Adding to, or even redesigning, your home is a big job! You can’t be heading out every weekend or evening to scour the streets for the perfect cushion, show me the person who has the time for that, please. Nowadays we do our shopping online, it’s easier, faster and you can do it all from the comfort of your couch, with your dinner on your lap. Plus, you can explore literally endless amounts of brands, products and styling options without wearing down your feet! Looking online for inspo is one thing, but what about when it actually comes to adding to your cart, how do you find those drool-worthy pieces that you keep seeing on your Pinterest feed? Well, look no further reader, here’s how
Follow, follow, follow
You probably don’t need to be told to do this, but follow some inspirational pages and brands on social media! This gives you a whole world of inspiring ideas, colour palettes and material combinations that you may never have thought of before. Following brands is also a great way to see if you like how their products look styled with different pieces or colours. If you love a certain blogger’s interior aesthetic, you should absolutely hit the follow button, you’ll be directed to a tonne of brands that you’ve never even heard of before, result!
Do your research
As with most decisions, it’s always best to do your research. Once you’ve found a dreamy piece that you’re incredibly excited to snap up and pop in your home, you should try and put your foot on the break for just a second. Google the brand and the product itself to see if there’s any pictures of it in people’s homes, any faults or general recalls, and explore the sentiment towards the brand that you’re actually shopping with! Sometimes everything looks great, and then after a little digging, you see it in a different, less flattering light. Always take the time to play the part of a digital Sherlock Holmes, otherwise, you might regret it.
Read the reviews
Not too dissimilar from the previous tip, but so important that it deserves its own section! The online community loves to leave reviews, whether it’s on the actual website, a forum or in a lengthy blog post, you can find an in-depth review on just about everything. This is a really good way to see how a product performs over time, how easy it is to set up and sometimes you get a snap of how it looks in a real, normal person’s actual home! The glossy, inspiring pictures are all well and good, but sometimes you just need to see how a chair is going to look next to a table from a flat pack store, not one that costs thousands of dollars. You might also find some handy care tips or advice that you wouldn’t have heard anywhere else.
Shop at your favourite stores!
Maybe this one is a little too obvious, but it’s true all the same! Maybe you’re a die-hard fan of a luxe clothing brand or a concept store that stocks all your favourite design books? Well, if so, this would be a perfect place to find homewares that you love too! Brands often create lifestyle products that carry the same impact, aesthetic and design as their core items, so you should absolutely look into your favourite labels.
Don’t be tricked by tricky shipping!
This is a huge, age-old pain that everyone’s had to deal with once. The agony of carefully selecting your dream homewares, proceeding to payment, only to find that the brand either doesn’t ship to you or charges you an arm and a leg to get it there. Save yourself the trouble and check the shipping pages first, it helps a lot.
Shopping for homewares online doesn’t have to be scary, go on, get exploring!