When we are shopping to do a makeover in our home most people are thinking of quick fixes and the # 1 mistake is when we think of a quick fix is that we tend to look for a cheaper alternative and a quick ship option. Soo… buying cheap generic furniture is the #1 mistake and 90% of the time the purchase is a “Sofa.”
We are not saying to buy a super expensive stylized sofa – it is much easier to buy a simple sofa because it is easy to “Style.” Meaning to accessorize with other features in the room like pillows, accessories, rugs, window treatments, artwork or even plants!
So we want to give a few pointers to avoid with purchasing an unworkable sofa because let’s face it there are a few out there that transcend bad in ways that are hard to come back from: bad fabric, bad shape, strange curved legs, winged arms or even the-try-to-hard details like nail-heads, unnecessary tufting and OMG fringe! Tip to mistake #1 – go simple or go home! It’s an investment that will last you at the very least the next decade.
Mistake #2 – buying rugs that are too small for your space – let’s face it a rug in the living room should really cover the entire seating area – it’s the decors way of stating that THIS is where the conversation is, the focal point of the room and if you buy a smaller cheaper version than it’s gonna cheapen the space.
Unless your living room is TINY they almost ALWAYS need at least an 8’ x 10’ or a 9’ x 12’. The only exceptions for 6’ x 9’ in a living room is if you can float it in front of the sofa that is against the wall or use a cowhide – for some reason because of the sculptural shape of the hide, it can be smaller, it just works.
At the Santa Barbara Design Center rule of thumb is to make sure your rug is proportion to your sofa and the size of your room and that your sofa is not over-the-top make it simple. We have the biggest selection of rugs, carpets, sofas, couches, sectional, and upholstery on the Central Coast! Stop by – we will be happy to help you with your make over!