The Starting Point – Seeing Yourself in Your New Home
The very first thing you need to do is visualize yourself doing various activities in your home. Where do you see yourself cuddling with your significant other? Where do you want to sit and enjoy your morning coffee? Which part of your home do you see yourself listening to a family member’s frustrations in?
Asking questions such as the above in relation to different rooms and scenarios in your home, because doing so will help you decide where you should put furniture essentials, as well as decide on the statement pieces of furniture that you want to include. Take your time with this – don’t rush.
Step Two - Setting a Budget for Furnishings
When you arrive at the point where you know what kind of furniture you want, set a realistic and affordable budget before you start shopping. One you do so, you should shop around the furniture stores in your local area to see what’s available.
Remember to take your time and start with the essentials you need for living in your home (if it’s partially or completely unfurnished). Also consider the fact that many furniture stores offer bedroom and living room sets that will not be much higher than buying, say, a bed or sectional couch on its own.
Look out for these things when shopping:
The next thing you should do after you’ve examined a piece of furniture you like in detail is WALK AWAY FROM IT AND SHOP AROUND.
Although it might seem hard to resist the temptation of buying the first furniture set you fall in love with, you really should. Consider the fact that there are a whole myriad of options waiting out there for you to discover.
Step Three – Cash is King
Furniture retailers are notorious for enormous price mark-ups on their products, reaching 80% of the wholesale value in some instances. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should only buy a piece of furniture in a sale or in a warehouse. What it does mean is that when you’re ready to buy, you should go with cash in hand.
Keep in mind that furniture salespeople don’t make their money until you’ve spent yours, so bring cash, make a deal and purchase the piece of furniture you want for a knock-down price. Remember not to push the salesperson too far when you’re negotiating.
Step Four – Old Furniture Shouldn’t Be Discounted
It’s often the case that someone sells their own furniture, rather than discards it, due to the quality being too good to throw away. If something you see online takes your fancy, be sure to go and see it in person first prior to making any transactions. Don’t buy anything that has a strong odor, but at the same time don’t disregard pieces that require simple fixes. Look at the image below for an idea of how to put a room together mixing old and new furniture. And there you have it – happy furniture shopping!
