I was reminded of a friend of mine who’s mother wanted to take him shopping for his birthday at a speciality designer shop. Although contemporary fashions, these weren’t his usual off-the-rack sort and many were originals. As a fairly peer oriented teen, he was reluctant to veer too far from the run-of-the-mill selections in the usual, popular teen fashion haunts of the day. His decision not to go to the designer boutique gave my mother yet another ‘I told you so’ moment when later that summer, I went to a important party dressed in exactly the same outfit as one of my friends, and had the nerve to complain about how embarrassed I was.

Contemporary furniture shopping is much the same as clothing fashion shopping because your choices in design and comfort should be unique to you, and a reflection of your own personality, whatever that may be. That’s just one good reason to consider high quality, handmade, furniture when shopping for a contemporary look for your home, and there are at least a half dozen others.

1. With mass produced items, the quality is generally poorer, and they don’t have the longevity that custom products have. If you really like your selections, you want them to last and become fixtures and backdrops for the fond memories of which they will be a part over the years. Of course, if you don’t think your memories are going to be fond, go on the cheap and be generous with the furniture in the divorce.

2. High quality, handmade furniture can even make you a better parent because when you consider the durability of this well constructed furniture, you’re not as finicky about children being a bit rougher on it, and you’ll find yourself much more relaxed than with some cheaper, mass-produced furniture that can fall apart at the seams if your kids breathe on it the wrong way.

3. Choosing natural wood and organic cotton fabric rather than artificial materials can also improve your health. For instance, if common latex furniture is the source of allergy symptoms for you and your family, the savings on doctor visits, tissues, and antihistamines over the duration of the life of the custom-made furniture can practically buy it for you.

4. If you drive a Porsche, but buy your furniture at the local discount house, your friends will probably know you’re not really in their league.

5. If you drive a used Kia and buy your furniture at the local discount house, your friends will definitely know you’re not in their league.

6. Finally, anytime you do anything to greatly improve your quality of life as fine, handmade, custom furniture will most assuredly do, your general outlook will improve, and will help make you happier and more secure, even if you’re just an old couch potato, and your mother will never be able to say, “I told you so.”

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