I agree. Ikea is throw away furniture. The best/longest lasting and best designed furniture IS going to be expensive. You get what you pay for. It is so worth saving for a few really good pieces that will be with you forever.

And that woman is disgusting for sending an email like that.

Well said. I see how it can be frustrating to someone who comes to this site expecting to do some shopping....for me its more about daydreaming, seeing really cool new things, getting inspriation and ideas. I also understand that quality does not come cheap, but it pays off in the longrun.

What a graceful response, Cambria.

Totally agree. I'm a big fan of DIYing and refinishing because I can't always afford what I adore, and because I love the process of reusing and knowing what work went into saving something from a landfill. (Doesn't mean I don't still love looking at the pictures of a sustainably made $2,000 chair too though- a girl can dream, right??? :P)

Sigh....I had to chuckle at the angry rant, but it's never fun to be the subject of one. It is inappropriate to send someone such an email but I admit that sometimes when life blows up in my face it is more tempting to fire off grumpy messages when I have something to say.

On the one hand, I think that sturdy, well-crafted items are better than cheap.

On the other hand - and as a Biologist, I notice that almost 99 percent of the "eco friendly" labelled furniture is not only expensive but a load of bullcrap - not eco friendly at all.

It is disheartening to work 40 hours per week at low wages, come home and hope to relax with some pretty Apartment Therapy posts, only to find out that the featured items are ones I will never in my lifetime be able to afford.

Tag sale and vintage items can be affordable and well made. I appreciate the salvaged wood posts and especially the DIY posts that I'm seeing lately. Maybe the expensive furniture can be a rare treat? Also it's important to consider the real ecological impact of each product - often not easy for the layperson to assess.

I Love Quality stuff and go without until i can get what I want... being a fine furniture and joinery student, working as a delivery driver and developing a business leaves me with waiting a long long time to get some of those coveted items... But its soooooo worth it ;) I guess your reader hasn't the mindset or drive to get what they really want.

Wow, that woman is nasty. I'm not naturally a PC person, but even I am horrified by the tsunami comment. How dare she try to speak for mother earth. Honestly I think "she" would care more about her water quality, animal life, air quality, and mining practices (all which are the biggest issues right now) more than how much a chair costs.

I think reusing, refurbish, buying cheap & buying high quality all have their place. Plenty of people who aren't rich are willing to pay good money for a few long lasting, quality pieces in their home. And, people complain about this on the internet all the time. I find it incredibly rude that all blogs are expected to cater to one economic class. What about people who have a ton of money, and don't mind high price tags? Are they not worth sharing things with too? I'm poor as dirt and the only thing new in my place are my washer/dryer (though they were gifted, and the cheapest available) and some of it is literally pulled out of a dumpster, but I don't mind seeing a range of prices. Honestly, even the cheap stuff most of us probably won't buy anyway, even if we pretend we will. It's just fun to look, and maaaaaaybe, just maaaaybe, think about actually buying something.

Spending money on beautiful, and expensive, green furniture is like spending money on art. The way these people build their products protects the wonderful world we live in, and is a tribute to the endless creativity and ingenuity of the human race. Just because I will never in my life be able to afford an original Picasso painting doesn't make me angry. I feel much the same way about a sculptural Knoll chair. It is good to live a world filled with beauty, which we can see in both the abundance of nature and the work of men and women.

I agree that one should aspire and save for quality furniture that can stand the test of a family that loves it.

I must say that I absolutely love posts about reusing everyday materials for the home accents like art, lamps, finishes, ect. Those are the post that inspire me and get my creative drive going.

I love the variety here though. Something for everyone means future posts and more inspiration to come.

Thank you Re-Nest!

