What defines machine made furniture and handmade furniture?
Machine Made Furniture
This is generally a piece of furniture that has been mass produced on a large scale using large scale machinery. It is usually produced in a factory, somewhere where labour is cheap and materials are cheap too.
This means that cheaper joints and fixing methods are used. Pair this with cheaper materials, such as laminated/veneered particle board (to replicate solid wood) and the furniture will have a relatively low quality and life span. But it will be cheap to purchase.
Handmade Furniture
Handmade furniture involves a craftsperson using their hands and skills to create a piece that will stand the test of time. Solid wood will be used to make the piece last and remain strong throughout its life span.
Handmade furniture will of course command a higher price. But this price is justified by the quality of work that goes into the piece.
All About the Life Span
Contrary to popular belief, handmade furniture is actually cheaper to purchase than machine made furniture if you factor in its life span.
Handmade furniture can last a long time (100s of years in some cases), whereas the cheap desk that you’d by from a popular Swedish furniture manufacturer may only last for a few years before it is too damaged to use.
Handmade furniture also offers the bonus of being repairable. Imperfections, scratches and chips can be repaired, and the surface of solid wood can be re-finished. Giving the handmade furniture much more longevity.
Kinder To The Environment
Handmade furniture is a much more sustainable product than mass-produced furniture. Locally sourced timber, local production and hardwood that lasts for years and years are just a few of the sustainability credentials of handmade furniture.
Machine made/mass produced furniture on the other hand is mainly produced in faraway countries, creating a much larger carbon footprint and often using harmful chemicals and gluing processes. Not to mention that the machines themselves have a large carbon footprint through their own component manufacturing.
Helping Small Businesses
Buying local and buy small really helps. It’s something that is now becoming much more recognised in the retail sector.
And buying quality products, from a human (and not a faceless corporation) who has spent a long time crafting said product is really worth considering when you’re thinking about that next piece of furniture for your home or business space.
