There is often much made of choosing the perfect piece of furniture for every part of every room in your home. The purpose of this article is to attempt to simplify the process of choosing the perfect furniture by offering some practical tips that most people should find useful. Largely these tips involve a level of self-awareness about what your or your family’s style is as well as taking into consideration the functionality and practicality of the furniture you are looking to buy. With luck, after reading this article you’ll be able to make good decisions when looking for new furniture pieces more quickly.
Understanding your style and space
The most important aspect of making good choices about how to furnish your space is to understand both what your style is and what the space will accept. It’s no good getting expensive furniture that other people rave about only to realise that it doesn’t fit with your own aesthetic or that of the space in which it will be placed. Spending some time being introspective about what your personal style is and being realistic about the physical spatial dynamics of your home are crucial first steps towards making smart furniture decisions.
When it comes to questions of style this can most easily be answered by looking at the furniture you have already. Is it modern, minimalist or more traditional? Do you find that new or consigned furniture pieces are what make a space look most interesting to you? After decoding your style, spend some time accurately measuring the spaces you’ll be working with. This should include the access points to your house and rooms that you plan to put the furniture in, especially if you are partial to larger more solid pieces.
Functionality of form
While the appearance of your furniture matters, its functionality and usefulness should also be an important consideration. Furniture that has extra storage compartments should be more highly considered for areas that typically become cluttered. Pieces constructed of more durable materials can be a real boon if you have or plan to have pets or children. Furniture can often be expensive, but if the piece serves multiple purposes, the sting to your wallet will feel a lot better.
Quality over quantity
Unless your personal style is an antique store crossed with a thrift shop, filling every space with a mismatched collection of furniture items is probably not where you want to end up. Spending the extra time and money to choose pieces that are made well and fit well with the rest of your collection will show that you have a good sense of your own style and that you care about your space. Well-made and more expensive furniture is also often more likely to be better constructed and to look better for longer.