How to Furnish Your Home
Style and theme. It’s a good idea to know what you have before you begin to change things. As you start to pull your design ideas together, think about your preference and what will work in your home.
Make a list of the colors, textures and patterns you prefer, and keep a scrapbook of ideas. Do you prefer bold, bright colors or deep, rich fabrics and colors? Do you like solids or stripes? Is your preference floral or geometric designs? Does pine appeal to you or is mahogany furniture more in line with your taste? Study TV programs on home decor, magazines, books, catalogs, Web sites and furniture showrooms for inspiration.
Now take time to figure out what will work best with your room of choice. Think about the colors that your family would enjoy, as they have to live in this home too. Spread the color theme throughout the home for a collective look.
Take into account your lifestyle. If you have kids and pets, you probably don't want a white silk sofa.
One way to coordinate furnishings is to select a fabric that you love. This might be upholstery fabric for a chair or couch or it could even be a pillow. This print could range from floral, textures, stripes, patterns and plaids. This can be your signature print and used to match with your upholstered pieces of furniture, wood colors, flooring, walls and draperies. A painting (or art print) that features your favorite colors can also be used.
There are a variety of decorating themes from formal to informal and everything in between. There's nothing wrong with mixing and matching styles. But it helps you shop if you have a general idea of the style you prefer.
Set priorities. You don't have to furnish the whole house at once. Maybe something needs to be replaced or maybe you've seen something you love and want to find a place for it (like a comfy leather chair).
You can set the mood of a room in lots of ways. There are no hard or fast rules or must-do sequence for this process. Paint is usually the least expensive way to improve a room’s look. Furniture will represent more of a financial investment so it should work well with your wall colors and the accessories you have or plan to buy.
Take advantage of free services: interior-design consulting, product brochures and room-planning guides.
Furniture that fits your space. To ensure that the furniture that you choose suits your needs, please remember to measure the space that you plan to fill. Consider the windows, electrical outlets, heating vents, closets, doorways, walking areas, etc. Measure the perimeter of the room and draw a simple floor plan to plot your furniture placement. Plan for other items in the room, side tables, plants, etc.
When choosing an upholstered piece or any large focal point furnishing, make sure to consider the scale of the furniture. This is an important consideration. You want to make sure that it is in balance with the size of the room that you want to put it in. Over-sized furniture can make a large room warm and inviting but the same furniture in a small room can make a room feel cramped and less attractive.
Once you have determined that your new furniture will fit your space, it is important to consider how easy it will be to deliver it through entryways, elevators and stairways. Measure the height and width of your entryways, including elevator doors and interiors. Measure the furniture to be delivered and determine if it can go straight through entryways or if it will have to go in at an angle or on end.
For upholstered furniture, such as sofas and chairs, consider the overall length, depth, back height and diagonal depth. Diagonal depth is helpful when determining if the piece can be brought in on end. Make sure that there is a clear and unobstructed path in front of and beyond each doorway. Make note of any fixtures, decorative moldings and interior walls, ceiling heights, stairwells and banisters that may pose an obstacle once inside.
Your furniture budget. To benefit most from a home spruce up or make over you need to set a financial budget. Your budget will guide you in how much you can spend on each area of your home. Whether you are buying only one piece of furniture or furnishing an entire house it is wise to plan ahead financially. If you have several rooms to furnish it is a good idea to start with rooms that are used most frequently like the living/family room, kitchen or bathroom.
Knowing what you can spend on a project will give you a clearer idea of what you can achieve. If you’re on a limited budget, choose those things that will make the most difference, such as a new wall color and a new sofa.
Decide how much you want to spend and look for the best values in your price range.