Whether you are going for a complete makeover, moving into a new home, or just adding to your existing décor, furniture is a great way to stamp your personality on your home.
Buying furniture for your home is fun, but it can also represent a large outlay of funds.
Furniture is a long-term investment, and you need to make sure that the right choices are made.
Buying the wrong furniture piece will end up costing you money. Almost inevitably, it will need to be replaced long before the end of its useful life.
To help you avoid the pitfalls, we have compiled a list of the top things to consider when buying furniture.
1. Size, Dimensions, and Proportions
It is surprising how often this is overlooked but buying furniture of the correct size is vital for the aesthetics and functionality of your home. Buying furniture that is too large will make your home look, and actually be, cramped. Not good from an aesthetic or functional point of view.
Additionally, buying furniture that is too small also carries issues. Furnishings that are too small can leave a room feeling echoey and empty. It is also more difficult to heat, which adds to the overall barn-like feel of a room.
It’s all about the right proportions, aim for a balance of visuals and function, and you won’t go far wrong. Making sure the size is right is easy; if you have existing furniture that works well, just select furniture within the same size range.
If you have no visual guides, then taking some time to measure the room and sketch a plan of it is a great way of seeing how furniture is going to fit within the room.
2. Choose the right upholstery
When buying soft furnishings like sofas or dining chairs, then choosing the right upholstery is critical. This decision can play a large part in how long your furniture will actually last.
For instance, you may be completely bowled over by a sofa finished in luxurious chenille, but the cat will likely love pulling away at that luxurious finish. For homes with kids and pets in residence, then choose something more practical like leather sofas.
The crucial thing is to base your decision not simply on aesthetics but with a practical eye as to how the material will fare in your home environment.
3. Go for durability
It may cost you a little more in the short term but choosing solidly constructed furniture that is built to last will pay in the long run. Buying cheap and badly manufactured furniture is a false economy. Also, well-constructed, durable furniture like wooden beds needn’t cost the earth, shop about and try to buy from suppliers that stock well-known and trusted brands.
4. Don’t forget that furniture needs to be functional
When choosing furniture, it is easy to get swayed with something that looks fantastic but doesn’t perform very well when doing the job it was designed for.
Buying sofas that are uncomfortable to sit in, or storage units that have no storage space, will soon make you forget how fantastic they look. There are loads of practical options available that look fantastic without compromising performance. Looks are important, but always make sure they do what they are meant to do at the same time.
5. It’s all about the colour
Always consider the colour of the furniture you are buying.
Ideally, it should complement the existing colour scheme in the room it is planned for, but also think ahead – are you planning to do any redecorating? Or new carpets? Try to buy furniture that will work with your current scheme but won’t look out of place should you decide to do some radical redecorating in the future.
There are loads of options that use neutral colour schemes that will complement a range of different decors. This allows you plenty of scope to get creative with your décor and not end up having all your furnishings stand out like a sore thumb.
If you are not sure about how a particular fabric will work in your home, ask the retailer if they have any swatches of fabrics. That way, you can check how well it works before you buy.
6. Don’t rush your decision
Buying furniture is exciting! A new look for your home and luxurious comfort beckons; you can’t wait. But wait, ask yourself if this really is the best choice or is the excitement and anticipation of purchasing a new piece of furniture adversely swaying your decision.
An average sofa will last up to 15 years, so waiting for a few extra days or weeks to ensure that you have properly explored all the options will pay off in the years to come. Furniture is too big an investment to be treated as an impulse buy.
7. Focus on one room at a time
If you are moving into a new home or going for a complete makeover, it is easy to go a bit crazy and buy everything at once. This is both a huge cost and also leaves lots of room for losing focus on the styling you are aiming for.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and there is no need to furnish your home in a day either. Taking your time to choose your bedroom, dining or living room furniture allows you to concentrate on getting the look just right and spreads the cost over a longer period.
Finally – Have Fun
Choosing the furniture and style for your home is great fun, and if you stick to the few simple principles listed above, you will end with the home you always dreamt of.
At Kingsbury Furniture, we can help you choose the perfect furnishings for your home. We have years of experience in helping people create the perfect home environment and a huge range of home furnishings to choose from.
Why not contact us today to see how we can help make sure the furniture you choose today will be the perfect match for you and your home for years to come.
