Get the Most Bang for Your Buck

I often have clients who want to purchase furniture on their own, but they aren't sure where to start. They have questions on how large the couch should be, how many chairs will fit in, what if they buy too much furniture to fit in, etc.

Here's what we recommend for our clients. We will come out to measure their room (s) and then draw it up on graph paper. Then, we will arrange different room arrangements featuring an assortment of furniture shapes and sizes.

The client gets a feel for how they'd like the room to look, and then they are armed to go into the stores knowing they are looking for a 72"couch and two side chairs, etc.

You can do this yourself as well. Measure your rooms length and width and graph it out on graph paper. (You can have each square on the graph paper represent one foot). Then, look up some furniture on line (try http://www.roomandboard.com) (this is a really great furniture website) and note the sizes and even styles of furniture you like. You can make your furniture samples on graph paper and then arrange it on your floor plan.

It's a great tool for visualizing your space and knowing what can fit. That way, you are getting the right amount of furniture-the best bang for your buck!

Invest in Your Home

This is a volitile time in the housing market and with the threat of a recession on the horizon, this is a wonderful time to stay put and invest in your home. We're finding that with many of our clients at this time. They are deciding to stay put, and upgrade their homes. We're doing a variety of things from elaborate window designs, to sumptuous bedrooms. It's a time to find comfort in your home, and that is what we always recommend-your home should be a reflection of you and should provide all the comforts to make it your own special oasis. That can be accomplished by other ways as well, new paint in fresh, lovely colors is a relatively inexpensive way to really change the look of your home. Re-arranging the furniture to reflect the immediate needs of your family is another great way. For instance, a dining room doesn't have to be used as a dining room. Maybe it would serve better to be an office or library. Or the seldom used "formal living room" that you have only because you grew up with one? Why not use that part of your home for everyday living? Re-arrange that to be your actual "living room" and really live in it. We recommend using more of your home's square footage to actaully live in on a daily basis, rather than for those once a year family get-togethers. So, in doing changes like these, you are invsting in your home and making it yours! Enjoy!