Tag Archives: Couch

Rock Festivals: Do I Even Have to Leave My Couch?

With concert feeds available on demand right from your phone, tablet or TV, what’s keeping you from just watching a festival from home? [Guest contributor: Michael Majlak]

Boston Calling festival stage

This weekend I left the comfort of my fluffy couch and trekked with a group of friends to the Boston Calling Festival in the heart of Beantown. The festival has bloomed into a massive event in the three years since it started, mainly because of its unique location in City Hall Plaza and its ability to pull massive artists and infamous food options. This year’s festival would be headlined by Jack Johnson, Death Cab for Cutie, and Modest Mouse, and would be catered by some of Boston’s legendary food vendors.

It had been years since I had been to a real festival. But upon walking up the concrete steps and entering upon the red-brick of City Hall Plaza, I immediately noticed some of the staples I had been so used to seeing. You had the company reps handing out free granola samples and various swag. There were the free-spirited hippies spinning hula hoops around their waist and of course the four or five people who sported their trusty tie-dye tee and corduroy pants. Then there were the lines. There were lines for merch, lines for food, lines for beer, and lines to use the most-dreaded of all things- the festival porta-potty.

Boston Calling festival grounds

Even with all the usual suspects, sights, and sounds of the modern music festival, one thing immediately caught my attention. There was one thing added to the equation. This “intruder” I speak of most likely sits within arm’s reach of you right now. You use it countless times a day, in fact some people rarely ever put it down. You may actually be staring at it right now, holding it tightly in your closed palm as you read this post. That’s right, I’m talking about the new staple of the modern rock concert- the smartphone.

Now, technology has progressed a lot since I last went to a concert, I will admit. There have been amazing developments like better speakers that make the music sound even better and Visual Display Systems being put around the festival so even if you’re at the back of the crowd, you can still see everything. But there are some parts of modern technology that cause a lot of controversy and the presence of mobile phones at festivals is definitely one of them.

Festival-goers on their smartphones

Everywhere I looked, there it was. Kids on the way into the show were presenting their tickets via online ticket app. They were checking their account balances on the Bank of America app, watching for rain on the iPhone weather widget and scouring the concert lineup on the Boston Calling website. The effect of social media was even greater. A girl climbed up on her boyfriend’s shoulders not get a better view over the endless sea of people, but to take a selfie to immediately post on Instagram. The #BostonCalling hashtag lit up Twitter with every minute festival detail being live-blogged through 140 characters. People checked in on Facebook and sent Snapchats to their friends of Roxy’s Grilled Cheeses and videos of The Neighbourhood performing “Afraid”. The impact of the smartphone and social media was impossible to ignore.

#BostonCalling Instagram page

With all of this technology- the live online video feed, the Instagram video, the endless pictures on Twitter and Facebook, I started to wonder if I really even had to leave my couch. Could I have just kicked back with feet up on my ottoman, grabbed a cold drink and watched a live feed of Modest Mouse on my MacBook? Since the advent of modern technology, so many have begun choosing to witness events from the comfort of their living room. And to be honest, who can blame them? If social media allows you to do this, then why shouldn’t you make the most out of this opportunity? If anything, you could be helping the people who are posting to get more Instagram followers, especially if you really enjoy their posts. This is also a bonus in itself. The things that social media allow you to do in this day and age are just incredible. Could I have saved the money spent on travel and the time waiting in lines? Could I have avoided the aggravation of being stuck in a torrential downpour amidst thousands of pesky concert-goers and just cheered on from my warm, dry sofa?

Just as I started to truly ponder this, I was grabbed by a friend and herded in with a sea of other fans in front of a large and dimly-lit stage. A few minutes later, Brand New (a band I have worshipped since my high-school angst days but never got a chance to see) appeared on stage and proceeded to strum through one of the loudest, most passionate concert sets I have ever witnessed in my entire life. Every note seared directly into the heart of myself and everyone around me. Right at that moment, surrounded by 22,000 other ecstatic fans, I understood why I needed to be exactly where I was.

Modest Mouse performing at Boston Calling

Simply put- yes, you can experience a festival from the comfort of your couch. You can read about the acts, you can see pictures of the food on Instagram, and you can even watch the performance feeds on sponsored websites. But there’s one thing you cannot do. You cannot feel.

No one can describe to you the feeling of the bass drum pulsating through your body during your favorite band’s explosive encore. You can watch a live feed, but you cannot feel the camaraderie of 20,000 Death Cab for Cutie fans swaying back-and-forth upon hearing the first few strings of “I Will Follow You into the Dark.” You cannot feel the cold sweat rolling off your favorite beverage as it battles tirelessly against the midday sun. You cannot taste the food, you cannot feel the breeze upon your face- you cannot be there, unless you are there.

