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Have you recently moved to a new home that needs a lot of new furniture? It’s time to go furniture shopping!
Before you hit the stores and break out the charge cards, there are some important things to consider when buying furniture so that you end up with furniture that meets your needs, your style, and your home.
Budget
Your budget is one of your most important factors when purchasing new furniture. Not only will your budget determine how much furniture you can purchase, but it will also factor into the quality of furniture you are purchasing and where you shop.
If you’re buying a 2,000 square-foot home, for example, you may choose to budget 10% to 50% of the purchase price for furniture. That means a $250,000 home would give you a furniture budget of $25,000 to $125,000.
When building your furniture budget, the first step is to make a list of every item you think you need. That means, after purchasing a new home, spending some time in each room visualizing the furniture and décor. From there, especially if you are working on a limited budget, you should organize your list into needs and wants. Focus on the essentials first, such as a kitchen table and chairs so you have somewhere to eat, a bed for sleeping, and a couch, so you have a place to sit. Once you have these items, you can then focus on accessories and smaller pieces over time.
The important thing to remember when furnishing a home is that you don’t have to get everything at once.
Size
Before you hit the furniture store, it’s important to know what kind of space you are working with — and it’s important to be precise. Make correct measurements and take them with you down the shop. You’ll need these when looking at larger pieces of furniture if you want to be sure they will fit in your new home.
As part of size, you should also think about how you would like to arrange the furniture in a room. That will help to determine what pieces you need and how many will fit in a given room.
Style
Another important factor when considering what furniture to purchase for your new home in style. This means the style of the home, as well as your style.
If you’re not sure what style you’d like to go with, spend some time browsing the internet and interior design magazines for inspiration. Try to define your style. Are you mid-century modern, minimalist, traditional, modern, eclectic, farmhouse, etc? Maybe you’re a mix of styles.
Having a style in mind will help you to narrow down the vast array of options that are out there when purchasing furniture.
Color
As part of your style brainstorming, you should also begin thinking about what the color scheme of your home is going to be. Are you looking for a light, bright and airy? Are dark hues the right mood for your home? Or, are you trying to infuse your new space with as much color as possible? This will help determine what furniture you buy because often most pieces come in a variety of options that you will need to make decisions about.
Material
Your options for materials may come down to budget. Some materials — such as stone and marble and some woods — are more expensive than other materials. The good news is, there is good material out there to match every budget.
If budget is no concern, you should still spend some time thinking about what materials you are looking for in your furniture. Materials will help to define the look and feel of your space. For example, if use a lot of metals, your space may look minimalist and cold. If you use a lot of heavy woods, such as mahogany, your space may look warm and heavy.
Comfort
One of the benefits of purchasing furniture in person is that you can test it out. If it’s a couch, loveseat, or chair, you can take a seat and see how you fit on the furniture. If it’s a bed you can lay on it and see if it’s too hard or too soft or if a frame is too low to the ground.
Buying furniture is never easy. But if you keep these things to consider when buying furniture in mind, you will be sure to find the options that will best fit your style, but that will also be the best home furniture in Melbourne.