A house without furniture is bare and cold, while the wrong furniture can be uncomfortable at best and even confusing. Because the home is the place where you will return from long forays in the tough demanding world, the furniture you choose should be perfect for your styles, tastes and preferences.
Of course, selecting furniture is not as easy as most people think. Anyone with the slightest sense of balance, combinations and comfort can spend many hours eyeballing various sofas, couches, loveseats and ottomans and still have no idea what they are looking for. There are just so many different styles, colors and combinations to choose from.
The main reason for this is a lack of guidelines and process. While furniture selection is a totally unique and personal thing, the following article can add some necessary structure that will make choosing the furniture for your home far easier.
1. Keep it Simple
If you have a specific style plan in mind, furniture will be much easier to select. But, if not, you may want to consider the basic needs your room will have for style comfort and décor. Sofas are a great choice for homes of all types as they are large and comfortable and can be situated up against the wall where the rest of the room can be wrapped nicely around them. As one of the largest elements of your room, you will want to choose a color and style that combines well. Your personal tastes are a great place to start, but if you are in doubt, choosing a softer natural tone will allow you to combine your sofa with the rest of the room easily.
2. Balance
The next important step will be to achieve a sense of balance and flow to the furniture placed in your living space. This goes the same for furniture in a dining room, living room, patio, or even your bedroom. A good practice to achieve this balance is to begin with a rough sketch. Your room will have a central focal point around which the rest of the furnishings should be wrapped. After you have selected this point, begin adding furniture beginning with the most essentials. Avoid adding too much to your room as this can make it appear cramped and make navigation very inconvenient.
3. Complement the Architecture
Do not neglect to consider the essential architectural elements of your room when choosing the furniture, you will place therein. This is not only for arranging the furniture, but also when choosing styles and more importantly sizes of the furniture you are considering. If your room has moldings, columns, large windows, gothic windows or ornate doorways, your furniture selection would have a greater aesthetic effect if these elements all combined well.
4. Consider Quality
Top-quality furniture can cost you many thousands of dollars and is a good investment as it adds a sense of comfort and longevity that is especially attractive in a home. But you can find plenty of top-quality options for far less. The important thing will be to consider the type of attrition you are expecting your furniture to see and purchasing construction and materials that will withstand many years of use. If you will be buying secondhand furniture or antique, make sure you have inspected the furniture well and even bring an experienced eye with you to ensure no regrets soon.
5. Styles and Aesthetics
When choosing new furnishings, it is easy to be taken in by attractive pictures from Pinterest or even presentations and dioramas seen in the mall. But you will want to be guided by a sense of style that is already being formed within your own home. It is quite common that a piece of furniture that looks amazing in one setting can be completely off-putting when brought home and placed in a different setting. This does not mean that every piece of furniture must have the same color and patterns. The overarching style is what is more important to consider. So, ask yourself if you prefer a traditional or contemporary look. Lavish and elegant or minimalist and modern. You will find that selecting items from within the same category is not hard and always has a great look in the end.
6. Furniture Material
Materials should be selected not only for their durability but also their capacity to combine with the flow and style of the room and home. Wood always carries a more comfortable and sometimes rustic charm, but metal detailing and frames can have the same effect. It depends on the style of the furniture in question. The most important thing to consider is the quality of the materials used in your furniture.
7. Add Accents
One final note is the importance of accent pieces. While they can elevate the style and aesthetics of your room considerably, they can detract from the flow and comfort of the room just as easily. Make sure the details you choose compliment your personal style and do not just clutter a small space.