A Guide to the Types of Home Furniture You Need at Home (2024)

Living Room Furniture

The living room is the heart of your home. It’s where you spend most of your time relaxing and hosting friends and family. So it's crucial to choose the right furniture for this space.

When it comes to choosing the right pieces for your living room, Artem Kropovinsky, Founder and Principal Designer at arsight, advises you “Contemplate the room's purpose.” For example, a spacious sofa or sectional is key if you’re frequently hosting guests, but if you also like to relax and unwind with a good book you might also want a cozy accent chair and ottoman. If you enjoy a good TVbinge or weekend movie marathon, Lori Shaw, founder of Lori Shaw Interiors advises you think carefully about, "Where you place your tv and the viewing distance between the TV and seats."

When thinking about your living room interior design, Kropovinsky says you should, “Take into account the dimensions of your room. Before commencing your shopping journey, measure the living area to determine the suitable size for your furniture.”

Once you know how much space you have to play with Kropovinsky says you should, “Select a design that resonates with you.” Numerous living room furniture styles exist from minimalist and art deco to mid-century modern and contemporary furniture. “Spend time exploring to discover your preference,” recommends Kropovinsky.

Havenly's Heather Goerzen advises that you "consider is opting for furniture pieces that are performance fabric, meaning they hold up to everyday life, like spills and pet hair." The other important design element in a living room, according to Goerzen, is layering. "It's important to start with your base, the rug, and add on top of that with a sofa, accent chairs, ottomans, and finally throw pillows,"she adds.

Here are some of the key pieces of furniture you should consider for your living room:

• Sofas: Sectionals, Modular Sofas, Sleeper Sofas, Leather Sofas, Slipcovered Sofas, Pit Sofas‍
• Additional seating: Accent Chairs, Benches, Recliners, Armchairs, Chair-and-a-Halfs, Chaises
• Tables and storage: Modern Coffee Tables, TV Cabinets, Bookshelves, Ottoman Tables, Credenzas and Console tables

Dining Room Furniture

The dining room is a place for gathering. It’s where you come together with friends and family to celebrate big moments like birthdays, Thanksgiving dinners, or a nice Sunday dinner.

The most important part of your dining room furniture is the dining table and Kropovinsky advices that you, “Measure your area before starting your search to know the appropriate dining table size.” You should also consider the seating capacity as “regularly hosting guests requires a table that can seat everyone with ease.”

Next, much like in the living room, Kropovinsky recommends that you, “Pick a design that resonates with you” as there are “numerous dining room furniture styles.” Often, you’ll find wooden furniture in dining rooms but solid-wood furniture doesn’t always mean opting for a more traditional style, if you like more modern style there are plenty of high-quality options out there.

Once you’ve landed on a style you like, you could choose a dining set or aim to mix and match chairs around your dining table. "You want to ensure your chair picks will allow for dinner parties, family dinners, and more,"advises Heather Goerzen.

Here are some of the pieces of furniture you should consider for your dining room:

• Dining tables: Round, Extendable, Farmhouse, Scandinavian
• Chairs: Armchairs, Side Chairs, Armless Chairs, Upholstered Chairs
• Storage: Credenzas, Sideboards, Buffets, Console Tables

Read more:Credenzas, Buffets, and Sideboards: What’s the Difference?

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Bedroom Furniture

The bedroom is a very personal space so you can be a little more creative with your furniture design and decor choices if you’d like to be. The bed is obviously the centerpiece of the room and Kropovinsky you shoud “take time to identify your favorite style of bed.”

When designing a bedroom, you should also consider the importance of bedside tables and nightstands. “These are ideal for placing a light, alarm clock, and other necessities,” says Kropovinsky. When looking at nightstands, Shaw advises that you also consider the “nightstand size, height and features.”

"Bedrooms are heavily utilized areas," adds Goerzen. "Just like a high-traffic area such as your living room, bedrooms should be functional and practical. That’s why we recommend performance velvets or linens that are highly durable."

Another element of bedroom furniture dressers and wardrobes will provide ample storage space for clothes and other items to help keep the space clutter-free.

Bedroom furniture essentials include:

• Beds: Platform Beds, Upholstered Beds, Minimalist Beds, Canopy Beds, Storage Beds
• Storage: Nightstands and Bedside Tables, Dressers, Wardrobes

Home Office Furniture

In the world of work from home, if space allows, a home office is an incredible luxury to have. When it comes to furnishing a home office space Kropovinsky advises that you, “Determine the room's purpose.” If you’re on calls all day, you might want to create a nice backdrop or if you spend large chunks of tie writing a large deskspace might be more of a priority. Some nice artwork can also make the space feel more personal to you.

“[Also], remember storage solutions,” says Kropovinsky. You don’t want your office to be filled with clutter so find ways to store files, documents, and other materials.

Home office essentials include:

• Desks
• Chairs
• Storage: Cabinets, Shelves, Bookcases

Kitchen Furniture

In the kitchen, you should think about how you want to use the space to help you decide on the right types of furniture. For example, if you like to eat brekfast as a family a dining set or kitchen island with some bar stools / counter stools could be good options.

Cabinets offer ample storage space for kitchenware and can help keep the room organized. So you don’t often need to add additional pieces but if space allows a sideboard or buffet could be a nice space to keep your best dinnerware.

Kitchen furniture essentials include:

• Tables: Dining Tables, Drop-Leaf Tables
• Seating: Chairs, Bar Stools, Counter Stools

Ash is the founder of Living Cozy. He's been featured by publishers like MyDomaine, Realtor, Real Homes, Architectural Digest, The Spruce, Homes and Gardens, and more. As a writer his work has appeared in publications like FastCompany, TNW, and Entrepreneur.