How much to invest in furniture for a room.

When furnishing your home, keep in mind that if it's done correctly, you'll love it for years, think of it as an investment. It's best to buy what you love the first time, and avoid impulse buys on items that will have to be replaced! 

Clients are often excited to tell me "we still love everything in our home!" (referring to items we added years ago). That's a sign of a good investment, and here are a few tips to help you achieve this.

First and foremost - Prepare a list with specific goals before you shop. When you search for items you should have a clear goal for an exact spot you need to fill ....you should know in advance what size, shape, scale, color, & texture you need, and stick to it, don't purchase things on a whim! If it's your taste, and you're still in love with it after a week, you'll know you weren't just influenced by your mood on a particular day. 

Steer clear of "themes" and anything that's trendy. Example - the Ernest Hemmingway look, that came on strong a couple of years ago, then went out of style fast.

If you want to make a statement, do so through pillows, art, or small items that can easily be changed. Stick to luxurious textures and colors instead of prints for the main items (like a sofa or window treatments).



Furniture, window treatments & accessories give this room a welcoming look

Furniture investment budgets vary per person, you'll need to set aside a budget for furniture, rugs, window treatments, and accessories. There is nothing worse than a huge home that has the "unwelcoming" or "unfinished" feeling. Talk to a qualified interior designer, after a home tour they can give you a good idea of what you'll need to invest in furniture.

Should I get a slipcover or recover? Before after photos

Are you wondering where to find a slipcover for your sofa? A slipcover might seem like an ideal solution, after all, manufactureres advertise that you can wash it. However, there are several factors to consider when deciding between a slipcover and recovering a sofa.

Our client wanted to replace her slipcover, since the slipcover was often crooked or wrinkled, with the skirt dragging the floor. The client said they never used the room, because the white fabric wasn't very inviting and it showed stains too easily.

We recovered this sofa in a durable chenille, and we omitted the skirt. Notice how the room feel more open without a skirt dragging the floor. Our designer fabric on the throw pillows gave the room the "punch" it needed.



Sofa Recovered

Same sofa with a slipcover

Last but not least, be sure to go with a fabric supplier or interior designer who will spread the bolt out across the sofa, to make visualizing the end result and easy decision! It's impossible to know how it will look if you're dealing with a small fabric sample.

Using a slipcovers versus recovering a sofa is a matter of preference. But there's one thing for sure, if the fabric isn't durable you probably won't use the room.

How to add color to a room? See designer room photos.

Are you looking for ways to add color to your rooms? Color can be achieved through art, window treatments, pillows, rugs, and yes, even walls! There's no need to stick to "neutrals only", if you pick soothing colors that you won't tire of, the sky is the limit!

BEFORE - this room was begging for color!



AFTER High Point home with custom drapes and art

Colorful artwork and fabrics are a great place to start the design process. In the photo above, the five foot tall painting adds quite a punch! The burnt red linen window treatments add color, and they make the window feel larger. On the leather sofas, we added ultra suede pillows with zippers. They're machine washable for a "child friendly" room. Last, the art gave us the inspiration for a soothing new wall color. This High Point, NC homeowner was thrilled with the functional aspects of the window treatments, since they can be closed at night for privacy. The room is now full of color due to the wall paint, art, window treatments and pillows.

How can I decorate on a budget?

People often ask, how can I improve my home on a budget? The answer: don't waste money by adding more accessories! If you look around your rooms, you might see lots of things which were perhaps a bargain, which you hoped would solve a blank space.... but $39 here and $49 there can really add up! Instead of adding lots of little items from stores, it's better to have a design professional bring you one nice piece that's perfect for the space, if it's the right size, shape, and colors, you won't want to keep buying more. 

Know that designers have access to merchandise that is not available in local stores, and a qualified designer can provide the perfect size, shape, color, texture, subject matter and price.

It's important to have a plan, and make sure that items viewed from adjacent rooms look nice together. If your home "flows" from room to room, it will feel more cohesive.

When shopping, have a specific goal in mind, look for items that have an exact spot in the home. This will help you avoid impulse buys.

Last but not least,  avoid lots of little items, which tend to feel like "clutter".


AFTER, colorful original oil painting

BEFORE