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Why are most sofas so bad?

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Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#701

Post by chii »

zippergz wrote: post #643
arbitrage wrote: post #618

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're exaggerating about light-bulbs. There is no way LEDs last less than incandescents. If you are experiencing this, its possible your wiring is bad. You should call an electrician and have them check that out.

There are some very bad, cheap LEDs on the market. Sometimes even under name brands. I've learned to be pretty picky about which ones I buy, both in terms of their longevity as well as the quality of the light.

LED dies often due to insufficient heat dissipation, which could be due to the cramped design of the actual light form factor.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#702

Post by mynameisvlad »

namaria wrote: post #585
mynameisvlad wrote: post #555

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uh… what? I already said “One can value form over function”. Each person has different needs and wants out of their furniture. Just because you don’t value form doesn’t mean it’s some unbelievable or “indefensible” concept. I don’t want my house to look like it came out of the 1920s. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you think otherwise, then more power to you, but don’t hoist your beliefs and preco…

You're playing off a false dichotomy. Furniture doesn't have to look bad to be of quality. GP said > 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". This is a problem of taste alignment, not of preference. A person having a taste for the generally poor quality well marketed bit of goods available. So, like I said. If…

I very clearly articulated the general correlation already and never claimed it is a dichotomy. That is entirely on you.

Just because you don’t agree with someone’s preferences does not mean they’re wrong. I hope one day you’re able to understand that, because you clearly don’t.

Until then, we have nothing more to discuss.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#703

Post by tasuki »

swader999 wrote: post #351
onli wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't have to. Every IKEA store has shortcuts to quickly go to the section you want. And at the start, after the stairs usually, you can go directly to the restaurant and to the small stuff section, if you want to skip the furniture show rooms completely. IKEA is actually awesome for this scenario.

Wife no shortcut.

Understandable, but hard to blame IKEA ;)

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#704

Post by tasuki »

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 bought a used Nieri leather sofa recently for a seventh of the original price. It is supposed to be a solid high end sofa (or so the seller said; it was the most expensive sofa of the hundred they were selling), but is feather light. I was suspicious, but bought it anyway because I liked it. So far it has withstanded the kid jumping on it in various ways.

I wonder, is it even possible it's solidly made despite being very light?

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#705

Post by tasuki »

treflop wrote: post #360
schneems wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even at 15 years old you’re still a long way away from having a fully developed pre-frontal cortex. We used to think kids were like little adults, then we learned a bit about how the brain develops and how wildly wrong that mental model was.

Isn’t that just the average though? I’ve met plenty of wickedly level-headed 15 year olds and a whole lot of irresponsible 30 year olds. The variation is such to an extreme level too.

This has been my experience too!

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#706

Post by johnnyanmac »

RajT88 wrote: post #489
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…

I hate to tell you, I don't think you can buy a recliner that doesn't look like "old fart stuff". Recliners are kind of "old fart guy chairs".

Comes down to materials. A modern leather sofa without all the bulky frills can pass off as modern and still have reclining features.

It's also expensive as all hell. I grabbed a "man-cave" style two seat recliner with middle seat that transforms into a cup holder: that set me back over $4000. Worth it.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#707

Post by johnnyanmac »

ToucanLoucan wrote: post #526
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…

My cynical ass assumes it's because they know goddamn well no one under 60 years old has $4,000 to spend on a properly made sofa, irrespective of desire or taste. I make six figures and I certainly don't. My furniture is all cheap particle board shit because I can't afford anything nicer because I'm spending all my money on a mortgage, food, gas, and student loans. I don't think it's a matter so much of nobody wantin…

>no one under 60 years old has $4,000 to spend on a properly made sofa, irrespective of desire or taste. I make six figures and I certainly don't.

I do and did, but I live alone. I'm guessing you're supporting a family?

of course, cost of living is also a huge factor. A $4000 couch is pretty much $4000 everywhere. But someone in SF vs. the Southwest (both making 6 figures) have very different rent and general life expenses.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#708

Post by WarOnPrivacy »

ineedaj0b wrote: post #698
WarOnPrivacy wrote: post #629

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My friend had a NEW Ford that went to the workshop more than 10 times in the first year of use. I daily drive a 96 Toyota. My son's dd is a 63 Dart. Just picked up a 92 Buick with 35k.

The old cars are nice but when they crash… I wouldn’t let my kids drive them. They don’t do so good.

> The old cars are nice but when they crash… I wouldn’t let my kids drive them.

I don't know about nice but the bench seats eliminate the back pain from buckets - especially modern ones. Lack of pain increases spatial awareness.

As for accidents they avoid the inherent risks that come with unremovable, attention-eating LCD display and headlights that blind all other drivers.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#709

Post by WarOnPrivacy »

ryandrake wrote: post #676
WarOnPrivacy wrote: post #625

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Are you going to stick with that 10 year old plasma TV? Absolutely. It cost me the price of a power supply repair. The display is beautiful and the interface is crapware free. > I want new tech, and this stuff moves fast. True! Advertising tech is ever evolving.

My home theater TV is a Hitachi plasma from 2007. It works exactly as it worked the day I bought it. You know what broke? The bog standard MacMini that acted as my HTPC suddenly lost the ability to output 1080i after a software “upgrade” so now I’m stuck with 720p.[1] so even if one of your tech doesn’t fail, something else in your tech circus can fail, ruining the experience anyway. 1: https://news.ycombinator.com/i…

> so even if one of your tech doesn’t fail, something else in your tech circus can fail, ruining the experience anyway.

I keep a 15yo gateway laptop hooked up to mine. The battery failed but otherwise it performs better than new (ssd,ram).

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#710

Post by ohialehua »

neilv wrote: post #304
scoofy wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been wanting to buy nice furniture for a very long time... unfortunately the housing crisis has prevented my from ever having a sense of permanence. If I had known I'd live in my last place for nearly a decade I would have purchased nice things, but as it stands, until I have a mortgage of my own, I refuse to spend good money on something I may need to replace next year.

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.

I’m 40 years old and trying to buy a home in a high COLA city with my partner and our child. We are currently renting. Everything is either absurdly priced or surrounded by people of color and crime.

This realization has convinced me that it’s not a supply problem. I go on Zillow and there’s HUNDREDS of affordable condos and single family homes and 2 flats on offer. I can buy many of them cash. But they are in the ghetto. And ghettos are not some sort of act of god or timey-wimey opopsie-dasie. They are deliberate creations of a society.

Similarly, I look on Zillow at houses in second-tier cities an hour or two drive and everything is reasonable. My partner and I work in person five days a week, and yet millennials and Gen Zers working remotely except for once a month have no legitimate reason to be in high COLA markets except for their love of marg towers.

It’s not a supply problem. It’s an “I’m a racist white person and I’m okay with the carceral industrial complex” problem.

All the crime I see in these areas that frankly makes living in them a threat to my female partner’s survival is due to 60+ years of stupid welfare policy and 50+ years of the War on Drugs removing fathers from homes and incentivizing criminal culture.

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