Furnishing your new apartment or giving it a makeover can be an exciting adventure, but it can also be daunting. Options, styles and colors are everywhere, on blogs, in furniture stores and even department stores. Avoiding distractions and achieving the results you want requires preparation. But don’t worry—the process can be fun!

Have a Vision

There’s a lot of great furniture in the world, and when you start shopping it’s easy to end up with some very nice pieces but no theme. Eclectic is a theme, and if you want to mix and match that’s an option, but even an eclectic room requires planning. It’s not the chance result of picking up several nice pieces and then finding a place to fit them in. Know what you want the room to look like before you ever make a single purchase. Maybe that means choosing an overall style and then looking for pieces that fit, or maybe it means planning a room around one centerpiece item you love. Whatever your approach, think it through in advance!

Know Your Budget

Whether you’re making over your whole apartment or furnishing just one room, you’ll undoubtedly need multiple pieces and want to accessorize. That means it’s important to think ahead, not just in terms of style, but also in terms of expense. You may want to spend more on a single item that will be the centerpiece of the room, but don’t do so impulsively. Think through what else you’ll need and how much of your budget you’ll need to reserve to bring the rest of the room together, or to go on to the next room when the first is complete.

Do Your Homework

Browse before you buy, whether that means wandering furniture stores or searching the Internet. A solid idea of what’s available and how much it costs will aid in building your vision and help plan your budget. Educating yourself will also make it less likely that you’ll regret a purchase later, and will give you the opportunity to be sure that the room in your mind is in fact within reach while your money is still in your pocket. If adaptation is necessary, the time to find out is before you start investing.

Don’t Rush It

Putting a room together takes time, and chances are that you’ll be keeping at least the key pieces of furniture for years. Don’t settle for less because you’ve set an artificial deadline or you’re getting impatient. Take the time necessary to plan the home you want to live in, acquaint yourself with what’s available, make necessary adaptations to bring your vision in line with your options and your budget, and then shop carefully.

What are your best tips for furnishing your apartment?