Furniture quality has hit rock bottom, and prices keep rising

Furniture quality is collapsing: the mid-range is gone

Over the past few decades, furniture has gone from being a durable good to something almost disposable. A standard living-room set bought today — four flat panels, no curves or mouldings — will barely survive a decade without falling apart. While computers, sofas and TVs have improved, the furniture industry has taken three steps back.

The myth of today's better quality

Some argue that modern furniture is actually better quality, just that the good stuff is expensive. But the numbers don't add up: the mid-range — the kind the middle class used to buy — has disappeared. What used to be reinforced particleboard with careful design has become thin panels with barely any structure. Solid wood has retreated to the luxury segment, at prices out of reach for most people.

The disappearance of the middle class, in furniture too

The economic analysis points to planned obsolescence and inflated expectations. For the price of a decent sofa in the 1990s, today you get a particleboard frame upholstered in low-quality fabric. The alternative is the second-hand market, where genuine solid-wood treasures can still be found at reasonable prices. But that takes time and know-how.

The domino effect in other sectors

The phenomenon isn't unique to furniture. Cars, clothing, electronics: the mid-range is dead. Chinese manufacturing has democratized consumption, letting anyone fake luxury on a budget — at the cost of durability. Meanwhile, European manufacturers are retreating into the premium segment. The average consumer ends up paying more in the long run by constantly replacing low-quality products.

What the debate doesn't settle is whether this dynamic is sustainable, or whether, as with cars, the bill will eventually hit the average Spanish consumer's wallet.

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