It is a good idea to measure the furniture yourself. In addition, look through different home and decorating magazines for ideas on how to make the best use of space. Most of these magazines also carry advertisements by furniture manufacturers that will give you an idea of the different styles and materials that are on the market. Also, almost daily there are advertisements in local newspapers offering furniture. There are two basic types of furniture, upholstered furniture and case goods.
Upholstered furniture has fabric covered cushions or padded sections such as sofas.
Case goods refers to furniture that is not upholstered such as tables, chests, cabinets and shelves. Both upholstered furniture and case goods can be constructed of a variety of woods or wood-composition materials. Furniture woods are either hardwood or softwood. Hardwood is used to describe such woods as mahogany, walnut, maple, oak, cherry, birch, teak and pecan. Softwood describes such woods as pine, redwood and cedar.