To think quality furnishings can last a lifetime?

[snble]

DP and I are very slowly fitting out our first home together. We are careful with what we buy and make sure it’s all high quality. Solid wood antiques or 60s furniture, english made sofas. solid brass lamps, original paintings. The idea is that these items will either last us a lifetime or will hold a good amount of value if we needed to sell them on.

I think to my granny’s house that she built in the 70s and most things were from then and looked good even in 2010. Whereas my mum is asking us if why we don’t just do a big ikea shop.

We started out together in early 90s and bought a mix of old pre- & postwar dark furniture at bargain prices, alongside some basics from ikea. Most of the Ikea furniture (tasty pine and wicker) only lasted a couple of years (due to the puppy we got… and he used to strip bits of wallpaper from the hall woth his teeth as well!). I will admit, over the years our tastes have changed massively, we used to love all things art deco, but tend to opt for comfort / practicality / simple lines now. So our old furniture has been gradually replaced. We still have a few pieces left though.

Now, the majority of our furniture is secondhand, from ebay and gumtree. I love it - and have saved £1000s of pounds over the years. We have a busy family life, and needs (and tastes) change - we tend to buy Ikea / habitat / John Lewis furniture now from eBay (and sometimes gumtree). Quite often there is furniture on there that is in perfect condition, and someone is just having a refresh. I love the cost savings and the environmentally sustainable nature of buying secondhand..

This is also true. Big pieces of brown furniture like freestanding wardrobes and chests of drawers are currently unfashionable. What that does mean though is that with a wee bit of imagination you can get something very cheaply. Just look at the hammer prices in your local auction house. The one near me recently sold a 6 drawer solid oak chest of drawers for £50, an upholstered chaise longue for £20, and a mid 20th century teak veneered sideboard for £1!!! (Yes you have to pay auction fees of about 25% on top of that but still. Cheap).

Yes the purists would have a funny turn at the idea of painting solid oak or sticking wallpaper on it or whatever, but it's a very quick way of updating a solid piece of furniture which has been around for 100 years or more and will be around for 100 more.

Your preference is not of interest to me, I was replying to a poster who said antiques never go out of style when they very clearly do.

It's really hard to sell furniture for decent amounts. We cleared my parents house which had lots of mid century/ 70s classics in it. All well cared for. I still had Heal's receipts and swatches for some of it. No dealer/ auction house interested. I sold it privately for a tiny amount.

The boring white IKEA Hemnes bedside tables sold for more each than and entire set of vintage 70s chairs from Heals.

As a result I've stopped buying expensive stuff for my own home unless I really love it (looks at Vitra recliner and dining table). Even then unless you are a modern furniture expert I think most people would just think my dining table came from IKEA!

I do however always look second hand for chest of drawers and stuff. Older all wooden ones can be really sturdy.

No, but there are things you could choose to do to old furniture to update it should you be that way inclined.

We had lots of lovely large good quality pieces of furniture that I thought I would have for years but then life circumstances changed and we had to downsize to a new build and that meant none of our quality furniture fitted - the only useful bits we kept were from ikea !
I think just have furniture because it suits you and you like it - don’t ever get it assuming you’ll pass it on / sell it / have it forever because life happens and you just don’t know

My parents have had the same fabulous oak bedroom, dining furniture and a sideboard in their home for 65 years.

it’s all too big for my little home sadly but shall advertise on Facebook messanger for free so it will hopefully find a new home.

I think there is space for both. Our sofa and chair in the lounge are 25 years old and still fine. Wardrobe and chest of drawers in DS room is also that age. Our dining table and chairs is probably 15 years old. But we bought a new sofa last year, and new coffee table, we're looking for new side tables. DD had a single bed but we got her a double bed last year. Weve got an ikea kallax that's probably 12 years old....
We have an antique desk that we inadvisedly spent a lot on. We barely use it and i want to get rid of it as it is very big and takes up space but DH isnt keen because it was so expensive!

In terms of holding value, my dad had lots of gplan furniture that theyd bought in the 1970s. I couldn't even give most of it away, after he died, a few years ago. I think it ended up in a skip!

Buy what you like but don’t be fooled that your kids will want it when you die they’ll be sick of the sight of it, and it’ll go to the tip.

