5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Furniture (And the Stories Behind Them)

La-Z-Boy Southeast | October 30, 2025

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Furniture

Buying furniture should be exciting. You’re about to bring something into your home that you’ll use every single day, that guests will compliment, that might even become part of your family’s story. Yet somehow, it often turns into a stress-inducing ordeal that ends with buyer’s remorse.

After years of watching people navigate furniture purchases, we’ve noticed the same mistakes pop up again and again. The good news? They’re all completely avoidable. Here’s what to watch out for.

1. The “It’ll Fit… Probably” Assumption

Picture this: You’ve found the perfect sectional. The color is exactly right, it’s comfortable, the price is reasonable. You measure the living room wall. It fits! You buy it. Delivery day arrives. The drivers get it to your front door and… it doesn’t fit through the doorway.

This happens more often than you’d think. While everyone remembers to measure their room, doorways are the forgotten stepchild of furniture shopping. And it’s not just the front door you need to worry about—what about that tight corner where the hallway turns? The narrow stairway to your second-floor bedroom? That basement doorframe that’s slightly smaller than standard?

The smart approach: Measure every entry point between your front door and the furniture’s final destination. You need to know:

  • Width of all doorways and hallways
  • Height of doorways (especially important for tall pieces like armoires)
  • The diagonal depth of your furniture piece (this often determines whether it can be angled through a doorway)

Here’s a quick rule: Your entryway width needs to be larger than your furniture’s depth, height, OR diagonal depth. As long as one of those measurements fits, you can usually maneuver the piece through.

Pro tip: Take photos of tight spots on your phone and bring them shopping. Many furniture retailers (La-Z-Boy stores, for instance) have experienced staff who can look at your situation and tell you whether a piece will work—before you buy it.

2. Buying for a Fantasy Life, Not Your Actual Life

That pristine white linen sofa is gorgeous. You can already imagine yourself curled up on it with a glass of wine and a good book, looking like you stepped out of a Pottery Barn catalog.

But here’s the thing: Do you have kids who eat spaghetti in the living room? A dog who thinks the couch is also his bed? A tendency to fall asleep on the sofa and drool a little? (No judgment—we all do it.)

The most beautiful furniture in the world is useless if it doesn’t fit your actual life. A few questions to ask yourself:

If you have pets or kids:

  • Can this fabric handle spills, muddy paws, and sticky fingers?
  • Is it dark enough to hide minor stains between cleanings?
  • Can it be cleaned easily, or will every accident require professional help?
  • Are there delicate elements (like thin wooden legs) that could be damaged by roughhousing?

If you entertain frequently:

If you’re a movie marathon person:

  • Is it comfortable for extended sitting (like, four-episodes-in-a-row comfortable)?
  • Are there features that add comfort, like adjustable headrests or built-in footrests?

Your furniture needs to work for your real life, not an idealized version of it. There’s no shame in choosing a durable microfiber over that white linen if it means you’ll actually enjoy using your furniture instead of constantly worrying about it.

3. Shopping Without a Budget (Or Ignoring the One You Set)

Furniture shopping has a sneaky way of inflating budgets. You walk in thinking you’ll spend $1,200 on a sofa, and suddenly you’re looking at $2,500 sectionals because “it’s only $100 more per month” or “we’ll have it for 10 years, so really, what’s the difference?”

The difference is $1,300. That’s the difference.

Before you shop, decide:

Once you know your number, stick to it. A good sales consultant will work within your budget, not push you beyond it. If someone is making you feel bad about your price range, that’s a red flag—leave and find someone who respects your financial boundaries.

It’s worth noting that price isn’t everything. Sometimes a $1,200 sofa will last 15 years, and sometimes a $600 sofa will need replacing in three. Understanding the construction, materials, and warranty can help you figure out the true cost per year of ownership.

If you’re not sure where to start, here are some articles that will help you set your price range:

4) The Online Gamble

Online furniture shopping is tempting. The prices often seem better, you can browse in your pajamas, and that 3D room planner looks so cool. But here’s what online shopping can’t tell you:

  • How the fabric actually feels against your skin
  • Whether the seat depth works for your legs
  • If the cushions are firm or soft (and whether that matches your preference)
  • Whether the color on your screen matches the color in real life
  • How sturdy it feels when you shift your weight
  • Whether it makes weird noises when you sit down

Yes, many online retailers offer home trials with “free returns.” But read the fine print. Some charge restocking fees up to 20%. Others won’t accept returns on items they consider “used”—which can be interpreted pretty broadly. And even if the return is truly free, do you really want to deal with the hassle of repackaging a sofa and arranging for pickup?

The better approach: See it in person before you buy. Sit on it. Lie on it if it’s appropriate. Move around. If you have back problems, see how it supports your lower back. If you’re tall, make sure the seat depth doesn’t cut off circulation to your legs. If you’re short, make sure your feet touch the ground.

You can still buy online after you’ve tested in person—many brands have both retail stores and e-commerce sites. But eliminate the guesswork by trying before buying.

5. Going It Alone When You Don’t Have To

Unless you’re an interior designer yourself, you probably don’t instinctively know whether that chair rail height is correct, or whether your ceiling height can handle a tall bookshelf without making the room feel cramped, or whether that rug is the right size for your space.

And that’s okay! That’s why interior design expertise exists.

Many furniture retailers offer free design consultations—La-Z-Boy does this at their locations, for example. These aren’t high-pressure sales meetings; they’re opportunities to ask questions, avoid mistakes, and get professional input on things like:

A good design consultant will listen to your needs, respect your budget, and help you avoid expensive mistakes. They might point out things you hadn’t considered (“This coffee table is beautiful, but its sharp corners might not be great with a toddler in the house”) or suggest solutions you hadn’t thought of (“What if we used two smaller sofas instead of one large sectional? It would give you more flexibility”).

Even if you don’t use a formal design service, bring photos of your space when you shop. A picture of your room, measurements, and images of existing furniture can help salespeople guide you toward pieces that will actually work in your home.

The Bottom Line

Furniture shopping doesn’t have to be stressful. With a little planning—measuring doorways, being honest about your lifestyle, setting a realistic budget, testing in person, and getting expert input—you can avoid the most common pitfalls and actually enjoy the process.

Because at the end of the day, furniture shopping should be about finding pieces that make your house feel more like home. That’s something worth getting right.

We’d be happy to help you bring your dreams to life at any of our locations in NC, SC, or GA.

La-Z-Boy Interior Design Service