Welcome Home: Here Are Your Keys to Picking Investment Furniture Pieces
Furnish your space with timeless and durable form and function
Moving into a new home is, indeed, one of the most rewarding, validating, and self-fulfilling parts of gaining a true sense of independence.
Your world is your oyster.
And your new space is a beautiful, blank canvas, anticipating your unique charm and touch.
In your new home, you’re free to design the spaces to your liking; customize the walls with textures and colours; and choose the various furniture pieces.
You have complete control over the overall feeling, style, and configuration of your place.
Yet as wonderful as it is to have fun with the process, things can, however, get pricey as soon as you start adding up all of the essentials — furniture.
Without previously having to buy a bed, a dining table, or a sofa, ignorance is yet a bliss.
And you really don’t know what to expect when it comes to how expensive outfitting a home can truly be — until it’s your turn.
While IKEA, for instance, may be your first point of contact with lower-cost options in mind, investing in higher-quality items is always the smarter way to go.
And having a ways to go — knock on wood — before having to move again, you’ll want to find investment furniture pieces that will promise strength, comfort, and timelessness.
But furniture can be big, heavy, and fragile.
While these aspects are easy to overlook, traversing multiple furniture websites and stores, you want to have full confidence over furniture that’ll transport from home to home that won’t fall apart.
And by the same token, you don’t want to fall apart with having to find, research, and purchase new furniture pieces all over again.
Whether you’re moving into a new house or simply wanting to freshen up a particular part of your current home, here’s what to look out for with investment furniture pieces.
When in Doubt, Choose the Classics
Furniture that’s comfortable to your body is one thing, but being comfortable with looking at it for quite some time is a whole other.
And you need to feel satisfied with how your money is spent at the end of the day.
You want to be able to enjoy the piece for years to come without disappointment or frustration along the way.
Because buyer’s remorse is a horrible feeling — and it can tarnish the new sense of ownership and independence very quickly.
And you don’t deserve any of that.
Being persuaded to buy a sofa that a friend recommended from a magazine can be risky business, for instance.
Chances are, the item being featured is trendy and fashionable at the time of publication, but it may very well go out of style by the end of the following season.
And it could very well be a piece of furniture that’s more conducive to another style of living, design, or space.
It’s yet tempting to acquire something that’s current, but it’s a safer bet to stick with the basics — the classics.
Furnishings intended for the home or the apartment that you move into next should be flexible and amenable to the next move — and the next.
The transition is made easier with a sofa that’s sturdy and neutral in colour, for instance, as opposed to something with too much pattern and embellishment.
It’s always a safer bet to opt for the classic choices — especially, staple pieces that include the bed, the sofa, and the dining table.
Consider Your Way of Life
IKEA does a terrific job at setting the scene — both online and in-person — to get you thinking about how to furnish your home.
And they’re equally adept at fixing ideas into your head — inspiration galore.
The various lifestyles are easily imaginable with their well-choreographed furniture displays, images, and campaigns.
But you need to take a careful look at your own lifestyle, keeping it at the forefront of your whole shopping experience.
It’s incredibly easy to lose track of time — and just as who you are at home — in the labyrinth of IKEA and the vast online shopping landscape.
But never lose sight of your own environment, personality, and lifestyle.
You know yourself more than anyone else — and more than any retailer will ever know.
If you have a furry friend, consider how your lives are intertwined, and how that intersects with your furniture selection.
Certain white furniture and upholstered options aren’t, perhaps, then the best idea as long-term investments with your loyal friend.
And as accidents do happen, you may want to consider stain-resistant fabric choices from a reputable company, such as Revolution Fabrics.
Opt for darker colour options, too, as stains will show up less on them, making it a flexible job to clean and swap out.
Likewise, flexibility is just as important when it comes to function.
Take a careful look around your home; see if a table can appear in more than one space — it’s great to have the flexibility of choice.
If you’re going to spend a lot of money, you’ll want to ensure that the furniture piece is compatible with several areas of your home.
A furniture item itself can be multifunctional as well. When looking for a new sofa, you may want to keep others in mind — guests.
If you’ve often had visitors stay with you in the past, consider finding a sofa that can extend into a bed.
Sofa beds, futons, and sleeper sectionals are great for your family or friend that you’re expecting to stay over.
