What is modular furniture?
There are two or three approaches that is commonly followed by most people.
- The furniture is made in factory so it’ll be faster during production and better finishes.
- It is easy do assemble and dissemble.
- It is easy to stack or rearrange as per usage.
All of the above are correct.
But what is the hidden secret behind its popularity in recent times? Modular furniture is used in kitchens, wardrobes, loose furniture, tv unit, study tables, dressers, vanity cabinets and so on. This is a marketing scheme made popular by e-commerce brands like livspace, designcafe, pepperfry and so on. All the brands in unison promote modular furniture, it’s benefits and it’s economical nature, in all their online social media ads, digital campaigns and offline marketing.
Do you want me to tell you why?
Hi, I’m Ameeshi Goenka, Material Specialist and Interior Designer at Design Palette Goenka. I have an industry experience of over 10 years and would like to give you a little insight into the modular furniture market of India.
As a client or a customer or user of the product, you are right in
thinking that modular furniture is good for your homes for all of the reasons that we have mentioned above.
But do you know that this is exactly what the e-commerce brands want you to think and feel?
The answer is YES!
Allow me to tell you why.
As per the manufacturing process in the factory, and the materials available in the market. All the furniture sizes are designed and engineered in a manner to –
- reduce wastages
- reduce manual effort and feed in automated data into the machines
- do bulk production from the limited choices which is faster to procure
- present material options to the client for which the machines are available and no new investment is needed
- set furniture sizes and customized finishes options
All of the above reasons are also okay for you to work with. It sounds like a fantastic model which is a win-win for you and the vendor.
But here’s the catch.
Let me illustrate with examples –
- TV unit
Your ideal preference would be to have something with storage for electronics but not too bulky and a back unit with ambient lighting and storage for décor. You may want a veneer finish with polish and duco paint as per design.
There are two ways to achieve this design –
Hence for a space like a living area or TV unit which is a personal time should be designed by a designer and not procured from an e-commerce vendor because it represents your identity as it is one of the few spaces in the house where you can be creative with ideas, it is usually a long term investment so make it out of good materials with evergreen finishes and experimenting with lighting can bring out something unimaginable!
- Kitchen
Your ideal preference would ample storage units with ambient lighting. Maintaining the kitchen work triangle. Maybe some open shelves and some closed ones, a space for bigger utensils, a space for washing vegetables, garbage disposal and so on.
There are two ways to achieve this design and both will be explained below.
Hence a kitchen area which is a personal to the family’s cooking and upbringing, should be designed by a designer and not procured from an e-commerce vendor. As most common area are neutral shades, in the kitchen, it is one of the few spaces in the house where you can be personal with your approach, it is an everyday use hence constructing it out of strong materials with aesthetic finishes and with functional and ambient lighting can bring out something wonderful!
To see more examples, wait for the next article.
Hence to conclude, modular furniture, manufactured by e-commerce vendors are weak, repetitive, and cannot be used for a long time given the Indian wear and tear and usage. Modular furniture manufactured by e-commerce vendor are for those who are trying to fulfil a small temporary need or are doing the interiors for rental purposes or those who find have extremely tight budget which usually becomes more expensive in the long run and they must be prepared for that.
I’m just being realistic.
However, modular furniture, manufactured by specialized vendors and craftsmen designed by an interior designer will cater specifically to your personal needs like arthritis or vaastu or small rooms or pet friendly etc. Modular furniture manufactured by designer recommended vendors are for those who look for long term durability, unique identity, are aspirational who appreciate quality and have a larger vision.
Closing statement being, in 2025, modularity in furniture is from the mass delivery and efficiency of factory procurement and production schedule which has been so beautifully sugar coated by the marketing campaigns making you feel like it is beneficial for you. However, the interior designers and specialists still believe in the heritage meaning of the term modularity which meant catering flexibility in assembly and disassembly process for making one unit functional for multiple purposes as per clients’ requirements and recognizing client aspirations.
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