I, Mark Roemer Oakland, believe that you can’t just throw money at a furniture store and expect the furniture pieces to make your home look good. It needs a lot of planning, meticulous design, and testing out different setups to figure out what works. Let’s check out how you can set up your home by purchasing good-looking furniture.
The Setup
1. Measure everything and create a room mock-up – Before you buy stunning pieces of furniture, you need to make sure that they will fit the way you want them to fit. For instance, your room may have space for both a reading and a sectional chair. However, would they fit in the way you want them set up in the room? The same holds when you’re trying to fit a dresser between the bed and the TV stand. You also need to account for the doorway swing and figure out if a furniture piece would get in the way.
That’s why measuring with the right layout is very important. Apart from measuring out the room, you need measurements for the doorway, and your existing furniture before you shop for something new. While you measure things out, you may as well go the extra mile and draw a room mock-up with the measurements. This gives those measurements a physical structure and would help out a lot when you’re buying new furniture.
2. Get samples and swatches – You should always get swatches and samples while accessorizing your furniture pieces. These come in handy while buying cushions for the ottoman, a love-seat, couch cushions, and other such furniture accessories that require some fabric. With the samples and swatches, you can compare the color and patterns on the carpet, walls, and your existing furniture to figure out which fits best.
3. Research materials before buying furniture – You can find a lot of cheap furniture pieces on the market. However, to ensure your safety, the quality of the furniture, and other such factors, it’s important to figure out the materials that went into them. Is that amazing dresser incredibly cheap since it is made from pressed wood that looks and feels good at a glance but has terrible moisture resistance and durability?
Are the chemicals that go into treating the wood and making padding and cushions on the furniture flame retardant and non-toxic? What are the ingredients that go into the wood glue? If you want to buy safe and good-looking furniture that’s the best quality for its price, you need to thoroughly research the materials that go into it. For instance, if you or anyone else in the family is allergic to a particular substance, you wouldn’t want your furniture to have that.
4. Wait for the right time – If you buy furniture randomly at any time of the year, you’re going to run out of cash very quickly. That’s why you need to bide your time and wait for the right moment to buy furniture. Usually, January and July are considered the right time to buy furniture. Most furniture stores get new stock during the months of August and February and that’s why they give out heavy discounts on their existing products to make room for new inventory.
That’s why you see furniture stores across the country giving out crazy deals and bulk discounts during those months. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Sometimes, the right time to buy furniture pieces and accessories depends on what you’re buying. For instance, if you’re shopping for outdoor patio furniture, August and September is the perfect window for buying them since stores are trying to get rid of them with big discounts before the slow winter months.
5. Experiment with shapes and sizes – Whether you’re trying to change the existing design of your apartment or buying furniture for a new house, variety matters the most in any situation. If you have rectangular beds, balance them out with circular nightstands. If you have a short and deep couch, put a large, rectangular coffee table next to it. Diverse shapes in any environment draw a lot of visual interest and can give your home more character.
The same holds for sizes. Even if you have exceptionally fancy and expensive custom furniture pieces, they wouldn’t add to the visual appeal if you’re not creating balance. This has to do with a wide range of sizes. So, if you have a sleek armchair, pair it with an oversized love-seat. To balance out king-size beds use a tall wardrobe in the bedroom. If you have a minimal office setup with just a laptop on a short and sleek desk, balance it out with a large chair and oversized plants on either side of the desk. Experiment around with shapes and sizes to create balance and figure out what works.
6. Invest in vintage furniture – Vintage furniture has many advantages. If you’re trying to buy a very high-quality designer furniture piece, you’ll pay thousands of dollars. Instead, spend that money on a furniture piece from an antique store. You can even find antique pieces for a bargain at estate sales and garage sales. Antique pieces are always made from high-quality solid wood and their incredible timeless look can make any room look amazing.
7. Buy sets strategically – Buying furniture sets for the living room or the bedroom has many advantages. The set is usually cheaper than buying all those pieces individually and those sets are already on display in a curated setting. It can act as a starting point for the final look of your living room or bedroom. However, it’s important to buy furniture sets only for rooms that have just one or no furniture piece. Otherwise, you’re paying a lot of money to buy things you don’t need.
Conclusion
I, Mark Roemer Oakland, suggest that you use the above-mentioned tips while buying good-looking furniture and setting up your home perfectly. Draw a mock-up, measure things out and experiment around with swatches and shapes to give your home style and character.