Dos and Don’ts For Furnishing Your First Apartment

One of the most exciting things about finally getting your first apartment is planning how you’ll furnish it. Your Pinterest boards are probably full of beautiful inspiration photos and you can’t wait to take your first Instagram selfies in your new setting. It can be tempting to run out and start buying things as soon as you sign your lease, but there are a few things you should consider first.

DON’T Finance Anything

Ads for furniture stores are everywhere, and it can be temping to put your credit score to the test by financing a living room set, bedroom set, etc. Financing is a bad idea because while the furniture may fit your apartment now, what happens if your next place has a different layout, or is smaller? You don’t want to still be paying something off when you can’t use it, and you won’t want to have to sell it for less than it’s worth.

DO Talk To Your Roommates

If you’re planning on sharing an apartment with someone else, you NEED to find out what their furniture situation is before moving in. Back when my husband and I were sharing an apartment with my friend, we ended up sharing a small bedroom, while she alone got a huge one because we didn’t ask about the furniture situation beforehand and she had a massive bedroom set that she needed room for. It’s also important to ask because you don’t want to end up with multiples of the same piece of furniture.

DON’T Buy Anything Before Measuring Your Space

It’s crucial to measure the doorways and stairwells in your apartment building before purchasing anything, along with the actual rooms that the furniture will be in. The last thing you want is to get halfway up a stairwell with a couch that won’t go any further.

DO Shop Thrift Sales

Although it may seem fun and exciting to buy all new stuff, keep in mind that this is your first apartment, not your forever home. Items like kitchen tables, TV stands, coffee tables, shoe racks, night stands, dressers, etc., can all be bought thrifted and repainted if necessary.

DON’T Purchase These Items Secondhand

Hard to clean/disinfect items like a mattress, bedding, or shag area rugs may come with hidden bedbugs, mites, or allergens, don’t buy used. If you have a baby, a crib is another piece of furniture that should never be bought secondhand, unless you can be sure it meets latest safety standards.

DO Make Sure You Have Enough Seating

There’s nothing worse than inviting friends and family over to check out your new place and having nowhere for them to sit. An inexpensive solution to living room seating would be having a couple of extra ottomans to sit on, which can also double as storage space.

DON’T Forget The Extras for Moving Day

Put together a bag of items you’ll need when you move in that you won’t want to dig for. Some items on the list could be, a hammer and nails, felt pads for furniture legs, a measuring tape, command strips, a stud finder, a kit for securing furniture to the wall, etc.