The Art of Choosing Furniture

There’s a difference between furnishing & curating, and it almost always comes down to selection. When a space is curated, it feels intentional + thought out, scale makes sense, and nothing feels like it was bought just to fill it. If you’re trying to elevate your home, where you source, and your approach both matter.

Start Small...ish

Every room needs something that sets the tone and most of the time it's the sofa. Instead of defaulting to what’s easiest or fastest to order, slow down. Look for strong lines, good proportions (relative to your space), and upholstery that'll hold up to the test of time. Once the sofa is right, everything else tends to fall into place more naturally.

Accent chairs carry more weight than people expect. One or two well chosen chairs can do more for a room than multiple pieces that match. It gives your space some visual interest without trying too hard and let's you show off your personality.

Brands like Crate & Barrel, CB2, and Arhaus are good places to start for pieces that feel current and sculptural, but still easy to live with.

Collect, Don't Just Buy

You don't want to walk in and feel like your at the Ikea showroom, or any showroom for that matter. Pulling from different places creates a more polished + layered look. A structured velvet sofa paired with a softer boucle or linen chair, and a clean lined table are small differences that make a room feel more natural and less staged.

You might try sourcing your larger pieces from Restoration Hardware or McGee & Co., while smaller accents and supporting pieces can come from more affordable shops like West Elm or even Amazon, yes really! The mix keeps everything from feeling too uniform.

Mix Your Linens + Finishes

Linen, leather, wood with visible grain, & natural stone. These elements add depth without needing bold color or pattern. Even in a minimalist space, variation in texture keeps things from feeling too flat and one dimensional. Pieces made from natural materials also tend to patina over time, giving you that lived in look you see all over Instagram and Pinterest.

Brands like The Citizenry and Serena & Lily are great for bringing in that softer, textured layer.

Keep Refining As You Go

Some of the best pieces aren’t found in traditional furniture stores, but in local shops, vintage stores, estate sales, & smaller, boutique design studios. A single piece with character can shift the entire feel of a space and elevate it instantly. It’s worth taking the time to explore them instead of relying only on larger retailers. One of my favorite sites for sourcing is surprisingly Facebook. I've found great pieces that retail hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for 65%-90% off! Mind you, you will have to look for quite a while but the results speak for themselves.

Don't feel pressured to fill your homes all at once. Leave some breathing room for yourself, and your budget, to find pieces you really love and won' be looking to swap out one or two years from now just because they aren't trending any more. If something feels off, it usually is., trust your gut!