The other day while walking my dog on the local cricket field I got chatting to one of the other “dog club” members. He was a man who had been round the block a few times with regards to running and owning businesses. The talk was around his proposed new business venture, which was importing inexpensive furniture from South East Asia.

His take was that he would import inexpensive furniture in volume and sells it off to wholesalers. The price bracket that he was speaking of made me realise that the furniture could not be the best and the possibility of a very short lifespan was strong. Which just means that the home owner would have to delve into his pocket again in about two year’s time to replace the headboard or bed.

I realise that we can still expect this economic downturn to run for a good while yet and as such we are all turning our pennies over twice before spending it. Naturally we are also out to look for bargains – the less strain on our already tight purse strings the better.

However, when it comes to interiors items such as furniture, art and rugs, I cannot buy into the concept of buying cheap just for the sake of buying something you need. Truth be known it is much better to delay gratification, save the money, spend a bit extra and buy a well constructed, good quality item of furniture. The reason is obvious – it will last you longer, in fact you could pass it onto your children. A sofa that has a well constructed frame and good fabric will definitely outlast any mass produced sofa. It will possibly require re-upholstery after a few years, but that would cost you a whole lot less than a replacement sofa.

Think about it – in generations past, most furniture was solid wooden items or sofas that had spring systems. Those pieces outlasted their owners, becoming the very pieces of furniture that are now sold not as “secondhand” but as trendy “vintage” and ‘retro’ items.

The same can be said for art and rugs. Not many of us can afford to fill our homes with original pieces, but please consider buying either one splendid rug or one stunning piece of original art, to create an attractive feature in your home. It will mean that you will have to save and hence wait, but that gives you time to source exactly what you desire and visualise for that spot.

Trendsetters have actually noted that during the economic downturn, if the public are going to spend their money on luxury items, they want to buy quality that will last.

Long may it last!!!