 ASK
OUR EXPERTS...
I want to purchase new living room furniture, what advice can you give
me?
By Cat Hackman of Room 4 Refinement
As with all major purchases, it’s a good idea to ask yourself questions
about how your living room will be used. How many people would you like to
seat comfortably in this room? Will it be a family room used by young kids?
Or more for adult entertaining? What kind of feeling or theme are you
looking for? Modern? Traditional?
Once you have answered the questions that come to mind about this space,
it’s time to narrow your ideas down to choices that work for your needs. As
a general rule, I suggest that people purchase a three-seater sofa and two
comfortable chairs. This is the absolute easiest way to arrange furniture in
a living room and a very efficient way of seating people. You can pull up
extra chairs from your dining room or get some upholstered cubes if you need
more seating. Think about it. If you have a love seat or even worse, two
love seats, would two people (not a couple) at a party want to share a love
seat? No!
Another option for great seating is a sectional. These are more informal and
are great for seating many people comfortably. Before you go shopping,
measure your space. You can even draw a quick plan of the room. This way you
can show the sales person what scale you are looking for, and also think of
height of the back, in case the sofa will be placed in the middle and not
against a wall. Keep in mind that a high back sofa with a skirt and tufted
arms and back will take up a lot more visual space in a room than a sofa or
chair with slim arms, no skirt and a tight back. Remember, all the pieces
should be of similar scale. For example, you don’t buy a huge sofa and tiny
sleek chairs. That usually makes a room off balance. Also, look for a sofa
with low armrests; they are more comfortable if you want to lie down.
Remember, you get what you pay for. If you want your living room furniture
to last for ten years or more, you need to invest in high quality. Furniture
made in North America has been acclimatized to our weather and is often of
highest quality. If you like white or light coloured sofas, look for ones
with removable covers you can wash.
One last tip: If the piece is borderline too soft, consider choosing another
piece as it will only get softer with time.
For more decorating advice, contact Cat Hackman, owner of Room4Refinement
at 403.681.4473 or email
info@room4refinement.com
www.room4refinement.com
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