Buying new furniture? You may want to avoid doing certain things so you don’t end up regretting your purchase!
Much to the dismay of our wallets (and our better judgment), a little impulse shopping isn’t the end of the world. Of course, this is true unless you’ve made a major, spontaneous purchase. In that case, you just might find yourself dealing with the buyer’s regret and an over-extended budget.
Furniture is one thing that should never be purchased on a whim. This is one impulsive purchase that is far too heavy, burdensome, and expensive to replace if you decide to return it as soon as you buy it.
Instead, experts recommend taking your time when buying new furniture and putting some serious planning and thought into it before making any decision. For instance, interior designer Caroline Agee advises furniture shoppers to consider durability, style, cohesiveness, and functionality before taking anything home with them.
To make the smartest furniture buying decisions possible, we’ve rounded up some mistakes to avoid. Interior designers explain that ignoring these oversights may result in disappointing furniture that’s low quality, improperly scaled, or not meant for the long haul.
Let’s get started!
1. Overlooking function
Considering function before buying new furniture is a top priority, experts say. With some foresight, you’ll definitely save yourself lots of time shopping around and ultimately finding a more fitting piece of furniture.
Interior designers recommend thinking about the functionality of space. For example, you may have room for a cabinet with doors, a chest with drawers, or a console table. Having an idea of what will work best helps you spend less time looking for the right piece.
This rule applies to both deciding on what type of furniture you’re searching for and critical details. Experts also say that one common mistake people make when buying new furniture is not putting enough thought into what type of fabric will best match their functional needs for an upholstered piece.
Also, consider your durability needs and whether or not you wish to choose a performance fabric.
2. Buying first, planning later
Before you even start browsing, a planning stage is essential, as interior experts point out. Shopping unprepared might just be the biggest furniture mistake yet.
Buying new furniture isn’t like purchasing artwork. With art, you can almost always find a place for it in your house. Artwork doesn’t necessarily need to work with other elements in the space. With furniture, it needs to be the right style, size, and color scheme to fit in with your space.
To bypass this miscalculation, experts suggest determining what dimensions would function best before you begin searching for a piece of furniture. It’s best to have a furniture layout for a room so you have a long-term plan.
Not only does having a plan help determine what dimensions will work best, but it will also help to coordinate the fabric, style, and finishes of multiple pieces. Plus, it helps to avoid ending up with pieces of furniture that don’t end up working.
3. Buying to fill a gap
Buying new furniture isn’t that easy. You have to do a bit of research (a lot if you really want to ensure you’ll settle for the right piece), check out multiple websites, read reviews, visit stores, and so on.
While doing these things, you’ll probably stumble upon other pieces that aren’t exactly what you need. We know; the temptation is there, especially if you’re someone who is always looking for ways to spruce things up indoors.
Like decor, furniture shouldn’t be bought only for the sake of closing a gap. Just because you’re looking for a new coffee table doesn’t mean that you should purchase the first one you see. Financially, it’s not the smartest thing to purchase furniture simply because you have a hole to fill.
In other words, buying new furniture should be done when something catches your eye compared to all of the other options.
4. Living solely in the moment
When buying new furniture, think long-term. Experts agree that considering longevity is essential—both from a design and quality perspective. Interior designers recommend avoiding short-lived trends and asking yourself whether or not you will love a piece of furniture in five or ten years.
Sometimes, thinking long-term might even imply making sacrifices in the short term. Nowadays, furniture can take what feels like ages to arrive, but experts reassure that timeless, quality furniture will be worth the wait.
Most people often want what is available the soonest, or they want to save money by purchasing a less expensive piece of furniture. The best way to be happy for a long time with the furniture you buy is by carefully weighing the options, being okay with waiting slightly longer for it to arrive, and spending a little bit more on it. Of course, if you find a one-of-a-kind piece that you adore, you should go for it!
Keep reading to discover other mistakes to avoid when buying new furniture!
5. Bony upholstery
According to interior designers, there’s a sure-fire method to tell if a piece of upholstery is qualitative enough to consider purchasing. When buying new furniture and upholstery, it’s important to have the piece in front of your eyes before spending your money on it.
If you push on the back or arm of upholstery and can feel the wood through the fabric, that’s a sign the piece isn’t going to be the best purchase. In this case, if you’re looking for quality, you should look for thicker upholstery with plenty of cushion.
Keep in mind that, when viewing furniture in a showroom or store, you’re looking at how a piece of furniture is going to look, so it’s important to feel it’s of good quality. When buying new furniture and sampling different showroom pieces, pay attention to these details. When it comes to upholstery, everything that comes with a little cushion is immediately out of the running.
6. Taking furniture at face value
Looks aren’t the most important thing. Like for people, beauty has to come from the inside. As a matter of fact, if something must slip through the cracks, it shouldn’t be quality. While falling for a temporary furniture trend isn’t recommended, it’s much easier to fix the look of a piece of furniture than its foundation.
Say goodbye to pieces that no longer work with your aesthetic, but remember that quality pieces can be transformed with a new finish, paint, or new hardware too.
To minimize your chances of ending up with something that isn’t as qualitative as it looks when buying new furniture, experts recommend researching a piece rather than simply being okay with the look of it online or in a store.
Once you find the one you’re interested in, take a step back and do some research to ensure it’s right for you. For example, if you’re buying pieces of furniture from Amazon, you can read the thousands of reviews to get an idea if it’s what you’re looking for.
When buying new furniture, it really helps to be inspired by the different pictures you can find on the internet. Look for what you like, and see what other people have done so you can inspire them.
7. Pigeon-holing pieces
When buying new furniture and looking for multiple pieces, a way to build an interesting and layered space is to extend the limits of design. Rather than feeling constrained by a strict design style, color palette, or any other limits (apart from space), creativity is encouraged.
Various design styles can be used cohesively in one space. You can incorporate new and old pieces in various finishes. It’s also fun to combine a mid-century modern piece with a neoclassical antique and sleek current upholstered pieces. Mixing finishes and styles helps a space feel personal and collected to the homeowner.
When buying new furniture, it really helps to inspire from different pictures you can find on the internet. Look for what you like, and see what other people have done so you can inspire for them.
8. One-stop-shopping
According to interior designers, one of the worst mistakes you can make when buying new furniture is to shop at a one-stop shop. Instead of it, mix it up from various places and select patterns, colors, and textures that are interesting.
In addition to creating a space that’s appealing and layered, considering multiple stores is a great way to avoid making an impulsive purchase. Interior designers recommend shopping around for the best piece to suit your style, budget, and needs before making any decisions.
Once you have an idea of the dimensions and style of the piece you’re looking for, look at multiple stores for similar pieces that you like. Then you can compare them based on criteria like finish options, price, and lead time. Doing this helps you eliminate which ones aren’t your favorites. It also helps you feel like you’re making the best decision and prevents buyers’s remorse.
9. Bad bones
A beautiful and reliable piece of furniture that’s in it for the long haul starts with good bones. Wood can be restrained, fabric can be reupholstered, and cushions replaced, but if the foundation of a piece of furniture fails, you will soon be searching again for new furniture.
This being said, when buying new furniture, it’s important to pick pieces with good lines. A new coat of fabric or paint can’t fix a bad silhouette. Look for silhouettes that are timeless and sleek.
If you liked our article on mistakes to avoid when buying new furniture, you may also want to read 12 Interesting Things That Make Your House Look Outdated.
