As summer rolls around and the heat increases, there is no better time to buy furniture online for your home to accommodate these changes. While there is no need to go all out and outright replace furniture or other items in your home, the warm months do call for certain changes. In just a few minutes of reading, find out how to effectively buy furniture online to enjoy a fruitful and relaxing summer.
Finding airy bedding when you buy furniture online
There are few things worse than waking up drenched in sweat under your thick, downy duvet during a warm summer’s evening. Updating your bedding is one certain way to ensure a good night’s sleep. In terms of materials, there are a few that serve extremely well during hot periods.
Both linen and cotton are ideal options for your duvet cover and sheets during summer. The two are created with natural fibres. Cotton comes from the cotton plant, and linen from the flax plant. Linen is known for its cooling abilities, and actually serves as more absorbent than cotton. As one of the strongest fibres, it will fare well with frequent washes and drying.
A duvet serves as insulation, trapping the air between you and the outside world and keeping you warm. In summer, this can sometimes feel like the last thing you want. Sleeping without a duvet leaves some feeling vulnerable, not an ideal feeling if you want to drift off peacefully to sleep.
When you buy furniture online with the aim of finding a cooler duvet, you may be confronted with certain terminology that can become overwhelming and dissuade you from making a purchase. Below are some explanations for the some commonly used terms you may find in the information accompanying the duvet online:
Buy furniture online with the outdoors in mind
When summer rolls around, we exit our homes and filter into the outdoors, whether it be for a day by the pool, a braai with some friends or simply a glass of wine looking at the stars. The following are some suggestions of what to look out for when you buy furniture online to enhance your outdoor experience:
A dip in the pool
When you make the decision to buy furniture online, don’t miss out on pool chairs or outside seating if you are lucky enough to have a swimming pool to your name. Sitting alongside the pool in a comfortable, outdoors suitable chair with your favourite book is the perfect way to spend a summer’s day, especially during your long-awaited and well-deserved vacation. Just don’t forget your hat and sun cream, lots of it.
Beware buying a chair that you think will look great outside near your pool if you are unsure if it is suitable for outside use. Failing to do so can result in a ruined chair due to sun damage or water damage during the summer showers. Not only will this dampen your holiday mood, but it will take a knock on your wallet too.
Your best bet is finding chairs or recliners with a varnished, wooden frame that caters for removable and portable pillows. This can prevent the fabric deteriorating under prolonged sun exposure and the natural elements.
Under my umbrella
Spending time in the sun, no matter how enjoyable, has proven to be detrimental to the skin. Use umbrellas to your advantage and keep an eye out when you shop for furniture online. They are not the most common item available to purchase at online furniture stores, but you should have no problem finding them online through other portals.
Having cover from the sun is extremely important when you spend time outside enjoying summer’s balmy days. Ultraviolet (UV) rays have the potential of causing intense damage to the skin. UV rays are known to penetrate the outer skin layers and consequently affecting deeper layers, whereupon they tend to harm and even destroy skin cells.
Despite this gloomy reality, the sun, in moderation, can be good for you. Our skin uses sunlight to assist in the manufacturing of vitamin D, which is great for bone formation. In order to protect yourself adequately, apply factor 50 sun cream whenever you are exposed to sunlight, and reapply if you dip in the pool frequently. Don’t let it take the fun out of your day, though. Some sun creams come in interesting colours that are great fun to use.
A lot of time spent in the sun over the years is the leading cause of skin cancer, which can become highly problematic if not treated properly.
Towels aplenty
Aside from remaining protected from the sun, towels are the second most important thing when it comes to swimming. It may be time to get rid of the towels you bought when your kids were still in nappies. Using very old towels can be harmful to your skin and can Harbour bacteria in the folds after prolonged use. Further, years of washing and bleaching have most likely left the material feeling course and parched to the touch.
Buying new towels can be a thrilling experience, whether you do so online or in a physical store. Surprisingly, towels of great quality can often go at very low rates – a good thing when it comes to sticking to your budget.
Splish splash, Bird bath
We are not the only one’s who are affected by the heat. All the creatures and critters living around and among us feel the summertime heat. Unlike us and our furry friends, some animals cannot tolerate chlorine water, so having a dip in the pool is not an option.
