Investing in Your Home
Decorating a home is all about balancing high and low pieces, and this blog series is focusing on where you should invest in your home furnishings and decor, and where you should save. We all want our homes to be special, filled with hard-to-find pieces. But while antiquing might be great for sourcing an apothecary table, sometimes you should just buy your sheets at Pottery Barn. It’s all a balancing act.
There are many different rooms in each home that all serve different purposes. Therefore, each room has different areas and furniture pieces that can be either splurged or save on. We're going to be deep diving into each of these rooms to get an in depth look on some of the areas you can save along with the pieces you should invest in for your home. Not everything must be high quality statement pieces. If everything is special, nothing is. Mixing in a variety of elements keeps a space feeling accessible and personal.
There is a misconception that more accessible pieces are always lower quality, but price and quality are not always aligned. A well-designed space considers all of the elements and principles of good design first, and focuses on the actual decor second. It’s all about how you put it together. When it’s done right, you’ll have people guessing what you splurged on versus what you saved on.
Where should you invest and where can you afford to cut corners? There are some fundamental areas of the home where it makes sense to invest more on certain pieces, or to hold back in anticipation of something more rewarding. Though there’s not necessarily a one-size-fits-all answer, we have put together an overview for this upcoming blog series to help you create a balanced decor budget and give you areas to invest more in and areas where you can invest less.
When to Splurge
We all love getting a good deal, and it can be tempting to fall into that line of thinking when it comes to making selections for your home. However, there are certain areas in life that you should definitely splurge on in order to invest in higher quality. Some areas of your life that you should splurge on are items that you find value in due to use. For example, say you make smoothies everyday versus once a year. The frequent use of how often you make smoothies justifies the cost of buying a pricy Vitamix. The same goes for other high quality items that are used often and will withstand the test of time. These items may not have a high resale value, but you aren't buying them to resell them again later on.
Likewise, there are also items that do keep their value regardless of use, and it's usually due to their quality or name brand status. For example, Henredon furniture is expensive when you buy it in new condition, but in used condition it is still pricy and retains it's value. Whereas Ikea has little to zero resale value but is great for purchasing basic items.
When to Save
Investing in good quality items definitely pays off in longevity and appearance, so it can be easy to fall into the mindset of believing you need to pay higher prices for everything. However, there are certain areas where saving is the way to go. Items that don't get much use or aren't seen very often such as small appliances that you might use once a year, or decorative furniture that isn't used frequently are just a few pieces that you can consider spending less.
Items that are not focal points in the room and recede into the background so that the focal stands out are also items that you don't want to get caught up in spending a lot of money on. If every piece in the room was a statement piece or focal point, there would be too much competing for the attention of your guests.
Another great area to save on is "trendy" items or things that will be dated in five years. You don't want to be spending a ton of money on these type items because they typically don't hold any resale value and are usually more of decor pieces that meld into your style to keep a room "fresh."
Where do you like to splurge and where do you think saving is a good idea? Have you ever fallen in love with something that you just couldn’t justify spending money on? Let us know in the comments below!
~This blog was brought to you by S. Donnelly Interiors. Learn more about the interior design project process by following Stephanie Donnelly and her interior design services in Glen Ellyn, Illinois and the surrounding areas!
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