I'm sure there is still plenty of quality furniture being made, but being on a budget in my 20s they were out of reach. I brought a lot new furniture when I brought my first home and almost all of it fell apart within 10 years, some in a matter of years. Specifically Veneered MDF would chip and would often fall apart at joins. Plastic drawer rails would snap. If a kid climbed on them they had no structural strength and would bits. The thin back panels of cabinets would come away from the body or break off and reattaching every few years.
In recent years we've instead been picking up old furniture people are getting rid of (for free) and refurbishing it. The only thing I look for is that it's made of quality materials which isn't hard to find if the furniture is 30+ years old.
I think some people don't want old furniture because it looks dated, but the nice thing about refurbishing is that you can quite easily add modern touches – or just whatever style takes your fancy. Chairs can be equipped with modern pillows and a new finish. Or old cabinets can have new door handles, hinges and a modern paint job, etc. Apart from the furniture we want to look older, I doubt most people would even realise it's all 30+ years old.
Additionally all the furniture we have now can be refurbed when we want a new look and they actually last... It's more effort for sure, but it's nothing an amateur DIYer can do with a few tools and a bit of creativity. And if you don't need them anymore (because you're moving etc) people will happily pay good money for quality refurbed furniture. What people won't buy is some crappy 10 year old Ikea cabinet.
In recent years we've instead been picking up old furniture people are getting rid of (for free) and refurbishing it. The only thing I look for is that it's made of quality materials which isn't hard to find if the furniture is 30+ years old.
I think some people don't want old furniture because it looks dated, but the nice thing about refurbishing is that you can quite easily add modern touches – or just whatever style takes your fancy. Chairs can be equipped with modern pillows and a new finish. Or old cabinets can have new door handles, hinges and a modern paint job, etc. Apart from the furniture we want to look older, I doubt most people would even realise it's all 30+ years old.
Additionally all the furniture we have now can be refurbed when we want a new look and they actually last... It's more effort for sure, but it's nothing an amateur DIYer can do with a few tools and a bit of creativity. And if you don't need them anymore (because you're moving etc) people will happily pay good money for quality refurbed furniture. What people won't buy is some crappy 10 year old Ikea cabinet.