Protecting the environment is vital not just now, but for future generations as well. Many customers are trying to improve their environmental footprint, and so too are many companies. Buying high-quality furniture, rather than cheap stuff from big box stores, can help reduce waste. Keep that in mind when shopping for high-end furniture store Los Angeles-located.
In fact, the New York Times reports that in the United States alone, over 12 million tons of furniture are sent to the landfill each year. Much of this junk comes from so-called “fast furniture,” which might look chic, but is typically fashioned with low-quality parts. Go figure, fast furniture is often the furniture most swiftly sent to the dump.
Let’s take a look at how high-end furniture, and premium products in general, may benefit the environment.
Premium Furniture Is Built To Last
Perhaps most importantly, premium furniture is built to last a long time. Well-crafted luxury sofas and sectionals, tables, or whatever else can last for decades, even becoming a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation. Premium furniture may cost a bit more upfront but will offer much better value over its lifespan.
Cheap stuff, on the other hand, often wears out after just a few years (at most). Some stuff may even break down within a few months or weeks. Even “bargain” furniture can still cost hundreds of dollars, but at the end of the day, it offers a poor value proposition.
Further, it’s often possible to repair furniture and especially high-quality furniture. This reduces demand for new furniture, which reduces demand for inputs, like harvested wood. With cheap stuff, on the other hand, even as you fix one thing, another part may break. As a result, a lot of stuff gets sent to the landfill.
Luxury Furniture Can Be Resold
Even if a couch, table, or another piece of furniture is still in good condition, some folks will want to replace it. Perhaps the couch won’t fit with the new rugs and curtains. Or maybe a growing family needs a bigger dining room table. Whatever the reason, the day may come when someone wants to replace furniture that’s in good condition.
There’s not a big market for used low-quality furniture. Even if the coffee table or recliner is in good condition right now, cheap stuff is still cheap stuff. It’s not very valuable in the first place, so why bother selling it?
Further, for shoppers, is it really worth it to go inspect the low-quality stuff, then haggle over prices before transporting the junk home? Quite likely, the goods will start to break down in the near future. Why go through all the hassle when you’ll soon have to drag the stuff out to the curb?
High-quality furniture, on the other hand, offers both sellers and buyers a great value proposition. The seller can still get hundreds or even thousands of dollars that they can then use to buy new stuff. Meanwhile, the buyer gets premium products at a discounted price.
The used couch, table, or whatever else might cost a bit more than buying new stuff from a cheap store. However, the used premium goods will likely last much longer, thus offering a better value proposition.
Crucially, premium furniture stays out of the junkyard, reducing waste.
Premium Furniture Is Often Built With Sustainable Materials
Sustainability is not a given with luxury furniture, but it is more readily achievable. Let’s look at an example. Wood can be harvested sustainability. However, sustainable wood typically costs more than cheap wood, which is commonly used when making budget pieces.
More exotic sustainable materials, like bamboo, are also popular but frequently too expensive for widespread use in budget products. Bamboo grows quickly, produces minimal waste, and in many other ways is more sustainable than traditional wood. It’s also more expensive than cheap wood, plastics, and other budget materials.
The same is true for fabrics, padding, nails, finishing, and everything else that goes into building furniture. Cutting costs often means cutting corners. Sustainability usually requires a bit more effort and investment, which often isn’t economically feasible with low-cost products.
With high-end products, however, designers and manufacturers can engrain sustainability from the get-go. When combined with increased durability, the value proposition of high-quality sustainable goods, especially from nature’s point of view, is easy to see.