DETERMINE A BUDGET: It is far too common to try to get more for less when in fact you are getting less for more. Buying furniture that needs replacement every few years or more is simply a waste of hard earned money. Your best plan of action is to spend your furniture budgets greatest portion on the core fundamentals of your home. In other words, the pieces that you will use day in and day out and that receive the highest level of wear and tear should be considered investments and allocated the highest percentage of the budget.

As you design your budget you will allocate some to the essential list while many pieces can be put aside until another time. Most homeowners accumulate their furniture over a period of two to five years.

A good rule of thumb is:

• Home owner’s furnishing investment should equal no more than one quarter the value of their home.
• A renter’s furnishing should value no more than half a year’s income.

EDUCATE YOURSELF: You wouldn’t buy a car without research so why would you buy a sofa or a dining room set without knowing what to look for? Reading a bit about furniture construction, reviewing consumer guides, assessing various furniture manufacturers and designs and even buying design books and magazines can help you in choosing where to purchase your furniture. A sales staff that takes a personal interest in the long term goals of your home environment is essential. While shopping online opens a literal world of stores to you always review customer comments online and ask for references before buying.

Whether shopping in the real world or the virtual one be certain that the store is available to you with live customer service. Ask about workmanship, materials, guarantees and warranties, design concepts, customization options, delivery expectations and costs, finishes, stain and fabric choices.

Above all, don’t be afraid to ask questions. A salesman who plans on your return business is as vested in your happiness as you are. At Amish-Furniture-Home.com the furniture team is built from the tree harvester to the caring office staff. The integrity runs as deep as the customer loyalty and can be witnessed from the first cut of the carpenter to the last handling by the delivery staff.

ANALYZE YOUR ENVIRONMENT- By reviewing your space and determining what design style and function you need for each room of the home you have begun your plan. Take in to consideration each member, including pets, guests both long term and short, along with future addition to your family when determining best usage and style for your space.

Ask yourself honest questions about yourself and fellow house mates. Are you really going to need a formal living room or is your lifestyle more of comfortable casualness? Are you private sort and creating a very personal home environment or are you a social family creating a home theater and game center for friends to pop in and relax? By asking these questions you can develop an accurate plan for investing in your personal atmosphere.

INVENTORY YOURSELF- While buying furnishings and accessories will be necessary, one cost effective tool is working with what you may already have, or what friends or family may be willing to donate to your home. By carefully documenting every piece of furniture and accessories you have to work with you have effectively warehoused your collection like a designer inventorying their stock for the client.

INVENTORY YOUR WANTS- Next list the reasonable wants that fit in to your newly analyzed design plan. While many people believe they must buy more furniture for cheaper prices, in fact the opposite is true. The bulk of your furniture should be considered an investment. Are you investing in furniture that can grow and change with your life? A well furnished home is one that can grow and change as you and the family do.

Remember that wise home design means choosing a few high quality pieces that will last rather than disposable furnishings that must be replaced in a few years. By carefully choosing pieces that you can live with and that will last your investment will pay for itself. Quite simply, as your tastes change over the years you can change out paint schemes, accessories, rugs, art, lamps, etc and effectively and inexpensively create an entirely new back drop to your high end investments like hand crafted Amish furniture.

RECLINERS: For centuries men have found that reclining was their favorite way to relax. From ancient biblical times, when diners actually lay down to eat around a table, to the 1800’s when mechanical furniture began to show up in homes and businesses, we have loved recliners. William Morris began producing the recliner chair that came to be known as the Morris chair during the Arts and Crafts Movement. One philosophy of this movement was to surround your self in organic, useful and beautiful simplicity. The end result was meant to be a higher quality of life in form, function and visual aesthetics.  

Today Amish craftsmen from Northern Indiana custom build the world’s sturdiest and most comfortable reclining chairs and ottomans. Upholstered in high end leathers or fabrics and built in Native American hardwoods these chairs are a comfortable and comforting place to put down your worries and put up your feet. Imagine putting on some soft music, pushing back in your reclining Morris chair, putting up your weary feet in the wide ottoman stool and placing a cooling scented herbal eye cloth across your brow? Peace and tranquility are found in a chair built for a lifetime of healing your soul, one day at a time.

BATH: A bath is a quick, easy and inexpensive way to unwind. In twenty minutes you can reduce tension, energize the body, and rejuvenate your mind. By stocking a well built Amish corner cabinet or bathroom hutch with fragrant essential oils, scented or herbal bath salts and soft luxurious towels you can ensure you have on hand the makings of a very peaceful environment and your own personal spa retreat. 

Inside of your Amish built corner cabinet or solid wood storage unit simply keep in stock relaxing aromas of orange, grapefruit, tangerine, rose geranium, pine, lavender, chamomile, lemongrass and basil. Bath salts are usually scented sea or Epsom salts and it is not just a myth that these salts can help to draw soreness out of muscles and joints. Believe it or not, for a luscious milk bath basic powdered milk from your grocery drink aisle works great.  

Remember for optimal relaxation the bath water temperature should be between 90 and 104 degrees. When bathing in warm water remember that it is the best way to promote relaxation but it does tend to dry out skin. Always use moisturizing soaps or oils to alleviate that.  

CHAIR MASSAGE: Chair massage has taken hold across America. The chair massage is so simple and easily done that kiosks have sprung up in malls everywhere for about a dollar per minute. You don’t need to run to the mall or even own a special massage chair to help out a family member with tense back and shoulder problems. If you own a well constructed Amish dining chair you can create a makeshift massage chair.

 First get a comfortable pillow to place between the recipient and the back and top of chair. You want the pillow or pillows to fill the space between them and the chair and to cushion their face from the top rail. Now ask your guest to straddle the chair backwards, placing their arms to their sides. By following instructions found in books on home massage or many websites you now have a quick and inexpensive way to deliver a home chair massage using your Amish designed chair.