When it comes to decorating a space, its hard to know where to begin. We’ve said it a lot here, but the HOUSEWORKS team is really great at helping you design and choose items that will really elevate your space; however, before you come in, it’s best to do a little bit of homework first.
Before you even head out to peruse and shop for furniture, we highly recommend putting together a little Home Kit first.
We see it all the time. Customers come in, fall in love with some furniture pieces, but they then have to come back because they didn’t bring all they needed in order to make the final choice.
HOUSEWORKS suggests these seven items to put into your home kit and then you’re ready to shop with us:
Paint swatches. Bring in swatches of your main wall colors and any accent colors you have in the room. Dustin, Sales Manager at Houseworks, suggests that when painting a room, take some extra paint or popsicle sticks, and stick it in the paint. Keep those on hand for instances like these. That way you get the exactly paint color and sheen used in your space. If you didn’t plan ahead, a standard swatch will work just fine.
Textures. Bring in any rug or pillow textured samples you have. Or any swatches you have of existing furniture that you plan on working with in the same room. This can be a leather swatch, or an extra piece from your reupholstered existing furniture.
Stone and Tile Samples. What tile or stone is around the fireplace, entry, or perhaps visible through the kitchen with an open floor plan? While you might be designing a living room, if its open and visible to the kitchen, you’ll want a cohesive look.
Metals. Do you have visible metals in the cabinet, sconces or perhaps a fireplace surround? Bring those samples you have too.
Flooring. While most flooring can be worked around, some have undertones that can effect what pieces might look best in the space. It’s best to bring any floor samples you have in your home so we can get a great picture of the space.
Pictures. Take some photos of the space. This will help us visualize the layout and flow of the room.
Measurements. This is perhaps the most important (and most forgotten) piece. Always bring in measurements, or even do a rough blueprint style sketch on paper and bring that in. From there, we can work with various layouts in store to help you get exactly what you’re looking for.
Toss all of these samples in your bag or car. That way they’re always with you when you are shopping for furniture. It takes the guess work out and makes it so much easier to get it JUST RIGHT.