How to Choose the Right Furniture for Your Living Space

Your home is more than simply the place where you hang your hat; it’s also your castle, your sanctuary, and the place you retreat to at the end of the day. So, when the time comes to choose things like furnishings for your interiors, it can often feel as though you have a lot of pressure to get it done right.

Having the right furniture for your living spaces can mean the difference between a beautiful, functional room that meets all your needs, and one that merely serves the bare minimum. Regardless of what style your home is, there are a few guidelines that can help you determine what the right furniture is for your living areas. Follow these simple rules to get the most out of your home.

Size it for the Room

Nothing makes a room appear out of scale faster than furniture that isn’t sized properly to the space. An overstuffed sofa in a small living room or a too-small couch in a wide-open space will make the room seem skewed in its proportions.

When choosing furniture, take careful measurements of the room you intend to place it in. Then, map out how much room you need to navigate around it. For example, you need to pass through space, as well as enough room to step around things like coffee tables. Include space for end tables, lamps, and other functional items. The area left over is the largest size of furniture piece you can install there.

The larger the room, the larger the furniture pieces, while smaller rooms may need narrower or slightly shorter pieces. Once you have your basic dimensions, though, it’s easy to find pieces in any style that can fit, setting the stage for the next steps in your design with furniture deals online.

Opt for Function

While style and appearance are a big part of any furniture selection, it’s important to put your needs for function in the space first. For example, small living spaces really need furniture that can do double duty when necessary, such as coffee tables with storage. Large living spaces have more flexibility, but a large space may mean you do more entertaining and therefore need more seating or more surface area such as additional table space.

Make a list of the things you need your furniture to provide you within the space. Part of this can also be comforting, such as having a couch large enough to sleep on or a chair soft enough to curl up in. Keep that list in mind as you approach furniture retailers to find the best fit for your needs.

Keep Style in Mind

Just because size and function are the two most important things to keep in mind when choosing furniture, it doesn’t mean that you should be overlooking the style of the pieces you choose. Whenever possible, opt for pieces that coordinate well together, either being made of the same materials, such as hardwood, or that have similar lines to them. There can be differences in depth, tone, and style, but each piece you select should have one unifying element within it that you can pair up with the other pieces in the room.

This is also important for the other things already in place, such as your hardwood flooring; in this case, you would want furniture that picked up the wood grain without being an exact match to help bring depth to the room.

You can also choose to purchase pieces meant to go together, such as Amish living room furniture sets. Each classic piece is meant to match the next, which unifies the room. Just be sure to include at least one piece that doesn’t match – this one, off note will bring the rest of the room into focus, cementing your design.

Create a Better Living Space

You don’t need to purchase all your furnishings at once, either, to achieve your goals. Just keep these rules in mind as you select each one, to ensure that you create a space that is as functional as it is beautiful.