Many people think that buying stylish furniture will make them exceed their budget. Indeed, it is only natural to want to keep the costs down when furnishing your home.
However, buying cheap furniture with poor quality or overly cheap-looking pieces can ruin the overall look of your interior. On the other hand, by choosing expensive-looking furniture, you can create a stylish and high-quality space even with a limited budget.
In this article, we’ll share tips on how to choose and buy affordable, expensive-looking furniture. Feel free to use this article as a reference when shopping for furniture.
At Village House, we offer over 1,000 affordable and stylish rental properties all across Japan. If you’re looking for a new place to live, be sure to check out our website!
Tips for choosing expensive-looking furniture: ① Pay attention to the design and materials
When selecting affordable, expensive-looking furniture, pay close attention to the design and materials. Scandinavian-style furniture with straight lines and simple yet sophisticated shapes can create a high-quality impression, even at a low price. Moreover, furniture with attention to detail—such as well-designed handles or stylish legs—can create a sense of luxury.
As for materials, wooden furniture with a solid grain or pieces made with natural wood veneer are recommended. Iron, steel, and glass elements also offer a sense of weight and elegance, helping the furniture look more expensive than it actually is.
On the other hand, furniture made from overly glossy plastic or low-quality laminate tends to look cheap, so it’s best to avoid them if possible. By paying attention to the balance between materials and design, even affordable furniture can help create a sophisticated space.
Tips for choosing expensive-looking furniture: ② Keep a consistent color scheme
When choosing budget-friendly furniture, it’s important to consider the color scheme of the furniture you already have. If the colors and textures of the furniture are all different, the whole room can end up looking cluttered and give off a cheap impression.
You don’t need to stick to just one color for everything, but if you keep it to within three colors— a base color, a secondary color, and an accent color—it can create a sense of harmony to the space. In particular, basic colors such as white, gray, beige, and black are recommended as they tend to look expensive and are easy to mix and match with other furniture.
When it comes to wooden furniture, natural colors will give the whole room a bright look, while dark colors will give a calm and luxurious impression. When in doubt, choose colors that match the furniture you already have in order to create a cohesive and sophisticated interior.
Tips for choosing expensive-looking furniture: ③ Incorporate simple designs
A “simple design” is an important element to keep in mind when choosing expensive-looking furniture. Because of the minimal decoration, it’s harder to spot the difference between budget and high-end pieces, allowing even affordable furniture to blend naturally into the room. Plus, simple furniture works well with any interior style and won’t disrupt the overall harmony of the room.
That being said, even with simple designs, it’s important not to overlook quality. When purchasing budget furniture, pay close attention to the materials and craftsmanship. Look out for cheap-looking finishes or poor construction—especially in noticeable areas such as legs, joints, and edges.
Shop for affordable and stylish furniture online
Online shopping offers a convenient way to browse and purchase furniture with a wide variety of options. It saves you the trouble of visiting multiple stores and allows you to compare products of various designs and price ranges from the comfort of your own home. It’s an effective solution for those with busy schedules to find their ideal furniture.
However, there are some points to be aware of when shopping online, such as cases where the color and texture of the product from the image differ from the actual product. To avoid disappointment, choose websites that display high-resolution photos from multiple angles and zoomed-in images so that you can see the true color, detailed design, and size of the furniture.
Key points to keep in mind when shopping for furniture online
- Measure the installation space and delivery path
Make sure to check whether the furniture can fit through your front door, hallway, elevator, and other entry points. Additionally, measure the space where you plan to place the furniture to ensure that it isn’t too large for the area.
- Check the quality of materials and construction
Don’t decide based on photos alone. Make sure to confirm things like: What material is it made out of? Is the steel plate thick and sturdy? Is the wood solid or veneer? Low-cost materials like MDF or thin metal can often look cheap, so it’s best to avoid them when possible.
- Understand the return policy and warranty details
For large furniture pieces, return shipping costs can be quite high. To avoid any unexpected issues, it’s important to check the return policy, shipping fees, assembly costs, and warranty details before making a purchase.
- Check customer reviews
Be sure to check user ratings and photos, and pay close attention to customer reviews about their impressions after long-term use—comments such as “the cushions sag over time” or “the surface paint starts to peel.”
- Confirm the total cost, including shipping and assembly fees
Even if shipping is free, there may be additional fees for delivery and assembly. For heavy or bulky furniture, setting it up alone can be difficult. To avoid surprises like “the shipping and assembly ended up costing more than expected,” make sure to review the total cost before making a purchase.
Shop for furniture from secondhand shops
Secondhand or thrift stores are recommended for those looking to find expensive-looking furniture at a low price. You can often find pieces that were originally expensive being sold at affordable prices, and if you choose the ones in good condition, it can feel like they are worth more than their price.
Wooden furniture, in particular, is one of the materials that develops character with age. Furniture made from high-quality wood can still be fully functional even if it is a little bit old.
You can also find stylish secondhand furniture with a retro feel, as well as bargains with unique designs at secondhand stores. If you’re not in a rush and enjoy the experience of browsing in person, shopping for expensive-looking furniture at thrift stores can be a fun and rewarding option.
At Village House, we offer rental properties all across Japan with rent starting from as low as ¥20,000 per month. Additionally, there are no security deposits, key money, handling fees, or renewal fees（※）. If you’re looking to save on initial costs and rent, please feel free to contact us anytime!
※Depending on the contract details and screening results, a security deposit may be required.
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Hello, I’m Machiko Doi, a freelance writer who writes about housing and living in Japan.
I live in an 80-year-old house that I inherited from my grandparents along with my two shelter cats and daughter.
We live a relaxed life while repairing the house.
I like to cook vegetables from the garden and fresh fish caught by my father, and enjoy them with cold beer on a hot day or hot sake on a cold day.