Is FLAT a ‘4 letter word’ ?? When I received this request to share this guest post at first I was put off by the subject matter. Isn’t flat packed furniture cheap? Flat packed furniture may be a good option to consider in certain circumstances. First apartments, second homes, kids rooms, home offices are a few places that using flat packed (R.T.A.-ready to assemble) furniture may make sense. The article below shares some pros and cons to consider.
Flat-packed Furniture vs. Handcrafted Furniture: Pros & Cons
Furniture is the most important part of home interior decoration. When moving to a new home, everyone desires to decorate it with new and beautiful furniture that is comfortable and durable. There is the choice of buying a flat-packed furniture that you can assemble yourself or a handmade furniture made by a skilled craftsman.
A. Flat-packed
Flat-packed furniture is also known by the names of ready-to-assemble and knockdown furniture. It is a form of mass produced furniture that comes packed flat in a box with all the nuts, screws, etc. and has to be assembled yourself after purchase following the instructions coming with it.
Pros
*Cheap: Flat-packed furniture is usually the cheapest furniture available because the goal of manufacturer is profit while being able to give consumers what they need. It also saves the consumers delivery charges as it takes up less space than assembled furniture and can even fit in a saloon.
*Do-It-Yourself: Flat-packed furniture can be bought off the shelf and be brought home immediately. Assembling the furniture can be a fun task.
* Easy Storage: As it takes less space, flat-packed furniture can be stored anywhere when not needed.
Cons
*Mass Produced: Flat-packed furniture is mass-produced and you won’t own a unique piece of furnitue because a lot of people will own it too. .
*Poor craftsmanship: Made by machine, this type of furniture has no attention to detail and can often portray poor craftsmanship if the machine will make an error. .
*Often uncomfortable: This is not the most comfortable furniture; more often than not, flat-packed furniture is uncomfortable for use.
B. Handcrafted Furniture
Pieces of furniture crafted by the hands of a skilled carpenter are mostly exquisite and expensive. They’re beautiful to look and you’ll be envied by your friends.
Pros
*Attention to detail: The handcrafted furniture is made by the hand of a skilled craftsman. There is a lot of intricate detailing in the furniture that a machine can not even come close to reproducing.
*Beautiful and Unique Design: When a piece of furniture is made by hand and its design cannot be exactly replicated by another craftsman. With handcrafted furniture you will be the proud owner of a unique piece of furniture that is one of its kind and extremely beautiful.
*Quality and Durability: Handcrafted furniture has competitive price if you add in the cost of replacement of machine-made furniture, including flat-packed furniture. Handcrafted furniture is actually a good investment because its durable and you won’t have to replace it every 5 years.
*Resale Value: Handcrafted furniture has a higher resale value, while flat-packed furniture has no resale value at all.
* Personalized: Since handcrafted furniture is made-to-order it can be customized to suit individual needs.
* Comfortable: Handcrafted furniture has been famous for being the most comfortable; especially if it is made with natural materials.
Cons
* Expensive: Handcrafted furniture is the most expensive because it is made by a skilled craftsman with only the best raw materials.
Chris is a regular writer at http://www.christopheliving.com.au Christophe Living and he is a specialist at interior design. His knowledge is vast and is ever growing and he yearns to share everything he knows to other people.