Purchasing furniture can be a long and overwhelming process, especially if you are unsure what you want. Furniture shopping in person or online may be fun when seeing different styles and patterns, but it is important to avoid distraction to avoid regret. Shopping for furniture requires attention to detail, patience, and a strict budget. This blog will share the best dos and don’ts of furniture shopping to give you confidence when purchasing new furniture pieces.

Do Measure Everything Before Purchasing

The most important step when looking for new furniture is to measure your space, old furniture, and the new pieces you are considering. Measuring the interior space will ensure that any piece you choose fits comfortably. Write down your measurements or keep them in your phone while furniture shopping to avoid making a costly mistake. Having the measurements with you helps you to find a perfectly tailored piece for the specific room while in-person furniture shopping. 

Don’t Feel Forced Into A Style

Trends and styles can dominate home style magazines, furniture stores, and home decor, making everyone switch to the latest trends so their home feels more modern. When furniture shopping, it is important to keep your personal style in mind and choose a chair, couch, bed frame, or other piece that will continue to speak to you. Don’t feel forced into a specific color or style by a seller or because you see it everywhere online, especially if you are on a budget.

Do Shop Online And In-Store

Limiting your options when furniture shopping is one mistake you want to avoid. Shopping online and in-store will help you find the best deal, the highest quality furniture, and potentially find a company you continue to come back to. Even in-person stores that have online catalogs may feature deals or unique products that are only available to online shoppers. Looking at similar pieces from different retailers may help you find an option that is more affordable, in a more appealing color, or that can be delivered sooner. 

Don’t Expect Everything To Get Delivered Immediately

Once you pick out a new furniture piece, you may be excited to see it inside your new home the next day. Furniture may not be able to be delivered for at least a week, so you will have to wait to set up the rest of your room and decor. Depending on where you purchase your furniture from, they may have a backlog of customers waiting for furniture delivery, which could mean your pieces don’t get delivered for months. Don’t get rid of your old furniture too soon to avoid sleeping or sitting on the floor.

Do Ask Questions

Furniture shopping can be confusing, so when shopping in-person make sure to ask questions to a knowledgeable employee. If you don’t understand a certain type of furniture or how a certain fabric will wear over time, asking these questions can help you choose an option that will last you for years to come. Ask questions about materials, durability, trends, delivery times, or assembly before purchasing a piece. Not all furniture stores have employees who make commission, so don’t be afraid to work with them and learn about the pieces you are really interested in.

Don’t Sacrifice Functionality For Style

While aesthetics matter for your home, you shouldn’t sacrifice comfort and functionality for style when it comes to furniture. A modern concrete chair may look visually appealing, but it won’t be comfy to sit on. A beautiful leather couch may look great staged in the store, but may not be functional with pets or children. Ask yourself if its looks are worth the impracticalities or comfort before purchasing. 

Furniture Shopping At Sugar House Furniture

Sugar House Furniture offers quality furniture pieces that are built to last. No matter your style, we have large pieces and accessories to complement your home. Our in-store options are similar to our online offerings, but we encourage you to check out both places to find the option that best suits your needs. 
We have been offering handcrafted furniture since 1985 to upgrade the look of your living room, bathroom, bedroom, office, and entertainment spaces. If you are looking for solid wood furniture, our locally owned furniture store is the place to go. Visit our store in Sugar House or give us a call at (801) 485-3606 to ask any questions you may have.

While most furniture pieces that are crafted with care will last for many years, they may begin to look outdated. There are many reasons to upgrade old furniture, including to fit your home design, modernize a piece passed down to you from a family member, or resell for a higher price. Updating parts of the furniture piece can make it look more modern without changing the integrity of the piece. From new hardware to updated paint colors, there are many ways to transform your old furniture.

If you want to update your furniture, here are some ways to tackle your first upcycling project. Changing up your current furniture pieces can be a great passion project and new skill to save our world from further waste. Especially if you have quality built furniture, upgrading old furniture is a worthwhile project.

Upgrade The Hardware

One of the easiest ways to upgrade an old piece of furniture is to change out the hardware. Upgrading to a more modern shape or style, or painting the existing hardware, is an easy way to make a piece more modern with minimal work. The hardware on your furniture goes through a lot of wear, so it will often be the first thing needing replacement. Updating hardware can not only improve the functionality of the piece but also its overall aesthetic. Brushed-metal handles or simple design handle pulls are best for a modern hardware upgrade. 

Restain Or Repaint

Another common way to change up the style of your furniture is to re-stain or re-paint the piece. Painting and staining are most often done on wood furniture, but other materials can be painted to fit your home’s color scheme. Especially for older pieces, stripping away peeling paint and applying a new coat is a great way to upgrade old furniture, giving it new life.

Many people may be scared to paint a furniture piece in an unnatural color, but some pieces can really shine with a bright color. Especially for non-wooden furniture, painting in a bold color can make a great conversation starter or focal point for the room. 

Convert An Infrequently Used Piece Into Something More Usable

Some furniture pieces are used less than others, especially if you live alone or don’t have many personal items. Unused pieces like chairs or an armoire can be used as extra wood or converted into something more useful for your home. Instead of buying a new piece, reusing and redesigning a furniture piece will reduce waste, preventing it from ending up in a landfill.