I just went through our stuff (furniture/rugs only) to see how long we'd had it/where it came from, concentrating on the living areas -

Living room...
Contemporary sofa - 5 yrs, eBay
Arts & Crafts sofa - 15 yrs, eBay
Mid century sideboard - 8 yrs, eBay
Contemporary coffee table - 8 yrs, eBay
Art Nouveau b/case - 23 yrs, auction house
Art Nouveau lamp table - 22 yrs, specialist retailer
Georgian lamp table - 7 yrs, antique shop
Art Nouveau chest - 22 yrs, eBay
Antique rug - 10 yrs, specialist retailer

Snug....
Contemporary sofa - 7 yrs, eBay
Vintage armchair - 1 yr, auction house
Pair mid century cabinets - 6 yrs, from friend who was taking to tip
Antique 'coffee' table - 15 yrs, fleamarket
Aesthetic movement chair - 9 yrs, eBay
Mid century b/case - 2 yrs, Marketplace
Art Nouveau b/case - 10 yrs, auction house
Arts & Crafts lamp table - 8 yrs, carboot sale
Antique rug - 1 yr, eBay

Dining room....
Arts & Crafts table - 15 yrs, specialist online retailer
Pair Art Nouveau dining chairs - 18 yrs, eBay
Pair aesthetic movement dining chairs - 5 yrs, antique shop
Contemporary oriental console table - 10 yrs, Homesense
Georgian china cabinet - 1 yr, auction house
Vintage rug - 2 yrs, eBay

Almost half were eBay finds and of everything listed above, only three items were new at point of purchase.

Adult DS has already told us which bits he wants when we're gone, including the Liberty rug in our bedroom 🙄😆

I also realised that currently we have no Ikea furniture (have previously bought lots of office furniture and storage/bookcases), although that will change when we kit out the walk-in storage cupboard soon!

For me, it's very important that our home reflects not only our personalities, cultures and families but also our life journey with carefully chosen pieces that tell the story of the different places we've lived in the world and the wonderful experiences we've had over the years. From that perspective, I would say keep an open mind on 'lasting a lifetime' in your very first home.

Not true

I have a mix. Some beautiful marble and glass furniture and some stuff from Ikea

I think this is the issue. The best furniture is the stuff that fits perfectly in the space you have.

I think it’s good to have a mix of stuff. I think you can become obsessed with buying the best quality etc but then a few years down the line you are moving/ don’t need it anymore.

we have just upsized, we need a book case as in our old place we had a built in, we have been looking at second hand solid wood ones for ages but can’t find anything the right size that we could realistically pick up ourselves so just going to go with an ikea one as it will function well and if we decide we don’t need it then it will be easy to sell.

the previous people who lived in our house left us Ikea furniture which Is over 20 years old, I was amazed at the good condition it is in.

on the other hand we got a custom solid wood table built for our old house, since our toddler has come along its taken a hammering. But I know once the toddler years are over I can sand and restain and it will look new. But then again when we eventually downsize we might not have the room to take it with us.

Some of my furniture was my grandparents from the 1930s. I've had it 40+ years and yes, I'm fed up with it. I have a huge dining table made locally from apple wood 40 years ago. It's far too big for most modern houses so I would struggle to give it away.
Sofas bought when DC were younger which was practical then and is as good as new but I'd like a change.
I had an antique french buffet that was fabulous if you like that kind of thing, huge dresser with ornate carvings. I struggled to get rid as it was too big for most kitchens.
I don't really care much about furniture or decor which is probably why I've never got round to changing things.

Handmade oriental carpets are always a good buy because even when worn and faded they still look good, shabby chic!

I have a mixture of very very old family items and much more recent stuff , only some that will last a good few years

it’s put together in a style I like and I can use soft things and paint if I get bored - but I tend not to get bored with home things - they become part of my safe cave. Unchanging is safe and calm I think

I think a few key pieces is fine but a lot of it won't hold value, fit if you move, work when you need to change the function of rooms when kids come along.

Sofas, especially leather, don't keep like they used to because they are not allowed to treat the leather in the same way. Ours has done 12 years and is shot.

I'd be selective with what's worth it a what isn't in terms of how flexible it is, easy to move elsewhere etc

I had exactly the same experience with G Plan. Just glad to get rid of it in the end.

We have a brown leather sofa and chair. Ive read multiple times on MN that this doesnt meet the MN criteria for a stylish house, but since they dont do an actual inspection, and there are no penalties for its unfashionable-ness, im quite ok with it! Its been puked on multiple times when DC were babies and survived, and is easier to clean/hoover than a fabric one (imo)
Weve updated the fabric scatter cushions maybe 3 or 4 times in 25 years, and they obviously get washed. Weve moved house, changed the layout of the room, had an extension, and bought other furniture so its not as though the whole look is the same.

