The good thing about hiring an interior designer is that they can transform an average-looking home into a sophisticated home.
Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to hire a really good interior designer. If you cannot afford to hire one, you can still shop like one.
Hiring a quality interior designer can be pricey. According to a poll taken by 1688 homeowners across the United Kingdom, an average Brit spends £5,781 a year on decorating and purchasing new furnishings. When you add the cost of hiring an interior designer, the cost gets even higher. It cost about £50 an hour to hire a quality interior designer. Nonetheless, there are some designers who prefer taking a percentage of the final project cost, which is usually around 12 to 15 percent of total cost. You can significantly reduce how much you spend by learning where these designers shop for furniture and decor.
Once you learn where interior designers shop for furniture and materials they use for home decoration, it becomes way easier to design a home. We all have our favourite furniture brands, but interior designers really know the good ones that will go with the design you already have in place or the design that you are trying to achieve.
If you have been wondering where top interior designers shop for furniture and decor, this article will show you everything you need to know. Keep on reading to find out more.
Top Places Where Interior Designers Shop For Furniture and Decor
Before you say that Pinterest is not a shop, there are tons of other ways you can use Pinterest for shopping. Interior designers go to Pinterest for inspirations. This website allows you to collate various interior design pictures and see how it will fit into your home. You can also see what others have collected so far. Most interior designers come here to look for inspiration before they start their shopping. So before you start shopping, make sure you take a look at various furniture and home design images on Pinterest for inspiration and samples of what you need to shop for.
Big Box Stores
If you are looking for sophisticated furniture to give your home exquisite furnishing, there are plenty of designer furniture stores in the UK where you can buy virtually any type of furniture you have in mind. Check out Trade Secret, Archica, The Interior Outlet, Furniture Village UK, and Halo Living.
All of the above-mentioned furniture brands in the UK have really nice furniture if you are willing to spend some money to get high-end furniture and decor. Alternatively, you can look for small retailers in your area. Buying from small retailers can help you save money.
Departmental Stores
Smart designers don’t only shop in high-end furniture stores. This is because they can get the same quality at a lower price in department stores. When preparing a quote for you, interior designers often give a quote based on what the furniture is sold for in high-end furniture stores. However, many items are bought cheaper at a department store. Consider department stores such as Debenhams, House of Fraser, and John Lewis, as you could find great deals.
Shop Locally
If you are on a shoestring budget and you hope to save some money, then shopping for your furniture and decor at a secondhand store may be a great idea. Fortunately, the UK has many secondhand stores so they should be easy to find in your area. You can buy one-off items at thrift stores saving a great deal of money on unique items. If the furniture is not in a very good condition, you can replace the upholstery with a really nice fabric and no one will even notice that it is not brand new furniture.
If you really want to score some cheap deals on furniture, get to know local furniture makers in your area. Some local makers can offer you unbeatable prices for custom-made nice-looking furniture. Don’t overlook them when you are looking to upgrade your home.
Shop Online
When it comes to shopping for furniture and decor online, there are endless choices. Some UK shoppers even order their furniture from a website based abroad. The truth is that the moment you log online, you will be overwhelmed with lots of choices.
The UK-based furniture and home decor websites such as Ezzo have made it possible to buy modern and contemporary furniture as well as what you need for your home decor online with ease. Instead of going through website after website, Ezzo makes it easy to see a vast array of stylish and affordable collections including chairs, cabinets, beds, lighting and many more interior design items.
Online shopping makes it easy to consider your choices and buy within the comfort of your home. However, make sure you are only shopping on a trusted website, plus ensure you do your research before you start shopping for furniture online, so you know what you are looking for.
How To Shop For Furniture And Décor
Now that you know where to score some of the best and most unique furniture pieces, let’s touch on the best tips you can apply when choosing suitable furniture and décor for your home.
As with any purchase, choosing furniture for your home can be made easier if you know the tips and tricks of the trade. The first thing to know is that you’re going to need to shop around. The list of places above can give you that good head start as to where you’ll begin your shopping, such as through a physical furniture shop in Jersey.
There’s more to knowing how to select decor for your home than just simply knowing the different styles and materials that are available. When you want to decorate your home, it’s a good idea to know some of the basic elements that go into the design process as well as what types of styles will work best for the space you’re planning to decorate. While there are certain pieces that may look great in the catalogue, this isn’t a guaranteed assurance that once you apply it to your own home, it’ll be a perfect match as well.
Moreover, working closely with your interior designer may help ensure that you’re selecting the kind of décor or furniture that truly suits your needs and your personality. Remember that you’re not just designing a showroom. Rather, this is your home. So, it has to feel like it. The décor and the furniture you select should be like the missing pieces to the puzzle, which all work together to make your home your personal space.
The next consideration when it comes to decorating is the colour scheme of your space. This will involve figuring out what colours will compliment your furniture and other wall hangings. When selecting a colour, there are a few considerations to keep in mind that’ll make it easier on yourself. For instance, if you’re looking to use a white base, you might want to look at neutral shades such as white, black, and cream. These shades are complimentary to white in almost any space so they can be used effectively in any room in your home. If you want a more dramatic contrast to white, you might consider choosing a colour that is much darker than white, such as off-white.
Main Image Source: IdealHomes.co.uk – Image credit: Georgia Burns
