In the process of furnishing your home? Whether you’re starting from scratch or simply looking for a few new pieces to update your home, shopping for furniture can be overwhelming. Picking the right pieces are essential because everyone knows that the decor can make or break a home’s design. Whether you’ve decided to take the hunt online or you’re shopping at your local furniture store here are some tips you should take into consideration.

Test the Measurements
There’s nothing worse than purchasing the perfect piece of furniture only to discover down the line that it doesn’t fit into the space. That’s why you should always check the measurements of an item before you swipe your credit card. The piece of furniture may look one way in a picture or in the store but the scale of it is totally different once it’s in your home. You can use blue tape to measure furniture in the store. Use blue tape to measure the width and length of the allotted space and see if it will be proportionate based on the dimensions of the item online.

Everything Doesn’t Have to Match
Although, you want your furniture pieces to harmonize with each other everything doesn’t have to exactly match. While it’s the safest decision it can be way too much and create a bland look. It’s all about finding a balance that works for your space. Since opposites attract you can mix styles. For instance, if you’ve opted for a traditional sofa you can mix things up with an eclectic recliner or a chic coffee table.

Sample Swatches
Don’t sleep on the sample swatches. The texture of a material can be completely different from what you thought it looked like in a showroom or on the computer screen. Get samples of fabric swatches just to see how the material would look in your space.

Impulse Buys
Avoid making the final decision on impulse. Just because you love the item at the moment doesn’t mean you’ll like it later. Buying furniture is a big decision so take a day to think it over. See what kind of pieces are out there before you make your final decision.

We hope you find these shopping tips useful!