Some conversion options include:

• Convert a cabinet into a bar
• A dresser into a sink vanity
• Use an old door as a coffee-table top
• Large table into a kitchen island
• Make an ottoman into a low table

Add Upholstery

Another common way to change up your furniture is to change out the upholstery. Changing up the fabric on couches, chairs, or barstools is a great way to show your personality or have all your upholstery match throughout the home. Before reupholstering a furniture piece, make sure you choose a fabric that is durable and able to withstand daily wear. Changing upholstery is a more labor-intensive process, requiring measurements, reinforcing the frame, and stretching the fabric for a tight fit.

Keep The Furniture’s Original Character

Even if you want to give your furniture new life, it is important to keep to the character of the original piece. Older furniture pieces carry a lot of character, which should be maintained when updating parts of the piece. Even if you change the coloring or purpose of a furniture piece, you can keep parts of its original character through carvings, color undertones, or hardware. If you want your piece to be unique, keep part of the original furniture while adding modern elements.

Quality Pieces From Sugar House Furniture

Sugar House Furniture offers mission-style furniture that is crafted out of solid wood. Our team wants you to find pieces that are able to be passed down for generations. Sugar House Furniture is a family-owned and operated company that has been providing office, bedroom, and living room furniture since 1985. Whether you are looking for a new bedroom set, durable desk, or home accessories, we have hundreds of pieces to fit your home design. Look through our catalog of tables, barstools, cabinets, nightstands, beds, bookcases, and bathroom vanities to find a piece that speaks to you.

Mission-style furniture has been around for over 150 years, having a prominent place in traditional-style homes for generations. Mission-style furniture can still be found in a variety of furniture stores, but is it out of style now? While more modern furniture styles are creeping into interior design practices, some homeowners prefer a more traditional and warm look. 

Handcrafted and well-designed furniture has remained popular throughout history, no matter what other trends are surrounding it. These characteristics can apply to mission-style furniture, but why is it still a top choice when so many other options are available on the market? Let’s take a look at how this furniture has maintained and will continue to maintain its popularity over the years. 

The Beginning Of Mission-Style Furniture Fame

The history of mission-style furniture is long and detailed, but after becoming popular in the 19th century, the furniture style has remained at the core of interior design for many years. During the Arts and Crafts movement, handcrafted furniture was seen as more appealing and better than manufactured pieces. Mission-style furniture offers basic design and function, which helps to serve a home in multiple ways. The name was based on the Spanish missionaries spreading through California as they enjoyed pieces like these that served a simple purpose while visiting homes on their missions.

Why This Timeless Design Is Still Popular

Hand-crafted and solid wood furniture is still popular today because of its durability and adaptability. While the simple style or carvings may not be everyone’s style, the durability and warm look of the pieces work well in a variety of homes and color schemes. Many homeowners prefer a sleek look when it comes to furniture pieces like coffee tables, bedframes, bookcases, and more. Mission-style furniture offers that to users while still being completely functional and comfortable. 

Other reasons these furniture pieces have remained in constant rotation include:

• Deep connection to history, has a story
• Heirloom quality for future generations
• Natural appeal and inviting design
• Versatility for different uses, home styles, and color schemes

Popular Mission-Style Furniture Pieces

There are many types of mission-style furniture on the market, including large pieces and smaller accessories. Large dining tables, coffee tables, chairs, hutches, dressers, bedframes, lamps, and desks can all be crafted in mission style to give your home a warm and inviting look.

Dressers and bedroom sets are a popular option for mission-style type furniture. A complete bedroom set can include a bedframe, dresser, vanity, and bedside tables. Using a natural look in the bedroom can help create a relaxing space where you can unwind after a long day. 

Upgrading your office furniture is another place where mission-style furniture can truly shine. Desks, bookshelves, filing cabinets, and office chairs can all be made in a handcrafted style, made to serve you for years, no matter what type of work you do. Mission-style desks and storage options will help you stay organized and comfortable when working long hours in a home office. 

Using Mission-Style Furniture In A Modern Home

When it comes to styling furniture, textiles, and art inside your home, creating contrast is the best way to mix different styles together cohesively. Mission-style furniture may look out of date when it isn’t placed or styled correctly, but there are many different ways to combine modern touches and more traditional furniture seamlessly. Modern homeowners can use a neutral color palette to help blend natural furniture pieces like chairs or coffee tables into the design. Art, rugs, and accessories can be more modern without looking out of place. 

Another good rule of thumb when it comes to mixing furniture styles is to remember that less is more. Keeping the design simple will prevent the space from becoming overwhelming and help quality pieces or focal points stand out. Modern functionalities like lift-top coffee tables, stainless steel appliances, or dimming lights will allow your home to seem modern, without uncomfortable or awkward furniture pieces.

Pieces From Sugar House Furniture

Sugar House Furniture is one of the biggest suppliers of mission-style furniture in Utah, offering pieces for every room in your home. Our team handcrafts each piece and often incorporates more ornate designs in pieces like bedframes and accessories. We want all homeowners to enjoy the luxury of quality pieces, without needing to spend a fortune.

Our pieces are built to last through many years and types of use, allowing them to be passed down through generations. Furniture pieces can help you strike the right balance between comfort and style, especially when you stick with mission-style pieces. No matter what your personal style is, mission-style furniture will be on trend for years to come. Sugar House Furniture has pieces in our showroom that you can take a look at and purchase on the spot. Visit our store in Sugar House, Utah, today!