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Cornuto posted:I'm 6'6" with linebacker shoulders (52L sport coat). I'm looking for a couch that is long enough and deep enough that I can lie down on it and my shoulders don't hang off the edge. Would love something modern/scandi that actually comfortable and well built enough that can take the abuse of young kids in the house. Any suggestions on brands, stores, websites would be appreciated.
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Dec 13, 2023 06:05
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This is a useful resource for learning more about sofa construction quality from a wide range of manufacturers and price points: https://insidersguidetofurniture.com/worst-and-best-sofa-sectional-reviews-for-2023-2/ The tl;dr is that most sofas are constructed with low quality 1.8lb density foam that will lose its shape and support within a few years.The writer of this article is a fan of these manufacturers: https://www.dreamsofa.com/ https://medleyhome.com/ I've been on a sofa hunt myself. I'm close to pulling the trigger on getting one custom built from this specialty shop in Seattle, but their quote of nearly $6000 for an eight foot sofa and a large matching ottoman is a tough pill to swallow. I could lower that price substantially by not optioning it out with eight-way hand tied springs, or by accepting a generic non-matching ottoman from an off the shelf manufacturer, but the allure of nice things is hard to resist.
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Dec 20, 2023 00:21
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That website seems great. Sofa marketing materials are a minefield of weasel words like “made with kiln dried hardwood” when they really mean one frame member is kiln dried hardwood and the other 95% are particleboard. So it’s very refreshing to read reviews by someone with a trained eye and insider knowledge. I had the same feeling as you when I got quoted $8.5k for a three seater sofa + ottoman earlier this year. It would have been half that price five years ago. The irony is that at the new price point, for my money at least, neither the new authentic or the new knockoff stuff is worth the money. I ended up buying an authentic but used one for less than half the new price and got very lucky that it was in brand new condition. Even used sofa prices are twice what they used to be, especially with all the newish curated/polished furniture resale websites cropping up. But I guess I just need to embrace this as the new normal.
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Dec 20, 2023 20:07
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I’m looking (kind of half assedly - I’m in no real rush) for a piece of furniture for a spot in my living room, and am wondering if there’s some term of art I’m not aware of that will make searching easier than just endlessly scrolling through bookshelves, credenzas, and sideboards in search of the 2 or 3 that are what I’m after. Essentially, I have a 5 foot space between my couch and a wall where I’d like to put some storage/shelving. A nice bookshelf would be great. But I would really like it if I could have something short and table height near the couch, to act as a pseudo end table, and then taller on the other side. Obviously I can do this with two pieces, or with a modular option like IKEA KALLAX’s - which is very likely where I’ll end up, but, like, for example, I really love some of the look of this IKEA Skuvby combo https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/skruvby-storage-combination-black-blue-s49494646/ Is there some kind of term for the sort of piece that I’m looking (essentially a bookshelf/media center/sideboard set that is of multiple heights) for that would make this search a little easier?
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Dec 26, 2023 02:18
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So, I moved to a larger apartment than before, and because the walls are empty as hell and the apartment is echo-y, I'm thinking of getting 2-3 canvas prints for sound treating the apartment to a degree (among other things). But where do I even start to find a taste? I'm mildly broke, and would rather not get your generic rear end IKEA prints or some overt "I'm a weeb" anime poo poo or straight videogame poo poo that's connected to a franchise, I find that kind of poo poo cringe. I do like the (just the framed poster) of a woodblock print by an American guy with Finnish roots who went full native in Japan becoming a woodblock print artist though, got it from my parents. https://kamalbakhshi.com/work/fujiyama/ ...But just putting out just woodblock canvas prints seems kinda bad too? I dunno. I'm in EU if that matters. edit: Actually I might go generic in the other direction and get Nighthawks by Edward Hopper for one of them, that piece always kinda talked to me. Dessel fucked around with this message at 01:39 on Jan 7, 2024 |
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Jan 7, 2024 01:00
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Look around and save a couple dozen images of spaces that you like the look of that have art of similar size on the walls. Then you can post those here or elsewhere along with some art youre thinking of, and maybe, if your comfortable, a simple photo of the space you want to put art. Looking at those things together, you (with help) can start to identify what about the reference images you like and how to move in that direction in your space. Or, just get some cheaper posters or placeholder art and start slapping it up with sticky tack or poster frames and take a evening and just try poo poo out. Post photos of your ideas online; people are much more likely to comment on a sentence on a photo than they are to sit down and plan a room with you. Just some ideas!
