Buying Guide - Investment Furniture
Why Furniture Should Be An Investment
Things to consider before buying furniture:
What Do I Need?First things first. You need to establish what furniture items you need to purchase. Whether you are working one room at a time, or necessity followed by additional items, it's entirely up to you!
Focusing Downstairs. We all have ideas of the essentials, most commonly:
- Sofa
- TV Unit
- Dining Table
- 4-6 Dining Chairs
- Bookcase
- Occassional Table
Establish which are the most necessary and prioritise.
Later you can decide if you'd like to add additional items, for storage, function or style such as:
- Sideboard
- Dresser
- Room Divider
- Shelves
- Drinks Cabinet
- Occasional Chair
- Coffee Tables
What Is My Budget?This will differ greatly depending on not only your financial position but also your priorities and commitments. Don't put pressure on yourself to spend more than you can afford.
There are great options available in ALL price ranges - just decide what is most important to you:
- Style
- Sustainability
- Function
- Longevity
- Usage (e.g. Sofa - everyday VS Dining Table - only sundays)
- Who's it for? (Adults, Kids, Guests)
- Temporary
- Brand
- Your Own Situation
What Size Will Fit Best?Will the space serve a purpose if it is left emplty/clear? If so then block out this space as if there is already an item there. However, if you're looking for a dining table decide how many people you ideally need to fit around the table - 4, 6 or 8 traditionally, and what storage you need in the room and choose items to fill the space. What's the point in having a dining table floating in the middle of an empty room - serving no real purpose. It's both a waste of money and of space.
REMEMBER when measuring for dining tables to measure for seated guests at the table. Ideally allow at least 1 metre around the table for chairs and guests otherwise it may be tight.
When it comes to sofas and upholstery - again you need to decide how many people you'd like to accomodate comfortably. Living spaces allow for more flexability with occasional accent chairs and footstools, but also commonly have to accomodate adults, children, pets, playtime, christmas, eating, movie nights, parties, cosy evenings and every other part of life. Making them one of the busiest most used rooms in a home.
What Purpose Do I Want The Furniture To Serve?This fits closely with your budget as you need to decide what is most important to you:
- Style
- Function (multi-functional? simple? storage? just style?)
- Longevity
- Usage (e.g. Sofa - everyday VS Dining Table - only sundays)
How Long Do I Want It To Last?Is the item a temporary space filler, for a rental, a first home or specifically chosen for your forever home?
The higher the quality the longer the item of furniture will typically last, it will also be unassembled and reassembled with little to no damage and look as good as new in it's new home.
However, if you're looking for a temporary product or furniture for a rental it's recommended that you look at free standing items that are easily moved and cause no wall damage or alterations.
Classic design allows you to move furniture from room to room, or property to property without great expense or need to completely redecorate or purchase new items.
Can I Add To It In The Future?If you choose a classic wood finish or from a larger collection it's highly probably that you will be able to add to it over a number of years without worrying about discontinuations or a mismatch of styles. We however, will advise you when ranges get discontinued in order to ensure you have all the items you need.
How Important Is Sustainability To Me?If sustainability is important to you then it's always best to ask for extra information on the environmental impact of the manufacturer of the product you are looking at. Many company's advertise sustainability measures, such as a buy back or recycling that are merely plasters over the problem - mass production and long distance importing both have a high impact on the environment.
Our cabinet company Habufa are very conscious of their impact on the environment and have an eco-friendly manufacturing process, designing and creating all their own furniture in house. Every care is taken to source their materials in such a way as to produce as little waste as possible and make sure their furniture is high quality and built to last.
Buying furniture for your home is a decision that should be carefully thought through and considered. It is very easy to see something in a store or online and buy it just because it looks nice without thinking about where or how you will use it. Thinking about the reason why you are looking for something in the first place could potentially save you money in the long run. Do you want a piece of furniture that is just good to look at or something that needs to be more practical with a specific use?
Once you’ve made the purchase, living with, and looking at, what you have bought should give you pleasure and satisfaction. It is surely worth spending as much as your budget will allow to get it right. Even if this means only buying one piece and then gradually adding to it as finances allow. Buying the best quality you can afford, ensures the best quality furniture that will last longer with more flexability and moveability, as well as being much more sustainably than mass manufactured goods that are not built for longevity. It is also worth noting that a timelessly designed peice of furniture can be totally transformed by updating its location or the décor and accessories surrounding it for a much lower price than replacing the furniture itself.
Buying good quality furniture that is built to last is not only good for your longterm budget but is better for our environment too, especially when it is made by environmentally friendly companies, who use production methods that are as sustainable as possible which reduces the waste created and the impact on our environment. We talk a lot about fast fashion - but what about fast furniture? It's important that we as an industry realise the harm that cheap, mass made, low quality items are doing to our planet.
-
Posted by Joyce Crome
1st January 2022
Recently viewed...
