Google Hack to Find the Perfect Piece of Furniture
Once the lease is signed, it’s time to move on to the next exciting part of the moving journey…finding the perfect furniture to fill the space! If you’re anything like me, you scroll on Pinterest aimlessly, looking at newly renovated homes. I’ve even been known to wander around a furniture store or two with my mom for fun, so this was the part I was most excited about. Time to make an apartment a home.
There are a couple of ways to find furniture pieces…you can find it directly in-store or search online and hope for the best, but what happens when you can’t figure out where to buy the perfect item in the first place? That’s where reverse Google image search becomes a useful tool.
What is reverse Google image search?
You may be able to guess, but reverse Google image search allows you to search using an image instead of text. You can insert an image from your camera roll and Google will generate search results that include the image you’re searching for.
The process for using reverse Google image search is quite simple. I’ll go through it here using this image of an armchair and some decor:
Note: For demonstration purposes, I used an image from Unsplash, a royalty-free image site, so many of my results are using this stock image as a mock-up for varying pillow designs. However, I’ve often used this same method using inspiration I’ve found on Instagram or Pinterest.
Google reverse image search is incredibly simple. Start by bringing up the tool:
Go to the Google homepage and click the “images” link in the upper right-hand corner
This will bring you to the Google images search bar. To search using an image, click the camera icon on the right-hand side of the search bar.
You’ll then be able to drag and drop an image or search your computer to upload an image to the Google search bar.
Once you upload the image, google will automatically pull up all the search results that include that image.
Another cool aspect of the tool is you can crop your image in the search itself. For an image like this one that includes many furniture and decor pieces, you may want to narrow in on one specific item.
When I narrow my search criteria to just the vase I get results catered to that particular item.
How can I use this for finding furniture?
A reverse Google image search is perfect for finding furniture because you can upload an image of the item whether it’s your own from a showroom, a friend’s house, or work. Most importantly, you can upload a picture you saw on social media. The results can help you in 2 ways:
- find the exact furniture piece you’re looking for
- find dupes for the furniture piece you’re looking for
Find the exact furniture piece you’re looking for
Google itself has an extremely expansive amount of information to pull from when you search for an image. If the picture was used online in any capacity google will find it. And because shopping links typically appear at the top of the Google search, websites selling something related to that image will be featured first. This makes it incredibly easy to find and buy whatever you’re searching for.
Find dupes for the furniture piece you’re looking for
9 times out of 10 when I see a piece of furniture on Pinterest I know it’s going to be expensive. Because I don’t have a ton of money to spend on furniture at the moment, I prefer to stay on the more economically friendly side of the shopping spectrum, but it doesn’t hurt to try.
That being said, many times using a reverse Google image search can result in dupes for a furniture piece. I won’t say that their always identical or even close, but there have been times when a better price option has come out of using this method. Here’s an example:
In addition, searching this way can help you come across new brands or companies that you otherwise never would’ve known to look for.
Overall, furniture shopping can be an exciting process and can lead to finding the perfect piece for your home. Whether you’re looking for something specific or just similar to your Pinterest board, there are plenty of ways you can use this hack to help furnish your home.
