With our second residential development, the Ivy at East Legon, in its final finishing stage, our thoughts have started to shift from straight walls and 90-degree corners to living room sets, the right wall hangings, throw rugs, bed linens, curtains, you name it. While outfitting a new home is a labour of love for some, it is down right daunting for others. What style do I want? What scale of furniture should I get? What dimensions? Should I bring in my own furniture or buy locally?

We know what it feels like because we decorate our own apartments in-house – no Ikea replicas – and we put a lot of time into getting it just right. So based on our experiences, here are some tips and tricks to make sure that your blank canvas of a home turns out to be a masterpiece:

It hurts us to see our well-proportioned 4.7 by 4-meter living room – plenty of space for a full 3 + 2 + 1 living room set – distorted by furniture that is too big or too small. In the case of Ivy, with its generously sized rooms, the more common mistake is furniture that is too small. But scale is really important to get right. Developers have a part to play in helping you – for example, you can’t give out floor plans to buyers that show a king size bed if the bedroom is only 2.7 meters wide. We won’t name names, but this happens more often than you’d think. Measure rooms you know, study the floor plan, and ask us for our opinion. We’re happy to help.

There are some very good furniture stores in Ghana – none better than La Maison (if budget is less of an issue). If value for money is a key consideration, then Orca is the best bet, with Furniture city offering opportunities for bargain hunting (they have good mirrors and outdoor furniture). Kimo Homes has high quality throw pillows and TEK LED is a life-saver when it comes to fancy bulbs and statement-making lighting fixtures. Mixing and matching is the best way to get that luxury look without spending a fortune.

There is no worse feeling than buying lots of furniture only to get it into the space and realize that it’s not all coming together. The key is don’t buy everything at once. Start by picking up the show stopper pieces that are going to make the room. These set the style and mood. Then fill in around them with complementary pieces that will pull it all together.

If you’ve wandered into any bookstore lately, then you’ve seen the rows of books on Hygge, the Norwegian concept that focuses on creating spaces that give a homely, cozy feeling. The key to Hygge (spoiler alert) is light. Nothing makes a home feel more inviting than the right warm lighting. Lighting solutions need to be part of your home décor plan.

Staring at our phones and computers all day, it’s no wonder that glasses are getting thicker and those stress-lines in our foreheads ever deeper. It doesn’t have to be this way. Studies have shown that indoor plants improve concentration and productivity, reduce stress and provide an energy boost. With indoor greenery costing far less in Ghana than what we’d pay overseas, we should take advantage, have our homes look great and be all the healthier for it.

If you have any questions about shopping for furniture in Ghana or if you’d like to learn more about our new and upcoming developments in East Legon, Airport and Cantonments, feel free to reach out or comment below.

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