Don't rush into furnishing your home

If the room you are filling is unusually large, oversized furniture is a great bet. (Comstock)

You finally have the home of your dreams, but now comes the daunting task of buying the perfect furniture to make it come to life.

We asked the experts: How do I choose the best furniture for my home?

You must pay attention to the size of the room you are decorating, says Judy Ripley, design specialist with Art Form. "Just because a piece of furniture looks great in a magazine or in a furniture showroom, doesn't mean it will look great in your home. A showroom can be very large or have different lighting," says Ripley.

If the room you are filling is unusually large, oversized furniture is a great bet. "Choose sectional sofas to eat up some space and offer comfort.

A hot trend right now is to use an oversized armoire to house your electronics if you don't have a built-in media centre. They look great and they hide the clutter so your home looks a lot more organized."

One great way to make sure you are investing in a timeless piece is to use solids or tone-on-tone furniture. "If you choose to buy a patterned sofa, chances are you may end up hating it down the road," says Ripley. "With a solid sofa, you can change the mood of the furniture by using throw cushions or accents in patterns."

Choosing furniture should be a well-thought out experience, says Leigh Lawson, designer with L Decor Interiors. "People often rush into it. They feel pressured by salespeople or they just don't think it through. "These are pieces that you will have to look at for a long time, so take your time," says Lawson.

Preparing for a trip to the furniture store should involve a copy of your floor plan, ideas of window treatments and the flooring. "Everything works together, so it is important that you have all the details.”

"Most salespeople are very well trained and can point you in the right direction if you have all the details." While you can find some furniture at bargain prices, quality usually comes at a price. "I usually recommend that people invest in good tables and shelves. Those are the pieces that you aren't going to tire of," says Lawson. "Sofas on the other hand can become tiresome and most people tend to replace those at a faster rate."