Moving into a new house is one of the most exciting (and stressful, and expensive!) things you’re likely to do in your lifetime – especially if it’s your first home. It’s your chance to decorate it entirely in your own taste, and fill it with all of the furniture you love – but it’s also about matching furniture and décor to the house you’ve got to. For example, a California king bed isn’t going to work out great in an apartment with small bedrooms, is it? Therefore it’s important you choose in relation to the space you have to work with too. If you’re feeling a little confused and spoilt for choice when it comes to furniture, here’s how you can make sure that you’re choosing the right furniture for your home.
Choose the Right Furniture, for the Right Room
Okay, this might sound like an obvious one, but you’d be surprised at just how many people will put furniture intended for use in a certain room, in the wrong one. Remember, it’s designed for its own purpose, for a reason.
When it comes to creating a space, as mentioned by Ideal Magazine, making your home look the part is of upmost importance. In order to do this, you have to use furniture effectively, and pick the right pieces to go in the right spaces. It’s as simple as that.
Let’s use the living room as an example. The overall function of the living room, or sitting area as it’s sometimes referred to, is painstakingly referenced in its namesake. It’s the room in which the family, or inhabitants of the house will spend the vast majority of their waking time, their living time, and the time in which they sit down and have a rest (other than when they go to bed). This is why it makes sense to prioritise the comfort in this room, above its practicality.
The centrepiece of a living area, tends to be the sofa, so if you’re going to splash out on one specific bit of furniture, it makes sense for this to be it. Everything else can be traded in and swapped around, but when it comes to your sofa, it’s important it’s not only the epitome of comfort, but that it successfully ties the room together too. After all, without the sofa to sit on, the sitting room would just be a room, wouldn’t it?
Look at Your Budget
When decorating and ultimately furnishing your home, it’s vitally important that you refer back to your budget at all times.
Before you even consider going to the furniture shop and picking pieces out, assess how much money you have altogether. When you have your total sum, figure out how much of that you actually have to spend exclusively on furniture. The last thing you want to do is spend up exclusively on furnishing your new home, and having little to no money left to decorate it with. Although furniture is a big priority, there’s nothing worse than a home that looks unfinished, so be sure to balance your spending accordingly.
You could even prioritise your furnishings in order of importance. For example, it goes without saying you’ll want your bed and sofa to be comfy and high quality, so perhaps when it comes to, coffee tables let us say, you could compromise? If you were looking to save a little extra you could even let your creative side flair, and go for a little upcycling.
Have you ever visited your local charity shop, had a look round, and considered that someone else’s old table could become a new-looking and unique piece of furniture if you took it home and put your stamp on it? Simply sanding a table, followed by varnishing or painting it can turn old trash into chic interior décor.
Think About Space
Last of all, and possibly most importantly, buy your furniture in relation to the space you have to put it in.
Don’t get us wrong, lavish corner sofas and great oak book cases look beautiful in the right setting, but if you’re moving into a small upstairs apartment, not only are they going to make it appear cramped, but you’re going to have a job and a half getting them inside too!
Take a look at the layout of the room you’re furnishing, and try and figure out what size and style will not only fit in best, but the show the room off to its full potential. Above all, be realistic.