When you invest in good quality built-in cabinetry, you want to know that it will last. Of course, we are not talking about how robust the shelving is; rather, we are talking about the design choices. What is the risk that it will become unfashionable?

Of course, furniture and cabinetry are subject to fashion and trends. Consider Edwardian antiques, Danish Design, Art Deco, MCM, 80s angularity, and more. They may or may not be your cup of tea, but here’s the thing – you could take a good piece from every one of those periods and put them in a room together, and they’d sit happily alongside one another. Good design, well made, is timeless. I suppose that is my point.

It’s also our North Star here at Santer Interiors. Start with a well-considered design that is functional and attractive, then set about crafting it properly from well-chosen timbers and you’ll have a timeless, heirloom quality piece that is a joy to use every day.

In another of these blog articles, I touched on the adaptability of timber cabinetry if you decide to change the room’s colour scheme. In the same way that black and white or silver and gold accents can sit happily within nearly any colour scheme – for me, timber has this quality, too.

A built-in timber bookcase sitting within a chalk-coloured wall would still look good if that wall were painted in a dramatically dark aubergine to highlight a collection of paintings. The timber bookcase would also be better defined through a colour change like that. Not all materials or finishes give you this sort of flexibility over time.

So yes, furniture and cabinetry are subject to fashion, but the thoughtfully designed and well-made pieces also transcend fashion. As the saying goes, Quality never goes out of style. Consider the classics.