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Why are most sofas so bad?

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Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#251

Post by ghaff »

dylan604 wrote: post #239
al_borland wrote: post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In-person seems like it should be a hard requirement for anything a person will sit on. There is no way to tell anything just by looking at a picture. The sofa I got had one in-store that was cut in half at all levels, so the construction and materials could all be seen. Any company doing that is probably going to be pretty solid, and if not, it should be obvious.

> In-person seems like it should be a hard requirement should but yet online sales of furniture is not a small market

A lot of people these days are into the mode of order online. Certainly there are a ton of podcasts that offer deals on some of the online furniture companies. I don't think I'd personally do it but then my parents probably wouldn't have ordered a lot of stuff online that I do. (But furniture and big electronics appliances are arguably much more of a hassle to return than other things.)

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#252

Post by selcuka »

gexla wrote: post #234
btbuildem wrote: post #181

Twenty some years ago I used to work at a business that made and delivered sofas. They've got showrooms in key large cities in North America, fancy schmancy top end stuff. The factory was a real place; the frames were made of solid wood and plywood, there was a sewing floor and even one (incredibly kooky) person whose sole job was to stuff the pillows. This guy was in a little room full of feathers all day, and they'…

Please give us an update on how stuffed pillow guy is doing these days.

He stopped cheating at poker, so they set him free.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#253

Post by nealabq »

In the mid 80s I had a sofa and wing-back chair made by a little factory called Bader and Fox(?) in Portland OR. I went to the factory (the two owners were the only ones there) and picked out fabric/style/etc with some special instruction about the angle of the arms and stiffness of the stuffings. Cost about $1600.

Best furniture ever. Carted across the country twice. I still use both pieces every day. They've been reupholstered once.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#254

Post by eightysixfour »

nerdponx wrote: post #20
angry_moose wrote: post #9

I've posted about our ~$2000 West Elm sofa that disintegrated within 2 years in a similar previous thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37393399 The whole thing is just stapled together OSB. I ripped the dust cover off and added 3 new frame stretchers made from 2x8 construction lumber (and tied other loose joints back together) and its done pretty well since then: https://imgur.com/a/bqlLgW3 (wish I'd gotten…

As if it wasn't bad enough that most consumer goods have completely bifurcated into "junk" and "luxury", now it's hard to even tell which products fall into which category, because there is so much junk now being sold as luxury.

Luxury does not have to be premium or vice versa. Premium conveys quality, luxury conveys status.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#255

Post by byw »

andirk wrote: post #133
jonah wrote: post #128

I just spent about $700 having new cushions made for a 50+ year old Danish Teak sofa that I inherited from my grandparents. The original cushions were long gone, but the wooden frame was still in great condition. I sourced high-quality foam and wool upholstery fabric from Maharam and took those to one of the best upholsterers/furniture restorers in Los Angeles. They did a wonderful job and now I have a super-comforta…

Is it super heavy? I've noticed weight often equals how long something will last in good condition, and old furniture is often way heavier and bulkier.

I owned a bunch of mid-century Danish/Swedish furnitures, and they're generally pretty light. They tend to have slimmer profiles for the "modern" appearance, so less material. Also solid wood tend to be lighter than engineered wood.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#256

Post by steveBK123 »

nealabq wrote: post #253

In the mid 80s I had a sofa and wing-back chair made by a little factory called Bader and Fox(?) in Portland OR. I went to the factory (the two owners were the only ones there) and picked out fabric/style/etc with some special instruction about the angle of the arms and stiffness of the stuffings. Cost about $1600. Best furniture ever. Carted across the country twice. I still use both pieces every day. They've been r…

To be fair, that must have been a lot at the time right? Adjusted for inflation its certainly a lot compared to furniture now.

In 1986 a Mustang GT was under $11k, now its about 3x that price.

1985 median home sale was $80k, 2023 median home sale was about $450k.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#258

Post by ghaff »

tiltowait wrote: post #224
bombcar wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://saddlebackleather.com/everyday-purse/ is a bit over $200, and doesn't hide that it's made in Mexico (though they do use machines and tooling to process the leather so perhaps it's not "hand made").

I’ve got one of their backpacks. It’s very nice. Heavy, though, at around five pounds. Sadly it almost never gets any use, because I rarely have need for a backpack. I should have bought some luggage instead. Like the other poster, I also have a couple of their wallets. They’re simple but obviously high quality. They don’t feel as slick as the Coach wallet I was given as a gift, but I have no doubt they will hold up…

Leather is actually not a great material for a backpack or an outdoor (non-dressy) shoulder bag from a practical perspective in the 21st century. Nylon and related synthetics is a lot more practical. If you gave me a leather outdoor bag I'd probably thank you nicely and stick it in a closet or sell it.

I do like leather wallets though I almost exclusively use small front pocket ones these days because of sciatica and minimal needs for carrying either cash or a lot of cards.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#259

Post by bradleyjg »

dylan604 wrote: post #236
bradleyjg wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you last buy a couch in 1982?

Me? I haven't bought a couch. I'm on the same couch I grew up on at my parent's house that was bought circa 1978, so essentially, yes. Solid wood frame. Re-stuffed cushions. My couch can be found in those "If you recognize this, you're old" memes. AKA, I'm old Edit: re-reading almost reads if I'm still at my parent's house couch surfing. I'm not a zillenial. I'm in my place with that furniture from back then.

I ask because $300 -> $1000 is roughly 1982 to today.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#260

Post by boringuser2 »

hammock wrote: post #221
btbuildem wrote: post #181

Twenty some years ago I used to work at a business that made and delivered sofas. They've got showrooms in key large cities in North America, fancy schmancy top end stuff. The factory was a real place; the frames were made of solid wood and plywood, there was a sewing floor and even one (incredibly kooky) person whose sole job was to stuff the pillows. This guy was in a little room full of feathers all day, and they'…

You can still get made in the USA sofas with real hardwood, not rubber wood, which is fine, or worse, soft pine or particleboard or OSB) North Carolina was and is the center of solid wood furniture), and they still cost several to many thousands of dollars, and they will still last 100+ years with a couple reupholsterings or so, but most furniture comes from Asia now and is sold for 10x less, and is not worth reuphol…

A lot of meh furniture that uses steel will last, too.
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