25 years is not very long for furniture! I have several pieces in my apartment older than that -- made of real wood, full of character, and which I paid little

25 years is not very long for furniture! I have several pieces in my apartment older than that -- made of real wood, full of character, and which I paid little or nothing for. I've had IKEA stuff but I enjoy having furniture with history so much more. I recently acquired (for nothing) a huge, old wood desk that belonged to a CEO. There's a cabinet door on the side, out of which comes a mechanical shelf that I'm guessing was once used for a typewriter. Fascinating! Given, it's hard to get ahold of the right furniture if you're not willing to pay much. But I've been slowly replacing my particle board with real wood, and spending less than I did on the fake stuff. It just takes time.