Choosing Furniture For Your Home
There are various types of furniture and an even great amount of different styles for furniture. When choosing furniture for your home it’s imperative that your consider form, function and your own personal style when picking pieces. In this article we run down the main types of furniture you might be considering.
Flat Pack Furniture
Available quick, and easy from well known large retailers, it’s inevitable that at one stage or another we’ve had to get out the screw driver and follow the instructions.
Price and availability are the main things going for flat pack furniture. Compared with manufactured goods, you’ll normally pay something far lower. That way, it’s great for new house buyers with limited budgets, or those just setting out and don’t want expensive pieces that might require looking after.
However, some would argue that the materials used (to achieve the famously low prices) are inferior, often a mixture of modified woods and plastics. Over time they could warp, de-colour or even crumble.
The very nature of home assembled furniture means that stability, e.g. a desk, may be an issue. No matter how tightly you join together and screw the pieces, it could still end up wonky or unstable.
Equally, the excitement of new furniture could soon be dampened when you get home and struggle with an incomprehensive instruction guide, find it is missing screws, or you end up injuring yourself in the process!
Still, the end results are nice and surely worth it… until you notice that quite a few people in the neighbourhood has your same coffee table, and thereafter it even appears on Coronation Street!
Manufactured Furniture
Leave the furniture to those in the know. They’ll usually have it delivered to your home; readymade, meaning the stress of self assembly is non existent… until they need to take your door off to get it into your home and up the stairs!
Expect good quality materials if you buy from a local furniture shop. The build quality should be up to scratch, sturdy and fit for purpose for a great number of years, as objects must meet with Trading Standard’s regulations.
Local furniture shops are good as you can use the expertise on hand – they will be able to advise you on the suitability of products. Perhaps a chest of drawers, intended for your daughter has sharp edges – you wouldn’t want fingers getting trapped. If it’s fitted furniture that you are after, they will often send a man round to measure up if need be, so you won’t be to blame for an oversized wardrobe etc!
Equally though, you’ll be expected to pay a little more for the associated service. The saying often goes: “you get what you pay for”. Look out for some decent discounts in the sales though, and you might even be lucky in haggling the salesman down for a better price!
If anything is faulty, you can usually rely on the tradesman to put right the wrong without any major hassle to yourself. Compare that with the flat pack where you may have to de-assemble and return, or even find yourself paying out again for a different piece of kit!
Bespoke / Handmade Furniture
This could be considered the ultimate wish for furniture buyers – every piece will be unique.
With bespoke handmade products, joiners will often make them to size and style – your new furniture can match your existing decor, fit exactly where you want it and provide the specific functionality you are after.
Joiners will likely be just as proud of the product they are producing. It wouldn’t be unusual to expect good quality materials and thereby a long life span – all thanks to the craftsmanship involved. Plus, you’ll end up with a beautiful piece of furniture that looks brilliant. You’d expect nothing less, especially for the price you are paying…
…which conveniently leads on to the price. For custom built furniture, you’re going to have to pay for the expertise of a joiner and this will surely cost you more than that of flat pack furniture. It wouldn’t be unusual to suggest starting figures in the hundreds. It is also recommended that you research and see examples of their previous work so you know you’re investing in a reliable tradesman.
Plus, the time in between buying new furniture and receiving it could be anything from 2 weeks onwards depending on the complexity of the item.
Enjoy your furniture, whichever means you take. It’ll enhance your home and give you that much sought after look… that is until next seasons fixtures arrive and leave you wanting more!!