Me taking in the vibes

As someone who watches quite a bit of online media, I’m not putting down catching some cool stuff on your laptop or TV. But I also understand that this life is fleeting. The reward offered from getting off the couch and witnessing life first-hand is worth the extra effort or a little discomfort. You may forget things you have read, or things you have seen, but you’ll never forget the way things made you feel.

Boston Common Flag Memorial

With that being said, everyone needs a place to fall back to, a safehaven for the mind, a landing pad after a rigorous trip. It was an unforgettable adventure, but now I have a date with my couch…

— Michael Majlak, Author: The Essential Foodie blog

A note from Life on a Couch founder, Shawny Nelson: Thanks Mike for your post. I agree completely. “Life on a couch” does not advocate more time on the couch–we advocate better time on the couch! There is certainly much more life to be had off the couch and out of the house. It is precisely the exhaustion from a good music festival, the soreness from a week at the lake, or the fatigue from a day out in the sun that makes flopping on the couch at the end of the day so appealing–so incomparable. We believe that the quality of our life on a couch is directly proportional to the quality of our life off the couch…so go, get out, attend, experience…run, jump, dance, laugh and live it up! That’s life on a couch.

10 Best Couch Designs from ICFF 2014

NUMBER 10 best design at ICFF

This is a couch that makes a statement – amazing in an entry way! by Ito Kish

NUMBER 9 best design at ICFF

You know a piece of furniture is special when it has its own legitimate name. Meet Alex, by Jephson Robb

NUMBER 8 best design at ICFF

I’m not sure this actually qualifies as a couch…but it should…Only at ICFF

NUMBER 7 best design at ICFF

A tasteful use of mixed mediums. Leather and wood, in a construction we’ve never seen before

NUMBER 6 best design at ICFF

Only at ICFF will you see something like this, from A lot of Brazil

NUMBER 5 best design at ICFF

Not sure what to say about this–but its pretty amazing that someone built it

NUMBER 4 best design at ICFF

Not exactly a couch, but wow! Made efficiently from one sheet of material, cut, bent, folded, beautiful…and sustainable

NUMBER 3 best couch design at ICFF

A killer combination of fabric and real wood. This unique sectional by Danao Living is almost too pretty to sit on

NUMBER 2 best couch design at ICFF

Love these well-executed fabric sofas with zippered corners by Vitra–an institution in modern furniture; Swiss

NUMBER 1 Best couch design seen at ICFF, 2014

Mmmmmmm. Above all, a couch should be comfy. Just looking at this one makes me want to cuddle up

As always, ICFF was inspiring. Go yourself! I am always humbled by the level of talent apparent at shows like this one. Our company, Lovesac, has never shown at ICFF, or any other furniture trade show for that matter, but we certainly gain inspiration from the best there. The only place you can find Lovesac couches are in our very own Lovesac stores, or website. We kind of like it that way.

While a couch is good for kicking back in during your downtime, they’re not the ideal form of furniture for being productive in. If you really want to get some serious work done, you’ll want to look at ergonomic office chairs instead. Combine one with a desk and you’ve got a home office! Check out the options available online to see if you can match the office furniture with the existing style of your home. But it would be nice to have one of these couches to go and chill on when you’re on break.

Walking design shows all over the world is both humbling and reassuring…there is still nothing like Sactionals, by Lovesac. In my humble opinion, Sactionals may be the most revolutionary design in couches within the last century. Mostly because of all of the crazy things you can do with Sactionals (not to mention, they are “Lovesac” comfortable)….But then, I am kind of biased.

Could it be possible that the real number 1 best sofa design is not to be found at ICFF?

Let me know which one of the above you liked best, and why! (Don’t worry, you won’t hurt my feelings.) If you’re looking to invest in a stunning couch like these, make sure you have professional Bissell cleaning equipment to maintain it.

— Shawny

@Shawny_Nelson

What Does a Mother Look Like?

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This is the picture of a mother

She is capable of love in ways I can’t understand

I see it when she wakes up sick, yet duty-bound

I see it when she laughs without abandon at these funny little people

I see it when my instinct is to scold and hers is to hug

I see it when she sleeps so lightly, always on alarm

I see it when she sleeps so deeply, only to wake and do it again.

Being a mom—being a really good mom—is harder than anything I’ll ever do.

