The New Kitchen Table

About Us

“Design your life for a happier home.”

We all have a life on a couch—every last one of us. Much of the joy that underlies our natural attraction to our life on a couch has nothing to do with the couch at all, let alone the book, TV, movie, laptop or whatever other form of entertainment might be consumed there. The real joy comes from the time spent there in the company of those who matter to us most. I suppose this is what makes the couch so special as a fixture in our lives. It is not a chair—it is a shared chair. It is wide, and soft, and low and inviting. It is beautiful. It is not furniture—it is a platform for living—one, that despite having a thousand years of history, was seemingly designed especially for this era, for our way of life.

The couch is the new center of modern civilization. For better of for worse it has replaced the kitchen table as the place where people come together, where people communicate in person, where people enjoy shared experiences—which by the way, is the definition of intimacy. Some people sit there together, facing the center and chat. Some people sit in parallel, focused on the same screen ahead. Some sit close, others apart, some cuddle, some lay sideways, some build forts with kids, some pile-on with friends, and some make-out with lovers. Some hold hands, even as others text, surf, shop, work, or game in solitude—yet often they are still “connected.” But regardless of how they do it—people spend time together on the couch…and that is a beautiful thing.

As a culture, we are more aware of, and more fascinated than ever by how others live. Whether celebrities, or whether just “the Jones’s” next door, thanks to modern media we have access to more personal information than ever—and this helps bring context to our own lives. It is my personal mission to shine a light onto this “life on a couch” that we share—one by one, story by story—in hopes to further our mutual awareness and respect, both as a people and as a generation. That we might recognize: regardless of our income level, social status, marital status, or personal travails, we are all just in this together, trying to make it work, trying to enjoy life, to find meaning, to contribute in some way, and to connect with those who love us.

This is life on a couch—and it is interesting, because you are.

 

Shawn David Nelson Family

Tiffany & Shawn Nelson with Valentine (2), Duke (6), Lucky (8), and Pepper (4)

About Shawn Nelson

Founder & Chairman: LoveSac since 1998 | Founder & Writer: Life on a Couch (blog) | Lived and worked in China for three years first as a volunteer missionary 1996 – 1998, and later as a management coach running leadership and team-building seminars for Fortune 500 companies speaking Chinese in 2000 | Won $1 million on Fox’s “Rebel Billionaire” show in 2005 and became acting President of Richard Branson’s Virgin Companies for a season | Grew LoveSac to a 60-store (and counting) chain with an ever expanding suite of patented furniture inventions—named America’s fastest growing furniture retailer in 2013 | Invented and launched Sactionals® LoveSac’s industry-disruptive, patented sofa solution |ž Holds multiple patents on various products |Graduated cum laude from the University of Utah Honors Program in 2001 with a BA in Mandarin Chinese and Asian Studies, and a Masters in Design Strategies and Management from Parsons at The New School, NYC in 2015 | Currently resides in Darien, Connecticut with his wife, 2 dogs, & 4 kids.

More from Shawn on his design blog: Designed-For-Life.org

Follow him daily via his CEO-vlog on YouTube: Get Off The Couch vlog

Or Follow Shawn on Twitter

 

One thought on “The New Kitchen Table

  1. Chris LaBonty

    Hello Shawn,

    I am Chris and I am one of the founders of HeadFunder. I saw that you favorited our tweet and I wanted to thank you for that. I would love for you to be part of our platform before it comes out. We are going to be starting our VIP pre-registration in the next few weeks.

    I also had a love-sac for a super long time! They are so awesome! I would love to talk more.

    Best Regards,

    Reply

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