I always seem to forget about most of these sites and end up scouring the main three sites I’m most comfortable with: Pottery Barn, West Elm and Restoration Hardware. But there are so many more and this comprehensive list will certainly keep you busy on your iPad for hours and days on end.

Here’s a few I’d add to the list:
Modshop
Bloomingdales
The Rug Company

Happy shopping! CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE 42 BEST WEBSITES FOR FURNITURE & DECOR

When our home was under construction I lay awake at night visualizing each space and how I would decorate it. I took careful mental inventory of all our furniture pieces and decided what I would sell, giveaway or keep. When moving day came, I had a pretty good idea where it was all going and all was going according to plan. And then I started shopping for furniture. Did you hear the squeal of the brakes just now? Furniture shopping proved much more difficult than I anticipated and it stopped me dead in my tracks.

I couldn’t make a decision for the life of me despite countless hours shopping online, flipping through catalogs and visiting retail stores. I even started turning over chairs at restaurants and friends’ houses to find the manufacturer. Not only did I want the perfect pieces but I wanted them, like yesterday. I wasn’t looking for heirloom quality furniture (who is??) but I wanted some nice pieces – pieces that didn’t require assembly. Furniture is a terrible investment, by the way. It loses its value the minute it’s purchased and becomes even less valuable once upholstered. I knew that which is why I felt so much pressure to find furniture that I loved and would continue to love for the rest of my life.

My advice? Take. Your. Time. Really. It’s so worth it and I have the perfect chair pictured above to prove it. So instead of rushing to buy something, sit on the floor in your family room, stack your stuff by your bed or sleep on a mattress on the floor. (We’ve done all those things by the way.) When you do find the perfect piece, you will bask in the knowledge that it didn’t come easily and that you pulled the trigger because you really loved it.

Decorating is often saved for last but there are many important decisions to make when it comes to finalizing your home design and decorating considerations.  Posts in this category will explain this in more detail.