The furniture industry
Over the years, buying furniture has become an inescapable experience. Whether this is your first venture into home ownership or an expansion to accommodate a growing family, quality furniture is essential. The global furniture industry is projected to reach an incredible $850.38 billion in 2025, according to GlobeNewswire (US study).
This considerable increase is largely attributable to the ubiquity of large chain stores offering furniture made from lower-quality materials. At Forge Design, we firmly believe in the excellence of high-quality wood furniture.
Investing in top-quality wooden furniture saves you money in the long term by avoiding the need to replace furniture that deteriorates quickly. However, selecting high-quality furniture can seem a daunting task, between lack of time, abundance of choice and pressure from pushy salespeople. So we’ve put together a list of six essential tips to help you optimize your buying experience and invest in durable furniture that, ideally, will stand the test of time.
Master your materials
To select the perfect piece of furniture, it’s important to understand the different types of materials used. If you’re looking for durable furniture, wood is undoubtedly your best ally. Nevertheless, there are a multitude of materials used by furniture manufacturers. You’ll generally find furniture categorized as hardwood, veneer or particleboard.
Hardwood
A hallmark of high-quality furniture, hardwood, although more expensive, is exceptionally durable and can easily be passed down from generation to generation. Opting for hardwood furniture guarantees not only the uniqueness of each piece, but also its resistance to the vagaries of time. What’s more, even when worn, hardwood furniture can be restored or even repainted to suit your changing aesthetic preferences.
Veneer
Veneer can easily be confused with hardwood, but it’s actually made up of a combination of fiberboard and particleboard, amalgamated with glue and covered with thin layers of the best quality wood. Although veneered furniture is less expensive and lighter than solid hardwood, it is more likely to be easily damaged, with splinters, scratches or delaminations that are difficult to repair.
Manufacturers don’t directly claim that veneer is hardwood, instead their product descriptions include terms such as “mid-century” and “rustic” and “offer a selection of wood finishes. So, if you’re trying to buy only high-quality wood furniture, make sure it’s not a veneer material.
There are six tips for buying quality wooden furniture:
Know the materials: It’s important to understand the difference between hardwood, veneer and particleboard.
Examine the finish: The quality of the finish can indicate the durability of a piece of furniture. A good quality finish should cover the entire piece and be smooth to the touch.
Check the joints: Quality furniture is held together by strong fastening methods, such as dowels, dovetails, tenons and mortises, or screws.
Test wooden furniture: Make sure it’s functional. This can include opening doors, pulling out drawers, testing your height and weight on the bed frame and your comfort on the chairs.
Buy close to home: It’s best to buy furniture close to where it was designed and manufactured, to ensure optimum quality control.
Opt for handmade: Furniture handcrafted by local artisans is often of better quality, made with more detailed attention to detail, and gives you the chance to contribute to its design.
The benefits of custom-made wooden furniture
One of the major advantages of handcrafted wooden furniture is its exceptional quality, the result of attention to the smallest detail. Unlike their mass-produced counterparts, these parts stand up admirably to everyday stress.
By opting for handcrafted furniture, you also have the opportunity to participate in its design. Unlike the impersonal approach of the big names, artisan furniture makers can create rooms to suit your specific needs and the space you have available.
What’s more, major retail chains tend to use their rigorous product range to impose protective warranty clauses, limiting their liability in the event of damage to your purchase or your home during delivery.
Of course, choosing a piece of handcrafted furniture may mean that it won’t be immediately available, and you may have to wait a few months for the manufacturing process to be completed.
However, local purchasing and craftsmanship guarantee a product of superior quality. Buying locally also offers you the opportunity to establish a real relationship with the seller, to check and review available space, and to have access to direct customer service in the event of a problem with the product.
Large furniture companies generally offer only limited warranties that do not cover indirect or consequential damages, even if they are responsible for them.
At Forge Design, we’re proud to offer a lifetime warranty on all our wooden furniture, a testament to our commitment to delivering on our promises. We understand that buying quality furniture is a major decision, involving a substantial financial investment and time. We don’t want you to waste either.
Whether you choose to buy handcrafted or mass-produced furniture from Forge Design or another furniture store, we firmly believe that you deserve high-quality wood furniture.
We hope these tips will help you make an informed and beneficial decision.
Your vision, our realization. Unique furniture for unique moments.
Thanks for reading!
See you at the next blog!
In the meantime, if you have any questions or a project in mind, contact us!
