Living Room Furniture: Considerations Before You Buy

When picking out furniture for your living room, there are dozens of things to take into account. After all, you want to be sure that you’re making the right choice. Here are some of the main things to think about when buying your living room furniture.

Who Will Be Using the Furniture?

The people who will use your furniture the most make a big impact on the type of pieces you choose for your living room. For example, if you have young children, it may be a good idea to buy sofas and chairs that are made with stain-resistant fabric. Even if you don’t have children, this type of fabric is a smart choice if you frequently have guests. Spills can happen to anyone, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Aside from people who will be using your furniture, keep pets in mind, too! If you have a dog or a cat, consider buying furniture that’s easy to spot clean. Microfiber, for example, can be cleaned quickly with just some mild soap and water. Plus, the composition of microfiber fabric makes it easy to remove accumulated fur and hair.

The Size of Your Space

There’s nothing worse than bringing home a piece of brand-new furniture, only to discover that it doesn’t fit in your living room. To avoid the chance of a future headache, be sure to take the size of your living room into account before purchasing any furniture. Grab a tape measure, and take accurate measurements of the room.

Additionally, it’s not a bad idea to sketch up a blueprint of your living room and draw in where you want your new furniture to go. By taking measurements and planning things out in a quick sketch, you can have peace of mind in knowing that you’ll be purchasing furniture that’s the right size for your home.

Quality vs. Cost

While it may be tempting to buy the cheap sofa set rather than the one that’s twice as expensive, think about quality before trying to cut costs. Solid, high-quality furniture will last much longer than less expensive pieces. Spending more money on well-built furniture upfront will pay off in the long run!

For example, instead of opting for a coffee table built of imitation wood or particle board, think about purchasing one that’s made of solid wood. While imitation wood may look like real wood and appear fine from afar, it lacks the quality and durability that real wood offers.

Your Living Room Theme

In order for your living room to look cohesive and put-together, you should try to purchase pieces that have the same (or similar) style and theme. Generally, most furniture can be categorized as either traditional or modern:

• Traditional. Traditional furniture is formal and elegant, and it sometimes includes ornate details like rolled arms or skirted bottoms. Typically, traditional furniture is more natural in color. Some examples of traditional styles include Chippendale, Pennsylvania Dutch, Victorian, and Art Deco.
• Modern. Compared to traditional furniture, modern furniture is more clean and sleek. It’s characterized by crisp lines, neutral colors, and alternative materials like metal and glass. American Colonial, Minimalist, Contemporary, and Shabby Chic are a few examples of modern furniture designs.

Determine whether you’d like your living room to have more of a traditional or a modern feel, and choose furniture that fits that theme.

Focus on Fabric

When it comes to upholstered items like sofas and chairs, choosing the right fabric is crucial. Not only do you want to make sure that the furniture is the right color and fits with your living room’s theme, but you also want to ensure that you’re buying a material that will work for you.

For instance, if you know that you’ll be placing your sofa in an area that’s exposed to sunlight, you may want to opt for a synthetic fabric material rather than a natural one. Natural fabrics, like leather, have a tendency to fade when exposed to sunlight, whereas synthetic fabrics are more likely to retain their original color. That said, you should keep furniture placement in mind when picking out a fabric for your furniture.

As long as you put some thought into your living room furniture and weigh out your options before you make the big purchase, you’ll be happy with your choices for years to come!

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