5 Tips for Furnishing and Decorating Your New Home

by | Aug 11, 2014 | blog, DIY Tips, Home

You’ve spent months building your new flat pack house, from acquiring permission from the local council to watching the final piece of roofing, tiling or decoration get put on your home. Now what?

Whether you’re moving into your new home from an existing property or buying all of your new home’s furniture from scratch, you’ll want to update your home using a stylish, modern and comfortable collection of furniture.

From shelving to armchairs, bed frames to kitchen equipment, read on to learn five tips that will help you choose furniture and interior décor items that fit your home like a glove and look fantastic.

Don’t be afraid to spend reasonably on furniture

You wouldn’t try to save money by using low quality materials while building your home, would you? Despite this, many homeowners try to save money by spending far less than they should on furniture and home decorations.

From sofas to bedframes, buying high quality furniture actually saves you money in the long term. Handmade, high quality items tend to last longer than cheaper ones, letting you enjoy decades of use from your sofa, table or bed.

Don’t think of your furniture as decorative – think of your sofa, armchairs and beds as investments. Spending more now allows you to save money in the long term that would otherwise be spent replacing broken, low quality furniture.

Choose items that match your home’s colour scheme

Every home has a colour scheme. From relaxing earth tones to modern black and white colour schemes, understanding the colours that your home is decorated in allows you to buy furniture that perfectly fits in.

Before you go shopping for furniture, use a colour scheme tool like Adobe’s Kuler application to work out which colours are most likely to match your home’s walls and flooring.

Buy furniture that complements your existing colour scheme or, if you’re feeling adventurous and confident in your design knowledge, try introducing contrast by picking furniture that stands out and makes a visual impact.

Invest in high quality storage – it’s always worth it

Much like sofas, bedframes and other furniture, it’s always worth investing in high quality storage and shelving. Homes with insufficient shelving easily become filled with clutter and mess, making them uncomfortable places to live.

Make sure your home has sufficient shelving and storage. Follow the ‘one per room’ rule of thumb, which dictates that every living room, bedroom and hallway should be connected to at least one closet or small storage space.

Just like with your furniture, your shelving and storage spaces should match your home’s colour scheme. It’s generally best not to create contrast with shelving – go for a complementary colour arrangement instead.

Before you buy, measure rooms and living spaces

Do you know the square footage of your new living room? How about the distance from the main entranceway to far wall? Knowing the dimensions of your kitchen, bedrooms or living room will make picking suitable furniture easy.

Nothing is worse, from an interior decorating standpoint, than a room packed with furniture that’s either too large or too small. Too big and the room can feel cramped and uncomfortable; too small and it will feel bare and unwelcoming.

Strike a balance by measuring your rooms ahead of time and choosing furniture to fit within your limitations. Try mixing and matching different sizes – for example, a large sofa and smaller armchair – to create interesting visual contrast.

Don’t know where to start? Speak to a decorator

Interior decorating is difficult, and buying a sofa or armchair that doesn’t suit your home’s colour scheme or style can be an expensive mistake. If you’re not sure how to decorate your home, speak to an interior decorator to receive expert advice.

A good decorator will be able to identify your home’s best colour scheme, create a list of furniture that will look great within it and help you furnish your home based on your own tastes.

Far from controlling the design process, the best decorators work with you to help you make the right decisions. If you’re not sure which colour or style of furniture to choose, don’t be afraid to consult an expert for actionable, helpful advice.

Read through our useful guide for more information

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