“Happy Mother’s Day” just doesn’t say it…but what else can I say?

So, Happy Mother’s Day…and now our fourth is on the way!

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms, everywhere. You are the reason for life.

— Shawny

Signs of Couch Life Along the Silk Road?

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On a recent trip to China I made an effort to take a couple of days to “get off the grid.” Having lived a full 1/10th of my life in China, I am fluent in Mandarin Chinese and I have a great love for the people and culture.

Road with no bends–runs straight through the Gobi Desert, off-the-grid, China

I have traveled to most parts of china, including many parts unknown…but I had never been to the Gobi Desert in Gansu Province—along the path of the ancient silk road in the great northwest—where few foreigners go.

Rock formation inside of YaDan National Park, Gobi Desert

This jaunt took me to Gansu Province, one of the harshest and most beautiful places I’ve ever stood. There I discovered that even across this vast gap of distance, culture, and climate—our life on a couch is more similar to theirs than you might think.

This chair has seen some life — maybe their grandparent’s favorite perch

Shy to be photographed, but definitely intrigued by a group of Americans walking by, these children remind me of my own in the way they play. And check out that chair. It has clearly seen many years of a grandparent perched there, watching the world modernize before their eyes.

Imagine the life that chess table has seen

Rather than spend much time gawking at the tourist attractions near tourist-ready towns that the Chinese Government has carefully prepared for outsiders to see, my favorite kind of travel involves going to no-name places that most tourists never could go—to see how life is really lived. This photo of a shack, built between two high-rise apartment buildings was taken in an un-manicured mining town that is technically off-limits to foreigners. Unless you can speak Chinese, find out about a town like this one, and then convince a local driver to take you there—you wouldn’t know the town even existed.

One of about a dozen pool tables lining a side-street market of this nowhere town

There may still be dirt roads in some of these developing towns—but their life is no less complete than ours. Entertainment, shopping, and even a friendly wager over a public pay-to-play pool table are clearly universal past times.

2 stalls down from the open air pool-hall

While in America you can walk next door to most pool-halls and grab a fountain drink or lottery ticket—the market connected to this pool-hall just stocks its shelves with their own local favorites.

Life on the front porch couch

But no matter how far you get off the grid—there is always evidence of couch life everywhere you look. At home, here in the US, you can imagine this same function being served by some version of a wicker outdoor patio “conversation set” (Shameless plug: Checkout Outdoor Sationals by Lovesac).

What do you do with a couch that has run its course?

And what to do with a couch when it has finally just worn out? The solutions are just as clumsy and unsightly there as they are here. (Shameless plug: Lovesac Sactionals are built to last a lifetime—and will never face this problem)

“Free Sectional” — What to do with a couch that won’t fit in your new place?

Or what about when you move, and your old sectional just doesn’t fit in your new place? You leave it at the curb of course. Isn’t it just supposed to disappear somehow!?

Mao the mechanic’s waiting room couch

Or what to do when the fabric just gets so dirty its just embarrassing? (Shameless plug: Sactionals all have changeable covers that are totally machine washable—and will never face this problem). But this particular couch has seen plenty of life—parked outside of my newfound friend’s shop, Mr. Mao, the local mechanic.

Mao the mechanic outside of his humble auto shop

This is Mr. Mao. I met him while wandering through a vacant lot displaying a smattering of older cars, trucks and scooters that I reckoned I might be able to gain access to as a means of going even further off-grid.

Entering through the alley – a peek into life on a couch in backwoods, China

As it turns out, Mao the Mechanic could not rent me one of his vehicles. But he did invite me back to his home for tea, and a rare peek into his humble life on a couch. Tune in next week for an intimate look into Mao the mechanic’s “Couch Life” interview, from the inside of his own home, all the way from one of the harshest and farthest removed environments on the face of the earth.

Rock formation, Gobi Desert, Gansu Province

Don’t get lost out here

I was blown away, not only with the stunning local scenery—but by the fascinating details of Mr. Mao’s life on a couch. Check back next week to see it, as one of my series of “How’s Your Couch Life Interviews,” at Lifeonacouch.org.

Reminds me of home (southern Utah)…but as far away as it gets

Two steps feel more like four, and only take you one forward one in sand like this

Are you like me? Do you like to get off the beaten path? What is the coolest place you’ve ever travelled to? Tell me about it!! Comment here.

— Shawny

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The New Kitchen Table

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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. Even I go through marital problems especially regarding our sex life and elevating the experience. We get through this though… together

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

— Shawny

…nearly every night