How to avoid fast furniture without spending too much
Americans often face a scramble to furnish a home during a move, when bulky items such as dressers and couches can be hard to transport and expensive to replace. The Associated Press reports that “fast furniture” is designed to appeal to those pressures, but experts warn that much of it is made with lower-cost materials and does not last long.
The AP describes “fast furniture” as furniture made with a mishmash of plastics, fiberboard and chipboard that can be ordered online and shipped unassembled in flat-packed boxes. The report says that while the pieces can get a home functional during a stressful transition, once thrown out their ingredients generally can’t be recycled and break down poorly. The Environmental Protection Agency data cited by AP states that Americans dumped over 12 million tons of furniture in 2018, and that 80% of it ended up in landfills.
In the AP report, furniture and design expert Deana McDonagh, of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said the items are often not built for long-term meaning and durability. “It’s of little emotional value, it’s fleeting, and it is not going to accompany you through your life’s journey,” McDonagh said.
For people looking to furnish without buying everything new, the report points to community gifting and secondhand options as alternatives to mass-produced new purchases. The AP highlights the Buy Nothing Project, an app and network of local Facebook groups where people give and get items for free, and it describes the experience of Los Angeles-area business owner Heather Strong. Strong said she found the app and used it after moving to her own place and leaving many of her belongings with her ex in the prior home.
The AP reports that Strong said she later furnished her home with items from neighbors, including dining room chairs, wood furniture and bedding. “I’ve had the chance to explore different areas of my own community and venture out a little. And I’ve made some friends,” Strong said.
Buy Nothing co-founder Liesl Clark recommended that people ask neighbors before ordering inexpensive unassembled furniture. Clark told readers to comb neighborhood Facebook and Nextdoor groups, check gifting sites such as Freecycle, and look on curbs and front stoops for pieces left behind, rather than defaulting to online purchases. Clark said, “You will get so much more satisfaction. You’ll save funds that you can then perhaps spend more locally.”
The report also includes examples of finding furniture for free or low cost through street pickups and move-out giveaways, such as social media manager Maddie Fischer, who furnished most of a Brooklyn apartment with pre-loved pieces. Fischer described finding a living room chair in a trash bag on the street and getting a kitchen table for free during a move-out giveaway, recruiting help to carry it down multiple flights of stairs. Fischer said, “I don’t mind when things look like they’ve had a little bit of wear and tear,” adding that she views the wear as character.
If curbside finds and free community sources do not produce the specific item someone wants, the AP report suggests shopping secondhand through options such as neighborhood thrift stores or resale sites. It also notes that some consumers use furniture rental websites, though the report says those can be pricey.
Beyond sourcing, the AP report encourages building a more durable furniture collection over time. McDonagh recommended purchasing one nice piece of furniture each year rather than decorating an empty home all at once, and she framed the pace as helpful when planning for a future self. “If you’re doing it for your future self, take your time,” McDonagh said.
The report also advises choosing modular pieces such as shelves and storage that can stack and adjust as space needs change. In the meantime, it suggests using what is already available while a sturdier item is found, including temporary solutions such as stacks of books or boxes that can function as makeshift seating, as McDonagh said. The AP adds that outdoor fabrics can work indoors because they protect better against scratches and stains.
While the phrase “fast furniture” suggests short life spans, the AP report says furniture can last years if people treat it with care. Katryn Furmston, a fast furniture expert at Nottingham Trent University in England, said she does not believe furniture is inherently “fast,” and she placed the choice in consumers’ hands. “I don’t believe that any furniture is inherently fast. It’s our decision as consumers whether it’s fast or not,” Furmston said.
The report gives practical guidance for people who do buy lower-cost materials: it advises caution with fiberboard pieces and avoiding overly promising websites that deliver furniture with missing parts or issues such as a slanted desk. When an item arrives, it recommends treating it well and using simple protective steps, such as covering scratches with a tablecloth or rotating furniture so wear is less visible from the main viewpoint.
Finally, when it’s time to move again, the AP report says people should keep a record of what they bought and plan for a second life for usable pieces through selling in a community group or gifting to a neighbor. In that way, experts said the goal is to keep furniture in use longer rather than letting it end up in the trash.