I think for some pieces it's more important than others to have something really durable.

I think wardrobes and dining table are worth having good quality, any other things that will be well used. You could choose timeless or quite plain styles to avoid it going out of fashion - although it will no doubt come round again!

I have furniture inherited from a parent and it's heavy solid wood stuff. It's actually the furniture that was in my house growing up.
I wouldn't say I'm sick of it, it's just... Part of the furniture!
I am annoyed at the paint job my mother did in the nineties though to 'modernise' it.

Ikea stuff lasts ages. We used to buy expensive stuff before we realised the kids were wrecking everything.

I think there’s so many strands to this. What your personal taste is, what your budget is, your belief on recycling furniture, your bank balance, even the type of house you grew up in as child and experienced other houses. Even the size of house will determine what you can fill it with.

I'm old. My house is mix of stuff…stuff I’ve chosen for myself, stuff I’ve inherited, stuff I’ve bought because I’ve just loved generally ,stuff I’ve loved and because it’s just the perfect colour or size I was looking for at the time.

The majority of my furniture is expensive and I’ve wanted it to last. The bigger pieces like my settees, chairs, beds, wardrobes etc certainly were all big expenses .I like my house to look very “home spun” think Emma bridgewater …so I’m never going to be building say a media wall for my tv or picking up a stand in ikea etc…my tv is actually on an inherited ercol sideboard that once belonged to my mil and I love the look of it plus the history of it being in my husbands family.

but that’s not to say I don’t have the odd ikea side table (mainly for the colour!) . My wooden kitchen table is actually from Ikea because I spent two years looking for one and this is the only one I liked. I’m currently in the process of buying/sourcing chairs for my kitchen table, but I want them to look vintage, old, worn, all in different shapes and colours. That will probably come from marketplace or antique fairs!

looking round my house now , taking in all the furniture, chairs etc…it certainly all comes from different places…I’m a massive massive fan of Laura Ashley, a lot of my occasional chairs, my coffee tables and side tables, lamps and lights are from there (oh how I miss it!) but I have stuff from next, Neptune, oak furniture village, a lot of independent stores, fairs, markets plus my inherited ercol.

When I was young and first married Argos was about my budget, you cut your cloth accordingly. Tbh I still do look there occasionally! But no way could I be affording say Laura Ashley at the time.

And a house isn’t built over night imo. It takes time to collect things, to build things, to make a home. I’m now at point in my life where I’ve invested in really good quality items that really all my house needs is “fluffing out” with pictures, textures, soft furnishings etc.

but that’s not to say that anyone say buying in Ikea is wrong, it’s just a different taste. A different style. A different perspective. Anyone buying in Ikea might recognise that they change their mind a lot/prefer to spend their money on holidays/get bored of stuff easily. I have two lounges effectively, one has settees in that are at least 10/15 years old, the other room has settees that are 26 years old. Sure they’re absolute quality classics but that’s not for everyone. A lot of people would be very bored by that, horrified that the look of their settee or room hadn’t been updated in that time. I just update with wallpaper, cushions etc

I also think it depends on your age. I absolutely detest anything gold. We lived through that during the 70s and 80s. I’ve no wish to relive it! My nan hated my wallpaper and the fact I kept my original fireplace, she thought it was terribly old fashioned but that’s because she lived through that look already as a child.

tbh I don’t think any one person is right or wrong, it’s all very personal. I love houses, I love interiors, I’m so into my house. I so want it to look “a certain way” but equally my SIL has no interest in her house whatsoever. To her it’s just somewhere to live whereas to me it’s very sparse with no warmth anywhere.

Yes and no. The previous owners of this house paid out for a lovely solid-wood kitchen.

Except that it still get kicked and roughed up in general usage - so now I have a fancy kitchen that needs a new coat of paint - which will cost as much as getting a whole brand new Ikea kitchen - but I'd feel awful doing it, and the very expensive worktops probably wouldn't survive - so now I have to decide what to do about that.

Ditto other big, heavy, lovely pieces - but that still get slightly trashed. If it was Ikea, then after 10 years I'd feel fine getting something new and shiny as it is, I have a beautiful but tatty console, which is so heavy it'll be a pig to get rid of, and take a fair amount of effort to get back to pretty.