Not too many of us are leaving home to go shopping these days. As you’re hunkering down, you might be walking around at your house and cooking up some ideas to add in some accent furniture. Maybe you’re looking at the entry hall and thinking a small chest could add some functionality or style. Maybe that corner of the kitchen is crying out for a tall cabinet with glass doors? Perhaps the landing at the top of the stairs could use a short bookcase to display some treasures? Whatever the case, finding great accent furniture online can be just what you need to make your space look refreshed and new.
If any of this rings true for you, there are so many great options to choose from. Most on trend designs give you a variety of materials to choose from. You’re sure to find items comprised of stone, reclaimed wood or metal and lots of choices embellished with natural materials and inlays. The good news is, there is no shortage of options to choose from no matter what style you prefer.
Accent furniture offers gives you the ability to create focal points and functionality in a variety of spaces. The best thing is that it can be unique, meaning that it doesn’t have to match with your other main furniture pieces or style. In fact, it can even contrast the predominant look and style of your other pieces. Dictionary.com defines “accent” as: accentuate, give prominence to, make more prominent, make more noticeable, play up, bring to the fore, heighten, stress, weight, emphasize. That’s a great reason to incorporate a piece that gives the space some variety and contrast.
Think, for example, farmhouse with its staple looks: shiplap, reclaimed or textured woods, lots of white and natural textures, etc. I’m being very general describing the farmhouse style, but you get the picture… Now, instead of including an accent piece that adds more to that look, go for something completely different. Consider introducing an industrial, metal cabinet or a mid-century console table. Maybe bring in a sleek contemporary chest with a glossy finish and straight metal legs. Mixing in the unexpected accent piece is a great way to keep a look fresh.
Accent furniture is generally not as expensive as the main pieces in a space like: media consoles, sectional sofas, some area rugs, etc. In fact, they tend to be a fraction of the price of those items. So, investing in an accent piece is not a huge gamble because they’re relatively easy to find online and most times, easy to ship.
Considering all of that, here’s the 8 most important things to know when buying furniture online.
Know the Size of Your Space
You’re probably rolling your eyes. I talk about this a lot in different posts. I emphasize this because it’s probably the most important thing to consider before clicking away online and hitting the buy button. You will avoid a slew of problems and disappointments buy getting this important step out of the way first.
Now, unlike measuring your entire room you can stick to a few crucial measurements for adding in single pieces of furniture. You’ll still want to measure:
• Your entry door to make sure you can fit a tall or wide piece through. You’ll also want to make sure that long pieces can get around any obstructions right inside the door like a closet wall where you’d need space to turn, or a staircase that you’d have to clear. While you’re measuring, make sure you check the height and width of an enclosed staircase if you’re piece is going to an upper floor. How much space do you have between the stairs and the ceiling in the staircase?
• If you live in a building with an elevator, make sure you have the measurements of the doors and ceiling height inside the elevator. You don’t want to get a piece all the way home only to find it won’t clear the elevator, that’s a total bummer.
• Measure the floor space where you’re putting the accent piece to make sure you have adequate room. Maybe you have a niche where you’re placing a cabinet. How much space is between the walls in that area?
• Check the ceiling height to make sure you know that tall items will fit. Is there an angled ceiling? How high is the lowest portion and the highest portion?
Knowing these key measurements will keep your project on track.
Know the Dimensions of the Piece
Most furniture stores and online retailers will have the dimensions of their furniture posted on the website. Check the description to verify:
• The length, depth and height
• Try to locate the dimensions of the shipping container as well (Worst case you may have to take it out of the shipping container to get it in your house).
Antiquities Telluride 4 Door Credenza: Bassett Furniture
Get the Company Contact Information
This is important in case you need to call to talk with an actual person to verify some information you may need. Look for:
• The company phone number and physical address. It could be listed on the contact page or in the header or footer of the website.
• It’s also helpful to have an email address for a company representative in case you need to send photos of shipping damage for a claim process.
Read the Return Policy
This is another thing that most companies put on their website of in the fine print of the listing for the piece or in a FAQ section. Make sure you clearly understand the terms of the sale.
• Can the item be returned?
• Who pays for return shipping?
• Is there a restocking fee for returned items and how much is it? (some companies have a flat fee or a percentage of the cost as a return fee.)
• Is there a policy outlining the limitations of the return: like how many days or weeks do you have to make a return?
• Is the piece custom? (Many times, custom pieces are not returnable).
