Factors to Consider when Buying New Furniture

November 26, 2020 By Kelly in Furniture Buying 1 Comment

Planning to buy some new furniture for your home? Don’t just run out and purchase the first thing you see. There are several factors to consider when buying new furniture. Whether practical or aesthetic, be sure you choose what’s best for your space and lifestyle.  

Photo by Vecislavas Popa on Pexels

Style

Style choices for furniture are as varied as any your ideas. You need to consider the room your furnishing. Is it a formal living room? A casual den? Maybe you want a mix of both. The style of the furniture you purchase sets the mood for the space. Just because you live in a 100 year old Victorian home doesn’t mean you must purchase antique Eastlake furniture for your parlor. Your taste is what should ultimately drive your purchase. 

Color is a very important consideration. Trendy, bold colors might be great in a room with a totally neutral background, but consider whether or not you’re going to be in your current home for a long period of time. If you rent your home, maybe a more neutral color scheme for your big pieces is best. You can add your personality and bold style with additions like throw rugs, pillows, and blankets. Let your taste guide you.

Size

Size matters! You need to take a measurement of the room you’re furnishing. Be sure the furniture you purchase will actually fit in the space you have. Eyeballing it can get you into trouble. I know this first hand. In our last house I purchased furniture based on what my perception of the space was. Turns out I misjudged how large our living room space was and wound up with a furniture set that was too large. We had to set the room up in a way that I hadn’t anticipated because I didn’t actually measure the room. 

If you have limited space but occasionally need seating for a larger group, collapsible furniture may be an option. Having the flexibility of a smaller footprint that can transition to larger is a game changer.

Shape

The shape of your new furniture partners with the size. A sectional works great in a room with two adjoining walls. The “L” shape gives ample seating while leaving the center of the room open. Consider the width of the arms on club chairs you’d like to add. That along with the width of the seat can alter the use of your space. You can usually choose an armchair with narrow arms but still has plenty of seating room. The footprint of the chair can be smaller without giving up comfort.

Transport

It’s worth also considering how you will get the furniture in and out of your home. Flat-pack furniture can be assembled and dismantled, allowing you to more easily transport it in a car and negotiate tight stairs and corridors. Furniture that cannot be dismantled may be harder to transport. When moving bulky furniture out of your home, you may need to hire a professional movers like Allied Van Lines Canada. I’d definitely pay extra to have my new furniture purchases delivered professionally. They will take the furniture to the room where the furniture will reside. It makes it great when those rooms are on the second floor! 

Cost & Quality

At the end of the day, you can only purchase what you can afford. It truly doesn’t matter if your furniture carries a designer label. The most important factor is finding the best quality furniture for the best price. If you’re truly limited on your budget, maybe choose one high quality piece; probably the sofa. Then you can feel better about buying discount secondary pieces like armchairs and ottomans. 

Many times you can find good quality wood constructed framed furniture on the used marketplace. There are lots of people who change their furniture frequently and who let go of high quality pieces that are lightly used. These can be purchased for much less than brand new. You’d still need to be very discriminating and careful with these purchases. Check them out thoroughly to be sure there are no tears or weak spots. You also want to be sure there are no odors that will be difficult to remove. 

I often find great wood furniture that may need some TLC. A restoration project may seem daunting, but unless the damage is severe, you may be able to bring an older piece of furniture back to life. This is one of my favorite things to do.

As with any investment, take your time. Remember all of these factors to consider when buying new furniture and you’ll be happy with your purchase for years to come.