December 20, 2018 - Home Owner Ideas

The world seems to become more stressful. However, there is one trend that is creating a sanctuary in homes all around the world. That trend, Nordic Minimalism, is highlighted by the use of stress-less furniture featuring Scandinavian Design.

What is Scandinavian design?

Scandinavian design emerged in the middle of the 20th century by the Scandinavian countries. This type of furniture was known for its minimalist, functional and simple design. This type of design was featured mostly with residential furniture including chairs, recliners, sofas and tables. While this trend has existed for the last 70 years, it is only recently that Scandinavian design has taken the world by storm.

Stress-less Furniture at the centerpiece of Nordic Minimalism

People seem to be overwhelmed with the number of products and purchases that they have in their life. Nordic Minimalism is an answer to the hoarding of the material. With Nordic Minimalism, people are taught to only own the things that they use every day. And that includes simple stress-less furniture that is designed to make people feel good while taking up a minimal amount of space.

Examples of Stress-less Furniture

There are currently a number of companies that make and sale stress-less furniture. European Leather Gallery being one of the largest in the United Sates. The prices of these stress-less furniture pieces cost about $2,600 for leather recliners, $3,000 for sofas and about $800 for chairs. Stress-less furniture can be made from fabric or leather with wood gain accents. Stress-less furniture is designed and styled in Scandinavian countries and available for sale all around the world.

Stress-less Furniture is Growing

While many people have not heard of stress-less furniture, there has been enough of a growth in this trend to have large investors take notice. Recently, a top Chinese investment company put a $630 million dollar bid for Scandinavian furniture maker Ekornes. That is on top of the fact that the biggest seller of Scandinavian furniture, IKEA, has been selling stress-less furniture for decades.

How to Get Started with Nordic Minimalism

The best way to get started with Nordic Minimalism is to begin to de-clutter unnecessary things in your life. Once you have gotten rid of the things you do not use every day, you can begin to introduce stress-less furniture into your life. One thing to consider is how you will use the furniture every day. For instance, if you like to have guest over, consider a Scandinavian sofa. If your life to read or watch TV, then consider a recliner. As the world become more crowded and complicated, Nordic Minimalism will seek to bring clarity and simplicity to those who seek it.

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Buying a house can feel very overwhelming. If you break down the basic steps, though, you can get through the process without losing track of your goals. Below are the basic things you need to keep in mind when buying a house. If you can check them all off of your list, you will know that you’ve covered all your bases.

Get A Good Realtor

Having a solid real estate agent is the first thing you’ll need when buying a house. While your realtor is going to get paid for helping you buy a house, it’s always in his or her best interest to make sure that you are protected during the process. A good realtor will show you the right houses for your needs and help to walk you through the buying process.

Know Your Limits

It’s important to know what you can afford. When you go to a mortgage lender, they’re going to tell you much you can borrow – but that might be more than you want to spend on a house. Instead, do some research to figure out what kind of payments you can comfortably make while living the lifestyle that’s most important to you and to your family.

Get a Pre-Approved and Ready for a Mortgage

The last thing you want is to lose out on a great house because you couldn’t pull funding together at the last minute. Go ahead and start talking to lenders before you’ve bought a home to get pre-approved for a mortgage. While there will still be paperwork to do after you sign a contract, you’ll be able to avoid some worst-case scenarios with pre-approval. Don’t forget to get your down payment together during this step, as this significant amount of cash will be vital to the process of securing your loan.

Research Moving Companies

It’s a good idea to know what it’s going to cost you to move ahead of time. This is an easy cost to forget, so go ahead and take care of it ahead of time. You should also figure out whether or not you can actually reach your new home by truck, or if you’ll have to take a more exotic route to get your things to your home. Plus, some companies will give you a discount if you reserve a truck early enough, or if you bundle multiple services together (Suddath movers and a few others will do this).

Check Out the Neighborhood

Don’t forget to check out the neighborhood at different times of the day and night. You’ll get an idea of what life is like in the area, what your neighbors are like, and even what kind of traffic you should expect on your way home from work. These are the little things that have a huge impact on your quality of life in your new home.

Get an Inspection

Never move into a home without an inspection. Even if you’re buying a house as-is, you need to know what kind of flaws you’re going to be working with even if you know you have to do some renovations. Always make sure to work with an independent inspector even if the buyer offers to have an inspection done for you. This goes for pest control too. Make sure you’re not about to move into an infestation before you sign anything. Just make sure you go with pros, like our friends at Turner Pest, it’s easy to miss the early signs of an infestation. And missing the early signs could cost you thousands down the road.

All-in-all, it’s not rocket science. Be prepared, do your homework, and don’t cut corners. The more time you spend up front, the more at ease you’ll be throughout the entire process. So, get out there out start house hunting!