I can totally understand the frustration of the ornery woman who sent the email. I will never afford, nor do I wish to purchase, a $5k sofa. My sofa may have been awful for the environment, but it was all I could afford. I figure if I keep it for as long as I can, and then make sure it has a good home after I'm done, then I'll have offset it's impact just a little.

also, Ikea is only throw-away if you think of it that way. I plan on keeping my Ikea crap for a long time...even if that means I have to hold it together with duct tape and a prayer ;)

as a person who grimaces at anything that costs more than twenty dollars and who finds most of her furniture in alleys, i feel this woman's pain... but i still want to punch her in the eye for being such an asshat.

i think you guys edge on the side of elitist, but its hard to feature green design and not have big price tags. you're well balanced by other cheap blogs out there. and it makes your posts that feature free and recycled things to be even more valuable!

I agree with a lot of the comments on here—the woman was unbelievably rude, but at the same time, she had a point, albeit buried beneath piles of bitchiness and insensitive comments. Growing up with hippy parents who made us everything or refurbished old things, it’s hard to sometimes not roll my eyes at some of the posts on this blog. Sure, you can redecorate your entire house out of salvaged barn doors and fancy felt furniture, or you can be a prudent shopper who makes things last. I agree with airexurb, IKEA furniture is often only thrown away because people treat it like it should be thrown away. To me being green is about maintaining what you have, be it IKEA or Eames. I still read and enjoy Re-Nest, but I would love to see more posts about realistic green ideas, rather than posts about ways to seem more green.

While I do understand that woman's frustration, I don't think Re-Nest (or any other blog) should stop featuring expensive "green" design. Just try to balance it out as much as possible with less expensive and more do-able posts and articles.

I certainly subscribe to the philosophy that we should try to buy the best quality products that we can, including saving up for them where necessary. However, there are plenty of readers who could never, even in 10 years or 20, save up enough money for a $2,000 dining table or a $5,000 couch. So I don't necessarily think the point of presenting such expensive items is to say, "You should be striving for this."

I think of the articles on "expensive" design as serving two purposes: 1) fantasy (which some people like and don't feel demoralized by!) and 2) there's a lot of innovative green design going on out there, and it's nice to see what new ideas, new materials, new processes designers are dreaming up and working with. Anything "cutting edge" or "hand-made/one-off" is going to have a staggeringly high price tag. But it's still important and interesting for everyone to learn about what's being developed. Someday, maybe, the new ideas and expensive products will be able to be produced less expensively and we'll all be able to afford them.

Finally, I really like what mbken said:

"Just because I will never in my life be able to afford an original Picasso painting doesn't make me angry."

I see that I didn't read all the way to the last paragraph of the post, which said essentially the same thing I did. I guess I'm just posting to say, "I agree!"

hmmmmmm . . . guess i can relate to where the "indelicate" comments are coming from, but i don't agree with them. truth is . . . MOST of us can't afford a "womb chair" or "mouille" lamp (original OR reproduction), but that's not the point of sharing information about good design. good design (mho) is about innovation, creative use of materials, proportion, etc. that said . . . these attributes are often "lurking" in many rather "pedestrian" places . . . far afield from DWR and well within the reach of a modest budget . . .

I'd certainly never send someone an email wishing for their untimely death, but I do roll my eyes when I see multiple posts suggesting 7k$ chairs or "budget" furniture that is half of that.

Sure it's greener, and cheaper, usually to go to garage sales and craigslist. But to be honest I don't look at design blogs (green or otherwise) to see a bunch of mismatched $40 furniture.
I have more than my share of great CL finds and I am pretty good at refinishing and upcycling but a lot of my best finds was once *very* expensive furniture. Someone, somewhere along the way bought a solid oak kitchen table. I'm guessing by the design sometime in the late 70's to early 80's. They used it for a lifetime. When my hubs bought our house those people who spent hundreds of dollars on this set had a garage sale - they lost the leaf that extends it and one chair was a little cracked. We bought it for $40, refinished the honeyoak color and it's awesome.

