Whether you’re moving to a new apartment or redecorating your home, buying furniture will always be a crucial part of your to-do list. Besides serving as major pieces in your home interior design, furniture is also the most usable home element.
Of course, shopping for furniture is no simple task. Apart from picking the right one that suits your preference and lifestyle, you also need to make it worth every penny you spend.
Although general shopping rules also apply to furniture purchases, there are specific parameters you need to know about. However, this can be quite confusing, especially if you have no clue what they are.
To make it easier for you, here is a list of the top four furniture shopping tips that have helped many homeowners over the years:
1. Know Your Options
The term “furniture” covers a huge collection of pieces that may be challenging to qualify as a single kind of item. In fact, there are plenty of variations for each kind of furniture, all of which you should know about before you hit the store – be it a brick-and-mortar shop or online store.
For example, if you’re buying something for sitting and sleeping, you have several pieces you can choose from, such as the following:
Sofas
Sofas are great for the living room, but may not be a good choice for your family room. So, before you buy one, figure out how you plan to use it first.
It would also be better to know who will be using it most, too. For instance, some upholstery fabrics may be better for areas used frequently by children and/or pets. Air-conditioning and moisture is also an important factor to consider, especially for materials like leather.
Not only will this make picking a design easier, but it would also lessen the chance of your sofa getting worn down before its expected lifespan is over.
Sleeper Sofas
Besides the traditional sofa, you can also choose to buy a sleeper sofa for your home. This multifunctional piece can turn any room into a bedroom, making it a great addition for houses that see plenty of guests.
Plus, sleeper sofas can fit in many places – be it in the children’s room, home office, or even an alcove (with the appropriate size, of course).
Many sofa designs in the market can be used as a sleeper sofa, and they come in different shapes and sizes. It can be the size of a chair or even a queen-sized bed.
Futons
Like sleeper sofas, futons also function as both seating and sleeping implements in a home.
Originally used as a simple mattress, a futon is rolled up and tucked away during the day in Japan. However, futons in the West typically allude to the wood or metal frames that support the mattress.
Although people outside Japan don’t often roll up futons, it can now be used for different situations, thanks to its many variations, shapes, and sizes. You can choose one that’s most suited for your needs and place it in different positions depending on whether you need a seating or a bed.
2. Consider Your Lifestyle
As you may have noticed, one of the most important factors to consider in furniture choice is your lifestyle. How you spend your day and who you spend it with would dictate the furniture style, color, and fabric that best suits your home.
For example, households with large, active canine family members would need sturdy furniture that can withstand scratches from frequent climbing and moisture (think: drools and pee). It would also be best to stick to pieces upholstered with dark-hued, stain-resistant fabric like tweed or linen.
3. Maximize Your Money’s Worth
Besides picking the most suitable furniture pieces for your lifestyle and interior design, there’s also the money factor to consider. Most of the time, furniture represents a significant investment, which means you’ll have to make sure it offers the same if not a higher value as its the price tag.
Fortunately, there are plenty of money-saving tips you can use when buying furniture, including:
Signing Up for a Buy Now, Pay Later Payment Program
Most of the time, new homeowners and movers need to buy several furniture pieces simultaneously. If you’re among them, it would usually mean that you need to spend a big chunk of your savings in one go.
Lucky for you, there is plenty of buy now, pay later furniture you can avail of today. Merchants and retailers enrolled in these programs offer an easy-to-pay installment plan, allowing you to use your budget on more pieces since it spreads out the payment in smaller amounts throughout a specified period.
Timing Your Purchase Right
Like gadgets, furniture prices also fluctuate throughout the year.
In many places, furniture prices drop during certain holidays, especially Christmas. This is because the end of the year is usually the time many companies – including furniture stores – clear out their stock room of old inventory to make way for new ones.
4. Choose the Store Wisely
Sure, you can look around for the best-looking furniture pieces out there, but make sure that you only purchase from trustworthy stores that offer high-quality selections.
Not sure how to distinguish them from the rest? Below are some conditions you should look for:
Full range of selections
Some shops specialize in living room furniture, others niche down to a specific material. But if you’re a wise furniture shopper, stick to places that offer everything you need.
This will allow you to save on transportation costs and shipping, not to mention it’s more convenient. Plus, this would make it easier to mix and match colors and styles since everything is already laid out in front of you.
Reliable and Cost-Effective Shipping
If you’re buying furniture online, it would also be best to calculate shipping costs first before you finalize your order.
Most of the time, you’ll find the shipping information in the About and FAQ pages of an online furniture store. For brick-and-mortar ones, you can simply ask the person assisting you while you shop.
When reviewing the shipping conditions, be sure to take note of the logistics services they use. It can be in-house or a third-party company. The rates are also important, especially for bulky pieces like sofas and bed frames.
It’s also important that you remember that not all “free shipping” promos are truly free. In some cases, the store only claims to offer “free shipping” when, in fact, they only work these extra charges in the item prices.
Compare prices from different stores. If you notice that there’s a significant difference in their prices, it means that the store offering free shipping may have just added it to the item cost.
Opportunity to Save When Buying Mor
If you’re planning on buying a lot of pieces in one go, why not make use of it as a tool for haggling? Some furniture stores offer discounts if you buy several pieces from them. This can come in the form of free shipping or direct-to-the-price discount.
The Takeaway
Buying the right furniture for your home at the right price is a daunting task. Hopefully, you’ll use this article as a guide on your furniture shopping spree to enjoy both time and money savings.
About The Author
