David Tilson, Woodworker - Why I Do What I Do  
My Beef With The Quality of Contemporary Furniture

With woodworking being more a passion than a hobby with me, it's only natural that I should make a business out of making things for others, especially once I begin to run out of room at home for more furniture, accessories, and objets d'art. Not least of my reasons for doing this is the deplorable state of the furniture industry in Southern California, or, as I sometimes call it, the "Land of IKEA." It seems that with the rapid development and expansion of the suburban landscape, people have become accustomed to cabinets and furniture from the local home improvement or furniture warehouse: imported from abroad, often made of substandard materials with shoddy craftsmanship, and all in the name of speed, convenience and economy.

The root of the problem here appears to be the American consumer, who can't see past the price tag to the ultimate quality of the product, and doesn't realize that paying less now often results in paying more over the long run -- possibly a lot more. Americans have become used to being able to redecorate a room or a house on a whim, and the furniture industry has changed to accommodate by making the furnishings more disposable than ever before. This is one thing I hope to change, at least in a small way. My ultimate reason for pursuing quality furniture and cabinetry as a business is that I believe that my products (and those of many other craftsmen and craftswomen) are better environmentally, economically, and aesthetically than those available at the major retail establishments, including many of the "finer" ones, and I hope to bring wider attention to that difference.

The economically priced furniture being imported these days is designed to be as inexpensive as possible while still retaining key function and a stylish form, and this design philosophy has crept into designs for "top-of-the-line" furniture from more reputable establishments as well. The process begins with the design team, which may consist of just a designer and an industrial engineer. The engineer helps the designer to develop a product that can be easily manufactured on mostly automated equipment so it can be made quickly and cheaply, but still look "nice." To keep costs down, inexpensive materials are sourced near the manufacturer (to eliminate some shipping costs), and the design team devises a way to treat those materials to make them look like the intended design, using stain, paint, or thermofoil laminate as necessary. In order to save on shipping the product to the customer, the piece is often designed to be shipped flat, and most assembly is done by the (unskilled) consumer or retailer. Since the person doing the assembly is presumed to lack any special skills or tools, the product is assembled using RTA (ready-to-assemble) hardware and fasteners. But hardware is expensive, so the industrial engineer further reduces costs by sourcing hardware that is made with just enough quality to do the intended job, but no more.

The end result of using low-bid materials and low-bid RTA hardware is a piece of furniture that will not last very long, especially if it is moved a few times. Two to five years seems to be typical before such pieces either break outright, or suffer sufficient peeling of laminates, sagging of shelves, and sticking of drawers that they need to be replaced. The end result of designing furniture around the equipment that will construct it is relatively boring furniture that all looks pretty much the same, except for the color and the "period details" that differentiate one style from the next.

Environmentally Better

Most inexpensive, imported furniture is not made to last more than five years at best, and the cabinets will actually disintegrate in a humid / wet environment! Oddly enough, when environmental warriors rant about deforestation, (a term that I see bandied about far more often than is warranted) and the felling of large tracts of forest, they almost universally fail to mention the impact of this "disposable furniture" which must be replaced every few years, ultimately costing more than a single well-designed and built piece in terms both of money and ecological impact. The vast majority of trees felled worldwide are cut for one of three purposes: agricultural clearing, pulpwood (for paper products), or firewood / fuelwood. Trees harvested for timber production make up a much smaller percentage, and among those, the ones suitable for the construction of fine furniture are among the minority. Thus, the environmental impact (in terms of "deforestation") of a given piece of quality furniture is concentrated on one of the smallest segments of the global wood products market. At any rate, given the number of pieces of furniture that can be made from a given mature tree, purchasing quality furniture that is built to last a lifetime is the easiest way to ensure sustainability, since by the time one tree's worth of great furniture has finally been worn out, the next generation of trees will just be maturing.

Economically Better

It makes sense to export some manufacturing jobs to developing and manufacturing-based economies. Cheap labor reduces the cost of many items to the consumer, and the cash flow is great for the country that does the work. There are certain products, however, that should be made and sold within the same geographic region, such as agricultural products, bottled beverages, and, I believe, fine furniture. Staying relatively local saves, both on shipping cost and on the environmental cost of doing all that shipping. While there are times when a quick, inexpensive piece of "disposable furniture" fills a need very nicely, would you rather pay $3,900 over the next thirty years for a $400 cabinet that needs to be replaced every few years, or $3000 once for a cabinet that your grandkids can enjoy? (See data here)

Aesthetically Better

Mass production can make a lot of items economically, and since they're all more or less identical, it's possible to make replacement parts for things that wear out regularly with use, like automotive parts. But standardized, modular, mass-produced and widely distributed furniture? It may be fine for a 1950's tract home, but haven't we gotten over that cookie-cutter compulsion already? The drawback to mass production is that it makes a lot of identical items for use by people who are anything but identical. A custom-made article tends to be more highly valued, partly due to the fact that it is unique, but also because it was made specifically to fit a person's lifestyle and aesthetic sense. Just like unique landscapes, which are preserved in state and national parks, and unique cars, which are preserved in private collections and museums, unique furniture is prized and preserved, so it can enrich our art and culture for generations to come.

The Long-Term Cost of Owning a Country-Style China Hutch

The following table was compiled to illustrate the long-term cost of purchasing furnishings of varying degrees of quality. The product chosen for comparison is a Colonial- or Country-Style China Hutch, consisting of an upper china cabinet that sits on a sideboard or buffet-style base. The cost over fifty years was determined based on the item being replaced with an equivalent item at the end of its useful life, and factors in the effects of 3% annual inflation each time the item is repurchased.

To see more or review the original data, click here.

	Initial Cost	Expected Lifetime	Cost Over 50 Years
RTA China Cabinet	$399	~5-7 yrs.	$8200
Brand Name Cabinet	$2548	~20-30 yrs.	$7942
Custom Built Heirloom	~$3000	~50-100+ yrs.	~$3000