The Hidden Sign You Need To Look For When You Buy Furniture If You Want It To Last

On the hunt for new furniture? It can be confusing to know what to look for amid a sea of options. If you're looking for tips for ensuring you're buying furniture that's built to last, you want to ensure you pick an item that has sturdy construction and, in particular, a sturdy frame. With the United States Environmental Protection Agency reporting an increase from around 2,150 tons of furniture and furnishings sent to landfills in 1960 to 9,680 in 2018, the numbers would suggest that a great deal of furniture isn't built to last. 

This sort of furniture is known as fast furniture, and it's the home decor that people are avoiding for good reason. Made from low-quality, low-cost materials and put together with cheap fastenings and fixtures, fast furniture is a bit like fast fashion in that it's designed to reach customers cheaply and quickly. But there's no longevity in these pieces, and they're something of a false economy, as you'll likely have to replace them in a very short period of time. Very cheap furniture is likely to break or wear out far sooner, and it could be a false economy in the long run. The secret is to instead look for furniture with good bones. And that starts with a sturdy, well-made frame that is not typically assembled at home.

2026 is about investing in furniture and ensuring you purchase pieces built to last. But whether this is by buying brand-new items or spending time trawling thrift shops for that perfect antique, the hidden sign you need to look for is a sturdy frame and good joinery that will stand the test of time. As Whitney Ray, principal designer at Wyeth Ray Interiors, told Southern Living, "Do your research on the quality of the piece. Even if something is inexpensive, you're throwing away money if it isn't going to last you a year or two." 

Wooden furniture is incredibly sturdy, but only if it's been made properly. The easiest way to tell this is by checking the joints. The joints are the areas where two pieces of wood join to form a corner or an edge, and they are critical for the stability of a piece of furniture. There are a number of joints that you'll come across in furniture construction, but dovetail joinery is one of the best to look for. This technique uses shapes cut to interlock perfectly, creating a very durable joint. 

Alongside this, look for solid hardwood furniture that has features such as door hinges and soft-close drawer rails. Woods such as oak, maple, and walnut are all known for their ability to withstand seasonal heat and humidity, as well as heavy usage and moving house.