggesting that humility is a prerequisite for leadership.
Akan social hierarchy is expressed more in the design and motifs of a stool than its height alone. The most revered of these is the Golden Stool (Sika Dwa Kofi). At 46 centimetres high, this relatively small seat has served as the symbol of power in the Ashanti Kingdom since the 17th century. It is never allowed to rest on the bare ground and each new Asante king is lowered and raised over it without ever touching it. According to oral tradition, the stool was conjured from the sky by the High Priest Okomfo Anokye and descended in front of the first Asante king, Osei Tutu. Together, these gestures suggest that to be a true leader is to maintain balance between high and low, the earthly and the divine, authority and stewardship, elevation and groundedness.
The Western world offers a different perspective. As a King or Queen, it seems your image is not complete without a tall and imposing throne. Such a chair has the visual effect of adding shoulder pads to an outfit - grandeur and elevation above the rest. Standing at an intimidating 6 foot 9 inches, the Coronation Chair of England is one of the most famous pieces of furniture in the world. As the centrepiece of British coronations for over 700 years, its towering form, reinforced by Baltic oak and supported by four decorative lion heads, asserts an unswaying dominance that becomes an extension of the monarch themselves. The higher the seat, the greater the distance between ruler and subject. Unlike the low stools of Ghana or Japan, these thrones transform furniture into a stage for power rather than a platform for humility. While tall thrones are not unique to Britain, their repetition across other cultures suggests a shared fascination with height as a marker of authority.
Height may symbolise authority and admiration to some, but it comes with the burden of isolation. As author Steven Erikson captured when he wrote ‘I have sat alone upon tall thrones’, even the most revered seat is not immune to the distance created between the individual and those around them. In furniture design, the higher the seat, the further the sitter drifts from the comfort of shared experience and conversation. Therefore, it is no surprise that many of today’s furniture favourites sit closer to the floor. Low-profile seating is especially popular in modern and mid-century modern interiors, creating a minimalist ambience that makes a room feel more inviting and less formal. Chairs such as the Camaleonda sofa or the classic Togo invite rest and connection through their slouched forms, emphasising that sometimes the best perspective comes from being closer to the ground.
