Furniture rental offers flexibility and a green solution for short-term lets
- Buying ‘fast furniture’ you will only throw away is as wasteful as shipping your possessions whenever your job takes you to a new location
- A new player and two established furniture rental companies offer a range of options for expatriates who may move on soon, and residents who like to be flexible
Shipping one’s household effects around the world to take up a position in a new country – and later back again – makes as much environmental sense as buying cheap stuff when you get there, then throwing it away when you leave. Particularly in these times, when nothing is certain, renting life’s daily necessities may be more practical.
Foerni is the latest to provide this service in Hong Kong. Launched in July, the furniture rental-via-subscription company is the second venture of entrepreneur Pauline Wetzer, who in 2017 co-founded co-living concept we r urban, later acquired by Singaporean brand Hmlet.
“By offering well-made furniture that can be refurbished, withstand multiple owners as well as look fresh from home to home, Foerni is helping to reduce the waste often associated with fast furniture, only a fraction of which is recycled,” Wetzer says.
“We enable subscribers to say ‘no’ to fast furniture, and instead give them access to high-quality products, which we make affordable for them through the monthly payments.”
This gives customers a beautiful home, even if they end up leaving Hong Kong after only six months.