Furniture has traditionally been made from wood. It was with the industrial revolution though that furniture made from other materials including plastic, glass and aluminium started to become popular. Although these materials undoubtedly revolutionised the industry, it would be hard to argue that wood is still the staple material in furniture manufacturing.

As well as having a long-lasting quality, it is also timeless in its look, style and feel. It doesn’t matter if whether it’s a chest of drawers in the bedroom or a solid wood sideboard in the kitchen diner, wooden furniture manages to combine sturdy practicality with elegant beauty and country or modern styling.

There are many great benefits to investing in solid wood furniture, and in the following post we look at some of the best.

Durability and Strength

Solid wood furniture is a lot stronger and tends need less in the way of maintenance. Wood is a naturally long-lasting material and can take a lot of use, abuse, wear and tear. Regardless if it’s scratches and spills in the dining room or kitchen, solid furniture can often last for many generations without requiring much more than normal cleaning.

While furniture made from metal and plastic seems to be strong enough, it often is not able to last as long as solid wood. There’s also the fact that once plastic furniture has been damaged, it cannot really be fixed or repaired without modifying the way it looks. The same is very much the same of metal furniture.

Even furniture made from non-solid wood, such as MDF or plywood does not have as good durability. For instance, it can crack or warp because it doesn’t contract or expand in the same way as solid furniture.

Easy to Maintain

Following nicely from the above, wood furniture is incredibly easy to maintain. You generally only have to clean using a wood cleaner. You also just have to wipe off any dust or water left on the surface to ensure it doesn’t stick around for long periods of time.

Versatile Style

Whereas some plastic and metal furniture can only really fit into specific decors, colours schemes and styles, wooden can fit in with virtually any. Wood has a classic and timeless appeal that will not look out of place in a very modern setting, but will also look good in a more traditionally decorated room.

Variety of Colours

Wood is a material that is very easy to modify and following on nicely from the above can fit in with virtually any colour scheme. Although wood has a beautiful natural look to it, colouring it is a great way to give it a more individual look and feel/

The solid pine furniture pieces available at Nest at Number 20, such as chest of drawers, sideboards or even the TV cabinets can be given the finishing touch of your favourite Farrow and Ball paint colour.

Better Return on Investment

If you are trying to decide whether it is worth investing in solid pine furniture rather than metal, plastic or even MDF or plywood furniture, you should consider the cost. While it is true that the initial cost of solid pine and oak furniture can be a lot higher than the alternatives, its durability means that it is more cost effective. As we have noted metal and plastic just don’t last as long and if they are damaged, they can’t easily be repaired.

So, hopefully we’ve shown that when you have to make that choice, that it is better to spend a lot on solid wood furniture rather than cutting corners and not spending as much on something that will break in shorter time.