A Designer's Guide to Furnishing Your Home
Not Sure How to Furnish Your New Wayne Home? Start Here!
You make a house a home when you furnish it both with your belongings and your love. We know when you start with a blank canvas, it can be hard to envision what you need to furnish your home the way you’d like.
We sought out the advice of Cathy of Home Styles LLC, who also happens to be a Wayne homeowner, to get her expert advice on furnishing your home.
She and her husband Duane built their McAllister Family with our Delaware team. Cathy loves changing furniture, rugs, and other decor throughout her home to keep it fresh and fun.
Cathy’s Tips for Furnishing Your Home:
Lighten Up
Whites and neutrals are a must for Cathy. “Light, neutral tones make my home feel more spacious and relaxing,” she says. And, you can always add a splash of color, like Cathy often does with a colorful centerpiece.
Cathy’s table is from Amazon, and the long bench for added seating is from West Elm. The 2025 Sherwin Williams Color Forecast has a range of beautiful neutrals to choose from if you’re looking for a good starting point.
Add Visual Interest
Cathy added low setting chairs, which she purchased from Target, to flank the fireplace with warm wood tones. This created a focal point for the room.
Get Comfy
Add a big cozy sofa or sectional you can flop down in. Cathy’s sectional is from Target. Her wood coffee table is from Amazon.
Informal Dining
A formal dining room doesn’t have to be too fancy. Make it your own and inviting for company. Cathy’s table is from Target, her chairs are from Kirkland’s, and her console table is from Birch Lane (see image on the left below).
Add Easy Storage
Sofa tables are fun for added storage and decor. When you are adding a piece of furniture to your home, Cathy recommended that it includes storage, so the piece not only adds to your decor, but it also adds functionality.
Cathy posts a lot of her tips to her Instagram account.
Here are some helpful Instagram posts that tackle different home decor topics:
You can achieve your home decor vision on a budget!
Sometimes you will find stylish selections in unexpected places. Cathy found a beautiful side table at Aldi, bought three of them, and put them side by side to create a stylish sofa table with storage.
Unsure how to furnish your open floorplan home?
Cathy built her Wayne home six years ago when open floor plans were “it”. After all this time, she has no regrets about her floorplan choice, and she shared her vision for creating spaces within an open floorplan.
One of Cathy’s best tips is to move things around, try different decor, then take a picture.
This really helps you see what looks good together and what does not.
Here are some basic guidelines to arranging furniture to get you started:
Create a focal point.
Whether it’s a large sectional, a fireplace, or even the TV…choose a focal point to arrange your furniture around.
Add storage with furniture selections.
You can never have too much storage, so be sure to purchase furniture that delivers. A sofa table with doors, book shelves, and consoles with baskets all provide much-needed storage.
Choose a living room arrangement for how you want to live.
Do you want to create a conversation area? Or is your living room focused on your big-screen TV? Arrange your furniture in a way that works best for how you live every day.
Leave enough space between pieces.
Allow at least 30 inches between furniture that you need to be able to walk around, and maintain 14 to 18 inches between a coffee table and sofa so drinks are within reaching distance.
Use lighting as an anchor.
Lighting creates a defined space for dining, kitchen task lighting, or ambient lighting. Place the light, then place the furniture!
However you decide to arrange the furniture in your home, remember to make it comfortable, make it functional, and most importantly–make it yours!
The best homes are an extension of their owners. Happy decorating!
Do you have a design question for our team? Let us know!
About Wayne Homes
Wayne Homes is a custom homebuilder in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia (see all Model Home Centers). We offer more than 50 fully customizable floorplans and a team dedicated to providing the best experience in the home building industry. For more information, Ask Julie by Live Chat or call us at (866) 253-6807.
Disclaimer: The details of this blog are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change.
