Hacker News Reader

Comment by bell-cot | Hacker News Reader

Vs. the Good Old Days...

I'm currently using an ~80-year-old bedroom set. It's been moved ~7 times, and is still rock solid. It ain't new, nor trendy, nor did I ever get the thrill of shopping & buying exactly what I wanted - it's a hand-me-down from an aunt & uncle (who were born ~1895, if I recall). Back in the day, that's what families did with good furniture.

Physically, I'd guess that my bedroom set would be good for another 120 years or so. But since the younger generations, these days, are mostly set on buying all-new stuff for themselves, no matter the quality...

View on HN

The younger generations are absolutely not set on buying all-new stuff. Go in a thrift store and nearly everyone shopping there is younger than 35. Craigslist is much more popular among younger people.

The reason younger people end up buying shitty, disposable furniture is because they can't afford houses.

I am not sure about your idea here, I'm under 35, own my home, and insist on buying second hand furniture for vastly different reasons. I scour craiglist, thrift stores, and my local flea markets for vintage furniture, and have almost entirely furnished my small 2 bedroom house over the last 6 years. A big part of this simply deals with build quality and real wood. I know furniture built before 1980 tends to be real wood, and I'd much rather have solid wood construction over particle board nonsense that won't last 10 years.

My searching and insistence has required a lot of patience, but it's ultimately been worth it for me. My holy grail was a 1970's Danish Teak dining room table (w/ 8 chairs!) that someone locally was selling for $800. Anything modern that's of comparable quality would easily be well above $2500. As of now, almost everything in my house is from the 1960/70s, and made of real wood. I'm willing to spend the money on these things instead of junk from Wayfair.

Seems like GP's point doesn't apply to you?

They are saying that young people would choose to buy vintage furniture if they could afford it.

You are saying that you choose to buy vintage furniture because you like it and can afford it.

> the younger generations, these days, are mostly set on buying all-new stuff for themselves

I'd have happily accepted some heirloom furniture from my relatives if they'd passed away around when I brought my house.

But before you own a home you've got nowhere to store an inherited bedroom set - and after you get your first home you'll want a bedroom set immediately so you can move in.

I think for most families it's not a matter of failing to appreciate quality furniture, it's just very rare for the logistics to line up.

My parents had a microwave growing up that was older than I am. I'm in my 40s. It was an absolute tank. It still works today.

I used to say "they don't make 'em like that anymore", which is true, but then I thought about all the other furniture they bought in the 70s that did not survive this long. When I looked around their house, I saw that very little furniture or appliances were original. Most of it had broken and been replaced.

I realized I was looking at that microwave and drawing the conclusion that it was the rule when it was actually the exception.

What usually gets forgotten in the "they don't make 'em like that anymore" is the price. We had a microwave in the 80s that was built like a tank, and it cost about 4x what a microwave costs today. In absolute dollars that is. About 10x the price adjusted for inflation.

It's the same as the old washers & dryers from the 50s. It was pretty normal to spend $500 for a set. No wonder they were built like tanks. For that kind of money they needed to last decades.

I still remember our first VCR. It was a beast. $700, about 1980. Insane.

Part of what's changed, is that moving out of multigenerational households has become the norm in the US. Can't take mom and dad's furniture while they still need it.

You seem to have no problem with the looks of it though, people don't want "trendy" but maybe just don't like a certain color or style at all. Also when did you come into possession of that bedroom set? Was it your first interior after moving out? A common theme is people wanting to decorate their place how they like it, if it's the first time. I suppose I could do with my parent's bedroom and living room decor NOW, after not living with it for over 15 years, but I surely didn't when I got my own first apartment. (If I had gotten the house including everything in it I would've probably not downright replaced everything, but mostly due to costs)

Reply on news.ycombinator.com