3 pitfalls to avoid when shopping for furniture with friends and family
Perhaps you like to browse and want to see different storage options in your common area, but your roommate just wants to use a bunch of boxes. Or maybe you know that sofa will look great in your studio, but your partner can’t seem to visualize it.
When it comes to furniture shopping, it might seem like you can’t agree with the people you live with, but there’s no need to clash over your design differences. Instead, use IKEA Kreativ to collaborate with each other and create a space that everyone can appreciate.
1. Analysis paralysis.
Feeling overwhelmed is a common problem when shopping for furniture, online or in person. We’ve all been there — browsing endlessly for that “perfect” item. Looking at hundreds of sofas, not knowing how they’ll look in your home. Or scrolling through option after option of storage boxes and wondering if they’ll fit under the sofa you’re eyeing. Before your frustration with the process and your shopping partner turns into irritation, give yourself a better way to evaluate your options.
Too many choices without the ability to see how they’ll work in a space can be overwhelming.
Instead: Start with a space — bring items into it.
This approach enables you and your partner to see how different pieces of furniture and decor work together, so everyone in the household can better understand each other’s vision. Start with IKEA Kreativ. There you can select a blank or styled space, or better yet, you can scan your own space. Try out different pieces of furniture and decor, and arrange the space, so it looks the way you want. Don’t restrict yourself. Move the pieces around, swap them out, and erase the ones that don’t work or suit your style. When you’re ready, name your design and save it to your account, so you can share it with your shopping partner.
Swap furniture in a scanned space.
Swap furniture in a showroom. Above is a “dollhouse” view of a showroom.
2. Missing the picture.
A picture is worth a thousand words, right? So rather than waving your arms at cluttered floors or pointing fingers at old credenzas, show the people you live with exactly what you want to do with the space you’re shopping for. Help them understand what you want the space to be — how it should function and the activities it needs to serve as well as the style and personality you’d like it to have. And do it before you buy anything, ideally before you start shopping at all. That way, you can make sure you’re on the same page before you discover someone doesn’t like one of your purchases.
Instead: Share design ideas.
Think of IKEA Kreativ like a vision board — a place where you literally can show friends and family how you want your project to look. Lots of kids love to get in on the action at this point. Show them what you’re thinking, and if you’re shopping for their room or a space they’ll use a lot, you can let them play with designs in IKEA Kreativ, too. You might be pleasantly surprised by what they create.
When you’re ready to get a conversation started with your kids or a shopping partner (or just want to get some advice from a friend or another relative), you’ve got easy options within IKEA Kreativ:
1-Share a “view only” version of your design to get feedback, advice, or a quick reaction.
and
2-Select “allow design remix” to enable your partner to help update or rework your design.
Regardless of which option you choose, IKEA Kreativ will keep a saved version of your original design in your account, so you won’t lose any of your hard work. Just pick a sharing option, enter an optional description, and select how you want to share — via a copied link, email, X, Facebook, or Pinterest. Your design ideas will be shared privately and only with the people you want.
Use IKEA Kreativ like a vision board. Share your design ideas with the people you live with.
3. Boring compromises.
You’ve fallen in love with a traditional high-back armchair, but your partner prefers a more modern aesthetic. You want to add more lighting to brighten up a space, but your partner thinks it will be too expensive. Just remember, not all design differences are mutually exclusive. When you feel like you and your shopping partner can’t agree, a compromise could result either in an idea that everyone loves or one that no one does. And visualizing items together in realistic spaces is an easier, faster way to find the one you all feel good about.
Instead: Work together and collaborate.
Once you’ve shown them what you like by sharing your design, go ahead and ask your partner to remix it. Tell them which items you really love and why. Sure, if they don’t like those pieces, they might swap them with something else, but ideally, they’ll keep in mind what you said regarding why you loved them in the first place. Maybe they’ll be able to find something that has a similar quality but suits their taste better. Or maybe they’ll find something similar but suits your budget better. When they’re finished remixing the design, they can share their version with you. Working together like this, you can create a space you’ll all enjoy. And once you settle on a design you and your housemates love, it’s incredibly easy to purchase the items you want. And if you’re not quite ready to make a purchase, add them to your favorites for later.
Collaborate and get to a compromise everyone loves. Easily add items to favorites or to your shopping bag.