Setting up your first home involves a whole lot of planning—from deciding the colour theme to buying the right products, to placing them in the right place…there’s much to consider. Shopping for furniture tops the (stress) list of every new home owner. While it is exciting to do up your home, you need to give some thought before deciding which furniture pieces to invest in. Factors like utility, budget, space and of course aesthetics are key. We share some tips to help you decide what’s best.

Expert Tips for Buying Furniture

A good approach is to target and work on spaces where you spend the most time—the living room and bedroom for instance. “Always go by the size of the space before deciding on the proportion of the furniture piece. Keep the background palette in mind while choosing the colour tone. To achieve a harmonious and calm space, make sure that various elements complement each other, even if they belong to different styles,” say Monica and Hardesh Chawla of Essentia Environments.

                                           

A Comfortable Couch

A stylish couch or a lounger with ample proportions ensuring comfort, is a perfect choice for a living room, in a medium to large size home. You can choose to accessorise it with cushions and throws. Sectional sofas work well for small apartments and studios. “A sectional sofa is a must for the living room. It is compact in size yet comfortable, and is appropriate for both formal and informal gatherings. Apart from being functionally efficient, it is also cost-efficient,” say Priyanka Khanna and Rudraksh Charan of 42mm.

A large comfortable sofa is one of the most important purchases you need to make for your home

A Soft-Edged Bed

Always choose a bed that is ergonomically designed so that you can have a good night’s rest after a busy day. An ideal bed is one that is fully upholstered and does not have any hard edges. A bed equipped with a storage unit doubles its purpose, making it more suitable for compact apartments. “Avoid having delicate finishes to your bed as it will be hard to maintain and will soon start showing the run-down,” says designer Aparna Kaushik.