Buy It For Life

Choosing home essentials that endure

By Stephanie Susnjara

Design by Justin Negard

When Andrea Gottschall purchased a new cherry wood dining table several years ago, she didn’t discard her old pine table. Instead, she tucked it away, saving it for one of her children’s future living spaces.

“It’s going to feel like home for them,” explains Gottschall, highlighting the sentimental value of a piece that has been part of their family life for two decades.

As a designer at Willow Furniture & Design in Bedford Hills, Gottschall knows the value of well-crafted furniture—how it can serve as both a lasting investment and an enduring legacy.

“Solid, well-made wooden furniture is an old art form, and it’s a great one,” she says. “You can trust it, and that’s important.”

Gottschall’s viewpoint aligns with a growing consumer philosophy and movement called “Buy It for Life” (BIFL), which emphasizes investing in high-quality, performance-driven durable goods, even if you need to buy them one piece at a time.

The BIFL movement has attracted an intriguing combination of enthusiasts: strategic budgeters and environmentalists, thanks to the long-term cost inefficiency and environmental harm tied to our disposable culture. BIFL products are built to last and offer better value over time.

These days, millions of BIFL enthusiasts share their advice and experiences on dedicated online forums, such as the Buy It for Life subreddit, and follow trusted sources for product reviews, like Consumer Reports and The New York Times Wirecutter section. They pride themselves on making thoughtful choices that reduce waste, support craftsmanship and create a more sustainable lifestyle. And even if you don’t fall into one of the two main categories listed above, BIFL can (and, experts would argue, should) be for you. Here’s what you need to know to get started.

Tip # 1: Pause before purging

Jessica Watts, a Howard Hanna/Rand Realtor with offices in Connecticut and New York, is a big fan of the BIFL mentality, and she believes everyone can get on board.

“It’s quite painful at times to see people clearing out items from the homes they sell,” says Watts, a National Association of Realtors (NAR) Green Designation holder. “I’ve seen entire dumpsters filled with still usable furniture that will go right to the landfill from someone’s home. They’d rather buy all new, cheaper furniture from places like Wayfair or Amazon.”

It’s a mindset Watts hopes to shift by encouraging everyone to keep their well-crafted pieces so they can lovingly restore or revamp them instead of tossing them in the trash.

“Older wooden chairs have good bones,” says Watts. Rather than tossing them, she suggests employing a little elbow grease. For example, you can swap out seat cushions with a more contemporary fabric or sand down wooden chairs to remove intricate carvings or ornamentation.

And Watts says rehabbing can extend to your home’s built-in furnishings. As a real estate agent, she encounters a lot of older homes featuring kitchens equipped with high-quality traditional wooden cabinetry.

“A lot of these cabinets look so dated, but it’s incredibly expensive to buy all wood cabinets,” she says. “I tell potential buyers there’s nothing that a new stain, a fresh coat of paint and some new hardware can’t do to make those existing cabinets look great.”

Tip #2: Choose solid woods

Whether buying a bed, table or chairs, Gottschall says all the classic solid woods make excellent BIFL options. Compared to flimsy furniture from big box retailers that is made with particle board—composed of wood chips, sawdust and resin—solid wood is much denser and therefore able to withstand daily use and better resist damage. Wood is also more versatile when it comes to finishing, as it can be stained or painted to match traditional or contemporary décor.

“There’s not one type of wood that I prefer over the other until I see the aesthetic we’re going for,” she says.

From a design perspective, each type of wood offers its own distinct advantages, with price differences often influencing people’s choice. Four of the more popular woods are:

Cherry: A redwood that darkens over time and shows a more prominent grain. It is on the more expensive side.

Are Induction Cooktops a Smart BIFL Investment?

Induction cooktops are known for their energy efficiency, converting around 90 percent of their energy into heat, compared to just 70 percent for electric coils and 40 percent for gas. But when considering an upgrade, Watts says the decision isn’t as simple as it seems.

Induction stoves typically come with a higher upfront cost, anywhere between $200 and $1,000 more than comparable gas and electric models. On top of that, if your cookware isn’t compatible, you’ll need to replace it. Cookware made from cast iron, magnetic stainless steel or enameled iron will work with induction. But if you’re using non-magnetic materials like copper, aluminum, glass, ceramic or non-magnetic stainless steel, you’ll have to buy new pots and pans. This dilemma concerns Watts.

“From a sustainability perspective, it’s a pro for energy savings, but it’s a con as to whether it’s the greatest sustainability choice,” says Watts. “If people have to get rid of the majority of their pans, where are those pans going? I guess my stance is, I’m torn.”

From a buy-it-for-life perspective, the answer isn’t clear-cut, especially when comparing longevity to other cooktop models. Best estimates from several online articles say that induction ranges last for about 10,000 hours, which translates to 10 or more years, while electric ranges last 13-15 years and gas ranges 15-17 years.  Induction cooktops offer significant energy savings over time—especially if you cook four or more times a week. However, for those who don’t cook often, say a few times a month, or don’t want to invest in new cookware, the financial and environmental trade-offs might not justify the expense.

