Build quality, premium materials, aesthetic appeal – these are all things that separate luxury furniture from mill products.
But the presence of the word “luxury” on the label does not in itself mean that the item is suitable for your home. You can definitely benefit from the quality. But without thinking a bit about your choices, you may end up with an expensive purchase that you can’t make and quickly regret.
This is the reason why many people are concerned about buying furniture. It is a great investment. To get your money’s worth, you should consider living with your chosen items for the next 10-20 years. Especially when shopping at the higher end of the market, choosing furniture that doesn’t look good is an expensive mistake.
There is a lot to think about when choosing furniture. Personal taste, the dimensions and design of your home or garden, the current décor, your practical as well as aesthetic priorities. For example, when choosing a dining table, there is often a trade-off between the number of people you want to seat and the space you have.
Or for garden furniture, you may have to balance durability with ease of moving or packing away when not in use.
One thing choosing new furniture shouldn’t be, however, is a chore. Picking out a new centerpiece for a room, or even going into town with a full set of furnishings, should be exciting. They can have a transformative effect on a room, your entire home, or your outdoor spaces.
Yes, it is a decision that you need to make right. But you should enjoy the process. Here are some expert tips to help you along the way.
Start with what you already have
If you are planning to buy new furniture, it means that your current furniture looks tired or outdated or you are not satisfied with what is already there. Look at both the furniture you want to replace and what you have in the surrounding space with a critical eye. What is missing? What will make the room come alive? What would your dream piece be?
Think about practicalities as well as aesthetics, such as whether the space is crammed or underutilized, how the size of the furniture can affect movement, light, etc. Once you have a picture in your head of what you really want, you have a starting point to look at for pieces that work for you.
Look what others have done
Once you have an image in mind, go out and find it. This has never been easier thanks to the Internet. With sites like Pinterest and Instagram, you have tens of thousands of examples of home decor ready to explore, easily filtering by room, theme, style, color, furniture items, and more. Whether you have an entire design scheme in mind or just one piece of furniture you want to combine, go online and see what others have done for inspiration.
riff on theme
Some people love the idea of achieving a consistent look and feel throughout their homes and even in their gardens as well. Putting everything together in a cohesive way surely can have an impressive effect. It creates an atmosphere and becomes a reflection of your personality. It also makes adding pieces and upgrading your décor fun but with focus, as you set yourself the challenge of finding new pieces and accessories to match the theme.
If the pursuit of a consistent look throughout your home seems too difficult, you can divide things up by having a different theme for the different rooms instead. You can make the differences modest – perhaps opt for a ‘rustic’ look in one room with lots of natural wood and a ‘period’ in another with elegant, traditional furnishings. Or, mix modern aesthetics in one room with shabby chic in another. Or you can push it even further with themes based on moods, colors, activities, etc.
Choose the furniture that suits you
Sometimes people see a piece of furniture that they fall in love with and simply have to buy whether they need it or not. And that’s okay — we’ve all been allowed to make impulsive purchases and indulges. But a less risky approach is to think carefully about the things that are most important to you and your family, how you like to spend your time in and around your home, and choose the furniture that will add to your experience.
For example, if one of your favorite things is sitting on the sofa for the evening with a good book or a movie, then it makes sense to invest in a large, plush and spacious sofa. It will give you hours of fun. If you love to host friends and family for dinner parties at every opportunity, then go for this amazing dining table and chair set. Or if you’re the kind of person who’s right outside the moment the sun comes up to soak up some rays, get some fancy lounge chairs or daybeds for your garden.
look ahead
After encouraging you to unleash your creative juices in creating different themes for different rooms, a word of caution. People’s tastes change over time just as fashions and trends change. What looks and feels cool and cool in your home now may be something you’ll hate in five years’ time.
Again, when it comes to high-quality luxury furniture, you are making a significant investment. You want to avoid having to start over too soon. That’s why a lot of furniture in the luxury category has a certain timeless quality – they are built to last, not only in terms of build quality, but also in riding the waves of tastes and trends.
While there’s nothing wrong with stamping your own creative personality on your home, it pays to think about how you can showcase the same design idea in five or 10 years. If it comes down to it, push the boat out for decor, but play it safer with your choice of furniture. Sticking to classic designs and patterns means these pieces will keep working even if you end up changing your mind.