We measure rooms.

Compare fabrics.

Save approximately 47 versions of the same dining table.

And then somehow still end up buying furniture we want to replace two years later.

Perhaps we’re asking the wrong questions.

Price, colour and dimensions obviously matter.

But if we’re trying to create homes filled with things worth keeping, there are a few other questions worth asking before clicking add to basket.

1. Will it survive a move?

Not:

Are you planning to move?

You might not be.

Ask whether this piece could move with you if you did.

Can it be dismantled and rebuilt?

Is it constructed well enough to survive being carried down the stairs, put into a van and carried back up another set?

Could it work somewhere else?

Furniture shouldn’t necessarily be tied to one particular room in one particular house.

The best things often follow us around.

2. Can it be repaired?

Furniture gets damaged.

That’s not pessimism. That’s just living with furniture.

Hinges loosen. Handles break. Upholstery wears. Wood gets scratched.

Before buying, look at how something is constructed.

Can parts be replaced?

Could the surface be refinished?

Could the chair be reupholstered?

Could you replace a handle rather than the entire cabinet?

Repairability isn’t particularly exciting when something is brand new.

Several years later, it can become one of its most valuable features.

3. Will you still want it in five years?

Trends aren’t inherently bad.

Homes should evolve. Our tastes change. And occasionally the internet introduces us to something genuinely brilliant.

The problem comes when our homes start operating on the same trend cycle as our wardrobes.

So ask:

Do I actually love this, or have I just seen it 37 times this week?

There’s a difference.

Timeless doesn’t have to mean beige, either.

Buy the enormous orange lamp.

Buy the strange vintage chair.

Buy something wildly patterned if you love wildly patterned things.

Your taste will probably outlast a trend.

4. Does it actually need to be new?

This might be the question that opens up the most interesting possibilities.

Before buying something brand new, see what already exists.

Could you find it pre-owned?

Returned?

Ex-display?

Could you buy a manufacturing second with a tiny imperfection?

Could you find the discontinued version of the piece you loved last year?

‘Not brand new’ and ‘not good enough’ are not the same thing.

Sometimes you can find better materials, better construction or simply something more interesting by looking outside conventional new furniture retail.

And quite often, you’ll pay less for it too.

5. Could somebody else want it after you?

We tend to think about getting rid of furniture when we actually need to get rid of it.

Which is usually approximately 48 hours before the removal van arrives.

Instead, consider its next owner at the beginning.

Would this piece retain value?

Could somebody repair it?

Could it be restyled?

Is it constructed well enough to have another life after yours?

Good furniture shouldn’t necessarily end with its first owner.

Buy like you might keep it

None of this means every furniture purchase needs to become an enormous ethical decision.

Homes should be enjoyable.

Sometimes you’ll buy something because it’s practical.

Sometimes because you’ve needed it for six months.

And sometimes because you’ve inexplicably fallen in love with a lamp.

That’s allowed.

We’re simply interested in a slightly different definition of value.

Not just:

How much does it cost?

But:

How much use can we get from it?

Buy things you want to live with.

Look after them.

Repair them where you can.

And when you no longer need them, let somebody else have a go.

 

Measure twice. Buy once. Keep it circulating.