Buying a New Sofa - What to Know First

What to Know Before Buying a New Sofa

As you begin your search for the right sofa, you have many factors to consider. You may think you are well informed until you reach the furniture store. Most salespeople at furniture stores are expert salespeople, not experts on furniture. You need some basic truths about sofa selection in order to get the right sofa for your room.


Almost every sofa can come in handy for a period of time. If you have a low budget and have an immediate need, you might choose a sofa that will last you for a short period of time. Be sure though, that you are willing to buy the lesser sofa in order to meet your immediate needs. Mediocre sofas will last you for at the most two years before the foam inside begins to sag and the fabric begins to fade. Is this worth even a cent of your money?

Instead, remember that you are making an investment in a sofa. The money you are putting into this sofa must be a sound investment, or you may lose more money in the long run by having to replace a substandard sofa. If you think of your sofa selection in this light, you will be able to make the best decision for your home. The four things to consider when choosing a sofa are your budget, the preferred quality, the desired appearance, and your room size.

Your budget is of great importance when it comes to the purchase of your sofa. While you should not waste your money on a mediocre sofa, you should also research the range of cost for a good sofa. If you decide that you are ready to put a large investment into your sofa, you are basically guaranteed to have a good quality sofa, with a custom appearance, and have it be the perfect size. If you want to save a little money, you can decide to sacrifice either quality, appearance, or size. The main idea is to know which one you are sacrificing by knowing the product. Most times, if you are getting too much of deal on a sofa, you can be sure that you are sacrificing either quality, appearance, or size. You have to choose your budget and know which factors are most important to you and your home.

When observing quality, you must know that quality is a variable word. What means quality to one store, will mean absolute rubbish to another. You must know about your product in order to define quality for yourself. Being aware of these following features will help you to ask the right questions when choosing a sofa.

Fabric Selection

When considering fabric selection, do they tell you what type of fabric is on the piece of furniture? If no information is provided on the fabric, what does this tell you about the quality of the fabric? If information is provided, is the type of fabric going to clean easily? Also, will it hold up after being sat on every day for four years? When a fabric has been tested for double rubs, the higher the amount of double rubs, the better the durability of the fabric.

Inside the Sofa

What type of foam is used in the backing and in the seating? Unless the foam is high density foam, it may sag within a year of purchase. If there are springs in the cushions, are they eight way hand tied? Springs are better than foam, but springs that are not tied well may become loose and cause an uncomfortable bulge in your sofa. The eight way hand tied springs are the best in sofa cushion padding.

Production

Where was the product manufactured? Overseas production can be less monitored for quality and are more likely to have manufacturing defects. Do they truly care about the product they are making? Some soft line goods are actually put together by hand not by machines. Do they stand by their products? The better companies producing sofas will actually guarantee the product against manufacturing defects and will replace or repair damaged products.

Each of these factors is important to consider when determining the quality of your sofa. Just asking informed questions of your salesperson will help them know that you are well informed and are looking for a sound investment. Some stores you will enter may have salespeople who cannot even answer the most elementary questions. You can then make the best decision and not give these second rate establishments your business. Mainly, you want to decide in advance what you believe to be quality and stand by that decision.

Another part of the sofa selection process is determining the desired appearance for your sofa. You have to decide whether you have a specific look for your room that you would like to attain, and decide whether you want to pay the money to get that look. Many furniture stores have furniture that comes in only one fabric, so you might find the fabric you want, but not the style. Or you could find the perfect style sofa, and it is in a drab fabric. You can get a neutral sofa and add accent pillows if you are trying to save money. Another option when choosing the appearance of your sofa is to go custom. Custom furniture stores will work with you to help you choose the fabric and style of your sofa. Though this option is likely to increase the price of the sofa, you may want to pay more to get the exact color, pattern, and style of sofa that you desire.

Finally, you must know what size sofa that you need before you start shopping. Salespeople will sell you the "perfect" sofa with "incredible quality" and "exactly" in your price range, and you get it back to your house and it looks like a giant compared to the other pieces in your room. Start by measuring the available floor space. Then, always consider the other pieces of furniture in the room. If you have delicate existing furniture and you come home with a monster sofa, your whole room will feel unbalanced. Also, if you have very substantial pieces of furniture and you come home with a pretty delicate sofa, the sofa may be dwarfed and seem to be out of place. Be sure to decide on the size of your sofa and not be sold on something too large or too small.

