What Goes into Choosing New Furniture

Take a moment to visualize your space. What comes to mind? Let me guess; a blend of colors, textures, and patterns meticulously weaved through tasteful furnishings, right? Fittingly, these influential components have the potential to dress up a space; however, it's inherent to acknowledge that furniture takes center stage. Without furniture, rooms are stripped of their character, definition, and style. That aside, these utilitarian fittings have the power to induce comfort and improve productivity; for this reason, furnishings are quoted as the heart and soul of living spaces. While it's undoubtedly impactful, finding the perfect fit is a real challenge. 

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Six considerations to make when furniture shopping

Furniture purchases are not an investment to walk into blindly, mainly because the market is buzzing with a gazillion options that could potentially turn overwhelming. Similarly, furniture purchases are relatively pricey and somewhat permanent; most buyers, therefore, prefer to approach furniture shopping with a sense of pre-meditation and critical analysis. How exactly do they pull it off? Read on to find out.

Style

What type of furniture appeals to you? Do you have a knack for intricate classics, or are you more into contemporary touches? Perhaps you're a coastal-themed homeowner and would love to seal the deal with a rattan set? Whichever the case, clearly understanding your furnishing style sets you one step closer to your perfect match. Make a point to understand the various available furniture styles and what would suit you. If you don't know what that'd look like, don't sweat it, Anne Quinn provides an inclusive range that you can browse for some insight.

Pro tip: Layer up two or more furniture styles for an aesthetic balance.

Budget

Take a quick skim through different furniture stores to catch the market's price range for the items you're scouting, and then proceed to list them in their order of priority, starting with whatever's more critical. Besides each enlisted item, indicate how much you're willing to spend before tallying to a total. If the budget exceeds your pockets, consider making adjustments and leaving out some less essential pieces for later. Don't forget to include shipping and delivery costs in your budget, as they are an expense you're bound to incur when purchasing.

Tip: Take advantage of sales, discounts, and coupons to subsidize the cost of your furniture.

Space

Measure up; we cannot stress this enough. Before placing your order, it's advisable to have the actual size of the item disclosed to you; this should save you lots of time and disappointment. Trust us, you don't want to settle for an enormous piece of furniture only to have it drown out every aspect of your space, nor do you want to go too small that you barely meet your functionality needs. Take the precise route instead and use the furniture measurements to create a mockup against the designated area, so you know what you're bargaining for.

Tip: Don't forget to run the furniture measurements against your doorways and entryways; this will be extra handy during delivery. 

Quality

When it comes to furniture shopping, quality is everything. How so? Often, the quality of an item translates into durability and appearance. Furniture pieces produced from impeccable raw materials guarantee the buyer value for their money, thanks to their longevity. Conversely, components made of substandard material tend to cave in shortly after purchase. That aside, high-quality furnishings vary in appearance from their counterparts; under high pressure and traffic, these items will almost always look as good as new. 

Material

Following the dynamic evolution of the furniture-making industry, consumers are looking at a diverse range of materials to work with, from glass to wood and metal. That said, it's essential to understand each material and its features before making a final decision. Find out how well that industrial metal dining table you've got your eyes on adapts to sweltering summer afternoons and spills before swiping your card. Then again, you'd also want to determine whether or not you're open to furniture with blended, organic, synthetic, or natural material. For buyers with specific preferences, custom-made furniture should be a fit.

Lifestyle

Your lifestyle is what'll ultimately tie together the furniture selection. Primarily each consumer inevitably varies in needs and routines. Take a young growing family with kids and pets, for instance; this category is more likely to thrive on low-maintenance, toxic- and hazard-free furnishings. Introducing a glass coffee table or bookcase into such a setting would be catastrophic. Do you see where we're going with this? Analyze your household's operation before making your final call on furniture; this includes inhabitants, maintenance, safety needs, traffic, et cetera.

Final thoughts

Furniture shopping is not a decision to make on a whim. Ideally, the process takes time and critical consideration; however, considering the cost and permanency of the furniture pieces, planning is no doubt necessary. For most, the work building up to the purchase is what seems intimidating, although the truth is, the prep work is far from complex. With a detailed checklist to break it down, the experience should be easy to scale, and your furniture hunt should be anything but stressful.