Hear us now: These online decor shopping tips are to live and die by.
OK, but seriously, shopping for your home on the Internet is a tricky game to play. You're taking some pretty big risks when buying key pieces for a space through websites. Sometimes that rich, forest green velvet-upholstered couch you ordered turns out to be a key-lime faux-fabric mess.
Decor apps can be accommodating, but we also have some majorly helpful tips to reference when risking a design disaster. Follow these 10 commandments when shopping online and you'll be hanging out in decor heaven.
#1. Thou shalt measure both the space and furniture before purchasing pieces.Eyeballing whether or not a sofa will fit in your living room is not acceptable. Pull out the tape measure and make sure to compare the dimensions of your room to the dimensions of the furniture item. Crate & Barrel has a great step-by-step guide for furniture measurements.
#2. Thou shalt read the product descriptions.Looking at a product image simply isn't enough. The photos of furniture online can often be very deceiving. Make sure to read about the materials that the product is made of so you can truly understand the quality of the piece you are purchasing. Sometimes the wooden legs on a sofa aren't wooden at all, and you would never know that unless you read the blurb under the product title.
#3. Thou shalt not buy everything in one day.Binge-shopping isn't healthy for your space or your wallet. You definitely don't want to buy enough furniture to fill an entire space in one day — things that look great together on the Internet don't always look so wonderful together in real life. Buy one key piece at a time and build on what you purchase. The results will be far better.
#4. Thou shalt be wary about buying vintage.You must be incredibly careful when buying one-of-a-kind furniture. Andrea Stanford of One Kings Lane (RIP Hunters Alley) has some excellent tips when it comes to online vintage shopping. The first step is starting off with buying smaller pieces.
#5. Thou shalt not purchase everything from the same store.Nobody wants a home that looks like a stiff, overly matching catalog. That's exactly what will happen if you buy an entire room from one site. Give your space some variety and decorate from a bevy of stores.
#6. Thou shalt practice self-control.Shopping on the Internet is a dangerous slippery slope that might just drain your bank account. Think about what you are buying and make sure to curb your compulsive spending. You have one home — it can only fit a certain amount of furniture.
#7. Thou shalt read the customer reviews.Always, always read the customer reviews if they are available. These are real people who actually bought the item you are interested in and have something to say about it. Whether or not their review is positive, the feedback will be incredibly influential in your purchasing decision.
#8. Thou shalt make sure thou is getting the best possible deal.Not only should you be looking at sites that provide you with the best deals in the first place, but you should also be checking to see if other sites have the same item you desire for a lower price. This ultimate list of decor stores is an excellent place to start your online shopping escapade.
#9. Thou shalt take note of assemblage details.Be real with yourself. Are you actually going to spend several hours putting a table together? If you're an Ikea directions pro, then by all means, go for it. If the thought of reading directions and using a screwdriver makes you cringe, maybe you should consider preassembled furniture. Otherwise that box of furniture parts will sit in your garage for weeks.
#10. Thou shalt read the color description.Much like the second commandment, photos can be deceiving. The color in the picture may not be the color you receive when you open up your shipping box. Make sure to read the actual name of the color before clicking that "add to bag" button.
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