Furnishing Your New Calgary Home

Lifestyle & Design

Congratulations – you’ve bought a new house! Now it’s time to add your personal touch and make your house feel like a home. Whether you have to purchase all of the furniture or blend new pieces with items you already own, furnishing and decorating a new home can often feel like a daunting task. Here are a few of our favourite tips to help get you started:

  • Live in the Space: While you may be eager to have all of your new furniture in place immediately, it can be beneficial to actually live in your home first. By spending some time experiencing the space you’ll quickly realize how you’ll use and move about each room.
  • Preparation is Key: Make copies of the floor plan for each level of your new home, as it’s a lot less work to move furniture around on paper. Having a visual representation of each room will help you determine the best layout and the optimal size for larger pieces, such as beds, couches and tables. Try using painter’s tape tomark where your furniture will be in the room. The same method can be used for determining what size of artwork is best for a wall.
  • Excel Homes- Kendal Urban Loft Great Room
    • Set Your Style: Use Pinterest and online interior decorating sites like Houzz for style inspiration. Understanding what trends and styles you like and don’t like will help narrow down the seemingly endless design options.
    • Room by Room: Once you know what furniture you’ll need and the design style you like, pick a room to furnish and decorate. It will feel more manageable to approach one room at a time. Always bring your floor plan and key material samples and swatches (flooring, cabinets, wall and trim colours.)
    • Function: It’s important to be clear on the function of a room before furnishing it. Bedrooms and the dining room tend to be pretty straight forward. However, dual-purpose spaces, such as a media room that doubles as a kids playroom, can require more thought.
    • Focal Point: A well designed space will always have a focal point. For bedrooms it’s often the bed and wall behind it. Perhaps it’s a fireplace or a large piece of wall art in the living room. If you have oversized windows and a spectacular view, you can use that for the focal point.
    • Big Pieces First: Furnish around your focal point and always start with the big pieces first. Opt for neutral colours and classic styles on the more expensive pieces that you’re purchasing. You can always jazz things up with throws and cushions. Once you have the larger items in place add the smaller furniture and décor.
    Excel Home- Kendal Urban Loft Nook and Kitchen