Furniture shopping is often considered a guy’s thing and as such a bit intimidating for women. Dawn Kirabo, a housewife says she always lets her husband do that one. 

“I do not understand the required density of the wood, or the correct dimensions. I always fear I might get it wrong, so he picks out all the furniture,” she says. 

However, Mark Anthony Mugambe, a furniture designer at Kingdom furniture gives a few tips on this seemingly intricate art.

Second opinion

Before you pay or make a deposit on furniture, hire an interior designer to advise on what pieces best suit you and your home. 

“You might not need that sideboard you saw at the neighbour’s house or the shelf you admire,” he says. 

However, if you cannot afford an interior designer, go with someone that you know has good taste and an eye for detail. 

“For instance, they may notice a bend or scratch on the piece which you may have not seen,” he says.

Clearance sales

 Many furniture shops have mid and end of year clearance sales which is a good time to close in on a good deal. 

This is the best time for someone on a shoestring budget or one who wants to save to shop for furniture, look out for such sales this festive season.

However, look out for damaged property during sales. Mugambe advises going to the store more than once before you purchase. 

“More than one visit not only helps you sort through your choices but also to identify broken damaged pieces the store may just want to get rid of under the guise of a sale,” he warns.

Quality check

The last thing you would need is furniture that wears out before even its guarantee has expired. 

According to Houzz.com, an interior design website, if you are buying an upholstered couch, lift up a corner and shake it; if it feels light or wobbly, take a pass, the heavier the cushion, the longer it will last. 

When shopping for cabinets, look for drawers with dovetail joints in the corners, while buying a mattress, pay attention to coil count: the higher the count, the better the support.

Take measurements

Before purchasing furniture, Mugambe advises that if you are to buy it from a furniture store, they should go to your home and take measurements and see if the furniture you want will be able to go through your doorway or if it is practical. 

“How a 7-seater sofa set will look under a 15 feet furniture store ceiling may not necessarily be how it will look under your 7 feet ceiling at home,” he cautions. 

Prior measurements reduce the chances of your home looking cluttered with furniture.

Leather purchases

There are a lot of synthetic imitations of leather being sold on the market today; however, Mugambe reveals that the first thing that you should look out for to tell the originality of leather furniture is the price. 

“A 7-seater pure leather seats set costs approximately between20-25M, if you find a similar set going for 5M, then those are counterfeit synthetic materials. Such material wears and tears within a year yet original leather can even go for 10 years without a single tear,” he says.