Next time you consider an upgrade, ask yourself: will this purchase bring long-term savings and sustainability, or could the initial costs outweigh the benefits?

Maple: A white wood with a subtler grain and a smoother and more uniform look. It is more affordable than cherry.

Oak and pine: Iconic for their rustic style, oak provides sturdiness and bold grain patterns, while pine offers a softer, more textured look. Oak is moderately priced compared to cherry and maple but pricier than pine.

Ultimately, the right wood depends on the room’s style, color palette and budget.

Tip #3: Anchor a room with a quality centerpiece

Unless you have a considerable amount of disposable income, experts recommend you gradually fill your home with lifetime pieces. Gottschall advises new homeowners (or those starting from scratch) to focus on purchasing one high-quality item, such as a bed frame or couch, to serve as the room’s foundation.

“If you’re furnishing a living room, invest in a good sofa, since that’s where you’ll spend most of your time,” she says. “And don’t choose something just because it looks great—if it’s uncomfortable, you’ll replace it in a couple of years. I always tell people that you can have both form and function. It’s a happy marriage, and there’s a way to achieve both without stretching your budget or compromising on style.”

When buying a quality sofa, focus on the frame and construction. A sturdy hardwood frame, such as oak or maple, ensures longevity, and a well-constructed frame will feature reinforced joints to prevent wobbling. According to a Wirecutter article featuring furniture makers, a well-made sofa should last you 10-20 years.

“I have no problem with people going to Target and getting some knickknacks and even a coffee table if that’s what’s going to shape out the room for now,” says Gottschall. “But get an excellent piece of furniture as your big anchor, then slowly replace those inexpensive pieces, building your room around the anchor.”

Tip #4: Revamp those timeless pieces and their surroundings

Investing in finely built furnishings doesn’t mean you’re locked into a particular style. Classic pieces offer flexibility, allowing you to update up the decor without sacrificing quality.

Perhaps more than any other type of BIFL furniture, a dining table holds the most sentimental value. It’s the place where people gather, making it the focal point of family life and the spot for creating memories.

“I’ve had the same distressed farm-style pine dining table for over 20 years,” says Watts. “It’s the first table I ever purchased.”

Recently, Watts’ husband suggested it might be time to get a new table, but Watts went in a different direction, giving her beloved table a makeover.

“I told my husband, ‘I think I need to strip this,’” Watts recalls. “As soon as he suggested it might just be easier to get a new table, I thought, but this is my table.’ It was pretty beat up from the decades of love, but it’s nothing some sandpaper, wood filler and stain couldn’t fix. “

But if your cherished table is just fine the way it is yet the room still feels dated, consider updating the surroundings.

“You can change everything around a good piece of furniture,” says Gottschall, who recently helped a client do just that by pairing her client’s traditional cherry wood table with more contemporary chairs.

Gottschall also transformed her client’s finely made but outdated window treatments, removing the flourishes on the cornices to give the windows a cleaner, more modern feel.

“We created a whole new look in the room and kept the table, the piece the client loved; the piece that was part of her heart.”

Empty cast iron frying pan on dark grey culinary background, view from above

Tip #5: Don’t forget about your kitchen

Kitchenware also presents a great opportunity to embrace the BIFL philosophy. Rather than constantly replacing low-cost items that wear out too soon, a carefully chosen BIFL item, like a top-grade chef’s knife or a powerful stand mixer, can handle heavy use and deliver better performance for years to come.

Yes, top-notch items or sets often come with a hefty price tag, but building a well-equipped kitchen doesn’t have to happen all at once. Like furniture, investing in exceptional cookware sets over time is a smart way to gradually acquire the essentials.

In the BIFL subreddit, users say they began building their collection by slowly purchasing one or a few key pieces in reliable materials (stainless steel, cast iron or copper), like a versatile skillet or durable saucepan and slowly expanding as needed. Top brands with lasting, high-performance pieces include All-Clad (stainless steel), Le Creuset (enameled cast iron) and Lodge (cast iron).

For those who are strapped for cash but want long-lasting quality, cast iron pans are having a BIFL moment. Once a staple in American kitchens—dating back to the 17th century—cast iron skillets are prized for their heat retention and ability to develop a natural, nonstick surface over time. A new Lodge skillet costs less than $30, and a previously loved one that may require a bit of TLC could be even half the price. With proper care, a cast iron pan can last for decades and even be passed from generation to generation.

“I own one piece of cast iron,” says BIFL reddit community member Actuarial_type. “It’s a skillet that my grandmother gave me. She got it from her grandma. Cast iron isn’t even BIFL; it’s buy it for centuries.”

Buying for life is about choosing what’s best for you. It’s more than just money and time—it‘s about investing in products that reflect your unique needs and values. By putting in the effort to truly understand what fits your life, you create a home that’s genuinely yours.

This article was published in the March/April 2025 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.