How to choose a quality piece of furniture?

Quality is at the heart of choosing furniture, a real well-being concern. Far from a frenzied consumption, furniture is perceived as products that must last and adapt to different tastes and life stages.

So, what should be considered when selecting furniture?

What are the criteria for identifying quality furniture?

Whether you're buying a chair, a baby cot, a kitchen cabinet, or a bathroom vanity, buying furniture is always an important decision. People always talk about the necessary good value for money. But what criteria help identify quality furniture?

• Safety :  Furniture should prevent any domestic incidents for confident use (no risk of pinching with your folding chair, for example).
• Sturdiness : From design to manufacturing, the furniture should withstand all the demands of daily life without failing. You can't stop your children from jumping on their bed!
• Durability : This concept is crucial for maximizing the lifespan of furniture, whether in design or finish. Your kitchen cabinet door shouldn't change color over time or warp when wet.
• Health : Furniture should be safe for you (e.g., limited formaldehyde emissions) and for the environment (e.g., made from easily recyclable raw materials).
• Performance : Components and mechanisms should be suitable for their use. A wheel should turn, a slide should slide, a handle should be gripped, a shelf should be level, and so on.
• Practicality : The entire design of the furniture should be well thought out to be ergonomic, suitable for the intended use, and meet your needs.

If you ensure that the furniture you're interested in allows for confident and long-term use, you'll make a purchase with peace of mind!

The quality of furniture is a real concern for the French

In 2017, in an OpinionWay survey for FCBA/NF on new consumption trends among the French in the field of furniture, the French express a desire for fairly good quality furniture that can withstand everything: moving, unconventional use, challenges from children, and second lives.

Of course, not all segments of the population attach equal importance to the same characteristics for their furniture:

• Older individuals place more importance on safety than younger ones.
• Women feel the need for their furniture to adapt to their changing decoration preferences over time.
• Young people are more concerned than others about their furniture being resellable and enjoying a second life.

However, 94% of the French consider the quality of furniture important when making a purchase!

Navigating your way in stores or on online sales websites

In a context where quality signs continue to multiply, it's challenging today for furniture buyers to navigate. For 70 years, NF Ameublement has been there to guide you through the cacophony of advertising claims.

Certainly, NF-certified furniture complies with regulations and adheres to very strict European and French standards. But it has also been rigorously tested in laboratory trials, according to criteria defined jointly by manufacturers, distributors, and users. It's not an "in-house label," an auto-declaration by a manufacturer; it's a long-term, demanding process that is independently audited.

Choosing NF-certified furniture means buying furniture that is:

• Safe for use
• Long-lasting
• Well-made
• High-performing
• Manufactured with minimal environmental impact
• Easily disassembled to facilitate component recycling

Tested aspects include mechanical performance, sturdiness, resistance to use, finish quality, material durability, and adherence to environmental standards.

Then, the maintenance of certified characteristics is demonstrated through annual technical audits conducted at the relevant production sites and surveillance tests carried out every 3 years in accordance with the NF Ameublement standard requirements. So, the product you buy is guaranteed to be identical to the one that was tested.

You can find NF-certified furniture for every room in your house: the kitchen, bathroom, living room, parents' and children's bedrooms, and even the garage!

Keep an eye out for the famous blue oval and treat yourself to quality furniture!

 

Eléonore Drugeon