Investment furniture: which pieces are worth buying once
What makes furniture worth keeping: construction you can check yourself, where to spend first, made to order versus stock, and what a warranty tells you.
Furniture is worth buying once when it is solid, repairable and used every day: a dining table, the chairs around it, a desk, a bed. Check the material through to the core, the joints and the warranty before the price. Spend first on what you touch daily. Our solid teak pieces start at €1,150, with a two-year warranty on the construction.
What makes a piece worth keeping?
“Investment furniture” is a sales phrase, and furniture rarely gains value. What the phrase points at is real, though: some pieces you buy once and keep through several homes. They share three things.
- They are made of a material that can be repaired: solid wood can be sanded and refinished, veneer only lightly, if at all, and foil or laminate not at all.
- You use them every day, so you feel the difference in quality several times a day.
- Their size and form work in more than one room. A table that only fits one alcove moves house badly.
Construction you can check
You do not need to be a furniture maker to judge construction. Look at the edges and the end grain: in solid wood the grain runs round the corner, in veneer it stops at a thin line. Feel the weight. Look under the top and the seat at how the parts are joined.
Ask the maker directly whether there is any veneer or board in the piece. Ours is solid teak all the way through, with no veneer. Our guide to solid teak vs veneer shows five ways to tell.
Upholstery is the part that wears first. Ask what is underneath, and whether the cover can be replaced.
Where to spend first
Start where you touch the furniture most. For most households that is the dining table and its chairs, then the chair or sofa you sit in at night, then the desk if you work from home.
A dining table is used for meals, homework, paperwork and guests. Our Frame Dining Table is solid teak at 200, 240 or 280 cm, with 67 cm clear under the rail and room for 6, 8 or 10. The Side Chair beside it has rear legs and back in one teak hoop.
For a home office, a desk that hides its cables keeps the room calm for years. The Executive Desk is 200 cm of solid teak, seven layers, with cables running inside to a power and USB-C module.
Side tables, shelves and decoration can come later, or stay inexpensive. They are easy to replace.
Made to order or from stock
Stock furniture is in a warehouse and arrives in days. Furniture made to order is built after you pay for it, in the size and finish you chose.
The cost of made to order is time. Our pieces are made by hand in our own atelier in Bali after your order, in about six weeks, then travel 6–9 weeks by sea to your door: about 12 to 15 weeks in all. In return you choose the finish, nothing sits in a shop for months, and you know who built it.
If you need furniture next week, made to order is the wrong choice. Plan it for a move or a renovation, and read how long custom furniture takes.
What a warranty tells you
A warranty shows what the maker is prepared to stand behind. Read what it covers (construction, finish, upholstery) and for how long. Ours is two years on the construction.
A warranty does not tell you how a piece will look in twenty years. That depends on the material, the finish and how it is looked after. How to treat a finish depends on what the finish is, so ask the maker; our notes on teak indoors cover light, heat and daily use.
How ordering works
You pay in full when you order; if you would rather pay half up front, tell us before you order. Prices include VAT, one price across the EU, and shipping is extra; we deliver to the door within the EU. Within the EU we pay the import duties and VAT, so there is nothing to pay on delivery.
For the reasoning behind made to order, see why custom made. For another size, book a call.
Questions
What furniture is worth investing in?
The pieces you use every day and that can be repaired: a solid wood dining table and chairs, the chair you sit in most, a desk and a bed. Accessories can stay inexpensive.
Is solid wood furniture worth the money?
For pieces you use daily, usually yes: solid wood can be sanded and refinished, and its edges and corners wear without showing a core. It is heavier and costs more than veneered board.
How do I know if furniture will last?
Check the material through to the core, the weight, the joints and how the upholstery is attached, ask who makes it, and read what the warranty covers and for how long.
What does a solid teak dining table cost?
Our Frame Dining Table starts at €5,400 and the Dining Table at €6,900, including VAT; shipping is extra. The construction carries a two-year warranty.
See the piece
Every piece is handmade in our atelier in Bali, in about six weeks, then shipped to your destination.