When planning a space, we try to incorporate furniture that will last. Usually long-lasting furniture doesn't come cheap but there are exceptions (see this post from Maxwell for an explanation of why good furniture costs so much). Buying furniture with the long view in mind can be difficult...you can't guarantee you'll still love it as much 10 years down the road as you did when you first saw it in the store, but there are a few things we've found that stand the test of time. We're not advocating one designer over another, or picking specific items (the images we chose are just examples), but rather looking at which types of pieces can hold their own as a home grows and changes. Add your suggestions for long-lasting pieces in the comments below...
One or Two Really Comfortable, Beautiful Armchairs: Every home needs an armchair, a spot where you can relax and read. Quality upholstered furniture can be very expensive. Invest in something that you really love so that, over the years, you'll put the necessary care into keeping it beautiful and reupholstering or refinishing it if need be. The topmost image is the Wegner Easy Chair in Oak ($2,785 at Room and Board) and the chair directly above is the Saarinen Womb Chair ($2,645 at Design Within Reach).
Antiques: Antique furniture is usually well-made (often handmade) and lasts for many years...sometimes many lifetimes. A simple piece can also be updated over time, like these refurbished dressers from The White Attic.
A Good Mirror: A substantial mirror can work almost anywhere in the home. Hang it vertically or horizontally over a fireplace, in a bedroom, or in a dining room. You won't have trouble finding a spot for this piece, even as you're rearranging a room for the tenth time. Image: Towne Portrait Mirror from Restoration Hardware, $495.
A Low Bench: Use it as a coffee table, in an entryway, under a window, or at the foot of a bed. This is another piece that you'll always find a spot for. Image: Nelson 60" Bench/Cocktail Table at Room and Board, $749.
Other suggestions for long-lasting furniture?
More great bench options from Artek: Alvar Aalto's Benches 153A & 153B
view Aaron's profile
i agree that the nelson bench is one of the best designed and most versatile pieces you can add to your collection. i have one, and it works so well as a cocktail table, a bench at the foot of the bed, and entryway bench, extra seating in a pinch. if you run out of ways to use it, i'd be shocked.
another thing to remember about this furniture is that it holds it's value. if you decide that you'd like a different piece 10 years down the road, you will be able to get a good bit of your investment back provided that you care for it. try selling your ikea furniture 10 years down the road, or will it even last that long?
i think that the eames LCW's could easily be added to the list of timeless designs.
view eightdouble's profile
I bought a few Bertoia counter stools with beautiful cowhide pads. They can go at the bar, at a tall bistro table, or even (gasp) outdoors. I can't imagine having a kitchen without an island, and I can't imagine that island having any other chairs. Glamourous, comfortable, eternally modern, airy. A piece of sculpture, if you ask me.
As versatile as a bench? Maybe not, but then, what is?
Buy once, and buy it right. I hate how disposable all my IKEA stuff is. Perception is reality and if you tell me it's only worth 20 bucks, well that's about how much I'm going to value it (unless it's a vintage find, I guess).
Things shouldn't be precious, but they should be used and made well enough to last. There is something alluring about replacing a whole house worth of furniture for the price of one nice sofa, but I'll take a genuine LC3 sofa over an apartment of IKEA any day, and every day after that.
view colin's profile
I purchased 2 George Nelson benches 10 years ago. Recently, after a little reorganizing, I decided to part with one. It was in pristine condition, and I sold it on craigslist for exactly what I paid 10 years ago. Why would someone pay what I paid 10 years ago? The Nelson bench is currently 50% pricier now than it was 10 years ago and a new one has a 3 month lead time. This experience reminded me that it can pay to buy a classic piece as, in the end, it was cheaper (and waaay nicer) than anything I would have purchased at Ikea.
My vote for another piece that will hold its value: The Santa and Cole G5 tripode floor lamp.
http://www.santacole.com/catalogo/producto.jspx?idproducto=130
view RichardinLA's profile
I would sell my unborn, firstborn for a Saarinen womb chair. Why just last night I was gazing at a corner where I have an Eames rocker wishing there was a womb chair there in either white, black or grey...or houndstooth....*sigh*
I'd move that rocker to sit next to the bookcases instead.
view orangejuce's profile
This isn't quite the same contemporary aesthetic as the pieces you've listed, but I think that our antique cast-iron bed is a piece that will hold its value. It will never wear out, and it has a timeless look about it (being well over a hundred years already) that will never go out of style.
view roundabout's profile