knox_harrington posted:

Well personally I like the third couch way better, 1 is also good in a classic mid century style, 2 pretty meh. (you changed the sofas while I was writing this, the original no.3)

quote:

But the bigger issue is the living room is arranged around a) your TV and b) the cat. It's currently laid out solely to sit in front of the TV, which is blocking one of the windows. Style wise the ceiling lamp, shelves and drapes are pretty aggressively ugly, as well as the plastic tubs and cardboard boxes lying around.

quote:

So you need to rearrange the room, new ceiling lamp and probably a floor lamp as well, some storage like a bookshelf. Paint the walls a nicer colour. Get a rug to tie the room together. Probably get a blind for the balcony doors and a matching one for the window (and open them). Give up golf. Keep it tidy when you're done.

there wolf posted:

You're definitely rocking the single guy who's most prized item is the tv look. What's your motivation for changing things up? You say you don't really entertain, and you mostly use the space to watch movies and stuff, so how does to impact what furniture you use and how you use it? Are you putting drinks on those side tables, lighting the fireplace, opening up the curtains for light?

quote:

Since it's kind of a small room, I'd skip an extra chair and go for just the lounger sofa and maybe an ottoman that can be made into a seat. If you don't have people over a lot then you don't need chairs for them. Get some fold-outs or floor pillows for the rare occasions you have company that exceeds couch capacity. And wool rugs are great, but not at $100. Get a nice synthetic until you're ready to spend some serious money on floor coverings.

quote:

In general, it looks like you really just need to purge some stuff. Quarantine is as good a time as any to start going through your boxes for what doesn't spark joy.

knox_harrington posted:

It was this one in terms of the design, but definitely important to go and sit on them as you can't tell if they are comfortable from looking. Also measure and ensure it fits the space.

quote:

I would recommend looking on something like Houzz and working out what aesthetic you like and buying things with that particular style in mind, rather than just getting things piecemeal because you like them. Your room will be a nicer place if it's coherent.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/living-room-ideas-phbr0-bp~t_718

drgitlin posted:

Josh Lyman: for the love of god do not buy a sofa you haven’t personally sat on to make sure it’s not a horrible uncomfortable piece of garbage.

PRADA SLUT posted:

That's not expensive for a couch. If anything, that's like a bare minimum price.

quote:

Nothing you've listed sounds happy. You're talking about this like you're visiting your in-laws and have to make a side dish for the potluck, and are figuring out which off-brand of condensed cream of mushroom soup you're going to mix with a can of flaccid green beans.

PRADA SLUT posted:

You need to figure out exactly what you're hoping to accomplish then. Getting a $750 couch and swapping it out in 5 years for a $1500 couch is adding 50% to the price of the piece you actually want (or, $150 a year in expense). I'd easily rather have a single better item I was happy with and hold off on a rug / coffee table / whatever until later. If that is just absolutely in no world possible given the budget, that's also fine, it's just something to consider. If you're really looking for a more "permanent" I'd consider the long-term costs even if it means you have to front load your budget or skip out on some items initially.

quote:

This is the idea. It's fine if you have a list of items (couches, whatever) you like, but eventually you're going to have to wrap the entire room up and things need to make sense together. You also need to know exactly what in the room is going to stay, like if that dresser is going to be a permanent TV stand then whatever you buy needs to work with that wood/mass/profile.

there wolf posted:

Josh, I agree that it's better to spend your budget on one or two things right now rather then try and get a whole room and have to compromise. How much do you actually like the stuff from Cort? Because to me it looks like exactly what it is, office furniture, and that's not what I'd want my home to look like.

knox_harrington posted:

It's a bit difficult to advise if you don't have any idea what you like. If you literally just want a new couch, yeah what you posted is fine but absolutely go and sit on it first. You're right, an ottoman would be more flexible, if you get a rug you can put non-slip backing under it and the ottoman won't go anywhere.

quote:

I think that room would look nice with this colour scheme https://www.houzz.co.uk/hznb/photos/angel-flat-eclectic-living-room-london-phvw-vp~113769334

Even if the plan is for it to be primarily a home cinema it is probably worthwhile making the room look nice. You're right that the media unit is not ideal, but it's also covering the window, which has a broken blind. The curtains on the balcony window are pretty imposing/ugly as well. If making the room as a whole isn't priority at all then maybe the Interior Design Thread isn't the right place for the discussion.

