A Quick Guide to Choosing Furniture for Your Living Room (or any Room in Your Home)

Whether you plan on living alone or moving to another place with your family, furnishing your home is an important task that could make or break your experience living there.

• 

Not only will it be the first thing you notice when you arrive after a long day, but the living room will also be a place everyone will spend time in, whether they’re guests or family members. So when you choose what furniture to get, it’s important that it works for everyone.

Here’s how you can start choosing the right furniture for your home (no matter how big or small):

Making Plans

Start by draw up a rough sketch of your living room and measuring its dimensions using a tape measure. This will help you visualize the type of furniture you want for your living room.

This should also be the part where you start checking and measuring your doorways – the last thing you want to happen is when your shelves or tables can’t even fit through the door.

• 

Know the Basics

You’ll find that the following pieces of furniture are standard and coordinated in practically every household in Singapore:

• Sofa – This is perhaps the biggest piece in your living room that seats multiple people, but if your space is rather small for a large sofa (or if a sofa can’t fit through your door), you can go for a loveseat instead.
• Armchair – Armchairs are the smaller sofas. They can seat one, but have the same comfort.
• Tables (coffee and side) – Tables do more than just keep the food off the floor – they can also be centerpieces that will draw anyone’s attention.

Other side pieces you can include in your living room include ottomans and additional tables, which can last you a long time if you choose to put in the extra cash for a high quality investment.

Furniture, Stains, and You

No matter how old or well-coordinated you are, it’s only a matter of time until you spill or make a stain on the furniture – and the same can be said for everyone sitting on your chairs or ottomans.

But the good news is that cleaning them doesn’t have to be so difficult. High-quality materials make you feel more comfortable and are far more durable than regular fabrics. Even if you’re not living with young children or pets, a high-quality investment can last you a long time.

• 

Style vs. Function

Perhaps the most important question you will ask yourself is whether you should go for aesthetics or practicality when you’re choosing furniture for your home. When your budget is tight, this question becomes even more important.

But the good news is that you don’t have to compromise one for the other. As long as you’re willing to take the time to look (or buy them piecemeal instead of buying them all at once), you can work your way towards making your home look the way you’ve always wanted.