How To Choose Quality Home Furnishings For Your First House

Congratulations! You just bought your first house. Now, to make it your own with quality  home furnishings and decor that reflect your style.

Priorities, priorities, priorities

You’ve got a whole new house to furnish, so where do you start? It might be overwhelming to figure out how you are going to decorate every room in your new home, so begin by making a priority list and setting a budget. You don’t have to do the whole place at once, so make a plan and have fun making your house a home.

Spend your money where you spend your time

Start in the room where you will spend the most time, and for most people, that’s the bedroom. It’s the room where you begin and end your day, so having a quality bedroom suite that you love will make a big impact on your life. Look for quality hardwood pieces, like maple, oak or cherry, with solid wood construction, and avoid particle board, resins and veneers that can chip or peel. Dovetail joints, which last much longer than staples and glue, is another tip off that you’re looking at a piece that will stand the test of time. Also, look for drawer glides and stops on dressers, and make sure the drawers slide easily and fit nicely when pushed in.

A quality set will be a bit of an investment, but for something that most people keep for years, it makes sense to invest in quality pieces. Be sure to get all the pieces you want when you buy your suite. Styles change, and if you want to add a nightstand or chest of drawers later, you might not be able to find the same set. With a bedroom suite, it’s easy and inexpensive to change up the look with a new duvet and pillows or other room accessories, so it will stay part of your home for many years.

Living spaces

When you are ready to furnish your living room, start with a great looking neutral sofa or sectional. Be sure

your new space first-- a common mistake first-time homeowners make is buying too large a piece for their home. Good quality upholstered furniture will have a hardwood frame, and a high-quality fabric that wears well and resists stains and spills.

Look for a sofa with cushions that can be flipped to maximize wear. Putting your budget toward a good quality sofa or sectional is a good choice because that’s a piece that will really show the stress of use. Who wants a sofa with a sagging frame, cushions that won’t hold shape, and fabric with pills and snags? So make sure you start with quality home furnishings. If you can’t afford to furnish the whole room, get the sofa now, and you can easily add a side chair, or cocktail table later.

Stretching Your Dollar

If you are like most first-time home buyers, your budget is a little tight. So how do you stretch your dollar so you can afford to furnish your new home? Sign up for

and you’ll know when we’ve got some good financing offers and sales coming. And look for our big sale dates, like Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Black Friday, so you get the best bang for your buck.

can help make good quality home furnishings, like a bedroom suite, affordable, and it will still be in good shape when you are finished with the payments. We can help you work out a payment plan that fits your budget. My mom gave me some great advice when I was young. She said, if you don’t have a lot of money, you can’t afford to buy cheap things. Focus on the quality, not the quantity, and you won’t buy and replace the same piece in three years.

Other tips from Grand experts

Everything doesn’t have to match. As a matter of fact, even dining room tables and chairs are being mixed these days--a painted chair with a wood-stain table, for instance. So, unless it’s a bedroom set where you do want your pieces to match, don’t worry about getting all the pieces to a room group at once. Mix iron and wood, fabric textures and colors and create a look you love. Not sure how to do it? Talk to one of Grand’s design consultants, they’ll be happy to help.

Buy furniture that will grow with your family. If you are buying a dining room set, look for a table that can expand, with extra leaves, or a drop leaf, so that it fits in your room now, but can make the move from your starter home to your next home. Good quality furnishings will grow with you. With some easy DIY work, your old apartment furniture or the gift from Uncle Fred’s attic can work in your new home. Get out some wood cleaner and polish up that table or consider a coat of paint to make a hand-me-down look like a unique heirloom. Slipcovers come in hundreds of colors and patterns so you can camouflage a side chair and make it the perfect accent to your new sofa.

Try to avoid the impulse buy and stick to your plan. That’s where Grand design consultants can be a huge help. We can help you plan out your room so you know what’s going to work now and which pieces you can add later when your budget, or your family, expands. Finally, have fun furnishing and decorating your first house and don’t forget about Grand’s 30-day in home satisfaction guarantee. If you don’t like your furniture once you get it in your new home, you can exchange it or get a refund for 30 days. It takes the worry out of buying quality home furnishings, knowing that you’re going to have something you love and that works well in your space or you can change it out. Don’t you wish everything came with a guarantee?

This is part of an on-going series about quality home furnishings, written by Tammy Young, one of Grand’s Store Managers and an expert in quality furniture. If you have questions/comments for Tammy, or to schedule some time with one of our design consultants, please email QualityExpert@grandhomefurnishings.com.