Modern Furniture

VETTE277 said:

Anyone have any suggestions for good modern furniture ? I especially like scandinavian and finnish work.

I know ikea jumps out as a first option, but I'd like some alternatives.

I really like what this finnish company has
http://www.ejh.fi/emags/hiipakka_yksityiset_2011/index.html

But doesn't look like they sell in the US.

Thanks!

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lol, but they ship to the US. FinnAir has cheap flights from NYC/BOS to Helsinki (you'd be better in Stockholm/Copenhagen for interior design though), just do a shopping trip and have them ship it back.

VETTE277 said:

Lol, yeah I guess its an option....a $$$$ option.

Would love to see pictures of peoples set ups too in their places. Living/bedroom/dining whatever.

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To be honest, I'd actually spend a week or so in each city (Copnehagen for the danish lamps - PH especially - and wooden furniture and Stockholm for the overall interior/functionally minimal design) before spending any money. then I'd figure out which companies sell in the US (almost all do, and if they don't they usually sell in Montreal/Toronto if it's a patent/sales issue) and you'd have a huge range of tastes by that point.

honestly, if 1-2k in shipping is breaking your budget, you don't want to go down this road. most reasonable lamps run almost that cost alone.

acidfast7 said:

honestly, if 1-2k in shipping is breaking your budget, you don't want to go down this road. most reasonable lamps run almost that cost alone.

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There's a difference between being able to afford a $1K lamp and actually being naive enough to purchase it.

renewed said:

There's a difference between being able to afford a $1K lamp and actually being naive enough to purchase it.

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lol

most high-quality stuff (e.g. eames chairs/ottomans) NEVER lose value when corrected for inflation.

10-30 year old PH lamps still fetch 50% of the new asking price (the same models are still made at the same factory).

i agree the a 1k lamp is ridiculous, in general. the right 1k lamp however is timeless and almost never loses value.

and i still think the OP would be better spending 1-2k on spending 2 weeks in Copenhagen/Stockholm/Helsinki just for exposure to figure out what he/she likes. it will be much cheaper in the long run than buying/selling things over time.

West Elm and CB2 both have moderate priced modern furniture

all the classics are with Vitra in the US, except the Eames stuff which is with Herman Miller.

http://www.vitra.com/en-us/

Vitra has a wonderful museum in Basel, if you make it this way.

VitraHaus

Eames and designer furniture

Wire Home Furnishing ships to the US. They have a small selection, but most of the popular chairs are there. Also I was looking for something that was not on the website and they were able to help me order it. reproduction of designer furniture, but quality is good and reasonable price.

http://www.wirehome.ca

If you really want some nice modern furniture stay away from ikea unless you're still in college or on a really low budget. I furnished basically my whole first dorm and apartment from ikea and the stuff is great but its low level of quality and durability shows pretty quickly. I've since replaced basically every piece. It's a good fix for a while but I've learned that you should spend right or spend twice. Get the good stuff, you'll be more comfortable and you'll be much happier.

eternlgladiator said:

If you really want some nice modern furniture stay away from ikea unless you're still in college or on a really low budget. I furnished basically my whole first dorm and apartment from ikea and the stuff is great but its low level of quality and durability shows pretty quickly. I've since replaced basically every piece. It's a good fix for a while but I've learned that you should spend right or spend twice. Get the good stuff, you'll be more comfortable and you'll be much happier.

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If you buy the low-end stuff, then sure - it wears out. Just like any other low-end piece of anything. If you buy IKEA's more expensive offerings that are of accordingly higher quality (solid wood, metal screws, etc), they last quite a while.

I've never had problems with IKEA stuff falling apart or getting crappy, even with heavy everyday use.

I do LOL at people who think they need $4k Herman Miller chairs, etc. Talk about a colossal waste of money.

puma1552 said:

I've never had problems with IKEA stuff falling apart or getting crappy, even with heavy everyday use.

I do LOL at people who think they need $4k Herman Miller chairs, etc. Talk about a colossal waste of money.

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I do LOL at people who spend 1k/year on mobile phone service (iPhone). For three years of smartphone service you could have a timeless couch. I don't mind spending 1k on a pendulum lamp, 4k on a chair and 6k on a sofa because they'll last forever.

However, I also have a 20€ phone, no car, and a 300€ 32in LCD TV:

It's about priorities. The furniture lasts a lifetime, never loses value, and gets passed to the kids, where it STILL looks good 30 years later.

As far as IKEA goes, their STOCKHOLM line is great value for money. They usually have a 15-year warranty but aren't cheap (why people usually go to IKEA). I would expect around 1000-1500 for IKEA STOCKHOLM 2-seater sofa and I would epxctit to last for 10-year of heavy family usage.

The cheap stuff is cheap.

Also check out the LC2 chair and the LC4 lounge (non-IKEA), they're worth looking into for lifetime furniture. Also, I'd stay away from replicas, the quality is lower and the cost is high

I didn't mean to imply that all ikea stuff is crap and wears out quickly. I'm just saying there's better options out there and while they do have some very nice stuff, the majority of it is designed to be cheap. I was just saying don't buy crap because spending more for the right thing is the way to go. It'll last longer, hold its value, and you'll be happier.

Ikea products are proof that lowest price doesn't always equal "best value".

Personally, I don't think that Ikea is cheap for what you get in return. You either pay very little for crappy furniture that only serves its function, or you pay a moderate price for nicer Ikea furniture that isn't actually nice for what you pay.

I go to Ikea, but only for cheap stuff I don't care about. Buying midrange furniture from Ikea is depressing.

*

Abstract said:

Ikea products are proof that lowest price doesn't always equal "best value".

Personally, I don't think that Ikea is cheap for what you get in return. You either pay very little for crappy furniture that only serves its function, or you pay a moderate price for nicer Ikea furniture that isn't actually nice for what you pay.

I go to Ikea, but only for cheap stuff I don't care about. Buying midrange furniture from Ikea is depressing.

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I have some furniture from Ikea (nothing too fancy - just a coffee table, some end tables and book shelf) that has held up for 3 years and looks as good as new. It is cheaply built, but I think unless you have pets or kids running around destroying it (which I have neither) it will hold up for awhile and be a good value for money. I was trying to furnish my first apartment for cheap, and was able to thanks to Ikea.