It’s a question I ask myself all the time. The answer I have come up with, it’s fashion. We use it, enjoy it, and throw it away.

Once upon a time, we bought a sideboard or a table or a lounge suite and it was great investment, to last a lifetime. When it was looking tired and worn, we had it polished, French or otherwise; the suite would be reupholstered, or a spring replaced. Furniture was functional then, but also beautiful, and beautifully made.

If you have good quality ingredients, you will have a good quality, attractive piece of furniture that will last.

Today, it is all about the look, often overtaking whether it is comfortable or even well made. We buy online, it’s quick and everyone has the same pieces.

So let’s rethink things. We know our landfills are filling up quicker than we can cope with. So what if we went back to the old days and repaired and restored our furniture or even changed the look? What if we did buy that quality sideboard or suite of furniture in the first place? It doesn’t have to be new our charity shops are filled with lovely pieces of furniture that are functional and can be beautiful with just a little thought and imagination.

Let’s be individual.