Why You Should Never Buy Knockoff Furniture (and What to Buy Instead!)

From House Beautiful

Look, I get it: You're nearing the end of an expensive home renovation and picking final pieces on a drained budget. You've pined over Lindsey Adelman's statement chandeliers for years, but they're too expensive. Next thing you know, the combined powers of cookies and AI have served you an ad for a near replica of the piece in question... sold for a fraction of the price on a questionable website (or a not-so-questionable one). You add it to your cart.

You might think you're doing no harm with this purchase—but the truth is, you are. For many reasons. First: When you purchase an item that rips off a certain creative's original idea, that person gets no credit or compensation for her work. "But the real thing is so expeeeeeensive," you might whine. You know what else was probably expensive? The years of design school she worked through, followed by years of product development and maybe even more years of living on ramen while schlepping samples to manufacturers trying to convince them to make her product. And furthermore: It's also expensive to make a quality product. Joining pieces by hand instead of on an assembly line; using materials that will last till the next generation; paying craftspeople a living wage.

And about things that last: It's 2020, people. Aren't we moving beyond a disposable economy? Has Greta Thunberg not yet convinced you that our planet is in danger? When you buy furniture with the intention of tossing it in a few years, you add to the mountains of waste in our landfills. Plus, when you're purchasing items made in dubious factories (and not, say, buying items made by hand by their designers or produced by reputable manufacturers) they're more likely to contain harmful toxins in their finishes, foam, or other materials.

All this is relatively obvious. And there's still the fact that originals can be crazy expensive. As many skeptics have pointed out, this is absurd in and of itself, because some of the pieces most often copied today were originally designed to be affordable! The Eameses' plastic dining chairs, for example: "Ray and Charles never would have wanted their designs to be sold for thousands," you might argue. The truth is, that very inventiveness is what led items like these to become standouts in design history—and so, like it or not, they're valuable. You wouldn't walk into the MoMA and argue that an early Picasso has no value because at the time of its painting the artist gave it for free to a friend, would you? The good news is that quality, budget-friendly furniture that does not rip off other designersdoes exist.

If it's affordable design in the vein of the modernists that you're after, note: Their principles are much less likely to live on in the form of a knockoff e-commerce site than the studios of today's emerging creatives. Head to a local craft or design fair—like the designer favorite Field + Supply or an international treasure trove like the Stockholm Furniture Fair—to see what young makers who haven't yet earned cult status are creating (using quality materials and craftsmanship, nonetheless!). Don't want to get off your sofa? Scroll Instagram for young furniture designers and makers. You'll be among the first to support them—and maybe someday, the pieces you buy will go for Eames-level prices, which you'll be able to take advantage of since they won't have disintegrated by then.

If you're really looking for a bargain on quality heirloom furniture, vintage is your friend. Thanks to the constantly-changing market for antiques, you're certain to get great deals on some hardwood furniture compared to new. Why buy a plywood replica of a favorite design for $500 when you could get a hardwood version that's already stood the test of time for the same price?

In the moment, it can be hard to fathom why a certain piece of furniture costs so much. So next time you're admiring a famous piece and wondering just that, do yourself a favor: Learn its story. Was groundbreaking when it was first produced? And how is it made—call the retailer and find out how. (To help you get started, we've rounded up some of the most iconic chair designs below.) Who knows? You might be impressed! All the more reason to start saving for the real deal.

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