“Furnishing your home is about compromise.”

“Choose something cheap and choose for the short-term because you never know when the styles might change”

“Go for flat pack MDF furniture. It’s easy to carry, easy to store and you can take it with you to your next home.”

 

These are the messages that seemed to be beamed at me from the four corners of the furniture shop show room as I wandered through its trail of flat pack MDF desks, plastic chairs and flat packed kitchens…. Is this really what is comes to? I thought as I ran my hand over the unnaturally smooth surface of an MDF console table and considered its merits as a replacement for my inherited, mahogany heirloom that sits in my living room. Should I succumb to the demands of the corporate demi-Gods who tell us that a cupboard is for Christmas and not for life?

Right now it seems that throwaway Britain is in its prime. The business strategy of machining out cheap clones for short-term use is in play across the high street. From clothes shops, to DIY super stores and mobile phone developers the message is the same. Buy something cheap that is stylish and modern now and replace it when the trends change.

There are a number of problems with the throwaway culture and they all relate to sustainability:

 

1)   Over the course of a number of years the customer pays more because they keep buying replacements

2)   The natural resources that are being used to create and ship the huge products to consumers are running out, raising the prices of production

3)   Thrown away items are not recycled and fill up land fill sites

4)   Factory made products are soulless and have little character, meaning customers don’t comprehend the time and care that might have gone into producing them

 

                       A brand spanking new land fill site in Denmark. 

 

Due to these factors it seems that the dysfunctional throwaway Britain culture cannot continue. Ethically aware, forward thinking companies like Tikamoon give us an insight into where a more sustainable future might lead. A future where customers and businesses have relationships, that are good for the customer, the business and the planet.

Tikamoon products are:

 

–       Made from solid woods that can last for generations e.g. pine, mahogany, oak, sheesham, teak

–       Designed and hand made by skilled craftspeople giving each product its own unique, lovable character

–       Sold at prices that can compete with MDF product but reflect the time and expertise that went into producing them

–

It seems that cost and trends are the two forces that govern customer-buying habits. Perhaps Tikamoon’s most powerful card then, is the timeless appeal and character of their products. Their teak office desks, marble washbasin’s and oak dining tables all beam out the same message:

These are not furniture pieces for Christmas, they have the style and quality to be cherished and passed on to the next generation. So, if you’re looking for an elegantly carved, solid sheesham console for the living room – come right this way and say goodbye to throwaway Britain.

 

                                        The Tikamoon Niels Foldable Coffee Table 80 

                                        Solid wood furniture for the modern world