When it comes to decorating your home, a first apartment or your first purchase, you need to carefully consider that what you bring in may be with you for awhile and if it comes from family, may be harder to get rid of than you expected.

Your Chicago furniture dealer wants to help you find ways to furnish your space in your personal style and avoid any baggage or hurt feelings that could come with hand-me-down family pieces. If it's one of those pieces that's been in the family for years, but no one really wants it - beware. It may also be one of those pieces that evokes enough sentimentality that no one wants to see it go either. You may be stuck with it for decades.

Be cautious about accepting every piece offered from family. You can refuse kindly by saying you don't really have space for a piece like that right now or that you are saving to buy a matching set of something. If it's a piece that your relative just wants to be rid of, offer to help them haul it to the curb or the consignment shop.

You may not be able to buy all the pieces you want right away. If you live sparsely for awhile though, that's much better than living for years with pieces you hate and can't just throw out because they came from family. Chicago office furniture buyers can find some amazing treasures at secondhand stores and tag sales, but for solid key pieces of furniture, visit Walter E. Smithe for decorating advice and help choosing heirloom quality furnishings.

Again, be patient and buy those key pieces as you can afford them. Buy the best you can afford if it's something you must have now, like a bed or a sofa. You can always upgrade later. Decorative pieces and small furniture pieces like chairs or end tables can be found affordably secondhand and you can often pick up something unique that just speaks to you.

These will be pieces you can choose to match your decorating style, enjoy for awhile and have no qualms about getting rid of when your tastes change or you can afford something more high-end. Hand-me-down pieces, on the contrary, often come with strings. Don't do it unless you love the piece and are prepared to be its guardian for your natural life.

Your Chicago office furniture dealer has a variety of solid pieces in all price ranges, and when it comes to those secondhand pieces, they can be painted, reupholstered or mixed and matched. But if it's a family piece, feel out the situation and make sure that giving this furniture a facelift won't keep you off the Christmas card list.

Chicago furniture buyers also can get more for their money by planning what pieces are essential and buying those first. Don't let the cute little frou-frou piece in the antique store window blow your budget to the point where you end up sleeping on the floor.