If you have pets or children then will you really benefit from buying a white leather sofa? Or those fancy hanging storage spaces look great but how child proof are they?
Yes like every thing else in life it is easy to let your heart rule over your head and walk out from a furniture shop with lots of beautiful but totally impractical pieces of home furniture for your actual lifestyle.
So be practical and think about what your furniture will have to cope with on a daily basis.
Regardless of what type of shopping you do, if you walk into a large store without a plan then you normally end up coming out with everything you didn't want and nothing you actually needed! Don't do the same with your home furniture shopping.
Prioritize your furniture list and buy what you actually need in order to live a comfortable life rather then what takes your fancy at the time.
If you are moving into an unfurnished house then you will needs beds to sleep in and a sofa or chairs to sit on. The 18th century chandelier might look great in the hall way but you might have wished that you hadn't blown your budget on it when you have to eat your dinner on your lap whilst propped up against a wall because you ran out of money for the table and chairs! Hold back on your
Hold back on your impulses and buy what you need first and keep the decorative furnishings till after you have the essentials
Break down the budget into manageable parts and decide what you can afford to spend on major pieces of furniture. i.e. Ł600 for a bed, Ł250 for chairs etc.
Take the time to go and look at furniture, feel it and check it for quality. Keep your eyes open when you are at other peoples houses and see how their furniture works. Ask friends and work colleges about their home furniture and where they bought it from. Look online for bargains such as free delivery and more unusual furniture that is not so readily available in high street shops. Good quality furniture will last you a lifetime and is well worth waiting for.
In the short term cheap furniture might fill a house but it does not take long before it is starting to fall apart and look tatty, so spend your money on quality pieces and take your time. It will cost your more in the short run to invest in quality home furniture but in the long run you will come out a winner and your furniture will look great whether it is 1 year old or 20 years old.
Furniture Village has defied the gloom in the big-ticket sector by posting rising sales in its full-year figures, but the retailer remains cautious on prospects.
Date Published: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00 GMT
Friends and colleagues have paid tribute to Derek Hunt, the former MFI boss identified with the retailer’s glory days, who died last week aged 72.
Date Published: Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:44 GMT
Derek Hunt, the former boss of MFI, has died.
Date Published: Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:02 GMT
The Indian government has approved proposals to allow 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in single-brand retail.
Date Published: Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:59 GMT
Furniture retailers have reported strong starts to their critical Boxing Day Sales but remain cautious on the outlook for the big-ticket sector.
Date Published: Fri, 6 Jan 2012 00:00 GMT
Furniture retailer CSL like-for-likes jumped 3.3% in the four weeks to Boxing Day despite reduced footfall to its retail park stores.
Date Published: Tue, 3 Jan 2012 13:37 GMT
Retail spending in 2012 is likely only to rise by  1.2%, the third lowest rate in almost four decades.
Date Published: Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:54 GMT
Marks & Spencer is to extend its opening hours from today until Christmas Eve with 242 of its stores across the UK and Ireland open until 10pm or later and 23 of these staying open until midnight.
Date Published: Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:18 GMT
The UK’s largest furniture retailer Ikea has appointed a new boss to replace Martin Hansson who is relocating to Shanghai to run its Asia Pacific region.
Date Published: Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00 GMT
B&Q has launched its longest-ever winter sale following a ÂŁ60m price investment.
Date Published: Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:51 GMT
High street footfall dipped in the week beginning December 5, down 2.6% year-on-year.
Date Published: Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:26 GMT
Sofas giant DFS has posted a fall in quarterly sales and earnings but is continuing to invest in expansion and confident in longer-term prospects.
Date Published: Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:25 GMT
Sainsbury’s is to lose two key marketing bosses.
Date Published: Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:21 GMT
Carpetright has reported a first half pretax loss of £800,000 against a £9.8m profit last year as the “very challenging trading environment” hit performance.
Date Published: Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:04 GMT
Furniture retailer Dwell is to open its first Welsh store at St David’s, Cardiff.
Date Published: Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:49 GMT
The Indian government has suspended talks to allow foreign investment from the world’s largest retailers with no clear timeframe in place to re-start discussions.
Date Published: Wed, 7 Dec 2011 09:43 GMT
The Irish Government has scrapped plans to ban upward-only rent review clauses from existing leases.
Date Published: Wed, 7 Dec 2011 09:40 GMT
Overall shop price inflation dropped to 2% last month, from 2.1% in October, representing the lowest rate for 12 months as the supermarket price war kept prices down.
Date Published: Wed, 7 Dec 2011 08:40 GMT
Retail like-for-like sales in November fell 1.6%, the weakest performance since May.
Date Published: Tue, 6 Dec 2011 08:52 GMT
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