Today please welcome guest blogger Pierre Angela Cruz, a Marketing Consultant for Open Brook. She is here to share an article about How to Choose The Right Outdoor Furniture for your home. Without further ado - here is Pierre!

Having the dream home you always wanted would not be complete without a well thought out and coordinated set of outdoor furniture. But don’t just go and buy everything you think you need all at once, make your house more welcoming and alive by choosing the right pieces of furniture. In this article, I will share some tips on how to do so properly.

Color and patterns

There are people who want to emphasize a certain something in their house --  be it an overall theme, a pattern, or a specific area. Trying to come up with these design elements brings out the creativity of any homeowner.

Although some might say that choosing a specific theme is just a way to satisfy a momentary whim, designing the house based on a certain motif is nevertheless a fun activity, and can give your space some personality. If you are planning on following a specific color or theme, make sure you don’t stray too far away from it, so that you get furniture that blends together well.

Shape and size

Of course, the shape and size of the furniture should also be considered. How can you fit something that is too big for your patio? Measure the dimensions of your patio before you shop, to ensure that the furniture you pick will fit the space you want to furnish. For more information on this matter, you can look up space-saving tips, especially when your patio is not exactly roomy.

Function and position

When you put a piece of furniture into a certain part of your house, you always think of WHY it should be placed there, right? So don’t just buy something because the color matches the color scheme in your house, or because the patterns are perfect with the walls and the curtains. Make sure it has its own purpose. Forgetting the true purpose of a new piece of furniture will eventually make your house overstuffed with things that don’t have any real use, instead of leaving space available for more functional items.

The budget

So you already know what you want, but do you have enough money to get it? Your budget is a very important factor in choosing the right outdoor furniture, as it can lead you to purchase a different piece of furniture from the one you’ve always wanted.

Of course, if you have the skills for it, you can always go the do-it-yourself route and make your own furniture. For those, however, who don’t have the time for or interest in a DIY project, you can always browse through auctions, garage sales, refurbished stuff, etc. You can even ask friends and family for hand-me-down furniture, especially if it fits the overall look of your outdoor space.

These tips should help get you started in decorating and furnishing your patio or backyard. It’s wise to do initial research before looking at any furniture. Think of it as another form of investment for your house. In the end, you should follow your own heart to determine which furniture you think will be perfect for your space.

Pierre Angela Cruz is a Marketing Consultant for Open Brook , an excellent source of information and reviews about patio and outdoor furniture . She also writes for Amerisleep, a distributor of memory foam mattress.