How to buy the right furniture for your living room

At The Room Place we aren't here to just sell furniture. We actually want to get to know our customers and help them find the perfect piece or pieces of furniture for their home and lifestyle. We realize that shopping for furniture can be stressful, but it can also be extremely fun provided you know what you want as well as what you need. At The Room Place we take pride in being your neighborhood furniture store for over 100 years now. Quality, value and fantastic service aren't just buzz words for us.

Here are some tips on how to pick out the right furniture for your living room.

• First you need to look at the room as a whole. What do you use it for?
  • Is the room used for movie night? How about kids jumping around? Pets? or is this room just going to be a formal room to occasionally entertain company?

These are all great question that will help you start to narrow down the living room furniture that you should buy. Below are some of the answers to these questions.

• Furniture for movie night and just hanging out.
  • You should really look for something that is comfortable and stain resistant since you will probably be drinking a soda and eating popcorn, right??.. Keep in mind you can always purchase fabric and leather protection at any of our stores or online.
• Young children running around means your furniture will see a lot more use and wear.
  • Make sure you buy living room furniture that is durable and well made.
  • You may want to stay away from electronic motion sofas, sectionals and love seats. Children tend to love pushing buttons!
  • You will definitely want fabric protection for living room furniture being used by small children.
  • Look for sofa cushions that are removable and not attached to the backs or sides of the couch, sectional or love seat. Kids will jump on, over and into the furniture often putting stress on the seam connecting back cushions to the sofa backs.
• Allowing pets near or on the living room furniture.
  • Again you will want fabric protection for your sofa, loveseat, sectional or chair.
  • Fabric choice is key here. If you go with leather you can just wipe down the cushions to clean or get pet hair off. However, going with upholstered furniture you will get hair and stains that will need to be vacuumed as well as cleaned often.
    • As long as your pet doesn't claw or scratch at your furniture you may want to consider leather or faux leather furniture for the ease of maintenance. .If you do decide on upholstered furniture than consider purchasing furniture that has removable cushions where the fabric can actually be removed from the cushion and laundered. (please check your fabric care instructions here).
• Formal rooms for entertaining and sitting.
  • These are the easiest to pick out. Just look at the room. How much space do you have? Do you want your room to be Traditinal or Contemporary in designs?
    • You don't want to over crowed the room. Or worse, buy something that doesn't fit at all. If you have limited space you may want to measure. Come into the store with measurements in hand.
    • Look for your style. Is the room or decor eclectic, contemporary or traditional?
    • Leather tends to look more formal but isn't always as comfortable as a plush upholstered furniture. You often have to balance look vs. feel.
      • You can find sofa, love seats and sectionals at The Room Place that have both leather or Faux Leather and Upholstery. This kind of furniture will give you a more formal look with the comfort of plush cushioning.

What is important when looking for living room furniture is to really know that there is a fine balance between needs and wants. Shopping for furniture can be overwhelming with all the different styles, fabrics and designs. It will definitely help you make a better decision if you can ask yourself some basic questions like the ones above. When you shop at The Room Place you will find sales associates that are happy to answer your questions and help you pick out the best furniture for your home.