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Jan 7, 2024 17:09
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Dessel posted:But where do I even start to find a taste?
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Jan 7, 2024 17:26
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Any art fairs or colleges/student galleries nearby? Student and amateur work is often cheaper and something may speak to you there. And you get to be smug about buying local and supporting an independent artist. Ive also put framed stuff from the thrift store/flea market on the walls before, but again it's luck of the draw to find something you like enough to display.
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Jan 7, 2024 17:32
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Dessel posted:So, I moved to a larger apartment than before, and because the walls are empty as hell and the apartment is echo-y, I'm thinking of getting 2-3 canvas prints for sound treating the apartment to a degree (among other things). But where do I even start to find a taste? I'm mildly broke, and would rather not get your generic rear end IKEA prints or some overt "I'm a weeb" anime poo poo or straight videogame poo poo that's connected to a franchise, I find that kind of poo poo cringe. I’m not sure where you are in the EU, and these aren’t canvas prints, but I visited Motto Berlin (bookstore) like … 8 years ago and I was blown away by their selection of art prints, they had dozens to choose from in their flat files and they were really cheap. I ended up buying some screen prints. On the same trip, I always regretted not buying some old film posters from Galeria Grafiki in Warsaw — Polish school ftw. I wouldn’t think canvas vs framed prints would be too different in their sound deadening abilities.
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Jan 7, 2024 21:06
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If you're in the EU and want to browse, I use Catawiki: https://www.catawiki.com/en/c/85-art It's an auction-ish site with "curated" (I have no idea how much vetting they actually do) auction collections ending every day with various themes, like emerging artists, old masters, specific galleries, etc. I've spent thousands on prints there over the years, never had a single issue. A variety of upcoming ones: https://www.catawiki.com/en/a/888653-classical-inspiration-prints-auction https://www.catawiki.com/en/a/890051-contemporary-emerging-art-auction https://www.catawiki.com/en/x/715-great-masters-collection https://www.catawiki.com/en/a/922897-old-masters-antique-prints-auction
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Jan 8, 2024 01:47
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Since hanging artwork is being discussed, was wondering if folks have strong opinions about framing. I have a few prints including a fairly large one (approx 100 cm x 70cm), and I'm looking to do a simple minimalist black frame for all of them - probably using mats on the smaller ones. It looks like my options are, in order by cost: using a local framing service, using an online one, or getting frames at thrift stores\hobby shops and doing it myself (at least for the ones of more standard sizes). These aren't crazy fancy, so am I remiss for considering the online option for at least the large one to save money? Has anyone used one of them before?
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Jan 8, 2024 02:46
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Dessel posted:So, I moved to a larger apartment than before, and because the walls are empty as hell and the apartment is echo-y, I'm thinking of getting 2-3 canvas prints for sound treating the apartment to a degree (among other things). But where do I even start to find a taste? I'm mildly broke, and would rather not get your generic rear end IKEA prints or some overt "I'm a weeb" anime poo poo or straight videogame poo poo that's connected to a franchise, I find that kind of poo poo cringe. I don't know if estate sales are a thing where you are (someone dies and all their stuff their heirs don't want gets sold to empty out the house-usually for cheap) but that's where 75% of the stuff on my walls has come from. It's a fun adventure to go look at stuff and things always strike me in a different way than a picture online. You can also hang smallish rugs on the wall. Great for sound dampening and they can look really nice too.
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Jan 8, 2024 03:17
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For sound dampening you really just want to break up hard surfaces, especially long expanses, with soft materials. Put up curtains, put down rugs, throw a blanket over that leather chair. Contemporary open plan living spaces and minimalist style are just an acoustic nightmare, to the point where sound absorbing panels now come in lots of colors and shapes so that you can bring the beauty of office retrofits into your own home.
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Jan 8, 2024 03:49
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sofachat I spent an absurd for me at the time $4500 on an all-hardwood sprung cushioned custom sofa from calico corners (who I later discovered uses one of the large NC manufacturers as the OEM) when we bought our house 15 years ago, and is one of the best purchases I made. It still has its shape, is unbelievably comfortable, and has also held up to 6 years now of kid abuse. A great sofa is worth paying for if you are able to. I chose a bolero fabric for durability and pet hair reasons, and it was also a great choice. It's aged well into having "character" but doesn't look dirty or threadbare.
