The Cost of Furnishing Your Home
Understanding The Good-Better-Best Guide
You can surf the internet and find a zillion photos, products and ideas you like. Inevitably you wonder about the cost, but also - would this thing or idea actually work for me in my space? Would it be worth the investment?
What does it COST to furnish a home? It’s one of the biggest investments you’ll likely make, so before you shop for furniture or embark on any home design adventure, ask yourself:
What do I want?
What do I need?
What am I willing to pay for?
These are profoundly simple questions, but coming up with clear, concise answers isn’t always that easy. There are so many variables. The price of furniture being one of them.
Let’s say you've got an empty living room and think you’ll need to purchase a sofa, lounge chair, coffee table, floor lamp, area rug and a couple of pillows. Within the interior design community, we use a Good-Better-Best guide to help you size up the cost and true value of these furnishings. The logic is pretty clear; do you want to invest in good, better or the best you can buy?
Here’s a link to Artistry's Good Better Best Guide to the Cost of Furnishings. Let’s put it to use:
Of course, you could mix things up a bit, you don‘t have to keep every purchase in one category. You might consider a few good and better items so you can afford the best of something else. The choice is yours.
Does that help? If “well, kind of…” is what you’re thinking then that’s a good thing. You may also be wondering things like
What’s the real difference between Good, the Better and the Best products?
How does price reflect quality?
How does price affect style? Will I still like something in 5 or 10 years? Or will it be obsolete?
Quality of course varies greatly between the good, better, and best price points, especially when it comes to upholstery. Since upholstery is typically the focal point and major investment in a living room, let’s dive into the qualitative differences between a good, better and best sofa upholstered in fabric:
GOOD: $2500-$4000
Bonus point: Readily available.
Source: retail stores and on-line retailers.
What you get: Actual quality varies so know what you’re buying - how the frame is constructed, foam, filling and fabric quality. The design is likely to be on-trend and rely on efficient manufacturing and construction techniques that keeps the price down. Stock availability is usually good, and you might even have a few fabric options to choose from for a special order.
BETTER: $4000 - $8000
Bonus point: Reliable quality and broad choices.
Source: upholstery companies that sell to the design trade.
What you get: high quality materials and construction methods. Modern technology adds efficiency to production, but these companies depend on highly skilled craftspeople for construction and sewing. Therefore, the designs aren’t compromised to fit low price expectations and can range from on-trend to classic. Usually a wide variety of in-line fabrics to choose from, along with customizations for finishes, trims, pillows. Usually special order, taking anywhere from 12 weeks on up.
BEST: $8000-$12,000 and up
Bonus point: Unparalleled quality and design potential.
Source: Upholstery companies and custom upholsterers that sell to the design trade.
What you get: Besides using the best quality materials and construction techniques, these companies are willing to make exactly what you want. Any style, any fabric, any size, detail, cushion fill or finish! The designer writes detailed specifications and the manufacturer makes the sofa just for you. Special orders may take anywhere from 12 weeks on up.
As you see, the good-better-best approach not only reflects the price and time requirements, but more importantly -quality, and the variety of customizable options available to you. The question of cost becomes meaningful when it’s not just a dollar figure. It’s essential to know what you’re buying and have confidence that it will serve you well in the long run.
That’s when design gets really interesting! Just like color and style preferences, every client has a unique formula for determining the value of all that creates their Home. Helping clients choose wisely and understand the value of their investment is key to Artistry’s approach to interior design.
Stay tuned for the next blog in this series to learn more about how to weigh the value of your choices!