Victorian Vs. Ikea

Over at the Atlantic, columnist Megan McCardle admits that she hates cheap IKEA furniture, but argues that longing for an era when people used to keep their furniture forever (longevity and furniture is increasingly popular topic given 1. The economy 2. The environmental impact of churning out disposable furniture) isn't the answer, either. For better or for worse, cheap furniture give people mobility and allows them to fix their design mistakes, rather than live with ugly and expensive furniture, the way that our parents did. She writes: "My mother endured a mid-Victorian oak pedestal dining table handed down from an aunt for almost forty years, hating it every day, but unable to bring herself to get rid of something with so much good wear left in it." [The Atlantic]