What Does It Cost to Furnish Your Living Room or Family Room?
If you’ve never tried to furnish a room from top to bottom all at once, it can be surprising to learn what kind of a budget you need to get a project off the ground. Although furnishing an entire living room at once is the best way to get the outcome you want most, pieces that look and feel good do require a significant investment.
Sure, you can make an Instagram-worthy space on a dime, but will the sofa last awhile? Do the bed linens feel good? Are those cabinets made of particle board? Quality materials and products are expensive & what we love most is when we get to splurge on the big pieces that matter (learn more about how to spot quality furnishings here and family-friendly materials here), so we can mix and match the rest.
It may also surprise you to learn that it may take designers anywhere from 20-50 hours to completely design a space. Since we think details matter, we pay attention to them, and that takes time! (& also $$)
Aside from a budget for design services, we generally require minimum room budgets for any space we design. This is simply because we believe in standing behind the quality we are sourcing for you, and when you start adding it all up, that budget starts to grow. For a very basic living room, we have to start with the following…
How to Furnish a Living Room: The Essentials
- Quality Sofa
- Large Rug
- Rug Pad
- Accent Chair
- Casegoods and Media Storage
- Curtains
- Curtain Hardware
- Light Fixtures (overhead, table & floor)
- Art
- Styling Items
If we run down this list, but the time we’re at item #5, we could easily be at $10K. Even with mixing and matching quality levels, we’re usually at a budget of at least $20K for a living room like the ones you see in our portfolio — and not everything is fancy, fancy! Items simply add up.
If this number feels shocking to you, you’re not alone. Most people simply don’t know what quality items cost, and home renovations shows (where many of the items are low-quality or donated by sponsors) make understanding furnishings budgets even more convoluted.
To make the math clear, we’ve created this easy-to-follow Guide to Budgeting Your Living Room Furnishings. We break down Basic Retail items and compare the numbers to High-End Retail. Since we often invite clients (especially our San Antonio Virtual Design Clients!) to our Designer Showroom, I’ve added those numbers in there, too — and the difference between Retail and Showroom might surprise you!
So… download the guide, grab your calculator, and start building the budget that is right for you.
If you need help creating a living room you love, check out our Virtual Design Service. We’ll discover how you use your home, talk budget, and create a design that checks all the boxes for a soul-soothing space you’ll be happy to come home to. We know there’s nothing like a cushy sofa to snuggle on after a long day!
Xoxo,
Shawna
Styleberry Creative Interiors specializes in fresh, relaxed design crafted in a meaningful way. With a team and process you can trust, we’ll help you create soul-soothing spaces that inspire you to unwind, connect, and finally… exhale.
Styleberry Creative Interiors is based in downtown San Antonio, Texas. We serve clients in the Alamo Heights, Olmos Park, greater San Antonio Metropolitan area and Nationwide with Full Service and Virtual Design.
