Maybe I am fussy, but why is so much furniture really crap quality?

[Notcontent]

Just based on my recent experiences. Would love to be able to buy locally made, good quality furniture that does not cost crazy money. I don’t want to name brands, but it all seems to be particle board, flat packed even when it costs 3 or 4 times IKEA prices.

Totally agree OP, and I despair. Let's hope the increased awareness of climate change and the environment brings about a change, and that good solid stuff becomes the norm, a bit cheaper, and is what we all want, instead of expensive (cheap) tat that falls apart.

It’s crap quality because you are buying cheap furniture. Even 3-4 times IKEA prices is still cheap compared to what it would cost for a craftsman to make furniture out of sustainably grown solid wood. People don’t want to pay the prices for quality furniture.

@Ryannah

It’s crap quality because you are buying cheap furniture. Even 3-4 times IKEA prices is still cheap compared to what it would cost for a craftsman to make furniture out of sustainably grown solid wood. People don’t want to pay the prices for quality furniture.

Well not many people can afford £4K+ for a sofa, so of course people don't want to pay this kind of money

There’s plenty of decent antique furniture for sale at bargain prices at provincial auctions all over the country.

I'm in the USA but I have got a lot of very nice quality stuff mid century and earlier from Facebook marketplace for a fraction of the cost of buying new poor quality furniture.

Back when furniture was solid and crafted, a table for instance would have been handed down through the generations. It would have been gifted at a wedding for example and lasted the whole marriage 50+ years.
Now, people change their decor and throw out or give away old furniture.
Just all part of our Theo away culture that mass manufacture and consumerism has brought us.
The shops are only selling what we want to buy

no one wants to pay the price for quality craftsmanship.
or wait for custom orders.
i placed an order for a stickley piece 6+ months ago and it's still 2 months away.

Firstly look for second hand pieces.

So it's auctions including auction sites and charity shops.

Then see if you can find small independent retailers/crafts people online or if you are lucky in an actual shop.

My chests of draws and TV cabinet aren't particle board but I bought them over a decade ago now in an independent retailers shop.

Other stuff I have that are wood e.g. side tables I bought second hand.

Though my sofa is cheap as I had difficulty finding one that could fit through my hall.

Well not many people can afford £4K+ for a sofa, so of course people don't want to pay this kind of money
But then you can’t complain about furniture being poor quality if you don’t want to fork out for good quality! Even as recently as the 70s, people would pay a LOT for furniture and get it on credit then pay every week. The furniture would last a lifetime and possibly even be passed down. This is the stuff that’s sold as vintage now. Our current throwaway culture is the problem, people want to change their decor and won’t pay for quality furniture nor keep it for decades.

If you want quality, you can actually find furniture makers who will make bespoke pieces for you. They are craftsmen/women who have a passion for their work. Obviously this will come at a price though - this is their livelihood - you are paying for their time and skill and they are not churning out hundreds of mass-produced items.

When we were students we went to the local House clearance warehouse where they had furniture for low income households. It was full of amazing 1930s wardrobes from old lady's houses. They were beautiful, but small, not well laid out, bulky for the amount of contents they allowed for. So if you had lovely spacious rooms you could go down that route but if you want to use space well they were a bit pointless.

@Ryannah

It’s crap quality because you are buying cheap furniture. Even 3-4 times IKEA prices is still cheap compared to what it would cost for a craftsman to make furniture out of sustainably grown solid wood. People don’t want to pay the prices for quality furniture.

I recently, well in March, ordered a made to order table, bench and four chairs, it was very expensive. They arrived in late September.

When they arrived the chairs didn’t look great, they all had uneven legs so they rocked on the floor (the floor they were on was level), the bench also wasn’t level, the company after four weeks finally collected the chairs and bench, they sent the bench back too short as rather than make one properly they cut the longer leg, making the bench far too short for the table. The table was supposed to be lightly waxed, they had infact only waxed the top of the table and nothing else.

I agree. We bought solid oak beds recently thinking we were paying for quality. The fittings and attachments were plastic or flimsy or even when it was screw bits the holes were drilled too big so they fall out. We remarked that we would have had better had we gone to IKEA.

Cheap “solid oak” furniture from China isn’t much better than IKEA. People get seduced by the idea of solid wood but in many cases you’d be better off with MDF as long as it was made properly in Europe.

Facebook marketplace is your friend! Particularly if you can incorporate darker wood furniture into your decor. You can still pick up lots of beautiful and on trend mid century teak furniture too. Then YouTube for how to restore the wood to its former glory.

I do agree, and beds are my main peeve! You buy a divan bed from one of the main bed suppliers are they are stupid money (without mattress) and they are a 2x4 frame with cardboard (yep, CARDBOARD) on the top! We now only buy from IKEA as they may be flat pack but they are at least solid!

Look for decent brands of furniture from mid century era - I have a wonderful Danish beech table and chairs, and Ercol table and chairs (I did recover the chairs) and a Parker Knoll armchair (professionally recovered in fabric of the era)

Ive just bought a beautiful 1920s side table from facebook market place for £90 - solid oak, pretty design. My house is full of old vintage furniture which was half the price of new and has the beauty of old aged wood.

I’ve been buying mid century classics. Ercol for example. Wonderfully made and timeless.

Great minds @Ariela

Agree that buying antique is the way to go. I do have some new items like sofas and beds, but otherwise I have older furniture that I got for a fraction of the price of new furniture. Some of it is over 100 years old and would clearly outlast new stuff made from MDF.

You basically get what you pay for, whether that be clothes, furniture or whatever.
We paid £900 for 2 sofas 25 years ago. Proper wooden frame, has been re upholstered a couple of times and still have plenty life in them.
Ikea sofa bought 4 years ago, only used in the kitchen and the arse is out of it

The problem with period furniture, although well made it often doesn’t fit in modern houses. When I had a 1930s house the rooms could accommodate bulky furniture, but my current (1990s) house won’t.

But there are companies that sell good quality furniture, pp said Ercol and I second that, however they are £££. You might get them a bit cheaper on eBay or FB.

The problem is that there is cheap and crap furniture (and everything else) around, and when you try and buy expensive you often get expensive and crap.

Consumerism. There are so many companies, and they rely on an element of built-in obsolescence, because their business model rests on people buying new every five years.