Jaded Burnout posted:

If I can give a less shitheel version of what I think prada is saying, good quality furniture costs a lot of money. What you consider "good quality" varies from person to person, but I'm speaking about good materials and good build quality, while for example prada might put more stock in furniture being genuine designer rather than e.g. a high quality knockoff.

I did cringe when I read "pre-rented". I would suggest considering what you really want out of your furniture. If you just want something to sit on, then stick with what you have. If you want something to be a key part of your home, something that makes you happy to have around rather than something that bugs you whenever you see it, then prepare to spend a lot of time thinking, searching, and looking for it. You'll know when a piece of furniture (or anything, really) fits into your life, but you can only do that when you know what you want from life and your environment.

PRADA SLUT posted:

The point is to get an idea of the "feel" of the room, and pick out elements you like, even if you don't give a poo poo about the entire thing or it's nothing that actually works in your place.

This is what you do:



- I like the white background because it pulls attention toward the center of the room and shows off the furniture
- I like how all the seats are floating (ie, not against a wall) as is centers focus and compartmentalizes the space
- I like the thin, raised legs on the furniture because they give the room a light, airy look
- I like the "organic" curves on the chairs because it adds some unusual interest
- I like the muted colors but using color to specifically focus on single items (the stripe o the )
- I like that the elements on the wall are displayed almost like an art gallery

And from here, I can find elements in any other and it starts to pull a design toward a convergence. I don't like the wool on the loveseat and I wouldn't do the wool, I wouldn't do the white upholstery, nor do I like whatever that picture is in the background, and the rug is okay, but it doesn't matter because I've developed enough information to find a trend (ie, center-focused, airy space, minimal excessive decor, "gallery-like" layout).
...
You can't play both sides of a Kondo-esque "spark joy" piece but then be like "but only from this one place I have a coupon for". Nobody actually cares about the specific price point or where you buy something, but furniture isn't some abstract, interchangable futures commodity and nobody happily plants their rear end on a couch they hate and thinks "wow, what a deal I got that one time so many years ago". I see that you're not considering Cort anymore, which is fine, but there's nothing inherently wrong with it, just that it was picked completely arbitrarily. If I were you, I'd even go somewhere completely outside your price point just to get an idea of what's out there, and it might give you a better idea of what you like, even if you don't buy those exact things (see above). I'm not even in the market for anything but I still go to specialized showrooms when I'm traveling just to get an idea of what's out there.
...
Coffee table and media center need to look sensible together, so probably a dual purchase, or at least with enough vision to know what you'll be after. White, squared leather couches were big in the mid-late 80's (except they usually sat on the ground), which probably isn't useful to you but it might give you some direction if you're looking at used / "vintage" / "estate" / whatever.

WithoutTheFezOn posted:

At the very least, I think he’d benefit from (re)moving the fourth section of his couch. The whole thing together is too large, and removing a section would probably give a better idea of what a regular sized couch would feel like in that spot.

Also, as a temporary band-aid, don’t forget you can minimize the sections sliding apart by looping something around the legs of two adjacent sections, like a zip tie or a wire.

there wolf posted:

Leather/vinyl/etc. upholstery can be a problem with cats. They sink their claws in when jumping and you end up with a bunch of punctures on the arms and backs.

knox_harrington posted:

This looks nice? (e: and will do you a chaise/ottoman combo)
https://burrow.com/nomad-fabric/sofa-sectional-ottoman?sku=NSCO-CH-3-LO-DW

PRADA SLUT posted:

This comes in a 96" as well, if you're deathly afraid of the center cushion thing. It's linen and has four colors, but it looks otherwise decent. You'll have to figure out the catte situation. Still light in color, but not straight white, which gives you more flexibility with surrounding color.

nielsm posted:

I went with Kivik some years back, it's quite good IMHO. Note that the arm rests on Kivik are very low, and extra wide. They function as (upholstered) side tables on their own. Also note that the regular 3-seat-wide without chaise has just two cushions each three half-seats wide.

falz posted:

Just want to say that while these all look nice, they all look extremely uncomfortable if you wanted to say, lay down and put your head on the armrest. Is one supposed to BYO pillow, or does that ruin the aesthetic?

Sloth Life posted:

No lie, the joke "lol dad recliner" sofa posted looks the most comfortable of all. Padded everything for the win!
Yes, I have one.