But if we all bought cheap crap at Walmart then that wouldn't happen. It's not very green and let's face it: it's not what most people truly want. I am a save up and wait - sit on the floor in the meantime person. I don't think that makes me elitist, and I don't really think most things on the site aside from home rennovations are out of the range for an average person. It just depends on what's important to them.

why oh why does everyone hate on ikea? I love my ikea desk and frankly is is so much better made than anything I could have found at walmart or target. my last desk was walmart and it was awful, this is really pretty and well made for the cost. I agree airexurb it's only throw away if you think of it that way. I see this desk lasting me a very long time. Plus a magnetic wipe off board for the back? Yes please! Genius idea if you ask me.
then again I'm not hard to please.

this site has given me so many amazing ideas, i don't need to be able to afford it so long as I can re-create it myself or set a goal to get it later. Though as RocketScientist perfectly puts it I to roll my eyes at "budget friendly" things that are clearly not for most people.

keep up the great work, this site has been an amazing wealth of knowledge for me.

I , too, don't understand the Ikea hate-on. Here's what I know about my own Ikea furniture:
1. All of it is made for small spaces, which are often easier on the environment than large spaces;
2. It has all come flat-packed, which shrinks its carbon footprint;
2. It has all lasted well beyond the timeframe I've needed it. The last Ikea item I sold on Craigslist was a KAJAK storage unit that I had for at least eight years and was still in really good condition. Sold within 20 minutes, and I had to strip the listing almost immediately because I was getting so many emails.

So, from my experience, Ikea furniture is a reasonably eco-friendly choice for a limited budget.

Also, the woman who wrote that email clearly has issues.

wow that's an email! I agree with you Cambria!

I believe the Re-Nest team welcomes suggestions. Yes, it can be frustrating to see something that you would like but cannot afford. I appreciate a well build piece of furniture, cheap or out of my reach. I come here for ideas, inspiration, what I will use or do is up to me. I'm sorry you received such an email.

Sorry to double-comment, but I think it's important to note a bit of Greenwashing that (inadvertently) goes on at AT sometimes. Just because a new product uses fallen branches, seashells, or something like that, does not mean it's eco-friendly.

For example - a mirror lined with seashells. Well, those shells form limestone and marine animals need those shells. They also dissipate wave energy and keep the beach from eroding. The ocean is not our free gift store.

Just as importantly - there are a gazillion mirrors already in existance that you can get at a tag sale (and let's be honest, most people are buying that mirror as a novelty, right?)

The argument always is, "well, it has toxins" or it's cracked. Fine, but don't claim it's eco friendly to get rid of it. It is not going to just disappear - it's going into the landfill for a new product which also uses resources.

If a barn falls down, and the reclaimed wood is used, that's great. Even if we use some resources to build something new, at least all that wood is not going to the trash and if it's for a necessary item, we won't deforest to produce it.

Reuse, slavage, relcaim.

And as for price, I agree with others that Walmart and Ikea crap is not eco friendly or good quality - but a lamp that costs $600 is pretty absurd too.

Moderation in price and stuff that lasts.

Had to snicker when I noticed the post that preceded this one: "The Prince of Wales and His Eco Friendly Houses"......!

@Arkay, as I mentioned in the comments of that post, those aren't the Prince's personal homes; they're floor plans for new construction that his foundation designed for the Ideal Home Show in London.

I understand the woman's frustration but sending a nasty email like that is no way to win someone over. One can only assume that more is going on in her life than this one website.

Personally, I would never spend thousands of dollars on a single piece of furniture. I have found much of our furniture either at Ikea (which I love!), at thrift stores, from family members or in the alley. I would much rather spend my time and money on refinishing a piece of furniture I found for free (or for $2) than buy something that is brand new.

But that's just me. I LOVE DIYing and have created many beautiful things in my life. Not everyone has a passion for DIYing though and that's okay. It doesn't mean that I am "greener" than someone who spends their money on quality "green" furniture.

I like the fact that there are OPTIONS now for people who would rather buy something new. At least now they have the choice and can choose to buy "greener" furniture instead of more mainstream furniture. The more options there are for people, the better!

