Decorating
Furniture 101: Feathering Your First Nest
By
Sep 1, 2005, 01:03

(ARA) - Whether it’s realizing long-held dreams, an added sense of permanence or the purchasing power of two incomes, marriage confers increased significance on the purchasing of furniture.
Feathering your nest is one of the biggest steps a new couple will take -- one that involves not just a meshing of tastes, but also learning to make mutual decisions and enduring choices.

By following a few easy steps, you can set your new nest on a solid foundation, preserve the fun and satisfaction of dreaming together and enjoy lasting tangible and emotional rewards.

“Planning our home together is important to both of us,” says bride-to-be Kristy Oshiro of Seattle. “Until now, most of our furniture was second-hand or inherited from friends and family. We see our new home together as an investment in our future -- we’re looking for furniture that will last, in both style and quality.”

Invest in the Process

The process may be as important as the product.

* Pay attention to your space: Where the sun shines in for morning coffee or a home office, views and features to embrace or hide. Understand the traffic flow for furniture placement. Will one large piece work better than two smaller ones?

* Set aside time to talk about individual decorating and furniture preferences. Accommodating your partner’s tastes means the home feels as much theirs as yours.

* To find common ground, each create a folder of magazine images that reflect your personal preferences. Trade folders. Talk about how a room makes you feel, what you like. How can you blend your styles?

“Fortunately, my fiancé Sean and I have similar tastes,” says Kristy. “We decide things mutually and shop together. We’re trying to pick pieces we agree on so one of us won’t resent the decision later on.”

Setting Priorities

Buying furniture gives added meaning to the vow, “’Til death do you part.”

* You will likely live with your furniture decisions for a long time --and not necessarily in the same home, so take your time; consider scale and flexibility. Be safe with big purchases, playful with accessories.

* Create a master plan and prioritize purchases and projects.

* Don’t paint yourself into a trend corner. Like the basic black dress, classic styling endures. Beautiful proportions and clean lines can be dressed and re-dressed imaginatively as your taste evolves -- as it surely will. Express your personal style through easy-to-change accessories and color.

* Do, however, follow today’s trend toward quality. Quality is worth saving for -- it never goes out of fashion.

Hint: An eclectic style of decorating blends things you each love and allows your look to evolve naturally and without feeling dated.

Begin with the Basics

A few quality pieces create a strong foundation.

Bed: A great bed honors you, your health, and your relationship. Think eclectically: add your own personality (and future flexibility) by mixing a nightstand with an open or skirted side table.

Sofa: “Transitional” upholstery combines contemporary and traditional styling. The Brewster sofa from Nautica’s Breakers Point line is a good example, blending modern sleek lines with a gracefully tailored skirt. Such neutral styling holds its value and good looks.

Small space? Consider the versatility of two loveseats, or a loveseat with a chair and ottoman -- the latter can double as a cocktail table.

Dining Table: Unless you’ll use a grand dining table regularly, opt for a round table or a table that can expand with leaves. Later it can dress up a breakfast room. You can pair your simply styled table with farmhouse, formal, or funky chairs to create your own look. An off-duty dining table also makes a handsome work space.

Hint: Invest in at least one good piece of furniture each year. You’ll soon have a most solid foundation.

Do Your Homework

Before buying anything, measure everything (don’t forget elevators and doorways), and draw a floor plan. Check out design Web sites and TV shows. Visit furniture manufacturers’ online catalogs and furniture stores for ideas on style, function and dimensions. And always keep a packet of your fabric swatches, paint chips and favorite room photos handy.

“We’re not buying on impulse,” says Kristy’s fiancé, Sean Keller. “We’re shopping piece by piece. And when we find something we like, we think about it for a few days just to be sure.”

“We’ll be living with the things we buy for a long time,” adds Kristy. “And we want our home to reflect who we are now and in the future.”

To explore Nautica and other stylish furniture brands can be seen at www.lexington.com.
Courtesy of ARA Content

© Copyright by EveningsNews.com