PRADA SLUT posted:

Would look great with a nice pair of "comfort fit" stonewash Wranglers and some Nike Monarchs

there wolf posted:

Is it something you'd seriously consider? Because you don't seem especially passionate about the modernist couches you've been looking at, so are you really looking at what you want or just what you like that falls within the parameters of what's popular and stylish now?

If you're mostly using the space as a theater then prioritizing comfort is pretty sensible. Maybe you should get the dad couch, and then get an MCM media consul for the modernist element.

actionjackson posted:

What is your budget? What width do you want? Do you prefer a sectional, recliner or sofa?

PRADA SLUT posted:

Nothing uses IR anymore so having line of sight doesn’t matter.

knox_harrington posted:

So what's your insufficient budget and weirdly precise requirements for this item of furniture?

actionjackson posted:

For the dude trying to fix his man cave, one of the sofas prada mentioned is in their outlet right now

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Blu-Dot-Bank-80-Sofa-Sanford-Linen/303534061741?hash=item46ac0a38ad:g:~3gAAOSwQEtejMYf

other thoughts: trying to figure out the justifications for spending anything more than Ikea for a side table. It holds two light items and is mostly not even visible. Things that hold stuff I find much harder to justify spending a lot on than things I actually sit on / sleep on.

actionjackson posted:

Before I even looked at the ratings 12 was also my favorite. You have good taste I think you'll be very happy with that one, and the walnut legs look great too.

Is there a way to not have the tv blocking the window?

knox_harrington posted:

Great that you kept all the empty cardboard boxes, they really tie the room together.

Freaquency posted:

All of the grays look fine for the most part, but don’t be afraid of looking at something in the blue-gray or gray-green range. They look a lot more neutral in practice than you might expect.

actionjackson posted:

13 is my favorite swatch after 12. I don't think it will be flat, I think it will be nice and subtle which is what you want. Once you have the sofa, you can get other things to go with it that are more vibrant, for example various lights and plants.

Freaquency posted:

From which site did you get these swatches?

actionjackson posted:

Yes I see why. Gray is the safest anyway as it matches any wall. What site is the sofa from?

Josh Lyman posted:

Josh Lyman posted:

This would pick up some of the grey from my couch but it looks a bit ugly in this photo:

Gnossiennes posted:

if it's not RTA, measure everything including the entrance you'll bring it into.

actionjackson posted:

Josh, have you considered a media console and then getting soundbar? For example many of the BDI consoles have gaps to let remote frequencies in, and a soundbar shelf.

https://www.bdiusa.com/products/corridor-8177-modern-tv-stand-media-storage-drawer

These aren't cheap, but are incredibly high quality, and given how much you use the tv would be worth considering at some point.

KillHour posted:

Those look pretty opaque. Are you trying to project a circle onto your ceiling? Because that's probably all they'll do.

Hold one upside down over a lamp and see if you can see the light through it.

To answer your question, as long as they aren't tempered, it should be POSSIBLE to drill a small hole in them with the right tools. https://www.familyhandyman.com/tools/drills/how-to-drill-a-hole-in-glass/

KillHour posted:

This is gonna sound weird but maybe put flowers in them.

Gnossiennes posted:

the floating effect is due to the more squat proportions of the tables in the long-table shot. it darkens the underside and it's contents, so that the focus is off of that area, and coinkydinkily make it look floaty.

and yeah, lightning too, since it looks kinda spotlight-y with harsher darker shadows, and it looks like it's pushed completely up against a wall (which adds to it being darker underneath).

falz posted:

I didn't see your original post, but since you mentioned floating I presume you eyeballed Ikea Besta?

Gnossiennes posted:

is there a stretcher/support on those legs? or are you planning on just having them pop on out from the top?

actionjackson posted:

this is from the last two days of getting rid of stuff. there is ALWAYS more, no matter how little you seem to have. and yes that london poster is from ikea gently caress you all.

i just had a guy text me about the calculator, and tell me he was "sending a six digit code from google" to "make sure I was real" before he called me on the phone (?) lol

Anne Whateley posted:

Imo it's dumb as hell to have kitchen cabinets that don't extend to the ceiling. Why do people leave that gap? To store 30 years of dust and grease and fake plants? To me it's bonkers that that's normal.

Youth Decay posted:

It's a cat shelf.

Lead out in cuffs posted:

Have you considered changing those blinds out for white ones? You'll basically never be opening them, so it might make sense to get ones that blend into the wall a little better.