Remember, expensive doesn't always mean quality!

And I too am tired of Ikea-haters! I loves me some Ikea! :D

I found an Eames lounger in perfect condition at a thrift store for $100. You can find a lot of amazing things at thrift stores. I don't buy expensive furniture, but I still love looking at it.

Wow Cambria! I'm sorry you spent what should have been a lovely Sunday morning having to read such garbage.

As someone who has furnished her entire home through yard sales, eBay, Goodwill, craigslist AND Ikea, there's nothing wrong with being aspirational and loving the look of "designer" items. I got a set of super beat-up Bertoia wire chairs for $20 and a faux Arco lamp for $7 (that just needed a new cord and some polishing) from the crazy man who held weekly Friday yard sales in my old 'hood (a street, mind you, where the SWAT team came to my door with a battering ram and German Shepherds looking for an armed man). I also scored a set of 6 pristine Eames side shell chairs and faux Saarinen table for $139 at a thrift store. How about a 1962 sectional sofa that I've had for 11 years and badly needs reupholstering? Some things we get lucky with, some things we save up for, some of us have more or less money than others. Would it be easier if I had boatloads of cash and could just pick whatever I want from DWR? Sure! But I like the thrill of the chase and I hate wasting money. I also have cats that puke a lot and a $5000 sofa doesn't really fit into that picture.

The fact that we're all on Re-Nest, or any of the AT sites, means that we also have a very keen eye for lovely things and inspired ideas. Why do museums exist? We can't have the art on the walls, we may not even be able to afford a high quality archival print, but am I going to bash it as being elitist? Am I going to send vitriolic email to the curator?

I assume that people who have to lash out at strangers have much bigger issues than which "designer" chair they might covet for their home or which Etsy tea towels will match their kitchen.

Wow. That tsunami comment is incredibly inappropriate. Regardless of whether her point is valid, she can't expect anyone to take her seriously if she addresses someone in that manner.

I firmly believe that it is better to have a few quality things than a bunch of cheap crap, whether it be clothing or furniture or whatever. I am by no means rich, and my husband was lucky enough to inherit an amazing set of vintage, quality furniture for our house. And yes, we have some stuff from IKEA and other box stores, but it's all about working within your means and making the best with what you've got.

Honestly most of the stuff on Apartment Therapy these days is too expensive or not reasonable for the average apartment dweller. I still like to read it for some things though.

I am a maker. Not of furniture or probably anything else you'd ever feature on this blog, but a maker nonetheless. I can't tell you how many times I have heard that someone could buy "the same" item as something I'm selling at Walmart for half the price.

Sustainability has so many facets and affording those who make the items in question a wage which doesn't leave them starving is one of those facets. Add in the cost of sustainable materials and this is often why things "green" cost so much more.
From the end-user standpoint, that Eames armchair aside, I'm so tired of household items that can't be repaired once they've broken. I had quite a fight with a toaster before finally coming to the realization that I could not get the parts to fix it because no one made them.
That's the real crime: Living in a world where things are designed to break, be trashed and replaced. That's the thing that should make that woman sick to her stomach.

It's not a pretty side of my personality, but I do sometimes get frustrated and envious over the things I can't afford (generally big things, like houses and post-graduate educations.) Saving for a thousand dollar sofa took five years and a long, exhaustive hunt. It's just not realistic to save for twenty five years for a five thousand dollar sofa. It's irritating to be told that I ought to, when such a thing is clearly not practical.

I think your ideas (which I hadn't heard before a couple days ago) are fabulous. Sounds like this crazy woman is jealous that she can't afford to buy big-ticket items. But for me, I think the idea of saving to buy something you will value and love for the rest of your life is a much better way of spending your time than sending hate mail. The good news is: you already clearly don't live on whatever planet people like that inhabit. (Incidentally, if the inability to save money is leading my fellow readers to personal crises, maybe now is the time for them to put interior design on the shelf and start learning about money management.)