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Jan 8, 2024 04:25
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marjorie posted:Since hanging artwork is being discussed, was wondering if folks have strong opinions about framing. I have a few prints including a fairly large one (approx 100 cm x 70cm), and I'm looking to do a simple minimalist black frame for all of them - probably using mats on the smaller ones. It looks like my options are, in order by cost: using a local framing service, using an online one, or getting frames at thrift stores\hobby shops and doing it myself (at least for the ones of more standard sizes). I’ve used Framebridge for a few prints and have been mostly satisfied. If you look closely you can see some signs that they’re just cranking these things out instead of taking the time a local framing store would, but by and large they’re acceptable. I’m actually about to try Level to frame a topo relief map I got for Christmas. A friend has been happy with them and they are a bit cheaper. I have also used Frame USA to frame some smaller things; they’re closer in quality to the sort of frames you would get at Target or something. Alright for things that aren’t getting a close look, but I wouldn’t use them for a main attraction piece.
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Jan 8, 2024 04:33
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Freaquency posted:I’ve used Framebridge for a few prints and have been mostly satisfied. If you look closely you can see some signs that they’re just cranking these things out instead of taking the time a local framing store would, but by and large they’re acceptable. Awesome, thanks so much for the insight. Framebridge is the one I'd been looking at after reading some articles rating the different services. I don't recall hearing about Level, so I'll check them out too.
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Jan 8, 2024 07:26
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Does anyone have go to publications about design? The ones I know of are Architectural Digest (old school), Sight Unseen (new school), and For Scale (small newsletter). What am I missing?
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Jan 22, 2024 20:54
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kreeningsons posted:That website seems great. Sofa marketing materials are a minefield of weasel words like “made with kiln dried hardwood” when they really mean one frame member is kiln dried hardwood and the other 95% are particleboard. So it’s very refreshing to read reviews by someone with a trained eye and insider knowledge. that is a cool site, they didn't review blu dot but i'm sure it's because it's very tiny in the landscape of furniture places
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Jan 24, 2024 02:47
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actionjackson posted:that is a cool site, they didn't review blu dot but i'm sure it's because it's very tiny in the landscape of furniture places If you ask in the comments, the site owner answers every single comment or question. He gave a really detailed answer to me about some other brands. kreeningsons posted:Does anyone have go to publications about design? The ones I know of are Architectural Digest (old school), Sight Unseen (new school), and For Scale (small newsletter). What am I missing? Answering my own post: Dwell and Apartmento are two more kreeningsons fucked around with this message at 18:29 on Jan 24, 2024 |
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Jan 24, 2024 17:17
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thanks, i left a comment oh yeah i was going to mention dwell, though they are kind of a meme. they should just rename it "homes of rich failchildren"
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Jan 24, 2024 19:30
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Was at the home goods store this weekend and was thinking - I see a lot about the perils of modern “fast fashion”, but I don’t see the same thing about “fast… home decor”? There’s this huge variety of cheap stuff in all kinds of different materials. I don’t really have a specific question, just wondering if people have any insight/readings?
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Feb 19, 2024 17:01
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“Fast furniture” is definitely a term being thrown around more and more, mostly I see it derided in sales pitches by vintage/used furniture sellers or a few smaller new furniture brands. Typically Ikea (for the record I like Ikea) is named as the epitome of it with more discriminating sellers calling out the likes of overstock, Ashley’s, broyhill or west elm. Occasionally mention of it makes its way into mainstream media but the backlash hasn’t reached nearly the same fever pitch as “fast fashion”, probably because quality furniture is expensive as gently caress and out of reach for most people. I don’t really have any other links because it’s just stuff I scroll by and forget about a minute later.
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Feb 19, 2024 20:26
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I haven’t seen the same focus on it in general but it’s a real struggle shopping for things that aren’t made of plastic, that can be potentially repaired instead of fully junked, and that don’t cost a FORTUNE. Honestly finding something that even hits two of these points is hard. One thing we have been able to find while redecorating is local stores that make an effort to take whatever you’re replacing and donate it, like lighting stores that will take and test your old light fixtures and donate them to Habitat for Humanity if they’re in decent shape. Kitchen and bathroom trends becoming rapidly dated worries me though again the expense of renovating slows down replacement more than it does for clothing.
