Our Expert Tips on Shopping For Home Furnishings

Embarking on a new home furnishings project is such an exciting undertaking...in the beginning. We've established a budget for what we want to spend, identified the look we want to achieve, and are moving ahead with the sourcing.  

However, more often than not things start to fall apart once we realize we are only halfway through the necessary purchases, but already over budget. Here are some tips to avoid finding yourself in this very frustrating situation.

Tip #1: Invest in High-Use Items

The highest percentage of the budget (think 40-50%) should be spent on the items getting the most use. The weight-bearing, high-traffic, daily-use items will require the best quality we can afford in order to prevent us from having to replace these items over and over.  

The sofa in a family room that gets used daily vs. the sofa in a living room that gets used rarely could have two very different budgets that align with their intended purposes. The lamp on the nightstand that's used every evening vs. the lamp on the hall table that gets used about once a month could also have two very different budgets.  

Another way to assess the best places to invest, is to consider the overall impact of an area. For example, if you are looking to find a lamp to sit on your $2800 handmade carrara marble end table then please don't look to find an inexpensive lamp from Home Goods for it. I'm all for finding great deals, but taking into consideration the like-for-like impact in an area is an important detail.

Tip #2: Save on Secondary Furnishings 

The remainder of the budget can be divided into categories, which include about 30% secondary furnishings and 30% accents. The secondary furnishings represent areas that we want to look good but don't need to carry the day-in-day-out responsibilities that our heavy-use items need to do.  

These are the chairs in the corner of our bedrooms that are used more for clothing storage than seating :) This is the chest in the entry way that have drawers that are only opened once a year. This is the chair in the family room that doesn't face the TV, so no one ever sits there. All of these examples are areas where you can opt for a great look, without worrying as much about how it will perform over the long term.

The accents should strike a delicate balance between high-quality items and great finds that don't break the bank. Focus on placing the show-stoppers in highly visible areas while using the items that offer interest in a more affordable category on bookcases or tabletops, where they become one of many items within a group. 

 Pro tip: Window treatments fall into the show-stopper category, as they can single-handedly set the tone of a room.

Tip #3: Plan Your Purchases With a Professional

There are so many elements to creating and implementing a reliable home furnishings budget. With my own clients, once we've worked through and established a budget, I am able to manage the purchasing phase based on the above guidelines. 

With a professional interior designer you have the added benefit of planning an overall design prior to even making the first purchase. This reduces impromptu decisions, budget breaking & emotional purchases, and the stressful realization that the finished product doesn't come close to resembling the originally intended look.

If you're about to embark on a home furnishings project, reach out to us to help you get started. We'll walk you through everything from budgeting to design concepts and sourcing, and take you right through to the implementation and installation.

Warmly,
Kelly