Finding the Perfect Sofa

Always know your budget, the quality you desire, the desired appearance, and your room size when you go shopping for your perfect sofa. Give yourself a range on your budget, and decide not to sacrifice quality. Find a good balance for the desired appearance and how much you would like to spend, and be creative. Finally, never forget your room size or the balance that you need to create the most attractive and functional living space. Happy shopping!

Unique Find: Empire Chest of Drawers



Unique Chest of Drawers at Antique Store



A little over a week ago, my husband and I were in Buena Vista, Virginia.  We love visiting the area because of the beautiful mountains, unique sites, and for all the wonderful antique stores in nearby Lexington.  During this past trip, we found a new antique store in downtown Buena Vista.

The store front used to be a local hardware store, but it had closed within the past few years.  The owner pulled up the linoleum in the store and discovered a beautiful hard wood floor underneath.  As we talked with him about his new venture, an antique store, he explained that a friend suggested that he put some furniture and glassware in the store and see if it sells.  What is the point of leaving an empty store front empty when waiting for it to sell?  My husband and I are more than thankful for his venture, because we were able to find the perfect chest of drawers to replace the small children's dresser that we were still using in our bedroom.

I saw it first.  I walked over to this substantial solid wood chest of drawers and could tell that it was an older piece.  I was the one who was supposed to find a dresser for myself, but this chest of drawers was a little to big and manly for my taste.  So I pointed the piece out to my husband and kept walking.

My husband walked over to the piece and fell in love.  He loved the hand cut dove tailed drawers, he loved the thick pieces of wood used for its construction, and he loved the spacious drawers.  When we looked at it together, we realized that the piece was constructed with cut nails and was definitely earlier than the 1900's.  One look at the price tag and we were hooked, this chest of drawers was coming home to Mississippi.

Let me tell you right now, when a piece of furniture is made right it is extremely heavy!  The interior of the drawers were made of pine, but the exterior was some other wood that definitely added to the weight.  With some difficulty, we loaded the chest of drawers into our truck and brought it inside for the night until the next day when we rented a U-haul trailer to tow behind the truck.

That night we did a little research.  The tag in the antique store had suggested that the chest of drawers was Empire style, so we had a good starting point.  When we began to research Empire style, we found that the style originated over in Europe.  However, this piece had nothing to do with the European Empire style.  This was actually an American Empire Style piece dating from around 1850 to 1860.  Typically, most American Empire furniture pieces were made with mahogany; therefore, we are pretty sure that we have identified the exterior wood on the piece.  The biggest difficulty in determining the type of wood used in the chest of drawers was in the fact that over the years the finish had formed a beautiful cracked texture over the entire piece.  Our new chest of drawers was an American Empire Chest of Drawers from the 1850's constructed with beautiful mahogany.

Comparison Shot:  Old versus New

The chest of drawers made the trip home with no trouble.  My husband was more than happy to replace the small children's dresser, which he had been using out of necessity, with an outstanding antique chest of drawers that more than doubled his storage space.  Though the piece is large, we were able to integrate it into our room across from our bed.  What a wonderful piece of furniture to wake up to every day!  I am truly in love with furniture and enjoy every day that brings me closer to filling my home with unique furniture finds!

Interior Design Advice for Tuesday

Question:

How do interior designers make their profit?  Will I pay the massive fees to use them, then high prices for the furniture they select?  I can't afford that kind of service!

Answer:

Different types of interior designers choose to make money in different ways.  There are mainly three ways an interior designer can make a profit (and a living!).  Each way has a different benefit for the designer and for the client.

Service Fees
The first way an interior designer can make a profit is by charging directly for her services.  She can charge upfront to assist with color section, furniture selection, and even drawing a floor plan.  This is often the most clear-cut way to charge in that both the interior designer and the client understand the cost involved.  Due to the profit being determined ahead of time, this can be a huge benefit for the client.  The interior designer is not trying to sell her own furniture and decor at a mark up and she will be more than happy to align to the client’s budget.  In addition, some designers have connections.  For the interior designer who does consultations and provides a buying service, that designer can actually purchase goods at cost and pass the savings to the client.  However, some interior designers do not charge for their services, but instead sell the client on their furniture and goods.

