Much like the fast fashion movement which contributes to a huge portion of our annual landfill, the fast furniture trend has become a sustainability nightmare.
Year after year we’re seeing growing kerbside collection piles littered with mass-produced furniture. Sadly these pieces are often tossed aside due to broken parts, cosmetic damage, or simply because they’re no longer ‘trendy’.
It wasn’t that long ago that we bought furniture with the intent for it to last, rather than have it be a disposable feature of our home. Unfortunately the rise of the ‘convenience’ mindset in our society has created a shift where cheaper and faster is better – even when it comes to our furniture.
It begs the question, at what cost are we sacrificing quality for quantity? And what is the purpose of purchasing furniture, if not to have it for a long time?
BUYING FOR DURABILITY AND LONGEVITY
There’s a reason why more and more people are opting for handcrafted timber furniture in their homes. These specially-made pieces use premium woods and traditional craftsmanship techniques to ensure they’ll be with you for years to come.
Australian timber is particularly strong and versatile – as well as being world-renowned for its beauty. When paired with the human touch, handmade wooden furniture is a highly sustainable and reliably built addition to your home.
For example at Naturally Timber, to ensure each piece we produce is made to last, we inspect all timber that enters the workshop to make certain it meets our rigorous testing criteria. With the proper care, you should expect your handcrafted timber furniture to carry on to the next generation and beyond, saving you a lot of dollars on cheap replacements along the way.
BUYING WHAT YOU REALLY LOVE PAYS OFF
Just like our personal style, it’s natural for our home decor tastes to grow and change over the years. That’s why it’s so important to buy timeless pieces of furniture that create the foundation of your home.
While beautifully designed, classic pieces of timber furniture have been a staple in Australian households for decades, the benefit of having it handcrafted is that you’re able to have more control over the end result when it comes to sizing, finishing and design details.
In the end what you’re left with is something that you genuinely love, rather than something you bought in the heat of the moment because it was marketed as ‘on trend’ or discounted.
BUYING TO BE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
As we strive to make greener choices in other aspects of our lives, it’s important we give that same thought to the furniture in our homes. Sustainably-sourced timber provides numerous environmental benefits. Sustainable timber plantations help reduce greenhouse gas emissions as the trees remove carbon dioxide from the air and replace it with oxygen, maling the air cleaner.
Also unlike manufactured or engineered wood which can be made from some toxic materials and require a lot more energy to produce, solid wood is a raw, renewable resource – making it a much more green solution to other elements out there.
SAY GOODBYE TO THE FAST FURNITURE TREND FOR GOOD
We know it can be quite overwhelming to furnish a home, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take the time to make choices that carry a more sustainably-conscious impact.
Rather than contributing year on end to landfill with poorly-made, mass produced products, why not invest in something that you can be proud of. Classic handcrafted timber furniture will see you through every style evolution, ensuring the interior of your home always looks sophisticated and inviting.
Remember, when you buy well, you only need to buy once. Book a free design consultation or contact us today.
