Modify your home using furniture

SLIM wall cabinets are perfect for rooms with small floor space. PHOTO BY CHARLES E. BUBAN

THE WAY one buys a furniture mirrors a lot of the homeowner’s personality. But more than reflecting the person’s lifestyle and needs, having the right furnishings can make one’s home look and feel comfortable.

“The right furniture pieces always make your home the most ideal place to be in after a very hectic day,” admits Rico Abarentos, managing partner of Crazyzee Factory Sale Manila (www.factorysales.ph). “They could transform bland rooms into places that look inviting and most relaxing.”

Owned by Rettier of Spain, a European based retailer of home improvement products and services, Crazyzee Factory Sale Manila offers a collection of furniture pieces that costs way much lower than what is offered in the most popular stores. They also offer furnishings that match any sort of interior motif.

“With the volatility of fuel prices in the global market, jacking up the prices of consumer-related goods, people are always on the lookout for the best deals that would maximize their buying power. They would find that prices at our stores are so low they might suspect the quality. To their surprise, they find that prices are at par if not even better than what are offered in most stores. Indeed, our shoppers find it challenging to explore every corner of our store as they find interesting pieces that would make their house or room truly homey,” he says.

Abarentos adds that stress-free furniture shopping may be accomplished with just a little bit of preplanning and enumerated the following helpful suggestions:

1 Set your budget. Decide how much money you are willing to part with and stick to it.

2 Choose furniture and accessory pieces that can work well in small or large rooms, or offer storage. By choosing a furniture that is flexible, meaning, they can be adjusted to fit space requirements, you now have a furnishing that is adaptable.

“As an example, we have a dining table whose tempered glass top may be retracted to make its size wider or narrower depending on which area it will be placed. We also have furniture pieces that offer drawers or hanging space, such as a chest or drawers that can be used in a bedroom, foyer, living room without occupying too much space,” Abarentos says.

3 Avoid placing bulky furniture in cramped rooms. Instead, choose sleek ones as well as those with space-saving designs to avoid cluttering. In the same way, it is reasonable to put bulky furniture in large rooms to make it less overwhelming and help fill up the huge blank spaces.

4 When deciding on the type of furniture, also take into consideration your lifestyle like if you have pets that are going to claw or chew or still have small children who may get hurt should they play with furniture with breakable glass parts. Another consideration is having a leather sofa that may look good, but can be downright uncomfortable during hot and humid weather, unless you have an air-conditioning unit.

5 Select white or any pleasing natural or neutral color (light brown, navy, dark green, dark gray or black) for your furniture. Such color group complements most home designs and will look great wherever you place them.

6 Buy lamps, vases and pillows in pairs as they add symmetry and continuity to a room.

7 Many pieces of furniture offer wheels like sofas, cabinets, tables and shelves. Their ability to be easily moved around will definitely serve you well if you decide to redesign or remodel your house.

8 If your unit or room lacks space consider choosing furniture pieces that are tall. By going “upward” instead of the usual outward you give your living space extra room. And don’t forget your walls: By adding shelves or wall-mounted cabinets you are efficiently utilizing precious floor space.

9 Make choices that will last you for many years. Avoid as much as possible, trendy furniture that may look tired in a few months. Remember, furniture is a big investment, so keep your tastes in check and choose furniture that will look and feel good for years to come.

10 Spend a few hours haunting the aisles of lesser known stores as they usually yield some amazing bargains and one-of-a-kind pieces that your friends who shop at big name furniture stores will never discover.

“One may notice that Crazyzee Factory Sales stores located on Filacore Drive in Sucat, Parañaque City and the one at the La Fuerza Compound on Chino Roces Avenue, Makati, have a ‘warehouse’-style layout that allow our visitors easy access to our products so they may closely inspect if not compare them to what they saw in other places,” Abarentos says.