Our Decision Today Affects Our Planet Tomorrow
Because we are an instant gratitude society I thought Earth Day would be the perfect time to talk about furniture choices (inexpensive options vs. custom furniture).
This Ambella sofa ($4812 retail from Perigold) is 6 times more expensive than Ikea ($800) … however, the construction of the IKEA sofa is poor.
It consists of particle board, plywood and small amounts of hardwood. The springs are sinuous (which we’re not even sure are supported or what the metal gauge is), not 8-way hand tied like the Ambella.
It’s not going to be a piece you pass down to another generation and you’ll be lucky if it lasts through one family. It will fall apart and end up in the landfill.
Ambella’s frames are solid hard wood (see the details of the Ambella construction HERE)
** I’m using Ambrella as an example as it is available retail as well as to the trade**
Your kids can jump on them!It can be moved without legs breaking off!Reupholster it when you’ve worn out the fabric.You can even pick your own fabric to put on the sofa!If the wood gets damaged you can have someone fix it.Rogue spring? That can be fixed too!
Consider your purchases carefully.
We live in an instant gratification society, but I promise the extra wait to get something well-built and more interesting (that not all your friends have) is well worth it.
I remember when my grandma just reupholstered her sofa…it was new all over again. A good upholster can fix wood damage and any springs that have gone awry. Reupholstering a piece is not cheap so it won’t make sense economically if you try to reupholster a retail piece of furniture; you could probably buy the same sofa for the cost of re-upholstering the old one. But then we are adding to the landfill situation. Get where I’m going? You pay for fabric which is roughly around $100/yard for upholstery and labor. However, if you have an heirloom or high quality piece, it’s totally worth it because they can last forever.
A perfect example: I have a client that might reuse an antique table her Mother has. It’s not her style but we are going to paint the base of it a fun color then have the top refinished … good quality can be passed down for generations and even updated!
