Buying Furniture Online: The Measurements Nobody Thinks Of
When buying furniture online, the choice is rarely the problem. The problem is the route in between: the door, the stairs, the box that stands in front of the house and stays there. None of these points appear in any product image, and all of them can be clarified beforehand.
Tape it out first, then order
Imagining dimensions does not work. A coffee table of 120 by 60 centimetres (47.2 by 23.6 in) is a number, not a picture. Masking tape costs two euros and answers the question in five minutes.
The outline goes onto the floor to scale, exactly where the piece is to stand. Then you live around it for a week. Anyone who is stepping over the tape after three days has the answer.
The second part is usually forgotten: the height. With a sideboard, a shelf or a pendant light, the top edge should be marked on the wall with tape. The difference between 75 and 90 centimetres (29.5 and 35.4 in) sounds small on paper but looks completely different in the room.
With rugs, the jump between two neighbouring sizes is bigger than it sounds. A rug of 170 by 240 centimetres (5.6 by 7.9 ft) covers 4.08 square metres (44 sq ft), one of 200 by 300 centimetres (6.6 by 9.8 ft) covers 6.00 square metres (65 sq ft) – almost half as much area again. Taped out on the floor, this difference is immediately visible; in a size chart it is not.
The route into the flat
A piece of furniture that fits into the room is far from certain to get there.
In German-speaking countries, interior doors usually follow a standard series with door leaf widths of 61, 73.5, 86 and 98.5 centimetres (24.0, 28.9, 33.9 and 38.8 in). With the most common size of 86 centimetres (33.9 in), around 83.5 centimetres (32.9 in) of clear passage width remain after deducting the frame. Older bathrooms and storerooms often have only 73.5-centimetre (28.9 in) doors with around 71 centimetres (28.0 in). Measuring takes one minute.
In the stairwell, what counts is not the width of the flight but the turning point. A piece can only be carried round a corner if its length fits into the diagonal of the landing. Anyone planning a long piece of furniture should measure the landing at its narrowest point, to the handrail, not to the wall.
Above stairs, building regulations usually prescribe a clear height of at least two metres (6.6 ft). A wardrobe of 2.20 metres (7.2 ft) will therefore not go through upright there, even if the hallway and room are high enough.
Lifts in residential buildings often have a car of about 100 by 125 centimetres (39.4 by 49.2 in) with a door width of 80 centimetres (31.5 in). A sofa 210 centimetres (82.7 in) long will not fit in it even on end, because the car door is only about two metres (6.6 ft) high.
What freight delivery actually means
Anything larger than parcel size is delivered by a freight carrier, and the standard is usually kerbside delivery. The driver sets the goods down in front of the house. Not in the stairwell, not in the flat.
Anything more has to be booked as an extra. Three levels are usual: to the first lockable door, to the place of use in the flat, or with assembly and disposal of packaging. The surcharges are in the two- to three-figure range and are money better spent than a ruined Saturday.
Two practical points. Carriers announce delivery by telephone, usually a day in advance, with a time window of several hours; if you cannot be reached, delivery is pushed back by days. And the goods should be checked before signing the delivery receipt, because transport damage is difficult to claim afterwards.
When two people are needed
The weight is usually listed in the technical details and is regularly overlooked.
As a guide: up to about 25 kilograms (55 lb), a strong person can carry a piece of furniture alone over a straight distance. From 30 kilograms (66.14 lb) it takes two, from 50 (110 lb) it becomes unpleasant even for two on a staircase, because the weight shifts onto the lower person when tilted.
Solid wood is the most frequently underestimated here. A coffee table made from a single grown piece of wood can weigh fifty kilograms (110 lb) and more; a solid dining table top often weighs more than that. These are pieces that are set up once and then stay put. Anyone living on the fourth floor without a lift should know this before ordering, not on the day of delivery.
With multi-piece sets, there is also the question of how many boxes arrive. A complete dining set is usually spread across several packages that have to be carried up individually; the total weight quickly reaches three figures. Then there is the space required: box, edge protectors and film need floor space before anything is even unpacked. And partial deliveries do not necessarily arrive on the same day.
Why wood lies on screen
Colour deviations between photo and product have three causes that add up: the light in the photo studio, the editing of the image and the monitor on which it is viewed. The same photo on a phone and on a laptop already shows two different colours.
With wood there is a fourth factor, and it is the decisive one. A product photo shows exactly one board. Grain, knot pattern and depth of colour differ from piece to piece, and with walnut or teak there are visible differences between two pieces from the same series. Anyone who expects a particular image from the catalogue will be disappointed, without anything having been delivered wrongly.
With burr wood, live edge and natural stone the variation is even greater. Such tops are grown one-offs: natural openings, cracks, resin inclusions and irregular edges belong to the material and are not a defect. Anyone who expects an unbroken surface is better served by a glued or veneered construction. How much open surface is realistic can be judged far better from several shots of the same piece from different angles than from a single catalogue image.
It helps to look at photos in daylight rather than in the evening under artificial light. Warm living-room light at 2700 kelvin pushes every wood tone towards gold.
Returning bulky goods
When buying online in the EU, there is a fourteen-day right of withdrawal. This also applies to furniture. The practical question is not whether, but who pays for the return transport.
Who bears the return costs is set out in the cancellation policy of the respective shop. With goods that cannot be sent as parcels, this information is particularly important, because three-figure sums are realistic for a freight item. It is usually in the small print and is rarely read.
A mundane detail: the original packaging should be kept until the period has expired. A solid table of fifty kilograms (110 lb) and more does not survive return transport without its box and edge protectors, and transport damage on the way back quickly becomes a dispute. If you have the space, put the boxes in the cellar for two weeks.
Frequently asked questions
How do you check beforehand whether a piece of furniture fits?
Tape the outline to scale on the floor with masking tape and mark the height on the wall. Live with it for a week. Anyone who steps over the tape already has the answer.
How wide are standard interior doors?
Common door leaves measure 61, 73.5, 86 or 98.5 centimetres (24.0, 28.9, 33.9 or 38.8 in). With the most common size of 86 centimetres (33.9 in), around 83.5 centimetres (32.9 in) of clear passage width remain after deducting the frame. Older bathrooms often have only around 71 centimetres (28.0 in).
What does kerbside delivery mean?
The freight carrier sets the goods down in front of the house, not in the stairwell and not in the flat. Delivery to the first lockable door or to the place of use must be booked separately.
From what weight are two people needed?
From about 30 kilograms (66 lb). Up to 25 kilograms (55.12 lb) one person can carry over a straight distance; from 50 kilograms (110 lb), even carrying it as a pair up a staircase becomes difficult.
Who pays for returning a piece of furniture?
That is set out in the cancellation policy of the respective shop. With goods that cannot be sent as parcels, it is worth looking for this information before ordering, because returning a freight item quickly costs a three-figure sum.
