Back in the day buying matching furniture sets was the way it was done. You needed living room furniture so you bought a set or “suite.” That set included the coffee table, the sofa/console table and the end tables at a minimum. If your budget was a little bigger you also purchased the “matching” couch and love seat or the couch and a pair of chairs. If it was your bedroom in need of furnishing, you did a similar thing. You bought the bed, the tall chest, the long bureau and nightstands – all matching. It made shopping pretty easy and retailers very happy. Today you can still do this very thing if you like, at a furniture or consignment store. But the question is, should you buy matching furniture sets? Here’s what I think…
Should You Buy Matching Furniture Sets? Well, It All Depends on Your Reason For Buying In The First Place
I live in a beach community in the Northeast. There are a lot of seasonal homes and a lot of vacation rentals in our area. When furnishing these homes a lot of owners might opt for sets because it’s an easy solution. Everything in the set works well together and it doesn’t take a lot of effort to pull together a room. So spending more time at the beach and less time decorating might be a good reason for buying furniture sets. Rentals provide another yes for sets because sets are often priced to encourage buying the lot. When a house is a rental and you can save money setting it up, a set can make sense. Even consignment and thrift stores, like Consignments Ltd., will price sets in a way that incentivizes buying the lot. Less money toward furniture means more money in your pocket.
First time furniture buyers may also get a good “bang for their buck” by buying sets. If you don’t have a lot of furniture when you’re starting out, set pricing can allow you to furnish more for less. You can buy the bedroom set but use the dresser and bureau in two separate bedrooms. You can split up the nightstands too! And this first home will have a harmonious look due to the similarity of style as well as wood or color.
When Should You Avoid Buying Sets?
If your goals are something other than furnishing quickly or getting the most amount of furniture per dollar, you may want to avoid matching sets. As many of you know, my Mom was an antique dealer. We NEVER had matching furniture sets because we almost never bought new furniture. My Mom liked to say her style looked like “old money” and that it was “collected over time.” And it did. There were no sets, but things were purchased that worked well together. She collected furniture and curated our home to reflect her tastes and her personality.
My Mom passed this gift on to me. And I continue to practice the “collected over time” look in my own home. My choices reflect my favorite colors, shapes, periods and styles. I buy at furniture stores, consignment shops and even yard sales. It doesn’t matter. I buy what I like. Going away from sets allows me to surround myself with the things that make me happy – even if they don’t exactly match. I don’t think that matching sets allow room for your personality to shine through. So if your goal is a home that is a reflection of yourself and it’s your favorite place to be, think beyond matching sets. You’ll be glad you did.
For more on furniture, try some of my previus blogs like: Is Trendy Furniture A Good Buy on Consignment? and Brown Wood Furniture: Hot Design Trend.
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