Is quality furniture still appreciated? If Not, Why?
We tend to spend 1000-2000 euros on a new phone, which most likely would be replaced in a year or two, however, when it comes to spending extra 300 euros for quality furniture that would be used and enjoyed in the next 20 years, all of a sudden, we become extremely cautious. Why is that?
15 years ago, at the beginning of my career in the furniture industry, as a newly graduated student, full of enthusiasm and optimism for the profession, I had a colleague that would say that people appreciate cars – but not furniture. People tend to know and appreciate the value of automobiles, and for those – would pay a significant amount of money; depending on the model and the additional equipment. When it comes to furniture – the main goal is to find the cheapest option.
Furniture, just like a new phone or a new car, is something that we live with and use every day. Our bed, bedside table, our dresses – they stay within our lives a lot longer than our phones, TV-sets or cars.
Perhaps, the interesting question wouldn’t be if people appreciate quality, but:
– Why is it easier to acknowledge the value in an automobile or a phone, and so much harder to do the same with furniture?
– Could it be that we are more concerned with how others perceive us outside home, than with the spaces we actually live in every day? After all, very few people ever see the inside of our homes.
And there is a truth in that, a car is a status symbol that everyone sees. We carry the phone with us everywhere. Our clothes, hairstyle, woman’s nails, cosmetic procedures (fillers and Botox)…. All of these often send messages to the world about who we are.
Do we tend to invest in things that others see, then in the things we use ourselves every single day?
Well-designed interiors with quality furniture are quieter, personal and enjoyable; they are almost invisible to the outside world. And on top of that, the consequences of choosing poor-quality furniture become apparent after several years of use. Lately, I have the impression that customers are not sufficiently informed about the quality of materials and the manufacturing process.
It is a deeper subject than it seems at a first glance, however it is worth reflecting. Perhaps, the problem is not that we don’t value quality. Perhaps, we simply value what is visible to others rather than our comfort.
What do you think? Do you have your own reasons for choosing what you would choose? What are your criteria for choosing furniture?