Solid wood furniture

[Cooler]

This desk, on All Modern is listed as "solid wood"

Then they go on to say:  Product Details

• 
  Solid Wood
  

Then they elucidate:



Top Color:  Brown

Top Material:  Manufactured Wood

Top Material Details:  MDF


I am undecided on whether they are trying to deceive, trying to be honest, or are too dumb to decide what they are trying to do.

Here is the ad:  https://www.allmodern.com/furniture/pdp/...05622.html

[Bill Holt]

I thought there was a "Truth of Advertizing" (something like that) law that required the advertizer to be truthful.  How can they claim solid wood when they are using MDF?

[DaveR1]

Well, it doesn't say it's all solid wood. Only the bits that are wood are solid wood. Even the sawdust embedded in the glue is solid wood. 

[Willyou]

Sad, but I think very true, many of the people who write product descriptions do not know what they are writing about. I have read many ads that obviously are cut and pasted and mix information from one product to another. In your example, I would give the benefit of the doubt and say that either they are clueless about what "solid wood" is or they think the particle board and mdg are, in fact, solid wood. I have even emailed companies asking them to verify what they are saying. Frequently, the only verification I get is that they don't know what they are talking about. You have to be very skeptical about what you read and cross check the information.

[Cooler]

Design-wise it is kind of a rip off of the classic George Nelson Swag Desk.  There are enough changes to qualify as a new design, but definitely derivative.  It was designed in 1954 and is still in production by Herman Miller in Zeeland, Michigan.  To me, the Nelson version looks more elegant with the thinner surrounding "walls".  I do wonder what those two pullouts at the front of the desk are.

[SteveS]

$520 for a cheap made in china desk. pass.

[MauleSkinner]

$520 for a cheap made in china desk. pass.

I could make one for twice that much in my garage!

[Darknight]

I could make one for twice that much in my garage!

+1

[Halfathumb]

They give it an Italian name and charge more for it. I didn't know Italy was that big of a furniture manufacturer.
Not coming down on the Italians, just saying

[jteneyck]

Most people don't care what furniture is made of these days; only what it looks like and how cheap it is.  You can't blame companies for serving that portion of the market.  The days when people bought furniture once and used it for the rest of their life is gone the way of the Dodo bird.  The few people who still value quality will find small companies/individual craftsmen to make what they want.  And that is your market if you are in that game.  

John