Despite reduced overall spending during the pandemic, furniture sales are rising. In fact, in February 2022, the home furnishing sector saw almost 8% growth.
Since Americans are spending more time at home than ever, they want to make their homes the ideal nest. Moreover, over 80% of Americans are buying secondhand goods–and there’s a lot of furniture among their purchases.
The key to ultimate home comfort is not falling for common furniture purchasing errors. They’ll ruin your budget and your aesthetic. You’ll end up with pieces you regret spending all that money on.
Instead, read on to educate yourself on what these errors are. Your house and your home life will be better for it.
1. You Didn’t Take Your Lifestyle Into Account
Whether you’re buying living room furniture or stuff for the kids’ rooms, you need to consider whether whatever you purchase will complement how you live.
Do you have pets? The furniture needs to be pet-proof.
Do you have children? As mentioned above, swap “pets” for “children.”
Do you prefer a lot of indoor-outdoor flow? Do you plan to grow your family soon? Do you work from home now or plan to in the future?
You must think carefully about your needs–right now and at least a decade into the future. Good quality furniture will last at least ten years, if not longer, so it’ll be with you for a long time.
2. You Didn’t Measure Your Rooms
No matter the types of furniture you need, not measuring all the spaces in your home before you shop will lead to disaster.
Thankfully, quality stores like Modern Digs Furniture have the dimensions of the pieces they sell listed online. So you don’t even need to visit the store with your tape measure to check everything fits.
Check, too, that any furniture you’re contemplating fits, size-wise, with the pieces you already have. For example, if you have an enormous couch that dominates the room, you don’t want vast living room furniture to clutter the space.
The last thing to consider is ensuring you can get whatever you buy into your house. This means measuring the doorways the pieces will be to get through to ensure they fit.
3. You Didn’t Do Any Color Matching
When looking at furniture online or in-store, it’s easy to be tempted by trending colors.
Unless you’re a fan of maximalism, you might regret sinking your hard-earned cash into that bright orange credenza for your dining room or that set of furniture for bedrooms in now-not-so-lovely lavender.
So, define your home’s color palette before looking at furniture options. You might create a mood board, carry a set of paint and fabric swatches, or mock some layouts on a phone app.
This way, you’ll be sure to snap up furniture pieces to suit any room in your home.
4. You Didn’t Define Your Decor Style
Similarly to settling on a color palette, you must also define your interior design style. If your home is small, you should stick with the same style throughout. However, you can vary the style between rooms or floors if it’s enormous.
Some popular styles to consider include:
- Transitional
- Minimalist
- Mid-Century Modern
- Boho or Shabby Chic
- Modern Farmhouse
- Coastal
- Hollywood
- French Country
- Industrial
- Scandi or Nordic
- Mediterranean
- Art Deco or Art Nouveau
- Asian Zen
- Rustic
- Eclectic
Before looking at furniture, spend some time browsing examples of these styles online. Then, take a close look at the pieces you already own and love–this will hint at the type you instinctively gravitate toward.
5. You Went for the Matching Set
When buying furniture online (or in-store, for that matter), it can be tempting to purchase sets.
The living room set. The bedroom set. The kids’ room set.
These sets often work out cheaper than purchasing each item individually. Instead, you can make a single purchase and have everything you need for your home.
So, what are the downsides here? First, you sacrifice individuality and end up with a cookie-cutter home. You also often end up with pieces you don’t want or will never use.
6. You Didn’t Spend Time Comparing Furniture Prices
Pretty much any piece of large furniture is typically a considerable expense.
Like buying a car or a computer, you need to take the time to shop around. You need to see what’s available in the style you want for the price you want and compare the features of everything that matches your criteria.
Thankfully, it’s easy to do nowadays since you can research and shop online in the comfort of your home.
7. You Got Rid of Unique Items Because They Were “Too Old”
Don’t be tempted to chuck out all your old furniture and replace it with shiny new items.
Having a mix of the furniture you already own (so long as it’s in good condition) and recently purchased pieces ensures you fill your home with memories. Adding variety, interest, and authenticity to your interior design aesthetic is also great.
This is especially true of both heirloom furniture and furniture you pick up secondhand.
Learn From These Common Furniture Purchasing Errors
Believe us; it’s easier to make these common furniture purchasing errors.
If you’re moving into a new home empty of furniture, you’re typically desperate to get items in so the place feels cozy. And if your renovation is taking a long time, it’s tempting to fill the space with furniture quickly to finish the job.
Avoid these temptations by following the guidelines listed above. Then, you’ll be thankful you did when you end up with a beautifully furnished home your family and friends envy.
For more helpful homeowner advice, head to our blog and browse our other articles.