Furniture 101 : Q&A
dcollie
17 years ago
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guy_in_newhouse
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agokmealy
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Sectional sofas 101
Comments (7)My Flexsteel sectional has metal clips so the two pieces hook together. It's on a wood floor but it's against two walls so it's not going anywhere (it also weighs a ton). No recliners; we plan on a cat sometime soon and I once injured a cat by trapping it under the recliner when I closed it up, so I swore I would never own a recliner again. We did choose to use a larger coffee table because we needed the surface space, and the coffee table that had fit the regular couch just fine was too small for the sectional, both visually and functionally. Regarding measurements, our sectional sits in a corner against two walls. I simply measured the two walls and allowed a bit of space for small end tables, then hunted down a sectional that fit those measurements and wasn't too bulky for the room. Small-scale sectionals that aren't just two loveseats stuck together or a couch with a chaise stuck on (I find it very difficult to get out of the chaise) are not easy to find, but they're not ALL ginormous! Ours is something like 90" on one side of the "L" and 110" on the other. If you plan to "float" your sectional, get a roll of blue painter's tape and map out where your sectional's going to go, right on the floor with the tape, until the proportion looks right and then measure that; if you have the standard sofa-loveseat combo now you can shove them together into that space and get a rough idea of scale. The biggest "pros" in our house are that it wastes no space in our small living room - when we had a couch and loveseat, there was a substantial area in the corner that was wasted (furniture arms take up a lot of space) and we couldn't both stretch out to watch TV, read or nap while now we can and still have room for the dog. :-) The main con is that it IS a little bit heavy-looking for the small room, although cut-back arms, a relatively low back, and a slightly-bland midtone sage color do reduce the visual weight somewhat....See MoreLearn me carpeting 101. Please...
Comments (3)Didn't even take an hour. Wow, carpet technology has sure changed. The holy grail of durability, softness and true permanent stain resistance apparently arrived while I was not looking. This ain't your Momma's Stainmaster. I'm ready to shop now. Color and texture thoughts anyone? Here is a link that might be useful: Sorona Smartstrand thread...See MoreBook or resource on furniture arrangement 101
Comments (9)Anatomy for Interior Designers by Julius Panero. Measured dimensions of everything in an interior from how high is a stack of folded bras to how much clearance is needed to execute a dramatic exit in a huff. Slightly old-fashioned and MCM-oriented (it was first published more than 50 years ago), but clear and easy to use and the working dimensions have stood the test of time. Wicked funny line drawings, as well. If not still in print, I'm sure it's still avail used, or in a library. Another more thoughful approach is A Pattern for Living by Christopher Alexander, which describes in clear detail what kinds of spacing makes all the elements of rooms and buildings work (and on a larger scale landscapes and communities, as well). It's little more challenging to get into, but of all the books I loan to friends it's the one I have the hardest time getting back, since people don't want to let it go! It used to be quite pricey ($50+ back in the day) but is much cheaper now. I recommend you try a library copy, first, to see if it works for you. No pretty pics, though, only rough sketches. With these two, one offering concrete real-world data and the other offering a theoretic framework for human-centric space planning, you should have it all. L....See MoreQuality Sofas?
Comments (4)Don, its in how their build it; starting with the frame. You wouldnt want to build a house on a weak foundation! When a upholstery manufacturer starts with a solid foundation their not likely to skimp on everything else. When your looking at an upholstered sofa in a store can you tell just by looking at it that its a quality sofa. Not likely! Whats under the cover "what you cant see" is the most important part of a quality sofa. When a manufacturer spells out in full details how they construct their sofas is the ones you can trust. Its hard to trust any manufacturer online or in a store whether its a quality sofa if they dont advertise how its built and the type of materials they use. Please take the time to understand and know how a quality sofa is build. Just a couple of posts down, is a good place to start: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2371246/furniture-101-qanda?n=102 Furniture 101 : Q&A...See Morewalkin_yesindeed
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