Essentials To Consider Before You Start Refurnishing Your Home

If you are considering refurnishing your home but are wondering where to start, don’t worry you are not alone. Designing your home can take time, especially if you don’t know exactly what you want. It can be hard to decide what to do first and what the most important things are to consider, not at least choosing the right style and make of furniture that is right for you. There are color schemes, what will you keep and what will you need and how will your ideas actually fit in the space that you have?

Homewareinsider.co.uk is a good place to start if you are comparing items and want to find the best deals, but there are other things you should consider too. Here are some of the essentials to consider before you start refurnishing your home.  

Choose a color scheme

Before you start buying items and choosing wallpaper you need to consider the course scheme of the whole house. Although you might think decorating room by room is fine, you need the whole house to flow without vast contrasts in style and color.

Deciding on a color scheme will allow you to choose complementary colors and accents that give each room its unique feel and look. Choosing colors is not only about what you like to look at but how it makes you feel too. There are warming or cooling tones, relaxing and vibrant. You may, for example, want to choose more relaxing tones for your bedroom or more striking colors for your dining area.

Of course, you can mix it up a little depending on your individual style. But colors that compliment and flow will make your home a more enjoyable and livable space. You will be living there so make sure it is something you are happy with seeing every day.

Make use of your space

When you add bits of furniture here and there, make additions and move things around you are not always making the best use of the space that you have. If you are starting again from scratch and completely refurbishing, you can make sure the items you choose to make the best use of your space.

Let’s face it all rooms are not just square boxes and differences in the shape and size of rooms can add to the charm. Of course, nooks and different shapes can cause some difficulty when choosing furniture. The best thing to do it to take measurements and find pieces that you love that will fit in the space you have. A bookcase in a nook, a lamp in a dark corner. Make the best use of the character of your rooms.

Remember though, you don’t have to fill a room with furniture. Sometimes living space can make your room look better and deliberate spaces give your living space a roomier feel.

Pick your key items

You may already have some favorite pieces you want to put in each room or perhaps you need some inspiration. Picking key, focal items will make it easier for you to build your room around them and give you the best idea for style or theme.

Key items could be a fireplace focal point in the living room, a beautiful headboard for the bedroom or even smaller pieces such as an antique lamp. Once you have your best pieces to build from, your rooms will start to take shape and you will know which direction you want to go with the rest of the furnishings.

Alternatively, you could have a unique item that is not in keeping with the rest of the decor to give your room a quirky feel. This is great to know, especially if you have fallen in love with something that really doesn’t go with the rest of your planned theme.

Remember to use light

Natural light is essential in living spaces but depending on the layout of your home, it may be difficult to take advantage of this. Look at your rooms carefully and see where you can use natural light to brighten and enhance the feature of the room.

Make sure you don’t block out light with large furnishings and choose your window coverings carefully making sure you can make the most of the light when you want to.

Are you going to need blinds to change the intensity of the light in the kitchen or are heavier window coverings needed such as sashes or thick curtains in the bedroom? Knowing where you will need more light will help you when choosing how you use the light in the room.

If you have a dark room with little natural light you should choose light colors in furnishings. You should also choose good alternative light sources around the room to keep it bright and give an airy feel.

How many soft furnishings

This can be a hot topic, too many can look a little crowded but too little can make a home appear cold and uninviting. Of course, the use of soft furnishings is down to personal taste but there are still some thoughts everyone should consider.

Choose colors and textures that complement and contrast the room decoration. Cushions and throws in accent colors are a lovely way to bring the whole room together. A rug on a hard floor is also a lovely way to make a cold looking room appear homelier and inviting, especially if it is of a contrasting texture such as thick wool or pile.

Think outside the box and look at other rooms in the house too. Rugs and towels in the bathroom and even tea towels you use in the kitchen can give the room a different style when the colors and fabrics are carefully considered.

Invest in quality furniture

If you are spending a lot of time and effort styling and refurnishing your home, you don’t want to have to repeat the process in a few years time because your furniture is tired and dated. Investing in some high quality, classically styled furniture will mean the pieces will stand the test of time.

When considering high priced items, you need to think about how often you use it and how long it will last. For example, if you sit on a sofa or chair every day, you should make sure you invest in a comfortable item that you will enjoy using day in day out, as well as looking stylish in your home.

This is the same when it comes to beds, dining tables and chairs and other large items. Investing in great quality items will save you time and money in the long run so choose your items carefully.

Are you ready to refurnish your home?

Hopefully, these tips have given you plenty to think about before you start renovating and redesigning your home. There is a lot to think about but once you get it right you will be glad you have spent the time to consider all the options before making those final decisions. How will you refurnish your place to make it the home you have always dreamed of?

Photos – Katie Ardner