Where to spend when furnishing your home

March 12, 2024

As much as we’d love to spend on everything, few people are able to furnish a home with an unlimited budget. So, the question is — with all the choices available — where is it best to spend? And where is a bit more restraint appropriate?

The answer to these questions is not the same for all our clients because some have specific preferences where the quality of a certain element is really meaningful to them. For example, for a client who loves to throw dinner parties, the dining chairs must be high quality and super comfortable as they will spend long evenings around the table. In this case, perhaps the sideboard may not have to be as much of a spend as the chairs.

Here are 4 factors to consider when deciding where to dream big versus where to spend more modestly.

1. Spend on items that will provide comfort

Think about this in terms of where you sit or sleep. These are pieces that should be high quality, ergonomically designed and if possible, custom made for you. Your bed and bedding, dining chairs, and sofa would all fall into this category.

When well made, investment in these types of furnishings, will give you a great return as they will be built to last and provide comfort for years.

2. Spend on items that have permanence.

For a renovation project, spend on areas of greater permanence that are costly to change later, and be more moderate in areas where making changes is an easier undertaking. This means spending on high quality hardwood floors, and not spending lavishly on a wall to wall bedroom broadloom that has a limited life. Why? Because there is a great deal of expense and labor involved with changing hardwood flooring if you were to decide to do it down the road. But wall to wall broadloom can be changed much more easily, and at a fraction of the labour cost. Another example might be to invest in high quality stone countertops, and choose a more moderate backsplash tile. A backsplash can be changed out much more easily than countertops.

3. Spend more on the items that get the greatest use.

When it comes to furnishings, we put more strain on some items than others. We always suggest investing well in high-traffic areas and in high-use items. In a typical family room, a sofa takes a lot of beating. The whole family, including the cat and dog, pummel the sofa daily. Even when very careful, sofas can get beat up. But a TV cabinet or console table are rarely touched. So, investing in a high quality family room sofa that resists wear and tear is a wise investment.

We also recommend splurging on a beautiful area rug when possible. The investment up front will ensure you don’t need to buy a replacement within a short period of time and it is often the jumping off point in a room design.

For tables, bookcases, and storage furniture that only receive more occasional use (hence why they are called occasional pieces), we may choose items that are good looking, but lower priced. This is especially true in less used spaces, like a guest room or den.

4. Spend on items that make a statement, or are focal points.

Spend money on items that have a high visual impact. This might include a beautiful fireplace surround in the great room or some beautiful original art or stunning window treatments in your living room or bedroom. Conversely, spaces that aren’t used daily, and aren’t in the most public spaces of the home may be better approached with economy in mind. I like to consider the pain points of my clients. Where are they spending a lot of time - kitchen, laundry room, living room? While it may not be a public room, if you spend a lot of time there, they are often the spaces that warrant investment.

Another approach to this strategy equates to stunning jewellery layered on top of a simple black dress. Choose more moderately priced cabinetry, but add stunning cabinet hardware (drawer and door pulls). Something we also love to do is add in great lighting to elevate a space.

The term “Value Engineering” is used often in interior design; it’s the process of removing excess costs from a design while still preserving a high aesthetic and maximum functionality. We do this often for our clients by saving in areas that don’t have as much impact, and investing in the areas that make the most sense. This approach ensures our clients invest wisely in their home and that they will enjoy it for years to come.

Want to learn more about working together? We’d love to help. Reach out to set up a virtual discovery call at https://www.yassein.com/contact.html .