For every house or office space, furniture is one of the most important articles needed to make living and working easy. While furniture is a necessity for every living space, the style depicts the owner’s class and status in the society. Most home and office owners do not mind spending money on luxurious furniture.

There are several furniture companies in Ghana but one of the oldest and prominent is Furnart Ghana Limited. This is one of the companies that produces stylish furniture for the middle and upper classes. Founded in 1974, the company has undergone its fair share of changes from being the leader of furniture and joinery in Ghana with their products found in businesses, leading families, or government offices. Their most well-known example was the conversion of the State House to Parliament House.

Furnart under New Management

Unfortunately, as the founders passed away, the company drifted, losing its commitments to quality products and on time delivery leading to a drop in its sales in a single year. Even though clients struggled to maintain their faith in Furnart, one by one they dropped away as Furnart’s failures made it impossible to continue and this caused a number of people to question its existence, but with its current team of managers, a lot of successes are being chalked by the furniture company.

Furnart, under the new management has a new production manager who has a lot of experience in woodworking and production supervision. The company is currently moving into new furniture line and hoping to work not only with individuals and companies but with hotels and real estate developers.

With a current workforce of close to 100, the management has managed to cut down inefficiencies related to lack of modern tools and outdated production methods.

When asked to compare the wood processing industry in Ghana to what exists in the United States of America, the Managing Director of Furnart Ghana Limited, Mr. William Olmstead remarked, “There is actually no comparison since the market in the US is up there but the following are obvious:

• Ghana does not have much access to as many specialized tools and skilled workers.
• There is more investment in high technology and tools in the US.
• There is also high investment in technology and tools in the United States.
• Furniture companies in the US are well established, with a lot of infrastructure available.
• There are special retail shops in the US specifically for furniture.”

What makes a furniture a good one? What should one look out when buying them? Here are tips from the Managing Director of Furnart on what you should look out for when buying furniture which will last:

• When buying furniture, make sure they are made of solid wood. Whether it is a bedside cabinet or table, ensure the bent corners and surfaces are made of solid wood.
• Take a look at the upholstery piece and how they are stitched. Substantial fabric should be on the wood. If drapery is used on the furniture, it is not going to last.
• It should not wobble.
• Joinery is very important. Connection should be smooth and clean. If you look across the table, it should look flat. If it does not look flat, it is made of inferior products.

These tips should help you the next time you are buying furniture.