Mark-Up
An interior designer has the opportunity to develop accounts with furniture and home decor companies.  While this has a huge cost upfront, the interior designer who has already set up these accounts can make her money through selling these goods at a mark-up.  Instead of charging for her services, she will work with a client to develop their needs and then sell the client furniture and home decor from the companies with which she has accounts.  This can save the client from an upfront service fee, but the client is now unaware the interior designer's profit.  Most interior designers mark-up goods at least double if not triple the wholesale cost.  However, many designers sell specialty items not available in furniture and home decor stores.  Even with the mark-up, some interior designers are able to keep their products at a lower cost than retail stores.  In this way, a client benefits from the unique furniture and home decor and still saves money, while the interior designer makes a profit by cutting out the middle man.  Depending on the integrity of your interior designer, this can be a win-win situation.

Commission
Not all interior designers are fortunate enough to operate independently.  Many designers are employed by furniture companies, home decor stores, and even in specialty stores that sell one genre of product.  These interior designers are often extremely knowledgeable regarding the company for which they work.  If an interior designer is working at Bassett Furniture that interior designer is your best asset for finding what you need at that store.  However, most furniture stores also employ sales personnel who are not interior designers and they may or may not have the experience you need.  So be aware of the credentials of the sales person who is helping you at these furniture stores.

Interior designers make a profit through commission when working in a retail setting.  Each interior designer will have a different motivation when helping a client.  Some may really love doing design and will help a client find the home decor items that fulfill the client's needs.  However, in commission situations, many designers and sales people are less concerned with the clients needs and more interested in the bottom line, their commission.  The customer is in a very hard situation when working with an interior designer who works through commission.  The client must constantly gauge how much advice is to better the client's life and how much of the advice is meant to increase the dollar value of the purchase.  If caution is used, an interior designer working on commission can still be a wonderful asset when purchasing furniture and home decor in a retail setting.

The best method is not always apparent when choosing an interior designer.  The client must decide the pros and cons for his or her particular situation, budget, and needs.  Below, I will include three charts listing the pros and cons of service fees, mark-ups, and commissions.

Service Fees
Pros	Cons
Upfront	Cost is evident and at times expensive
Not selling products	May only work through consultation
Goal is to provide service to client
May sell products at cost to client

Mark-Up
Pros	Cons
Possible savings from retail	True cost of service hidden
Unique furniture and decor	Selling to make money
Goal is to provide furniture and decor to client	Goal is to provide furniture and decor to client

Commission
Pros	Cons
Knowledge of specific products	Selling to make money
Often free	True cost of service hidden
Goal is to make commission by helping client	Goal is to make commission by helping client

While these are the three main ways that interior designers make their profits, I must warn you that some are not so honest.  Be aware that some designers are more than happy to combine the three main ways in order to heighten their profit at the client’s expense.  For instance, a designer could charge a set service fee and offer to purchase the client’s furniture and home decor.  If the designer has wholesale accounts with home decor companies, the designer has two choices.  He can extend much of his wholesale benefit to the client, or he can mark the decor up to retail cost.  If the designer chooses to fully mark-up the decor that he gets at wholesale and he charges a service fee, then he is actually double charging his client.  Unfortunately, many designers have no qualms about this practice.

Saving Money

The interior designer who only does consultations and does not have wholesale accounts is able to offer their services at a lower price than those who hold wholesale accounts and operate as an intermediary between the client and other professionals such as painters, upholsterers, drapery specialists, and contractors.  The client who seeks the services of an interior designer has to decide how much they want the interior designer to do and how much they can do themselves.  The designer who consults is able to give information to the clients and provide knowledgeable advice, but the clients must hire the professionals needed to complete tasks or actually do the work themselves.  If a client hires a full service interior designer that designer can often do everything or bring in those who can.

