Four Mistakes People Make Furnishing Their Homes

Owning an interior design firm with a showroom open to the public gives me an unique perspective on what the neighborhood is thinking about furnishing and design. We talk daily to do-it-yourselfers and those that prefer to work with an interior designer. While the design client fits the profile of someone who trusts and values a professional to provide a customized and tailored look for their home, most of the do-it-yourselfers can usually be divided into two categories: Those that have creative talent and enjoy decorating on their own, and those that go it alone because they are intimidated by the thought of using a designer or assume that it costs more money to do so.   They roam the aisles of furniture stores hoping to find the right piece or great deal. The latter category provides the lessons I will share with you. 

Mistake #1: Buying without a good plan. You build a house, take a vacation, and start a business year with a plan. You need to do the same thing when you furnish a room to avoid coming to me and saying “I spent a lot of money on my furniture and I still need help!” Even if you only can afford to buy a sofa today, you still should have a solid blueprint of what the final look of the room will be so each purchase will work towards a cohesive goal. Scale, style, purpose, and traffic flow should all be planned.

Mistake #2. Not understanding textiles, leather, and construction. Why did the fabric on my new chair fray when the cat jumped on it? Why are my cushions lumpy? Is veneer good or bad? What’s the big deal with ‘top grain’ leather? Great questions! If you don’t buy furnishings that are appropriate for your usage you will be disappointed. 

Mistake #3. Falling in love with a price. If price is all that matters, why don’t we eat every meal from the dollar menu at the drive thru? Quality does not always have to be expensive, but we could debate what expensive means. Don’t be misled into thinking all stores that offer great prices do so because of volume. There are some major quality differences out there that will either reward you for a lifetime or punish you every time you sit down.   

Every salesman will tell you about the quality of their product but a designer will tell you the real scoop as they have no need to be loyal to a brand. 

Mistake #4. Not furnishing to the level of the home. Gated community, perfect landscaping, luxury cars in the garage…cheap curtains? The inside of your home is where family memories are made and friends are entertained. What’s the point of all that stacked stone and up-lighting if the interior of your home does not reflect the taste and sophistication of the exterior?   Husbands don’t blink at club dues, single malt scotch, a steak at Mortons, and a flat screen, but they sometimes grow alligator arms when it comes to home decor.  (Sorry fellas, but it’s true. You know why you love the bar at the Ritz? It’s because they have great furniture and décor. Those bar stools are hand carved in Spain, by the way.)    

We see it in our store all the time, the wishful look of a homeowner crushed by the thought that they can’t have a beautiful home until the kids are off to college… where they can destroy someone else’s property.  My wife and I understand this notion completely since we have three boys and every day, despite our cries of protest, they bounce down the stairs, slingshot off the railing and vault off the back of the sofa like a pommel horse.

Is that the way life is supposed to be?  We already devote an enormous amount of time and resources to provide our kids with a great life, do we really need to sacrifice good taste, too?  No!  Life is too short for cheap furniture.

Certainly with a lot of activity in the house you should secure the crystal and faberge eggs, but you don’t need to raise the white flag and live with a broken sofa framed by the end tables you made in college.  Discussing a room plan with a talented designer will really open your eyes to the fact that you can have quality and a great look, and in the long run save money, by designing with kids in mind.  Buy right the first time and you won’t be forced to replace upholstery over and over because it can’t take the punishment.  

Fabrics are rated for durability, they call it “double rubs”.  The more double rubs, the more abuse it can take.  Quality top grain leather will age gracefully and is many times more durable than ‘genuine leather everywhere the body touches’ (read the fine print on some furniture store ads sometime).  A solid hardwood frame that is glued and screwed is going to be guaranteed for life by the manufacturer in most cases and withstand junior Olympian use. 

Casegoods made from solid wood with a distressed finish can absorb punishment and add character all at the same time.  Ha ha, take THAT kids!  Sturdy storage ottomans, covered in your favorite fabric or leather, can provide seating and places to quickly hide toys.

A last note to the guys out there who still have no idea what to buy their wife for Christmas.  Talk to a designer about anything from a tasteful little gift off the showroom floor to a certificate for a new keeping room or custom bedding.  You’ll be the envy of the neighborhood.