Every situation is temporary. But is that an especially compelling reason to surround yourself with lousy, disposable furniture? Or crappy anything else?

I wonder if you apply the same reasoning to other things you spend a lot of time with. Life is short, this too will pass, and that’s why you buy the most unusable, ugly and cheap clothes/shoes/glasses/telephone available. Or sleep at the bus station rather than the nice place on the Carolina beach. Really?

Full disclosure: I marketed some beautiful high-end chairs for a while. I don’t anymore, but the chairs are still gorgeous 70 years after they were first designed and produced. Yes, there are rich people who snap up a set without thinking much about the cost. There are also design students who scrimp and save for years to buy one, then add another a year or two later.

The things we use most can also be beautiful, functional and responsibly made. They should be, really. There’s something to be said about the sustainability of owning a few good things that are built to last for a very long time, and are so thoughtfully designed that their aesthetic appeal doesn’t go out of style after a year or even several generations. Probably not a Target dresser. Apparently not your grandmother’s armoire. But there are other choices.