Hopefully this allows you, the client, into the world of the interior designer and allows you to make a more informed decision.  You know your budget and your needs, and now you can understand how an interior designer can fit into your budget and provide for your home decor needs.

Next week’s Ask the Interior Designer question is still open!  Feel free to post a question through this blog, the Designing Life Facebook, or through e-mail.

E-Design In A Nutshell

Since opening up my Etsy shop with E-design products, many potential clients, friends, and family have asked me to explain exactly what E-design entails.  In order to take the guesswork out of the concept, today's blog will explain what is involved in a room e-design.  In order to do this, I will explain the process that I used to create my recent client's Craft Room/ Guest Room E-design.

Existing Floor Plan

The Need

My client has a small bedroom in her house that she wishes to use as a guest room and a craft room.  Many people wish to have a room where they can house guests as well as routinely use as a craft room or office.  With the limited space, she had felt limited as to her options and decided that an e-design could help to give her ideas, product choices, and a layout that she had not previously considered.

The Room
The room has one double window, one closet, one entry way, a bed, an existing set of drawers, and an existing desk.  The floor is carpet and the walls are stark white.  The windows are dressed with blinds, but have no draperies.  In essence, the room is pretty must a blank slate with tons of craft room potential!

The E-design Interview
After a client purchases an E-design, they are sent an E-design Interview that helps me to understand my client's needs, wants, color preferences, and personal style.  No design should represent the designer, but instead it should be representative of the client.  From the words and expressed needs of the client within the E-design Interview, I am able to understand how to help them best and can provide them with an E-design that helps to solve their design problems with feasible solutions.



Color Selection



The Selection Process

After I have a full understanding of the room, the client's needs, and the client's personal home style, I begin the selection process.  Typically, I begin with colors.  I choose often choose two main colors and up to two accent colors.  My client loves teal, turquoise, and a fresh look.  So I chose the color Spa from Sherwin Williams, which is a light teal that is not overwhelming, and I also chose white to correspond with this color.  My suggestion was to use the white to create horizontal lines that would serve to make the room feel larger and taller.  The main accent colors were brown and light beige, which were mostly emphasized in the accessories.



Furniture and Accessory Selection



After choosing the color scheme, I began to consider the furniture and accessories that would best suit her room.  I choose items that will help with organization, storage, and add a specific style to the room.  I found tall inexpensive bookshelves that would be able to house much of her crafting supplies and I also located decorative fabric bins that would help her to organize her crafting supplies on those shelves.  To offer her more space to work on her craft projects, I found an adjustable folding table.  Due to the small space, she could have her table set up while working on projects, but hide the table under the bed when hosting guests.

Her closet has previously been underutilized for storage.  The solution was to add hanging shelves for fabric swatches as well as utilizing pants hangers for larger fabric pieces.  This allows her to save floor space while having visual access to all of her fabric.

One of the best and most exciting proposals I made through the E-design was to use a white pegboard for craft organization.  By utilizing pictures found on other crafter's websites, I was able to help my client see how useful and beneficial this concept could be for her craft room.  The concepts provided through the E-design are not always my own created concepts, but rather I find ideas that will work for my client's space.

New Floor Plan



Floor Plan

I take the measurements provided to me through the E-design Interview and draw out a floor plan.  This helps me to visualize the clients room.  Often, my clients will provide me with pictures as well.  The floor plan will then be rearranged for the best efficiency for the client's needs.  With the craft room, I decided to maximize the wall space by moving the bed into the center of the room.  While this may appear to hinder the ease of movement, the extra wall space is much more importance for my client than worrying about the time it will take to move around the bed.  In addition, the new floor plan allows space for the folding table and her ironing board while she works on projects.

E-design Presentation

After compiling all of the furniture and accessory selections, paint colors, concept ideas, and floor plans, I put together a custom E-design Presentation saved as an Adobe file.  The client is then able to flip through her E-design and see the selected furniture and accessories, the paint colors, floor plans, and the concept ideas at her own convenience.  In addition, I provide each client with a shopping list saved as an Excel file so the client can go directly to the websites of the retailers who carry the furniture and accessories featured in the E-design Presentation.  Simple, fast, and easy!

Below are a few more examples from this clients Craft Room/Guest room E-design.