The most exciting part of any residential interior design or fit out project is picking out furniture and décor for your home. However, choosing the right furniture for your home can be a difficult task.

Picking out sofas and dining tables is a fun experience, but you need to have a plan of action when shopping – never pick out something solely because you like the way it looks. Furniture is the backbone of interior design – and it can make or break the space.

The pieces you choose to fill your home needs to play many roles – it has to look good, be comfortable for those living in the space and fit in with the theme of the room. And as such, each piece of furniture needs to be stylish, functional and complement your overall interior design.

Yes, picking out furniture for your home is fun, but it’s also an important step in ensuring that your interior design is executed successfully.

In this article, we explore how to find the best furniture for your home.

How do you know which furniture is best for you?

With so many furniture colours, styles and materials to choose from, it can be overwhelming to be tasked with picking the right pieces for your space. Use these 5 tips to guide you when choosing furniture for your home:

1. Stick to the budget: Define your budget before starting the hunt for furniture and stick to it. This way you’ll be able to solely focus on the furniture design, material quality and layout of the products instead of wasting time calculating whether or not you can afford this bed or that sofa.

2. Pick a theme before you shop: Are you going for a classic or modern style? Do you want lots of decorative designs or a simple, understated look? Craft a theme for the room you’re designing and make sure the furniture you choose complements your plan.

3. Focus on high-quality: Always remember, the cheaper option might be tempting now, but the more expensive furniture will last nearly a lifetime – saving you more money in the long run. Pick high-quality, stain-resistant materials and fabrics where possible.

4. Keep the number of people in mind: The number of people living in your home will dictate the furniture you choose. For example, if you live yourself, you won’t need a massive living room set, just a small sectional and a chair or two. However, if you have a large family, you’ll need a full-size sectional and quite a few chairs.

5. Get advice from experts: Interior designers are specialists in choosing the right furniture for any space. We strongly advise hiring a professional to help you on your fit out or interior design journey.

Why is choosing the best furniture for your home important?

Choosing the right pieces for your residence is important because great furniture can:

Define function

How do you differentiate the bedroom from the dining room when walking into a house? By the furniture, of course.

We use the furniture in a room as context clues, as they provide us with essential information about the purpose of the space. For example, when you see a bed, you instantly know that you’re in a bedroom. And if there’s a sofa present, you’re more than likely in the lounging area.

Before picking out any pieces, ask yourself how you intend to use the space and choose furniture that clearly defines the room’s intended function and centre your design around. For instance, if you intend to use a certain room to entertain lots of guests, you’ll need plenty of seating. However, if you plan to use that same room as a more reflective, quiet space, you’ll want to dedicate the square footage to work desks that will help you complete important tasks.

Make efficient use of the space

The aim is to purchase furniture that optimises the space of a room. Before shopping for furniture, an interior designer has already envisioned the perfectly proportioned, well-positioned, quality pieces they’ll need to make the most of the given space.

You can use furniture to stylishly organise rooms in a way that maximises efficiency, as well as increases enjoyment and productivity.

Dictate flow of movement

Believe it or not, the way we arrange furniture in any room dictates the way family and friends navigate the space. Thus, it’s important to make sure you leave enough space for people to move through – or you’ll end up with someone trying to shimmy their way out of a too-tight seating area.

And, naturally, this is only possible when choosing functional furniture that fit into the room and allows for said space.

Balance visual weight

The term ‘visual weight’ refers to the balance of a room. Think about how strange it would be to be in a space where all the furniture was pushed to one side? It would feel off-kilter.

Thus, it’s important to spread furniture throughout the space and group larger items with smaller ones to evenly distribute the visual weight.

Reflect personal style

As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, choosing furniture for your home is an exciting and fun experience. The pieces you choose will naturally be an expression of your unique sense of style – whether it be the simplicity of Scandinavian interiors or eye-catching eclectic design.

Spark joy

Lastly, furniture is important because it will bring you joy and comfort. It’s what makes a house a home, and you’ll have the opportunity to make fond memories with your loved ones at the kitchen table or on the sofa in the lounge.

Get help from the experts

Why do all the hard work of finding the best furniture for your home yourself when you can hire a specialist to do it for you instead? Save yourself the hassle and let us help you.

If you need a reliable office interior designer who’s an expert in their field, then you’ve come to the right place.

Contractors.Direct offers a curated database of thoroughly vetted, quality contractors who can bring your vision to life, on time and on budget. Get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to connect you with the right people for the job.