Have a care and consider purchasing a bird bath for your outdoor neighbours. Doing so will also provide you with some great entertainment, and you may even pick up bird watching as a hobby as a result.
Your biggest fan
Some of the most important items to look for when you buy furniture online are fans. They can turn a most horrendous night tossing and turning in the heat, plagued by mosquitoes, into a peaceful night’s sleep. Some people find the hum of a fan highly cathartic, and essentially assists them in falling asleep.
A fan is no good circulating air around a scorching hot room though. For the best results, consider placing your fan in front of an open window, so that cooler air can be pushed out the mechanism and onto your grateful body. A word of warning however, having a fan blow directly onto your face throughout the night can result in you waking up with a sore throat, blocked nose, and very dry eyes.
Aircon it up
For those who cannot tolerate the warmth, an aircon, though pricey, is a tantalizing option. An air-conditioning unit can save you many nights of anguish hunting down mosquitoes and bugs in your room. It can also cost you a fortune in electricity bills.
This is not a given, though, if you use it responsibly. Many aircon owners choose to turn their space into a polar region, setting their temperatures to as low as 15 degrees Celsius to avoid summer’s pressing heat. This is not the only way to cool down your room. Setting your temperature to a moderate 20 degrees is all it takes to make a room livable, and with a low setting mode, you may in fact be able to save.
If this is an option, consider pairing it with a fan, as it will make a huge difference in a room that is already cool in terms of satisfying airflow and drafts. However, having an aircon comes with great responsibility. Aircon units need to be regularly cleaned and maintained, otherwise they have the potential to wreak havoc on your health in terms of worsening pre-existing asthma and sinus conditions.
As an aircon functions, air from outside is filtered through, and in the process dirt, dust and debris are stored in the aircon’s filtration system. After some time and frequent use, it can build up and eventually hinder your unit’s performance, and further send these particles into the air in your home. This is naturally not ideal, and can be solved or prevented through maintenance and cleaning services at recommended intervals.
Life outdoors
Now more than ever we want to spend our days and nights outdoors enjoying the weather. Make sure that when you buy furniture online, you keep a lookout for a picnic blanket, or a large blanket that could suffice as one.
Picnicking with one’s family is an undeniable joy and treasured experience, so long as you don’t let the ants get in the picnic basket, and there is enough food and drink to go around.
You will want to look for a blanket that is sturdy enough to withstand sun exposure and moisture or dirt from the ground while you sit.
If you prefer a more sophisticated meal, look out for some outdoor dining sets, which often feature in sales throughout certain periods of the year. Online furniture stores are good places to begin your search, seeing as their prices are highly competitive and they host frequent sales.
A glass table with a metal frame is a classy and weather appropriate option, so long as the metal is labelled as rust-proof. While this option will require regular cleaning in order to maintain its shine, glass is resistant to sun exposure, meaning that the piece will last you a good couple of years, until you wish to re-decorate.
Why buy furniture online instead of in-store?
This debate has become more relevant over the decade, during which online furniture stores have risen in numbers and popularity. While some find the inability to touch and feel a piece of furniture before buying it a deterrent, others find the experience to be more convenient and less of a trouble. Either way, online furniture stores are here to stay.
One of the main reasons people advocate the decision to buy furniture online is that the process is friendly for those who work long hours, and especially over the weekend. For some, standing in a queue or taking an entire day to go furniture shopping is not an option. Others live in more remote areas and do not have easy access to physical stores.
When one decides to buy furniture online, they forgo the stress of finding, buying and transporting a piece of furniture within a short space of time. Doing the latter can result in impulse buying and consequently, a deep sense of buyer’s remorse. Shopping for furniture online can be done anywhere, at any time, and encourages deep thinking on what one really needs and how they can pay for it.
Many also argue that online stores have a larger variety of stock and quantity than physical stores. This means that you will not have to limit yourself to settling for a piece that you did not really want in the first place, but have no other option than to buy. Whatever the reason, furniture stores that operate online are well-used – especially nowadays during the global pandemic.