Why Furniture as a Service Works Today

furniture as a service

Feather, launched in New York in 2017, offers Furniture as a Service. The company’s core idea is that people no longer want to own things – including furniture. You may move residences several times for different reasons. Maybe you started off living with roommates and then moved in with a significant other. Maybe you’ll move again to be on your own or relocate for work in another city or state.

Each time you move, you’ll face different apartment layouts. You may move with different people who have different tastes in furniture as well. Each time you change residences, you’ll be in a different situation that will require different furniture styles and pieces. At each new apartment you move into, the layout, architectural style and furniture needs will change.

When moving in with a new roommate or significant other, he or she may want a certain type of nightstand or work desk. They may not bring their own bed when they move in. When they move out, you get stuck with furniture pieces you have no use for which occupy precious space – unless of course you subscribe to Furniture as a Service that takes care of unwanted pieces.

Your first home may be at a Brownstone style apartment building. Then you may move to an ultra-modern high-rise condominium or an art deco flat. The stuff that you own may not be suitable for your next space. If you want to bring your previous fixtures, it’s likely that unsuitable pieces will end up in the dump.

Most furniture are not meant to be dismantled and do not transport very well. It would be a pain to move large pieces that won’t be appropriate in your new space anyway. There’s also the issue of moving expenses which could amount to the same cost of buying new furniture. Throwing away furnishings you can’t bring to your new apartment also adds to waste dumped in landfills. This kind of waste is something that companies like Feather would like to eliminate by offering Furniture as a Service.

When you have to throw away your old things – because you can’t transport them or their design won’t look good in the new place, you’ll need to buy new furniture again. This cycle repeats each time you move to a new apartment or home. It will also happen if your roommate or partner changes as well. It’s surely not an ideal way to live.

Another interesting reason why a Furniture as a Service subscription makes sense today is because of a cultural shift. Our parents were into ownership. They took pride in settling into their own home, buying furniture to fill the rooms and buying a car to go along with the house. But the younger generation doesn’t want the white picket fence.

Today’s generation cares more about freedom and flexibility. This generation wants to travel and dine out every day. This batch of professionals don’t even want to own a car – there’s Uber or Lyft that frees them of insurance payments, parking fees, monthly amortizations, and changing engine oil every-so-often. This generation doesn’t want the troubles that come with owning things.

Today’s people just lean into whatever feels right at a given time – whether it’s a job, a hobby, where they live, or what furniture style they want for the next six months – or till they want to move to a nicer place again. They are also more environment-friendly than previous generations. A Furniture as a Service subscription like what Feather offers eliminates waste that usually comes with replacing furniture.

An environment-friendly furniture subscription typically recovers materials from discarded pieces and refurbish them into new fixtures. Instead of having to purchase something cheap and disposable, today’s eco-conscious generation would rather use something that won’t end up in a landfill. A Furniture as a Service subscription lets homeowners use furnishings as long or as short as they want and replace them with new stuff without worrying about adding to pollution and waste.