If you’ve just bought a brand new house, you may already have a list of remodeling ideas you want to start. But, once all the work is done, how do you plan to fill your new space? Believe it or not, deciding on household furnishings can take some effort. You’ll likely spend countless hours pouring through your favorite furniture catalogs and browsing interior design ideas for inspiration.
To make this process as easy as possible with the limitless furniture options on the market today, follow these guidelines to help you create the perfect living space:
Get Inspired Before Going Shopping
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It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and buy a new couch or sofa while out window shopping. But, before purchasing any furniture, browse online to narrow down the furniture styles and pricing you need. It is beneficial to keep you on budget with price comparison features.
Also, don’t just rely on business websites. Instead, check out social media sites like Instagram and Pinterest, which have some posts organized by themes, saving you researching time.
Don’t Wing It
One of the biggest mistakes when furnishing your new home is assumptions about what furniture will work. You need to know more than just how much room you have. You need to be aware of many factors that can affect the shape and functionality of your new couch or coffee table.
Room features that can impact the type of furniture you buy include:
- Power outlets;
- Heating vents, radiators, or baseboard heating;
- Baseboard size;
- Trim;
- Windows;
- Doors (and which way they open);
- Lighting;
- Flooring type.
Of course, the bigger the room square footage, the more options you have, but knowing ahead of time what will fit is crucial if your home is compact. Also, taking the time to measure the space and note what potential barriers are in the way will save a lot of headaches.
There are numerous mobile apps you can download to size and virtually stage your home’s different rooms, ensuring you maintain a consistent style throughout.
Focus on What You Need
It’s so easy to get distracted when shopping for furniture. The patterns, textures, shapes, and sizes seem endless for couches alone, but you have an entire home to furnish. If you opt to go online and look for custom Amish furniture in Houston, TX, narrow your options by using search filters for specific sizes and styles. It prevents unnecessary purchasing of a cute end table you don’t have the space for.
Apply this same attitude if you opt to shop in-store. Also, take a measuring tape along, and refer to photos of your living space on your mobile phone. For example, couches, sofas, and easy chairs often look smaller than they appear because of how large the store’s display area is.
Get a Feel for Your Preferences
One of the worst disappointments you could experience while furniture shopping is buying a mattress or office chair that is uncomfortable. So when you pick out your California king bed, don’t hesitate to lay on the display model for a while to get a feel for it. The same is true of any furniture where you sit or lie down – especially furniture in places you occupy often.
Are you shopping online? Double-check the store’s return policy, including who pays for return shipping, before buying. It can save you significant frustration later if you don’t like the piece.
Don’t forget to test out the feel and durability of the upholstery, either! Many quality furniture stores provide fabric swatches to compare these qualities, including the overall look of your home.
Tape Out Your Furniture Ideas
If you want to verify how much space will be left to move around your new furniture, grab a roll of painter’s tape and outline the size and shape of your chosen furnishings. This will give you a clear picture of just how crowded a room might feel once you add a couch or four-poster bed to the space.
More importantly, it can also give you perspective on available space for additional accents, like a high-pile rug. After all, you don’t want its elegant design mostly hidden under your couch.
Can Your Furniture Get in the House?
While a new sofa may not have any issues fitting through your living room’s french double doors, will it make it through your front door? The same can be said about your bedroom furniture. Can you maneuver a piece through these areas and into its designated room if you live in a multi-floor house?
You’re probably not going to be the one moving it either. How easily can your delivery crew get your new tv stand over your porch railing and in the front door?
All of these scenarios can be planned for by simply measuring the open space in your front door, stairwell width, and other potential barriers. Then you can look for furnishing options that fit within these limitations.
The Takeaway
As you can see, there are a lot of factors to consider besides personal preferences when choosing furniture for your new home. Avoid disappointment and include all of these factors when making your final choices. You will still have a vast amount of options to match your aesthetic and get the most out of your home’s living space.