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Feb 19, 2024 23:46
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I remember reading about some architectural sustainability writer or consultant who said people at cocktail parties would always say ‘oh we’re about to remodel our kitchen but want to do it sustainably-what kind of wood for cabinets is most sustainable? What countertop material is greenest? Which paint has the least VOCs?’ and her reply was always just ‘don’t remodel your kitchen.’ There was a neat article a few years ago that maybe got shared itt or the old version of this thread about fake/knockoff designer furniture and what to look out for and how those manufacturers got the the look for less and where they cut corners and stuff.
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Feb 20, 2024 06:00
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I don't think that it's reasonable to expect people not to buy cheap furniture, wages and costs for the sort of skilled labour that is required for traditional furniture making have gone up so much in the west relative to productivity in other areas that more than one or so piece is unattainable unless you're at like 95% of income/wealth. (This is an example of baumol's cost disease I think) You can still find good durability/design/price tradeoffs I think but it requires an awful lot of time (or going to IKEA, which is their magic trick - it's cheap but not a rip off). People talk about buying used but it's incredibly time consuming, I've spent ages in the local equivalent of estate sales and unless you're hooked up with the operators you won't get any of the good stuff for cheap. Local Craigslist has been better for me (got a decent sofa and TV cabinet for cheap). In the end the thing that I think has had the best results when buying new has been spending lots of time visiting furniture shops and trying their stuff, then sticking with the brands that have held up. This can include "cheap" imported stuff if it seems like the stuff you've bought from them before actually had some quality control. We ended up splurging on a couple of key items (e.g. dining room table) even so. Brands/vendors I've found have good quality ratios: The Futon Company (idk about the beds, accessory shelving has held up well) sits.eu (can't recommend them strongly enough) IKEA Heals Local furniture shop Ok: West Elm (furniture only is just about ok, accessories are really pricey for what they are) Bad: Made.com (rip) la redoute (local department store) distortion park fucked around with this message at 11:11 on Feb 20, 2024 |
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Feb 20, 2024 11:01
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distortion park posted:A Good post This is spot on imo. I think fast furniture also doesn’t get as much attention because even the cheap stuff is still expensive compared to a $10 shirt at H&M or something, and in my experience used furniture is still likely to find a home in a way that fast fashion doesn’t really. We were able to sell pretty much any of the IKEA-level furniture we had as we replaced it with higher-quality items because for the most part it lasts. The cheap Lack tables and the like aren’t going to make it but they do stock plenty of furniture that is solidly built.
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Feb 20, 2024 16:37
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Jesus, why don't more people just buy used? It's the best choice for the environment and you get much better stuff at a lower price.
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Feb 21, 2024 16:27
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KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:Jesus, why don't more people just buy used? It's the best choice for the environment and you get much better stuff at a lower price. Here one used to, then the WWW was invented and now second-hand sellers are always looking up prices on-line. For the past decade or halfteen a big bookshelf from Ikea has been like ½ the price of a lovely crapboard smaller one with some kids' stickers all over it from the recycling centre. And buying straight from a private person is always an absolute poo poo-show for other reasons. Now inheriting furniture from dead relatives? That's the ticket!
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Feb 21, 2024 16:32
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I invite you to go used furniture shopping in my immediate environs, which have either “hipster shop charging way too much for decent stuff” or “dirt cheap stuff at the antique mall that is wildly out of fashion” and not much in between. We did buy some used stuff but it took months of hunting and I don’t blame people who don’t want to deal with that mess.
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Feb 21, 2024 20:53
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I live in a college town and your choices for used are basically the crap college students throw to the curb when they move out, a selection from the Habitat For Humanity ReStore, or maybe lucking into an estate sale? I kept my eyes open for that last option for quite a while and never had any luck. In general I am hesitant to the idea of acquiring used upholstered furniture of unknown provenance because I never want to discover what it is like to deal with bed bugs.
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Feb 21, 2024 22:33
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The only way to actually have a chance of finding literally anything 2nd hand around here is on Facebook Marketplace, and I don't have a Facebook account, so I'm not allowed to buy things 2nd hand.
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Feb 22, 2024 04:41
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Sirotan posted:I live in a college town and your choices for used are basically the crap college students throw to the curb when they move out, a selection from the Habitat For Humanity ReStore, or maybe lucking into an estate sale? I kept my eyes open for that last option for quite a while and never had any luck. In general I am hesitant to the idea of acquiring used upholstered furniture of unknown provenance because I never want to discover what it is like to deal with bed bugs. I don't mean to, like, townie-splain, but keep an eye on garage sales in the fancy part of town during faculty move out season. When an admin who is on that line of affording nice things but too broke to pay to move it leaves, they practically give stuff away.
