The term "high-end furniture" is a favorite among furniture salespeople, who seem to suggest that purchasing their furniture equates to acquiring a luxurious lifestyle. However, so-called high-end furniture on the market might just be a gimmick, offering a subpar experience after purchase. The satisfaction one feels might merely be a placebo effect, especially considering the substantial amount of money spent.

 

The most common types of high-end furniture include sofas, solid wood furniture, mattresses, and dining tables, which are notorious for their inflated prices. While these items may look appealing and provide a pleasant experience initially, minor issues often arise over time.

 

#1. High-End Sofas

When you first bring home a costly sofa, it seems quite satisfactory. Not only is it soft, breathable, and textured, but it also offers excellent support whether you're sitting or lying down. The cushioning is unlike any you've experienced before, and the elasticity of a genuine leather sofa can outperform any fabric sofa you've used.

 

However, after a year or two, minor issues become apparent.

- The first thing you might notice is a change in the sofa's surface color, with frequently used areas turning pale and the headrest area darkening. You might consult the furniture brand's after-sales service, only to be told it's a normal phenomenon as genuine leather ages.

- Later, the surface starts to crack, with the edges of the cracks becoming dry and hard, resembling the cracked skin of the elderly.

 

Recommendation: Genuine leather sofas are suitable for public places like offices, where they can be professionally maintained. For home use, it's recommended to choose more durable fabric sofas. If you truly favor the feel of leather, consider sofas made of technical fabric that mimics the leather texture.

 

#2. Solid Wood Furniture

Salespeople in solid wood furniture stores often claim, "High-end solid wood furniture has collectible value, is durable, and improves with age." However, when you visit a second-hand furniture market, you'll find that nearly new solid wood furniture used for over a year can only sell for a few hundred dollars.

 

In reality, solid wood furniture is not as durable as imagined.

- Deformation is almost an inescapable fate for solid wood furniture. The most common issue is the warping of wooden slats, which you might mistake for a mattress problem. When you notice the bed frame warping as well, every movement produces a creaking noise.

- Solid wood furniture is quite heavy, with a set of furniture weighing hundreds of pounds, making it inconvenient to move. If your home has fragile wooden floors, it can leave indentations on the ground, even with rubber cushioning pads installed on the furniture legs.

 

Recommendation: There's no need to choose solid wood furniture unless it's for a high-grade luxury decoration. Laminate furniture offers a higher cost-performance ratio and is more durable. Unless you have a particular preference for solid wood and are willing to maintain it regularly with oil and wax.

 

#3. Mattresses

In recent years, the popularity of smart and customized mattresses has remained high. Mattress store salespeople invite customers to try out the mattresses to find the most suitable one, even offering models with automatic adjustable curvature. Of course, the keyword for smart mattresses is expensive.

 

But thinking that the more expensive the mattress, the better, is quite naive.

- Coconut palm mattresses, pressure-relief cotton mattresses, and latex mattresses are known for their breathability and softness, but no one tells you that coconut palm is prone to mildew; pressure-relief cotton and latex can break down and rot. Especially in humid areas, when you lie on the bed, you might smell a musty odor. Lifting the bedsheet, you find the mattress has mildewed.

 

Recommendation: Independent spring mattresses are the most suitable material for modern people, offering not only a lower price but also more options for firmness. If you insist on buying a palm mattress, it's best to choose a composite one— with a base of palm and a top layer of latex, memory foam, or other materials. The bed frame can be made of aluminum alloy, and the mattress legs can also be made of lightweight, non-deformable aluminum alloy.

 

#4. Dining Tables

Wooden dining tables are too common to be positioned as high-end furniture. The term "high-end dining table" is usually associated with slate dining tables. Although only the tabletop is made of slate material, with the overall furniture legs or table frame made of metal, the stone-like appearance and the legendary "hardest hardness" are enough to captivate most consumers.

 

After a year of use, the dining table at home breaks down.

- Slate has high hardness but low toughness, similar to tempered glass, and is prone to chipping at corners and edges.

- The touch is very poor, cold and hard. Utensils placed on it make a clacking sound like glass, and resting your arm on it feels colder than a glass surface. As a result, from resting your arm on the table for long periods, the flesh of your elbow can become bruised.

 

Recommendation: Slate's decorative value far outweighs its practicality, so it's recommended for use on surfaces with lower frequency of use, such as coffee tables or bedside cabinets. As for dining tables, the most comfortable choice remains wood.