> Today the furniture we buy is much less expensive as a percentage of income but the quality is crap and you may end up needing to replace it once the finish has worn off because refinishing would be as expensive as buying another crap quality piece of furniture.

But that's not a problem and is likely a good thing. eg it lets you move more often which reduces your commute.

Though none of my Ikea furniture has ever failed and most of it is ~15 years old.

> But that's not a problem and is likely a good thing. eg it lets you move more often which reduces your commute.

You can still move if furniture was more expensive and higher quality. You'd be able to sell what you have and buy new or used wherever you move. Most furniture is very consumable now so you just throw it away and buy new. You can't restore old furniture so the used market is full of stuff nobody really wants if they have the choice.