How Much Does It Cost to Furnish a Living Room?

Welcome to the start of another series we have wanted to dive into for a long time! We get messages frequently asking about how much to budget for a specific space, and while it's tough to nail down a set budget, there are some consistencies we have seen over the years for the main pieces in rooms throughout your home. So the very first room we're going to tackle is the main room most clients start with - the living room!

There is bound to be some sticker shock with some of these totals -- and I get it! Typically you aren't purchasing everything for a space at one time, you buy a piece here, and another a year later. They are collected and evolve and change over time. With our full service design, it's a bit different. We are often helping clients purchase all the items in each individual room, so the costs definitely start to add up. There is quite a big range here for many, many reasons. But, you really do get what you pay for in the majority of cases. Here are a few reasons for the range in each of these categories.

SOFA - LOVESEAT - CHAIR

While sofas and chairs may look similar to the naked eye, the construction of the piece is most likely to be the cause for drastically different price points. 8 way hand tied springs as the foundation of the seating support is the gold standard of the industry, but is very labor intensive and material heavy. Sinuous springs are a more affordable alternative. The fabric or leather choice and cushion fill can also contribute to the vast range of pricing listed above. Also, think about how much of a frame you can see - sometimes a slipcovered piece can be less expensive than a wood frame chair that must look beautiful from every angle, for example... but that's not always the case! Also, fabric selection plays a huge role in cost too!

COFFEE TABLE - SIDE TABLES

Materials are big here - are marble, hardwood lumber, or welded metal involved in the tables you choose? Are you choosing tables with storage? Raw material costs, extra material needed for storage, and the extra labor all contribute to the price range listed above. And again, type of construction and overall quality of that construction are a deciding factor.

LIGHTING

Lighting has a huge range because we have seen handblown, custom pendants and chandeliers made, and we have seen more mass-manufactured lamps as well. There is definitely a balance between functional use and choosing a lighting fixture because it's just the most beautiful piece of art you've ever seen and you want that to be a focal point in a space. Lighting is the jewelry of a space, so it's a personal choice of whether or not you're a costume jewelry type of person or a Tiffany's kind of person. Make lighting as personal as your jewels -- but know that you can almost ALWAYS tell when it's cheap!

RUG

Our post about rug material content gives all the details about what goes into the construction of a rug, so reheat that mug and get cozy before you click over - we didn't hold back any details!

ART & ACCESSORIES

Not only is this category a question of volume, but also what is important for you to invest in. Craftsmanship and artisanal work takes much more time, material, and creativity, and prices can reflect that. How large are these art pieces and/or accessories? Are you purchasing from a vintage source or reusing something you already own in a new way? As with many categories, you must decide what takes priority for you in determining what budget makes sense for your style sensibility.

PILLOWS

We could say the same thing for pillows - are they handprinted individually or sent through a factory assembly line? Are they limited run releases or color releases for a specific season, or something you can buy at any time? Are the pillow inserts polyester filled or down filled? All of these factors can change the pricing dramatically.

WINDOW TREATMENTS

We have a deep dive here about your options for window treatments as well! This category heavily depends on volume, as well as how many layers you're looking to do on each window. This category is probably the most overlooked in terms of budget, so please make sure to factor that in so you're not hit with a huge number later on that shocks you to the core! Trust me, it happens almost every time... even to me!

Was this helpful for you? We want to continue this series on a monthly basis, so let us know if you have a certain room in mind to tackle, and we can hit that room next!