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Feb 22, 2024 13:55
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I've spent a lot of time going to used furniture shops in my area, and everything has at least one of these major issues: 1) It's beat to poo poo. I don't expect used furniture to be in perfect shape, but I'd still like something not covered in large gouges and deep scratches and other signs of wear that make it obvious it was a piece of furniture heavily used and abused by a family of five and their dog. The condition of moving parts - doors, drawers, etc - is often dubious as well, with rough movement and drooping alignments. 2) It's way out of fashion. I'm not a super trendy person, but I still don't want to be surrounded by the bulky oak veneer furniture from the 80s that filled my parents house when I was growing up. I'm also not interested in heavily ornamented traditional styles that look like something I might have seen at grandma's house in the 90s. There are some older styles that have aged well, but... 3) Older furniture in desirable styles gets picked up by vintage stores that touch it up and sell it at prices near what you'd pay for quality new furniture. And this is for stuff like 50+ year old dining chairs that squeak and shift when my 170 pound frame sits on them. There are several large furniture stores in the Seattle area that bill themselves as consignment stores, but in actuality most of their floor space is dedicated to returns, factory seconds, and stealth brick and mortar sales for popular online brands like Article. The consignment pieces they have out on the floor always suffer from a combination of the first two points mentioned above. I can't imagine these stores actually shift a lot of their consignment inventory - it's not priced significantly lower than the shiny new Article stuff, I doubt the build quality is any better, and it all simply feels OLD.
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Feb 23, 2024 01:37
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The used furniture market has changed dramatically over the last ~5 years. Furniture flipping became a huge thing. Plus as gen z has grown and moved out, their home styles are very different than millennials’, meaning a lot more competition for non-MCM pieces, which you used to not be able to give away
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Feb 23, 2024 01:48
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i like nice words
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If you like good 18th/19th century antiques (and you should!) there are some real bargains out there. A friend just bought a late 18th/early 19thc American walnut low dresser for $950. A friend who is 75 with a really nice antique store has stuff marked down from $3K to $850 because the kids these days want everything grey or MCM. For my money I'll take a handmade antique over a factory made 'vintage' piece any day.
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Feb 23, 2024 02:26
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Anyone know of any decent furniture brands that do stuff in the memphis milano style? I want a garish 80s sideboard for my dining room (seriously)
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Feb 23, 2024 02:27
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Anne Whateley posted:The used furniture market has changed dramatically over the last ~5 years. Furniture flipping became a huge thing. Plus as gen z has grown and moved out, their home styles are very different than millennials’, meaning a lot more competition for non-MCM pieces, which you used to not be able to give away What are the kids' home styles? I'm genuinely curious, I've never paid any attention to current trends and just get what I like so I couldn't tell you what's in fashion at any given time.
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Feb 23, 2024 07:03
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Off the top of my head, a couple examples are Memphis Milano as above (aka Nickelodeon), moody maximalism, cottagecore, coquette, and that thing (idk if it’s been named yet) with pastel checkerboard everything and wacky organic shapes. Those are a few trends that very very few millennials would ever have considered with their all-gray/beige and MCM obsession. And they all lend themselves a lot more to non-MCM vintage furniture, meaning a lot more competition where there used to be zero.
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Feb 23, 2024 08:40
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I think the pastel checkerboard and noodle shapes design that's becoming trendy right now is a natural progression of memphis-style postmodernism, as it still leans heavily into color blocking and strong geometric shapes... Just more bezier curves to go with the triangles and circles. I've seen it called "Southwestern Memphis" in a few places although I don't know if that's any sort of official title.
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Feb 23, 2024 10:14
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corgski posted:Anyone know of any decent furniture brands that do stuff in the memphis milano style? I want a garish 80s sideboard for my dining room (seriously) Closest I can think of off the top of my head is the multicolor console by Hay, which is very tame compared to any authentic memphis piece, but it has the color blocking at least. The memphis & “postmodern” buy/sell group on Facebook has some very garish second hand finds occasionally by unnamed designers. Most of the other clearly memphis inspired stuff I can find is as expensive as a used authentic memphis piece.
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Feb 23, 2024 14:13
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