You will get the best results if you carefully survey the relevant rooms in your home and plan before you go shopping.  Take measures of your room sizes and configurations.  Sketch the dimensions of the different pieces of furniture that you wish to buy and see how they will fit in the room before ordering them.  Do you wish to keep the current style and color scheme of your rooms, such as the carpeting or wall colors, or are these open for change as well? 

Remember, when you go into the furniture store, the salespeople are there to sell, and they are very eager to sell you something!  Some will listen to what it is you are interested in and will help you find it; that is the salesperson you need to find before you do your purchasing.  Then again, you may want to have the assistance of a designer, someone who has studied the styles of furniture as well as color selection.  No matter with whom you work, it is always best to be prepared with your own ideas of what you like.  That way, the person with whom you work will be better able to steer you in the right direction.   Some of the important factors to understand about furniture before heading out on your shopping trip include: construction basics; do you want wood or plastic; fabrics on upholstered goods; styles (i.e. modern/contemporary or traditional, or an eclectic combination); and reputation of various stores and their service records.  Do they deliver?  Will the cost of delivery be included in the price or is it additional?

Also consider the amount of effort that you are willing to invest in the care of your furniture and how this varies by type. For upholstered goods, regular vacuuming is very important in maintaining your furniture.  Turning the cushions regularly is also important for wear.  This also works for mattresses.  Having stain-resistant products applied is up to you.  These products will wear off over time, whether applied to wood or upholstery.  Dust and dirt are harmful to any surface, so the best care is regular cleaning. 

Thank you for joining us in the grand opening of Minneapolis-Furniture.com.  Please visit again as we expand the content throughout 2006.