Design Tips for Ordering Furniture

Rule #1.) Make sure you can get it inside.

Will it fit through the front door or up the stairs? What are the dimensions of the item? Measure it and make sure it will fit through any exterior door and any interior doors to the room it is designated for.

Make sure there is a planned route for the delivery person or yourself to bring the item inside. This will save last minute hassles and fit problems

Rule #2.) Measure Measure Measure.

Will this furniture piece overwhelm or complement the room size?
For example, a seven foot by forty two inch dining does not fit well in a ten foot room. It will be out of proportion to the room and the seating arrangement would not be comfortable. There would only be eighteen inches at each end of the table for chairs. A better choice here might be a sixty inch round table.

(We can't tell you how many seven foot dining tables one store we worked for had returned because it was the size they photographed in their catalog. The number one reason customers gave for returning the item was that it was too large for their space.)

Here are a few tips to make sure the piece is not oversized for the room.

A.) If you need a visual reference for size, try this one. Using blue painter's masking tape; tape the dimensions out on the floor. This will give you a rough estimate of how much space the piece will actually take up. We provide all the sizing for each item.

B.) Use graph paper and draw out the dimensions of the room. Fill in with your existing items and any new pieces. We recommend using one to two squares per foot.

Rule #3.) Coordinate the colors you are using in a room and order fabric swatches first to make sure the colors and fabrics all work together.

It may look like it matches on line but may not match at all in person. Even if the color is the same name and from the same company, different fabrications (different fabrics, different dye lots, metal, glass, paints) can all be slightly off and not match; a light blue can be too minty in one swatch and look slightly more blue in another.

A basic decorating rule is to use no more than three main colors in a room; think walls, floors and large upholstered pieces. Accent with one to two colors to make your presentation pop. Remember to keep it clean and not cluttered. This does not mean you can't put in more colors just use them sparingly.

Here are a few tips to make sure the piece is not oversized for the room.

A.)Get some graph paper and draw out the dimensions of the room. We suggest a square or two per foot. Measure the furniture items you will be using and draw in their dimensions in the room on your graph sheet. Is there space to move comfortably in the room? Is there room to pull out a chair?

B.) If you need more of a visual reference try this one. Take newspaper, brown paper bags, or any large paper or cardboard box and recreate the size of the item for the room using the two largest dimensions by taping the papers together. This will give you a rough estimate of how much space the piece will actually take up.