Cool furniture, design objects and desiderata

[TheFoo]

Yes.

So you’re related to Charlemagne? You and every other living European…

The advent of cheap genetic sequencing has given birth to a burgeoning ancestry industry. But before you pay to spit in a tube, let me give you a few facts for free

www.theguardian.com

I’ll let you put some more thought into this.

 

[nootje]

Back to stuff:

I’m planning a fall trip to France by car. We’ll have a new puppy by then which means that flying will be out of the question, and we will be shopping for some things so the big estate boot will be needed.

Places that have made the list so far are:
the le creuset factory in northern France,
from there maybe a few days in Paris
visiting Brittany for friends for another day or two,
The opinel factory in the savoy as I’m fed up with our current kitchen knives.
And probably a couple of wine estates in burgundy as I’d hate to waste the opportunity when we’re coming through there anyway back north.

Since we are moving into a new house this summer we will need lights for sure, but really any ideas for cool factories or places would be appreciated.

 

[Jr Mouse]

Ended up going with stools from Muuto similar to the ones @zalb916 posted a while back. Decided I wanted something minimalistic with a simple design that wouldn’t stand out. Seat pads are covered in padded leather so they should be comfy. Found them on DWR’s outlet store for a good price.

Edit: Not my Kitchen.

 

[imatlas]

Apparently the best attested family lineage in China is Confucius’, which has 3 million members.

Tell us more about how this genealogy stuff works, please.

How long is the longest existing family tree?

If you can trace your ancestry back more than three generations, you're doing better than many of us. But when you've dived into the murky archives before the 1900s, you will definitely find yourself wondering just how far back you'll be able to go.

people.howstuffworks.com

 

[GeneralEmployer]

...Found them on DWR’s outlet store for a good price.

If you don't mind saying, what outlet? I've been to DWR outlets in Brooklyn and NJ and I've always been very unimpressed (stuff is damaged or undesirable and priced accordingly). What was your general experience? How much were the stools vs MSRP and in what condition?

Apparently the best attested family lineage in China is Confucius’, which has 3 million members.

Tell us more about how this genealogy stuff works, please.

"A direct descendent is someone who can trace their lineage by "child" relationships all the way back to the desired ancestor. A non-direct descendent has to go through a "cousin" or a "by marriage" or some other non-child relationship in order to find the desired ancestor." -- Source: Stack Exchange

 

[Jr Mouse]

DWR eBay outlet. Stools were marked new and unused. Think I paid a little less then half MSRP? They haven’t shipped yet, but I’ll report on the condition when they arrive.

 

[brokencycle]

I'm tempted to buy their open-box Aeron chairs, but I feel stupid spending that much on a chair that doesn't have a warranty. There is a suspicious looking CL post where someone allegedly has a brand new Aeron and Mirra for half MSRP.

Still waiting for General Employer to score me one of those huge discounts on Herman Miller office chairs.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

I wouldn’t worry about it much, Aeron chairs are pretty bulletproof.

 

[TheFoo]

Still waiting for General Employer to score me one of those huge discounts on Herman Miller office chairs.

If you aren’t getting ~50% off Herman Miller, you are doing it wrong.

Nobody—at least randomly on the internet—is going to hand you the contact/relationship to get the discount. But with some minor networking on your own, I’m sure you can make it happen.

 

[Fuuma]

What a silly thing to say. Is everyone in Europe
today related to Tarquin the Proud?

Yes. If you go back -5000 then some of the DNA of every person that existed on the ******* earth and has reproduced is found in EVERYONE existing today. I'm descended from Confucius and Caesar if descended mean sharing some DNA. As you know there are multiple regimes of truth regarding what it means to be part of a group through blood, from DNA through the elaborate family trees of aristocratic families or the US indian act deciding who is Indian now.

Found a basic explanation here (recent research did help prove what you read in the article) but you can find numerous ones around:

The Royal We

The mathematical study of genealogy indicates that everyone in the world is descended from Nefertiti and Confucius, and everyone of European ancestry is descended from Muhammad and Charlemagne

www.theatlantic.com

 

[brokencycle]

Mouse, don't you feel stupid now for only getting 50% off at an outlet?

 

[Omega Male]

 

[GeneralEmployer]

I'm tempted to buy their open-box Aeron chairs, but I feel stupid spending that much on a chair that doesn't have a warranty. There is a suspicious looking CL post where someone allegedly has a brand new Aeron and Mirra for half MSRP.

Still waiting for General Employer to score me one of those huge discounts on Herman Miller office chairs.

That's definitely a scam. There's a million things to concern yourself when buying an Aeron from a non-official source. While I buy occasionally buy furniture on CL from old people, as a rule of thumb, I'd never buy an Aeron (Even if it isn't a scammer, then it's someone who knows the established value of the chair). If you don't want to shell out the big bucks, you can score some gently used fully loaded Aerons for incredibly cheap (sub $100-150). My sources are mostly NYC based, but I can PM you a general source that would work on the coast (you probably already know it, but maybe don't know it's good for Aerons).

Fun Fact: Although General Employer has the HM 50% off discount, he sits in an early-run Aeron chair in a rare midnight blue mesh purchased from an estate. Cost: $50.

For the Record: Nobody I know could beat Jr Mouses' buy. DWR trade sucks, and nobody I know has a big accn w/ Muuto.

 

[GeneralEmployer]

I wouldn’t worry about it much, Aeron chairs are pretty bulletproof.

A lot of Aerons on the second-hand market either aren't genuine or they're frankenstein chairs. Some people take the good parts of broken Aerons and then reassemble them into "new chairs" in "new boxes." I am huge exponent of the second-hand market, but buying an Aeron used, especially in a B or C size (scammers don't mess with the As as much), is one of the most complicated purchases around.

A new open box Aeron from a dude off CL is a scam. HM has tried to crack down on their chairs being sold below retail. There's no way to get a NIB Aeron from the streets. It's one of the few things, as an RED-BLOODED ITALIAN MAN, I would never buy off the back of a truck except from a blood relative who shared MOST OF MY DNA ACCORDING TO AN ANCESTRY TEST.

 

[brokencycle]

That's definitely a scam. There's a million things to concern yourself when buying an Aeron from a non-official source. While I buy occasionally buy furniture on CL from old people, as a rule of thumb, I'd never buy an Aeron (Even if it isn't a scammer, then it's someone who knows the established value of the chair). If you don't want to shell out the big bucks, you can score some gently used fully loaded Aerons for incredibly cheap (sub $100-150). My sources are mostly NYC based, but I can PM you a general source that would work on the coast (you probably already know it, but maybe don't know it's good for Aerons).

Fun Fact: Although General Employer has the HM 50% off discount, he sits in an early-run Aeron chair in a rare midnight blue mesh purchased from an estate. Cost: $50.

For the Record: Nobody I know could beat Jr Mouses' buy. DWR trade sucks, and nobody I know has a big accn w/ Muuto.

An Aeron at an estate sale wouldn't last 30 seconds here and there is a high number of sales run by companies that do nothing but that, so they would price them in the $400+ range of in decent shape.

I can't even get there local authorized sellers to call me back.