Custom Furniture | What is Quality?

Colorado Custom Furniture | How do you measure quality?

Custom Built, Lasting Value

Quality matters, details matter. How do you live?

Whether it’s high quality healthcare, furniture, auto repair, or anything else, the idea of “high quality” is something advertised and sought. But how often do we step back and ask what the definition of “quality” might be?

During my career as a surgeon I wrestled with the question. What is high quality healthcare?

• Is it the outcome - curing a disease or fixing a broken body part?

• Is it the process - providing efficient, affordable care that adheres to “best practices” (also a loaded term)?

• Is it having a patient “feel” better about their care? In reality, all these things can roll up under the umbrella of “quality.”

The same is true in the furniture craft world. Let’s take Ikea as an example.

Many people would say that Ikea furniture is of low quality. But how can that be if they’re a worldwide company that is so large they own their own forests? Have you ever tried to shop at an Ikea store on a weekend? Yikes. Hold the meatballs.

Custom built furniture or store bought | What it comes down to is how one defines quality.

For many, the style and affordability of Ikea goods equates to high quality. To those folks, pressboard structures with cardboard backs are just fine. If that Billy bookcase collapses under the weight of the Encyclopedia Brittanica, then so be it, they’ll get another.

For others, however, quality furniture implies a different meaning / feeling.

• They might be interested in solid wood furniture.

• Or furniture made with hand-cut joints.

• Or pieces that will last a lifetime.

• Or a finish that you can’t stop touching.

All of these things can be “quality.” Just like in healthcare, all of these things are covered by the term “quality.”

So the real question is not “what is quality,” but “what do you define as quality?” And it’s a question we should ask more often.