Source: Bassett Furniture
Know the Shipping Cost
This information may be included in the listing for the item. In my experience, you’ll have a flat shipping cost of smaller items like accent tables like coffee tables, end tables and smaller items. Other times they may be free shipping, like on Amazon Prime. The Amazon effect has trickled down to a lot of online retailers and many will offer free shipping in order to be competitive. Other times, they have specific promotional periods where shipping is free or low cost.
For larger pieces you may have:
• Freight charges: these will vary depending on the method of transportation.
• Find out who will be responsible for getting a large box inside your home.
• Does the company have their own national delivery service or if they work with a sub-contractor who delivers for them? It’s good to know up front in case the terms of delivery could be affected by who handles the transportation and delivery itself.
Source: Amazon
Read Descriptions Carefully
Descriptions not only have shipping, return and fright charges, they also have important information on the piece itself. Make sure you pay attention to:
• What the piece is made of. If you have your heart set on something this is made of solid wood and the piece that shows up is pressboard, you probably could have determined that from the description.
• If you see a piece that looks black and when it arrives is navy blue, you might have learned that from the description.
• Where the piece is made: If you’re looking for American made products and the piece is stamped “Made in Vietnam or China” you may be able to find that in the listing as well. It’s helpful to look at the product reviews and questions section on Amazon to find very specific answers to questions that may not be listed in the description.
Source: Amazon
Look at Item Photos Carefully
A picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, a picture is the difference between totally loving your purchase and being disappointed. These days, a lot of online companies will stage their product in beautiful rooms, professionally photographed with lighting and detailed closeups. That’s all well and good and those pictures are important to entice the viewers to buy. I suggest that you pay attention to:
• The full shots of the piece itself, not just the details. When you can look at the whole piece, you’ll notice the shape of legs, the color, texture of wood, metal or stone. You’ll see the shape and style of the hardware, etc.
• Professional lighting can change the color of a piece. If the finish is photographed in studio lighting, wood tones can appear lighter, so can painted finishes.
• Try to find a picture of the piece on a completely white background. The stark white will contrast the material the piece is made from and it will give you a better idea of the actual color, texture, tone, etc. Of course, a little bit of flexibility on your part will be helpful. Sometimes a piece that is slightly darker or lighter can be the perfect fit, so keep an open mind.
Image: Amazon
Only Shop from Secure Websites
This is very important to avoid identity theft. There’s nothing worse than having your credit card information compromised when buying products online. These days, there is really no excuse not to have secure order processing on any website that accepts payments for products and services. However, cyber criminals are getting more sophisticated by the day. Here’s what to look for:
• Look for SSL. You can do this manually before you enter your credit card info. Right click anywhere on the payment page. This will pop up a window on the right side of your screen. choose “properties” and then “details”. Locate the letters “SSL” and that will verify that the site is encrypted.
• A simpler way to determine security is to look in the url address bar at the top of the page. The web address should begin with “https:” Make sure it has the ‘s’ on the end and not just, “http:” The ‘s’ denotes that the site is secure.
• Look for a pad lock icon on the order processing page. This will usually also be in the url bar, typically in the upper left corner.
• Pay attention to the quality of the site itself: Look for: misspelled words in product descriptions, low quality images or product videos. These are usually indicators of a counterfeit site.
• Again, if you can’t locate any contact information on the site: address, phone number, email, etc. that’s not a good sign and I would shop elsewhere.
There you have it:
• Know the Size of Your Space
• Know the Dimensions of the Piece
• Get the Company Contact Information
• Read the Return Policy • Know the Shipping Costs
• Read the Product Descriptions Carefully
• Look at Item Photos Carefully
• Only Shop on Secure Websites
If you follow these 8 tips, you’ll have a pretty good experience buying accent furniture online.
As we navigate this strange time, it may just be the perfect opportunity to add a piece that you’ve been wanting for. The world must go on and online shipping just might emerge as the predominate form of commerce in the future. If nothing else, buying accent furniture online is a great way to keep on task with a decorating project right now.
I’d love to hear about your experiences buying furniture online. Did you have a good experience with your purchase? Was there something else that you think should be included in this list? Leave me a comment below and let’s discuss.
As always, thank you so very much for stopping by and reading. I appreciate your time and I hope you found my advice useful. Until next week, stay safe and awesome, and, as always, keep your dreams big for your small house!
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Michael is Principal designer and blogger at Michael Helwig Interiors in beautiful Buffalo, New York. Since 2011, he’s a space planning expert, offering online interior e-design services for folks living in small homes, or for those with awkward and tricky layouts. He’s a frequent expert contributor to many National media publications and news outlets on topics related to decorating, interior design, diy projects, and more. Michael happily shares his experience to help folks avoid expensive mistakes and decorating disappointments. You can follow him on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook @interiorsmh.
