Furniture: Save or Splurge? Quick Guide to Furniture Purchasing

My good friend Maria Viola-Kutruff, ASID is a fabulous interior designer. We met while I was building my past event event design showroom and office. Maria was intrumental in maing the space functional and beautiful.

She truly has a wonderful eye, taste,  and knows instinctively just what is the best end-result.

I asked Maria to collaborate and share a common problem when decorating. Her idea, “Save or Splurge” was one we all face and most often could use an expert voice like Maria’s to navigate through the decisions.

Here is how you can see more of Maria’s wonderful designs

• Web: Viola Interior Designs
• Instagram: @violainteriordesign

From Maria:

Save or Splurge? A quick guide to furniture purchasing. . .

First and foremost you want to make a worthwhile investment in your home and the furniture in your home. Many people underestimate the positive effect a beautiful interior space (and its contents) has on your mental and emotional well-being. Surrounding yourself with things you love and that you enjoy seeing and using every day, makes your home a respite and a place where you want to spend time.

With so many options for furniture, how do you decide what and where to buy for your home? What is worth spending more (or less) on? 

An easy method to guide you is to invest in the pieces that will get the most use in your home. Typically, it is the sofa and coffee table in your great room, your everyday dining table, your kitchen chairs and stools, and your mattress. These are the items most of our clients use every day, yet they want them to look nice and be durable. High-quality fabrics, hardwood frames, hand-tied construction, and premium fill cushions are all clues that your upholstered pieces are worth your dollars. Bench made tables with proper attention to joinery (whether wood or metal) and quality surfaces should be on your checklist for the tables mentioned above. 

Also, a good rule of thumb is that anything with drawers that you will use on a regular basis (think primary bedroom dressers) are worth the investment! No one likes to struggle when opening or closing drawers or worry that a large drawer is going to fall out and injure someone. Look for internal glides and rails, dovetail or mortise and tenon joinery and hardwood construction. The steps the manufacturer takes to apply the finish (whether it be stained or painted) is also a big clue as to whether they make a good product with attention and care.

Secondary pieces like end tables, decorative lamps, and whimsical accessories are the areas where you can spend a bit less. These are pieces that don’t typically get a lot of wear and tear. They are also pieces where you can be a bit trendier and therefore swap out in a few years.

Area rugs can fall into both categories. If you want a few trendy rugs that you only need to last a couple of years, then an inexpensive option is fine. However, if you want a timeless piece that cleans well, wears well and feels wonderful then you have to spend some money. You will want quality wool (not all wools are created equal) that is handwoven or hand-knotted and purchased at a rug showroom (versus a big box store). 

Finally, if there is a really unique, artisan-made piece of furniture that will serve as a focal point in a room then it is going to be worth the investment. Often these are the pieces that start a conversation and have a special story associated with them, so they are great for gathering spaces!

Here are a few images of some of Maria’s projects. For a full range of her recent interior design follow her on Instagram

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