I was ecstatic when my husband and I purchased our first house, because I was anxious to turn it into a home. This was our first house together, and even though it was not new construction, it was everything we wanted. It was also the perfect excuse to get rid of all the hand-me-downs and previously owned furniture that we inherited from relatives or had purchased at thrift stores. Out with the old and in with the new! Fortunately, we had saved enough money to buy some good furniture pieces, which was going to help turn out house into our home. We started with the basic pieces and as time and budget permitted, added whenever we could. Both of us favor light wood and clean lines, so we knew what we were looking for. We wanted our furniture to reflect our individual styles but not overpower the rooms. We each had a lot of photographs, ceramics and miscellaneous glassware that needed to be considered, and thanks to the great suggestions in some interior design magazines, we were able to develop a plan before heading to the furniture stores. That was two years ago and our home is almost complete. We are just missing a few minor elements that I hope to purchase by the end of this summer. I also have to thank the in-store sales consultants who were able to look at our plan, scrutinize our budget and make fantastic recommendations that my husband and I probably wouldn’t have considered. In fact, we had a little party after the New Year to celebrate our success, and invited three of the designers who made our home possible.