Selecting Furniture For Your New Home

One of the biggest steps involved in setting up your new home is – you guessed it – selecting the furniture. You will invariably be full of questions while deciding on this point, going into a frenzy of looking up materials, designers, prices, sales and advice columns online and offline.

While there are lots of people offering bits and pieces about what to choose and what not to choose, you will need to begin with a basic set of choices – and a budget – in mind.

You could begin by looking at some of these factors –

The size and layout of your rooms. Note here that the size of the rooms is more crucial than the size of the house itself, because the size of the room is what physically hits the eyes. Pick large pieces of furniture for large room, or opt for long and elegant lines that accentuate the sense of never-ending space. Small rooms do well with small, cozy items, or lots of glass and mirrors. Glass always adds to the sense of space, as it is transparent and does not “cut off” your view of the room where it sits. Large mirrors make any space look twice as big as it is.

The amount of sunshine. If you have sunlight streaming into your living room or verandah, you will want furniture that is resistant to heat and UV, and immune to fading. Wood or wicker with sun-resistant coating is an excellent option for outdoor furniture. Metal, plastic and glass are clearly out of the question; metal gets very hot very fast, and plastic or glass will crack due to constant expansion and contraction. Also remember that a sunlit room should ideally be painted with fade-resistant colors.

Natural light. Any furniture looks good in a well-lit room. Light wood has a young and refreshing look to it, while darker wood, metal or glass is more on the chic side. For darker, dimly lit rooms such as the bedroom, you could opt for dark wood, wrought iron, colored glass tops and white upholstery for a dramatic contrast. Don’t fret about wall fittings just yet, you will always find light fixtures to match the style of your furniture.

Your preferences. This is the most important part of the decision. Do you want to go the traditional route – Queen Anne, Chippendale, Hepplewhite et al? Or would you like to go avant-garde and have your home looking like a sculpture collection where the “sculptures” are actually furniture? Of course, you could also go minimal on the furniture, opting for low settees, throw rugs, bean bags and cushions for a chilled out, laid-back atmosphere.

Today, the USA has furniture available in all materials, budgets, colors and designs. If you are short of ideas, just browse through any USA furniture directory to help you find options that fit your house, preference as well as your budget.

The above are among the most crucial variables involved while choosing furniture. Keep these basic things in mind while doing your window-shopping, and you will end up with a much smaller, more accurate shortlist than you would otherwise.