When you get your first place, you have two options: furnished or unfurnished. In both cases, it takes a while before you can call it home. Places with furniture require less work because you do not need to purchase anything for the home. It also makes moving out quick because you do not need to sort out carrying the large items. However, it might not feel like home; you are living with someone else’s curated decisions. For homes that come unfurnished, it carries a different set of problems. Purchasing furniture, even second-hand, can be pricey.
When you have the bare bones and are planning on staying long term, here is a list of the basics you want to invest in:
A large couch
Even when you are not the entertaining type, a sofa or sectional couch has multiple purposes. It takes care of your sitting needs and can mark a place for you to do more leisure slanted activities. It can also be used for entertaining guests. It accommodates a lot of people. Even with a lack of dining chairs or space at the table, you can hold intimate dinner parties by eating on the couch and gathering at the floor of a coffee table—bohemian style.
If your apartment or house is not spacious, your couch can serve as a guest bed. When you are expecting a lot of family and friends, getting a sofa bed or convertible couch would take care of not having a guest room.
Extra lighting
Not all homes come with good lighting, having a lamp that you can move around would be an investment. You can use it beside your bedside table, couch, or desk. Any area that requires reading or working late into the night would benefit from a good lamp.
You can also look for small LED lights that you can install in your kitchen or bathroom. They give off a soft glow that does not irritate or shock the eyes late at night or early in the morning.
Easy to clean floors
If you are moving into a dated home, replacing the floors is an investment. Old tile or stained carpets might feel like a priority, but they are difficult to maintain since they are already in such a poor state. Since you will be making a lot of big item purchases, you can opt to go for luxury vinyl flooring rather than hardwood or fancy tiles. You can do the installment yourself, which can keep the expenses low. Luxury vinyl flooring is waterproof and does not fade under the harsh sun. It is also easy to clean. Since it is not real wood or carpet, it does not stain easily.
Storage containers
Storage could mean dressers, drawers, and shelves. However, when you first move in these are not what you need immediately — the first step after unpacking your items is to sort them out. The things that you use on a day to day basis can find their home in built-in closets and cabinets. For the rest, do not keep them in your cardboard boxes. Find hard storage containers to keep off-season clothes, decorations, or souvenirs and save the cardboard for when you need it (reduce the wear and tear!). After you have your items stashed away, consider organizers and other storage furniture to keep things neat.
After you have these basics in place, build your collection until you have everything you need to live comfortably.
Please share these 4 basics you need in your new space with your friends and family.
