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Why are most sofas so bad?

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Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#421

Post by littlelady »

doctorpangloss wrote: post #192
mrguyorama wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>junk now being sold as luxury. That's always been the case though. There has always been junk marketing itself as "luxury" to milk the nouveau riche. It's not like real Coach bags utilize some magic leather that doesn't degrade just the same as the $200 leather purse you buy from a local artisan. It's not like the brick that Supreme sold was made of some sort of magical clay. The luxury purse companies don't burn th…

> degrade just the same as the $200 leather purse you buy from a local artisan. Where are there local artisans selling leather purses they made for $200? Are you sure you don't mean $4,000? Surely if you are buying a $200 hand made purse, it was made by hand in a low labor cost country and relabeled.

Some years ago I found a leatherworker, who sells simple handbags/clutches starting at about 300 EUR. He also sells wallets and belts. He has a limited selection of styles, but they are made-to-order thus you can select the colors when you place your order.

He isn't local to me, but I've met him and watched him stitch his bags together and chatted about his style (minimalist, sleek). I couldn't afford anything from him at the time (his smaller items were sold out), but kept his card handy. I'll provide a link, in case anyone is interested.

http://www.foerster-taschen.de/

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#422

Post by doublesocket »

alexey-salmin wrote: post #385
linsomniac wrote: post #325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>or worse, soft pine or particleboard or OSB Having done a lot of DIY projects over the last decade, I've really shifted my view of OSB. Originally I would lump it in with particleboard, but I've since drastically changed my view of it. Particleboard is, truly, junk. OSB and plywood are both pretty good products, and for some uses superior to hardwoods (dimensional stability, for example). High quality plywoods are a…

OSB is durable but you still need to be wary of formaldehyde in your home

There's a good choice in formaldehyde free boards these days. In the UK a popular one is Sterling Zero.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#423

Post by Repulsion9513 »

gruez wrote: post #392
neilv wrote: post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. The buying up of precious housing as investments by non-residents should mostly be banned, starting with institutional and overseas investors. AirBnb should also be banned. And the people who profited off that startup, who must've known they were creating illegal hotels and destroying rental markets, should be hit with devastating fines, maybe also imprisoned.

>The buying up of precious housing as investments by non-residents should mostly be banned, starting with institutional and overseas investors. What's the issue with them buying houses as investments, as long as they're being rented out? If that's the case, their net effect on the housing supply is zero. >maybe also imprisoned. I find it extremely disturbing that people are effectively demanding for bill of attainder…

Al Capone got a jail sentence for not paying his taxes.

There's no bill of attainder involved when you break a law that existed before you were even born.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#424

Post by Repulsion9513 »

gruez wrote: post #418
cdchn wrote: post #401

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>What's the issue with them buying houses as investments, as long as they're being rented out? Because it prevents people from owning and now have to be permanent renters because of somebody's greedy rent seeking behavior.

Sounds like the actual problem is that landlords can engage in "greedy rent seeking behavior" at all. Allowing people to opt out, but only if they can afford a 6 figure downpayment and keep 7 figure amounts of their wealth parked in a single non-productive asset that's highly correlated with their job prospects is an imperfect solution to say the least. Everyone deserve protections from "greedy rent seeking behavior"…

How does that happen when all the houses are being purchased as investments to rent out (or not, as often happens)?

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#425

Post by [deleted] »

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'…

[deleted]

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#426

Post by Hamuko »

Doxin wrote: post #405
cdchn wrote: post #398

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IKEA products seem to vary wildly between "partical board disposable" to "made from actual wood and somewhat decent."

IKEA sells many products in a couple tiers. E.g. if you get the cheapest billy bookcase it'll just about barely hold up if it's full of books and you don't nudge it. If you get one of the more expensive models it'll be surprisingly sturdy instead. Same sort of thing applies to nearly all their products. Yes they sell cheap crap -- that still serves its purpose mind you -- but they also sell slightly more upscale furn…

And even the cheapest crap you can get from IKEA doesn't seem that bad to me. I've had one of those 5-euro LACK coffee tables for around six years and it really only has some minor surface damage on the top. Far away from throwing out.

Although at the same time, I think I'm on my third MARKUS chair because of the gas spring leaking. Thankfully they do have long warranties, so you can exchange them if it doesn't last for 10 years.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#427

Post by pixxel »

swatcoder wrote: post #414
secretsatan wrote: post #411

The article goes on about the quality of manufacturing, which is very fair, but something that bugs me, and it seems to apply to cheap sofas as well as very expensive ones. Why are so many of them just plain uncomfortable? I'm looking for one I want right now, and I have to go around a furniture shop and try each out and I reckon, maybe 1/4 of them are suitable for a place you might enjoy sitting in. The high end fur…

> Champions of form over function. Sofas have many different functions. The plush sofa you sink deep into for TV at the end of the day has a different function than the firm sofa your dinner guests sit on the front of while sipping cocktails, etc Many of the sofas you were looking at were probably designed for a different function than you were seeking.

Cocktail sofas. I’m not posh enough to have imagined such luxury.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#428

Post by Hamuko »

ajsnigrutin wrote: post #312
VHRanger wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with Ikea is once you have to move them around. Or if you have kids/dogs jumping up and down the sofa, etc. The particleboard connections aren't very sturdy.

Well sure, but in many cases, you can go to a "proper" furniture store, buy a piece that is a couple of times more expensive than the one from ikea, and get the same particle board and same shitty connections... especially with stuff where the wood is hidden (eg. sofas). Also the assembly for ikea stuff is usually perfect.. everything aligns to the last millimeter... which again, I can't say for much more expensive f…

When I was shopping for a TV console, I went to a "proper" furniture shop and checked out console in the 150 to 200 euro range. Zero consideration for cable management and doors slammed hard when you closed them. Then I went to IKEA and bought a BESTÅ system that totalled like 130€ or something. Soft-closing doors, cable management holes and the lot. Was very happy with my BESTÅ after seeing what other stores had in a similar price range.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#429

Post by mynameisvlad »

namaria wrote: post #410
m463 wrote: post #332

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the problem I've noticed is - the furniture that is built to last very frequently fails the partner test - "that looks like old fart stuff". Same sort of issue with cool remote controls. For example, la-z-boy has pretty good controls - remotes have better designs, have lots of adjustments, and motors seem to move faster. And they too fail the partner test - "that looks like old fart stuff" I kind of like some…

Partner sounds like a fashion victim. If social media consumption is making one's taste fond of low quality flashy crap I'd say grow some critical thinking skills.

I mean… not really. Quality and style generally are pretty correlated, with higher quality pieces traditionally being more “old school”. And that was basically GP comment’s point.

One can value form over function, especially if there’s a specific style that the rest of your house uses. If your entire house is decorated in a contemporary style, then a traditional sofa is just going to stand out like a sore thumb.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#430

Post by 01100011 »

Bought an Ikea particle board couch back in 2017 and it's still going strong despite heavy use by two fat people and 3 moves where it was dis/re-assembled. I recently added a support to the armrest where the unbacked fiberboard had caved in a bit.

Sure, quality furniture is great but I'll wait until we settle down. For now, no regrets.

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