Furniture Shopping Ideas
For Success

Whether you delight in the luxury of Victorian furniture or prefer the sparseness of a modern look, these furniture shopping ideas for families can help.

Outfitting your home with new furniture can be simple. Your additions should fit your taste and lifestyle, be easy to maintain, and, most importantly, fit within your budget.

With these ideas, you can find the perfect pieces without breaking the bank. Here are some guidelines for simplifying selecting furniture, window treatments, and floor coverings for your family.

Choose Sturdy Furniture and Floor Coverings

If you have children, consider getting well-made wooden or wicker furniture that can be easily wiped clean of crumbs, spills, and fingerprints, as well as upholstered couches with sturdy frames that can withstand repeated trouncing from your kids.

Choose durable fabrics - such as cotton and linen chenille, tightly woven cotton, or upholstered nylon - that are relatively easy to maintain or can be treated with a stain-resistant chemical.

Instead of solid-colored wall-to-wall carpeting, opt for patterned area rugs with slip-proof backing. The patterns will hide the inevitable spills and spots of daily family life.

If you have wall-to-wall carpeting, a professional carpet cleaning every three to six months will help keep it looking its best.

When Furniture Shopping Choose Quality Pieces

Buy the best furnishings you can afford. A sturdy, well-made sofa or a top-of-the-line, stain-resistant carpet usually lasts longer and looks better than an alternative of lesser quality.

Also, be sure to ask how best to maintain the floor covering or furniture you're considering; correct care can prolong its life.

If kids aren't a design consideration, indulge yourself with those pretty yet vulnerable furnishings on your wish list.
But keep in mind that ornately carved wooden pieces and dreamy silk or satin upholstery can be a nightmare to keep clean and fresh-looking.

One helpful rule for home, with or without kids: Buy the best furnishings you can afford. A sturdy, well-made sofa or top-of-the-line, stain-resistant carpet usually will last longer and look better than an alternative of lesser quality.

Also, be sure to ask how best to maintain the floor covering or furniture you're considering: correct care can prolong its life.

Furniture Shopping Ideas for Choosing a Sofa

Furniture shopping ideas for choosing a sofa. Which sofa type and style is best for your home? A sofa's back has the most significant effect on how the couch looks and feels.

That is where you should start inspecting the lovely sofa that has caught your eye. There are four main styles to consider:

The firm, upright variety;

The sofa with an attached pillow back;

The kind that has removable pillows;

and the style that features multiple pillows you can rearrange to your taste for customized comfort.

Once you've selected the back style that best suits your tastes, carefully examine the sofa frame.

Today, you'll find suitable long-lasting frames in steel, plastic, laminate, or a combination of materials - and many of these frames are sturdy enough that even the most unruly of children can't damage them.

Choose the frame that passes the comfort test and has the most pleasing lines.

The rest of your decision will be purely aesthetic and personal: the style of the sofa's base (such as skirted or upholstered), the base and arm styles, and the fabric.

Whatever fabric you choose, having the upholsterer protect it with a stain-repellent will considerably extend the life and beauty of the piece in your home.

Furniture Shopping for Chairs

Furniture shopping ideas for chairs. Chairs, whether upholstered or not, should be similarly comfortable. A chair's firmness, depth, and back height all affect how you feel while sitting or lounging in it.

Sit a spell before you buy, putting your feet up or placing throw pillows just as you would at home. If the chair feels right in the store, it will feel right in your living room.

Window Coverings

Window coverings are a quick way to alter the look and feel of any room. There are so many styles from which to choose, including horizontal and vertical blinds, draperies, shades, sheers, shutters, and wood blinds.

Each offers a distinctive look - and price range. Simple is best when it comes to window coverings. Windows covered with ruffles to the rafters quickly get tired-looking - not to mention dusty.

Most window covering shops offer various styles with equally varied prices.

If you're looking for a simple mini blind treatment for the bath, most dealers can provide dozens of options (macro, mini, horizontal, and vertical) in many colors and materials, such as plastic, wood, or metal.