Buying furniture online is easy using these expert tips.
The incessant googling is over.
Maybe it doesn’tfit against your living room wallor completely clashes with your home’spaint colors.
Credit: John Gruen
Whatever the issue is, that frustrating furniture situation is totally avoidable.
We asked experts for strategies to avoid online-shopping missteps so you could click “buy” with confidence.
Chances are the quality isn’t as great."
Credit: Anthony Masterson
Map a 3-foot strip around the room’s perimeter; the remaining square footage is the max table size.
When deciding on the number of chairs, remember to keep 24 inches betweeneach place setting.
Measure from the center of one chairback to the center of its neighbor.
Credit: Annie Schlechter
“That number in inches is the diameter of your light fixture.”
For example, 15 feet long + 10 feet wide = a 25-inch-diameter fixture.
That should leave theideal 3 feet between the lightand the tabletop.
Credit: Brie Williams
Interior designer Taniya Nayak
Add the room’s length and width in feet.
That number in inches is the diameter of your light fixture.
Scan labels for terms like flat weave or low pile.
Credit: James Nathan Schroder
“The dining room is not the place for shag,” Nayak says.
“I’m looking for easy-clean rugs, usually described as indoor/outdoor or made from polypropylene.”
Sofas
The first step inbuying a sofaonline is deciding how many people you want to seat.
Credit: Stacey Brandford
For three, you need an 84- to 96-inch-long sofa.
The average sofa-back height is 34-38 inches, and the overall depth is about 35 inches.
But don’t stop with the overall dimensions.
Credit: Kim Cornelison
Look at the interior, including seat depth (average is 22 inches).
Consider your intended use and adjust: Is this a sofa for lounging?
Go a size longer.
Do you have short legs?
Find a shallower seat.
The one in the living room above, for example, is a right sofa, left chaise.
Order Swatches
To pick the perfect sofa online, you’ll need to go beyond the picture.
Check them in the morning and afternoon sun and evening lamplight.
Light is everything, she says, but texture also counts.
Julie Cassetina, product style expert for Wayfair
I always read reviews.
You get the true consumer perspective versus marketing speak.
“I always read reviews.
For example, does the headboard mount to the wall orbed frame?
What tools will you need?
“They’re so easy to ship.”
It’s also essential to know bed terminology.
Platform beds replace a box spring with, you guessed it, a platform.
They’re so easy to ship.
Will you be able to climb in and get out comfortably?
Will you see the headboard once you layer on your pillows?
“Large pieces might require additional freight charges.
If white-glove delivery is an option, I usually go for it,” she says.
If something doesn’t work, how long doyou have to return it?
Can it be used?
Do you better hang onto the packing materials?
Is there a restocking fee?
Take note of these policies before ordering a bed online.
From there, play house.
Pull a chair up to your taped-on table and set it for dinner.
Pass a dish or deal a hand of cards to see how the size works.
Drape them with a sheet to better understand the bulk and proportions.
Then you might use those handy filters built into most websites to target the workable options.
“Even 1 inch can make a difference in how you feel at the table,” Yip says.
Choose taller or shorter seats based on the table’s (or your family’s) height.
Deciding between arms or armless?
“Armless: You won’t have concerns about pushing a chair under the table.
“You typically want the table height right about where the sofa arm is.
Too high or too low, and it’s awkward to use.
The point is to be able to reach the stuff on it,” Yip says.
For coffee tables, it’s all about length.
“It should be between half to two-thirds the overall length of the sofa,” he says.
Any smaller and people at the sofa ends can’t reach it.
Any longer, and it’s tricky to sit down.
Bedroom Furniture Dimensions
Ideally, the maximum depth foryour bedside nightstandis 24 inches.
“People use everything under the sun as nightstands, and that’s perfectly fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Online retailers have lower overhead costs, which can result in cheaper products.
Presidents' Day and Labor Day are also popular times for stores to hold sales.
