Choosing Your Indoor Furniture – Whether you are a first time home buyer or just looking to change things up, deciding on home décor can be a difficult process. It requires a lot of careful planning, attention to detail, and consideration for the future. After all, you don’t want to purchase a bunch of furniture that you’ll end up bored with in a year or two!
All of that being said, maybe you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the process. Don’t worry – I totally understand. When I purchased my first home, trying to decorate felt like a huge challenge I could never surmount. I learned a lot, though, so I would like to impart that knowledge onto you!
Choosing Your Indoor Furniture -Make a Plan First
Maybe this advice sounds obvious to you. After all, even the New York Times gives this pointer in their article on this topic that you can read here. However, it is so important that I feel the need to repeat it. If you don’t have a base, you can’t build off of it!
You will probably want to start off by measuring the rooms in your home. That way, you know definitively what will fit and what won’t. No one wants to end up with a bunch of furniture pieces that don’t actually work in our homes, after all.
On that note, it’s probably a good idea to hold off on actually visiting a décor store. The urge to make impulse purchases is real – trust me, I speak from experience. I bought a chair that ended up totally clashing with everything else I decided upon later and really regretted it.
Finally, draw out a floor plan. It doesn’t have to be professional level – you can just do simple sketches and jot in the room measurements. Decide what you want to do in each room so that you can design it better once you proceed.
How do You Want to Live?
This is probably one of the most important parts of choosing your furniture, maybe second to budget. After all, the way you are going to use your home should have a big impact on what you bring into it. For example, you may want to consider indoor bar furniture online if you want to entertain guests. There are so many options for each room.
Most likely, you will want to ensure you have the basic necessities. A washroom, a kitchen, a bedroom, and a place to do your laundry. However, there are lots of ways to create these spaces. You are not dictated to any one way.
Maybe you’re a busy go getter, and when you get home you want to live with convenience as your main priority. In this case, you might want open storage bins, comfortable furniture, and fun gadgets that help make our lives easier.
If you work from home, as many of us do nowadays, it isn’t a bad idea to design at least one of your rooms around this. A home office can really enhance your experience. After all, you deserve to have a quiet and comfortable place to get your work done that is still separate from the rest of your living space. The line can blur between home and work too easily otherwise and cause us undue stress.
Finally, think ahead. If you are considering starting a family, a guest bedroom that could easily convert into a nursery isn’t a bad idea. The decision to have children is one that requires a lot of thought, so it is only fair to have your home play a part in the considerations. Planning for that conversion is a good idea if you’re even vaguely thinking about it!
What’s Your Style?
The last part of choosing your indoor furniture that I will touch upon today is figuring out your own personal style. I know I had a hard time figuring this out, myself. If you’re looking for some inspiration, there are some lists like this one out there for the trends of 2022 interior design: https://www.southernliving.com/home/decor/home-design-trends-2022.
While I do not always follow the advice of other designers, I do think it serves as a great example and inspiration. After all, the biggest limit for our home design is often our imaginations! Figuring out what pieces work together and what we even like is an important step in the process.
Picking some statement pieces that stand out among the more plain furniture is a great way to spruce things up while not straying too far out of left field. Even adding a few small pops of color can add life and dimension to a room that may otherwise feel flat.
However you choose to decorate your home, I think the most important part is that it fits you. It should work with your lifestyle and fit your vibe – otherwise, there’s really no point!
Choosing Your Indoor Furniture is a feature post
