The business of sustainable furniture is growing increasingly popular. The reason behind this is that people are becoming more conscious consumers and are beginning to take responsibility for ethical consumption and better choices about what they are buying for their homes.
Now that consumers are becoming more politically and environmentally aware, green companies have started to respond with more sustainable furniture options.
Debunking The Myth That Antique Furniture is Expensive
While it is true in some cases, where the furniture is merely for aesthetic vintage value, they are seen more like art than items for use. The primary audience for these pieces is collectors and investors.
Whereas, for the purpose of decorating your home, you can buy antique furniture, such as alte Stühle, from flea markets, yard sales and thrift stores, amongst several other options. You will also be able to bargain for a better price at these places.
Even in the situation where you are purchasing more expensive antiques, you should always choose pieces that would appreciate over time rather than depreciate in value. Antique furnishing is more likely to be produced of better quality which is why you won’t have to stress over frequent maintenance or replacement.
The Environmental Factors Involved In Buying Antique Furniture
Switching to buying sustainable furniture instead of modern furniture isn’t only good for preventing a hole from burning in your pockets; it has other, more environmentally friendly benefits as well. It can create an immensely positive impact on the environment.
Shopping green can help the environment by:
This activity reduces carbon footprint and transport costs. Greenhouse gas emissions that are caused by manufacturing new and contemporary furniture are significantly higher and more harmful than the manufacturing and use of furniture that could now be counted as antique. This is why limiting your purchase of new furniture pieces and instead buying old furniture helps the environment.
Secondly, the filling of landfill sites is reduced. The process of manufacturing new furniture exhausts a lot of resources and needs to use a hefty amount of energy. Please do not engage in throwaway culture because it only perpetuates the existing problem.
Why the demand for antique furniture is always high:
Antique furniture is both beautiful and classic. It will only appreciate in its value over time both in monetary means as well as for its mere aesthetic. However, a modern designed sofa might have the latest fabric and the fresh style, but as trends change quite frequently as they do, it will go out of fashion and no longer hold much value.
The Benefits of Buying Antique Furniture
Even if unknowingly, we are adapting to a throwaway culture that is far from a sustainable lifestyle. This is mainly due to fast fashion and mass production items. Contemporary furniture is not made to have a long shelf-life. Instead, they should be expected to have a much shorter run and lack durability.
If you have chosen to live sustainably and practice environmentally friendly purchasing habits, going vintage is the way to go. Antique furniture is long-lasting and high in quality.
Antique Furniture Has Always Been Proven To Be Highly Durable:
Antique furniture items are primarily pieces that have existed for a substantial number of years. They have proven trustworthy of having the ability to be able to withstand time. This is a true testament to their integrity.
Their strength and endurance ability are because of the excellent craftsmanship that goes into their making.
Reusing wooden furniture instead of cutting down more trees to produce more furniture would not only minimize deforestation but also help reduce toxic chemical usage that would instead go into making new furniture.
Older furniture has a smaller carbon footprint:
Unlike new home accessories, vintage wohnaccessoires have a smaller impact on the environment throughout their shelf-life.
It is because, when it comes to modern furniture, extracting raw materials, manufacturing the product, shipping and ultimately the discarding of a contemporary furniture item is more exhaustive and creates a bigger carbon footprint.
They are also recyclable and reusable:
People are beginning to understand the importance of recycling now far more than they previously used to before the growing consumption of media. We have become more politically aware and environmentally conscious. However, that does not mean all of us are actually putting our understanding of recycling into good practice.
It is not very difficult to determine the materials that have been used in the making of furniture pieces. Materials such as wood would be far less likely to wind up as landfill.
Modern Furniture Costs More Than Antique Furniture:
The added value of the materials used, production in addition to the cost of transportation, can put you in a financial crunch. If you think long-term, sustainable antique furniture that has proven to be durable is a bargain. You are essentially getting a great deal by gaining more for giving less.
Bottom Line:
Buying modern furniture not only contributes to throwaway culture and landfills but is also made from all kinds of toxic and harmful materials that have proven to be dangerous for the environment. When looking to buy sustainable, look at the materials used to create the furniture you wish to purchase.
Consider buying antique furniture because it is less harmful and more reusable, which is why it lasted decades. Be proactive by playing your part in making the planet greener!