Whether you need a change of scene or out of need, replacing furniture at home is a fun and tiring process. Don’t worry, though, because it can be rewarding at the end of it all.
When thinking of revamping a space, there are a few things you need to consider. You will need to let go of the old to make room for the new. You need to think about your goals or go through Pinterest and home magazines to gain inspiration. There’s also the dirty work of measurements, clean up, transportation, etc–not to mention there’s a budget.
Decide What to Do with Old Furniture
Now, you have chairs, tables, shelves, etc. waiting to be disposed of. For this, you have several options available, as long as you stay honest about the condition and/or issues of the product.
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Donate
You might think these pieces of furniture don’t have value to you, but they can be extremely useful to other people. There are organizations all over the country that accept furniture donation and free pick-up to save you the hassle.
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Sell
Selling is another good option because it can help you cover the expenses of purchasing new furniture. You can post it online, commission a reseller, or have a garage sale. You’ll be surprised by the interesting people you meet.
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Give it away
You might have friends or relatives who moved to a new apartment or recently moved out. Consider contacting people you know who might need furniture and lend them some of your old ones.
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Throw it away
Of course, nobody wants to harm anyone. If the piece of furniture is beyond saving or using it can cause injury, its best to dispose of it.
Set Your Vision
Why are you replacing furniture? What do you want the space to look like after this? Perhaps, you want to trade antiques for a more modern, rustic feel. You might also want to exercise your handyman skills and DIY it all.
Whatever the reason, it’s necessary to be ready for the process. If you want to get crafty, make sure your tools are complete. It would help to contact your wood contractor and your steel supplier. This way, realizing you don’t have a spare part won’t interrupt your workflow.
If you’re going for a change of style, think about your walls and floors as well. Does it match the modernizing of your home? Matching every aspect of the room makes the interior design coherent.
Know Your Measurements
Remember the episode of Friends where Ross goes crazy screaming “Pivot!”? You wouldn’t want that to happen to you. One, it’s a waste of effort, energy, and money. Two, it’s not practical to destroy a perfect piece of furniture, especially when you could have done something to avoid it.
That something is measuring.
When measuring, it’s best to take note of it in a notepad or on your phone. This way, you can do it in one go and have a copy of the measurements when you reach the furniture shop. You can also save the list for future purposes.
The following are the most important measurements:
- Doors and passageways: This is integral to the transportation process, so it’s best to buy furniture that is a few inches smaller.
- Dimensions of the room: Width, length, diagonal measurement, and height. These will ensure that everything you buy fits the room however you want to arrange it.
- Windows to the floor: This will avoid furniture from covering the windows.
- From doors/windows to the corner of the room: This guarantees that nothing will block the door or exceed to the window area.
Think: Functionality
You’ve done the preparations, and it’s time to head to the furniture store. You look around, and you find some beautiful things–just exactly the pieces you were envisioning. Somewhere, in this period of amazement, you could get lost in the pretty things.
When this happens, you can think about the purpose of the object in your space. How does it contribute to the room and how to picture out the room to feel? It’s important to think about functionality simply because of practicality. There might be not enough room to fit everything, or there’s a more suitable piece for you. Most of all, there are still the constraints of the budget.
After all these steps, the goal is to have a room that resonates with your style and personality. It’s a new room to make new memories in. They’re now part of your home. Hopefully, the whole process was cathartic and helpful in gaining new insights with regard to interior design.
