Quality furniture is one of the wishes of a happy home owner. But there is a conundrum a lot of people face when buying furniture: there are plenty of inexpensive options out there, and while they can be tempting in the short-term, these options don’t necessarily stand the test of time.

When you’re buying furniture and you’re spending hard-earned money, it’s important to find things that are going to last a long time rather than going with the quickest and cheapest option.

The following are some tips that can help you choose furniture with longevity in mind.

QUALITY FURNITURE

If you’re choosing quality furniture, you may think at the time you’re going to love it forever, but that’s not necessarily going to be the case. Consider versatile furniture items that will give you some flexibility. For example, think about going with modern furniture with removable upholstery.

This will allow you to change the colors and fabrics if you want, but you can still keep the structure of the furniture.

Choosing items that are versatile and have features like removable covers will also let you clean them as you need to, so they may last longer as a result. While you might feel tempted to go with the latest trends when you’re choosing new furniture, it’s always best to go with quality first and foremost.

As far as upholstery, natural, durable fabrics can be best. This includes options like leather, wool, and cotton. The weave of the fabric is important for longevity also. Tighter weaves are often going to last longer.

It’s best not to choose any printed upholstery unless it’s somewhat of an iconic print, or you can change the upholstery. Otherwise, printed fabrics tend to show their age quickly.

CHOOSING GOOD FURNITURE

Sometimes you might make the mistake of primarily considering the look of furniture, and while the aesthetics are important, you have to think about construction if quality is a top priority. Joint construction is the primary factor to consider when you’re looking at the quality of furniture you’re buying.

While there are different construction styles, if you see something held together with glue that you can see or staples, it might not be an item you’re going to get many years of use out of.

The construction of many of the core pieces of furniture you’ll have in your home is likely going to be wood. There are three general categories of wood furniture. There is solid wood, composite wood or particleboard, and veneers.

The most expensive is usually solid wood, but if you’re choosing something like a table, this might not necessarily be the best option because solid wood can get damaged easily.

When you’re examining furniture to determine the quality of construction, think about what the legs look like. They should be jointed to the frame of the chair or sofa, and they need to be heavy and look and feel durable.

LONG-LASTING FURNITURE DESIGN

Clean lines don’t tend to go out of style, nor do they show their age like more ornate lines might. Keep this in mind as you choose furniture. Look for simplicity in the design, and then as you want to, you can change the look of a room with accessories and inexpensive pieces, while keeping the basic items the same.

Classic silhouettes are going to be easier to work with over the years, even if your style changes somewhat.

Sometimes, if you’re buying investment furniture, you may only think about your present needs, but it’s a good idea to look beyond that. Think about yourself and your family in the future. Will you likely change homes and if so, would the furniture items you’re purchasing be able to transition easily to another home, even if the style was different? Will the furniture you’re choosing grow with your family?

Finally, not every piece of furniture needs to be an investment, and it’s not likely your budget will allow for it to be. You should choose a few pieces of furniture, or maybe just one, that you consider a long-term investment. Spend your time deciding on this piece or pieces, and give yourself a budget for those. Then, as you build out the room, you can buy less expensive pieces to go with it.

Most people feel their sofa is definitely an investment piece. Beyond that perhaps a few good armchairs can serve as anchor pieces as well, and then you can spend less on items like a coffee table or side tables

WHAT ARE YOUR TIPS OF BUYING QUALITY FURNITURE?