The experts at Living Designs Furniture are here to educate you on the dangers of shopping for fast furniture and how investing in high-quality furniture is better for you and your home. Let’s break down what fast furniture is, its environmental impact, and how avoiding cheaper duplicates of quality furniture can benefit you long-term.
What is fast furniture?
Fast furniture, like fast fashion, refers to mass-produced furniture pieces made and sold for an extremely low price. The major appeal of fast furniture comes from its incredibly low price tag. For new homeowners or apartment dwellers, fast furniture can be a cost-effective way to furnish your space on a tight budget. It also allows you to play around with different styles or trends for less.
While this all may seem very appealing, there are many dangers that come with purchasing these low-quality, mass-produced furniture pieces.
Reasons to avoid fast furniture
1. Fast furniture is not made to last
Due to the current economic climate, some consumers may believe that purchasing cheaper furniture is the only option they have to obtain pieces for their homes. While it might seem like they are getting a good deal, they will pay more over the years to replace these low-quality items.
Because fast furniture is made with low-quality materials, its lifespan is significantly shorter than furniture made with durable materials. Therefore, you may be more compelled to throw these pieces out in favor of new ones much sooner. If you’re curious about how often to replace furniture, good quality, sustainable furniture can last you a lifetime if you take care of it properly.
2. Fast furniture is bad for the environment
Why is fast furniture bad for the environment? According to the Environmental Protection Agency, people in the U.S. throw out more than 12 million tons of furniture — and if these pieces aren’t donated or recycled properly, there will be mounds and mounds of furniture in landfills. And because most of these pieces aren’t made with materials that will break down over time, these pieces can stay on Earth possibly forever, hurting our planet. If you buy high-quality furniture that you love, it is less likely to end up in a landfill.
3. Fast furniture encourages overconsumption
Here at Living Designs Furniture, we have spoken at length about the harmful impacts that trend cycles can have — and unfortunately, the rise of fast furniture has allowed people to participate in fleeting trends at an alarming rate.
For example, if you search for advice on how to furnish a new home online, you may be presented with articles that promote fast furniture brands over sustainable furniture. Buying cheaper furniture, as we mentioned earlier, comes with less commitment, meaning you may not feel the need to hold onto furniture that is now deemed “out of style” and will be tempted to buy the next big trend. This vicious cycle will not only clog up your home (and the landfills) but you will end up spending more money than you would have on a few high-quality pieces that you actually love.
If you’re looking to adopt better shopping habits, read our blog on what to look for when buying furniture. This is a great guide to reference when searching for timeless furniture that will last a lifetime.
Forget fast furniture: Find furniture that you’ll love forever with Living Designs Furniture!
Contrary to popular belief, there is a way to find affordable furniture in Houston that is not from a fast furniture brand. When you shop at Living Designs Furniture, you are purchasing handmade furniture pieces at factory direct prices — meaning what other retailers may sell for a small fortune, we make more attainable for our customers.
We can also create custom furniture that can be personalized in any way that you like! Custom furniture is sustainable because our products are ethically made with quality, responsibly sourced materials so you will be able to cherish them for longer. Ultimately, this purchase will save you time and money.
Ready to buy affordable and quality furniture? Stop by our showroom or call 713-965-7561 to speak with an expert today.
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