Post by @KydiaMusic@mastodon.social

2026-08-17 20:59 UTC

High-quality real wood furniture is no longer available for the middle class. It’s either big box store quality (iffy at the best of times, but thanks to the Enshittification of All Things getting increasingly more common) for the masses, or high-end/bespoke shops for the elite. Places like West Elm, Pottery Barn, Ashley Furniture and even department stores like Macy’s have been degrading in quality and craftsmanship over the last decade. Customer service, too. #InteriorDesign #Furniture

Replies (4)

@KydiaMusic@mastodon.social 2026-08-17 21:34

There was a lamp from CB2 that I wanted for a long time. Y’all know how I can get hung up on light fixtures. It was futuristic yet timeless, brushed brass w/a tripod design that looked vaguely like fused animal tusks worn down by the sands of time. It was in the Spike Jonze film Her, although I liked it before its cinematic debut. Then I finally was able to inspect it on display in-store. I was affronted by the shoddy quality. IIRC, it retailed for over $400. #InteriorDesign #Furniture

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@lispi314@udongein.xyz 2026-08-18 02:13

@KydiaMusic@mastodon.social Knowing a carpenter or other woodworker can be considerably cheaper than those high-end shops even with the cost of labor (at least in my country). It will still be considerably more expensive than Ikea wooden legos (though Lego supposedly has quite high fabrication quality for plastic molding so that might be overstating Ikea quite a bit).

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@dwenius@toot.cat 2026-08-19 18:02

@KydiaMusic@mastodon.social Do you live near Amish/Mennonite communities? Real wood furniture is mostly becoming overpriced bougie artisinal conspicuous consumption, but there are builders who still just “make it that way”, if you can find them…

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@kimlockhartga@beige.party 2026-08-31 19:13

@KydiaMusic@mastodon.social This is why I waited a year for a custom-order heirloom-quality bookcase from Amish furniture makers. I wish I could afford to get them to build me a sofa, too.

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