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Buying your first home or moving house is such an exciting, albeit stressful, milestone in life. A new home usually means a new location, a fresh start and, what we’re most interested in, some new stylish furniture.
Having to furnish a new build home can seem a little overwhelming. This is because there is likely to be a lot of space you’ll need to fill. So whether you’re starting from scratch, downsizing, or moving into a bigger space, we thought we’d offer a helping hand. This post is packed full of our tips and tricks to help you furnish a new build home.
Firstly, let us address some of the top mistakes people make furnishing a new build home. These are the ones you’ll want to avoid:
Don’t Overfill. Just because you’ve got a whole new empty space to work with, doesn’t mean you have to fill, cram and coordinate every space, nook and cranny right away. Start with your investment pieces rather than buying everything in one go (we’ll talk more about this in more depth later), and then you can add any additional, non-essential pieces later on.
Use a tape measure for accurate measurements. It's never a good idea to measure something by eye as when choosing your furniture as this leaves room for error, especially when buying online. Thinking your new sofa and coffee table will fit is very different to knowing that it will, so save yourself the stress and hassle on delivery day by knowing your measurements well before you place your order.
Be realistic. We’ve all done it; seen a gorgeous two-page spread in Elle Decor or Ideal Home, bookmarked the page and dreamed that one day our home would replicate the stylish setting. Although the imagery in the glossy magazines does look flawless, if you try to make your room look like a page in a catalogue it’ll sadly never quite live up to the expectation. That’s not to say a stunning interior setting is impossible. Keep in mind that your new build home is going to be lived in. So although you won’t want it to look messy, you’ll still want it to have a welcoming and inviting feel.
Starting Off
The ease and popularity of buying furniture online has dramatically increased. That’s why furnishing your new home with all new furniture pieces should no longer be seen as an expensive luxury. There’s so much choice online when it comes to dining room, living room and kitchen furniture. Start by focusing on one room at a time so you don’t become too overwhelmed. Then you can start browsing online to see what shapes and styles catch your eye.
Moving to a new house is also the ideal time to think about any additional furniture pieces that will benefit your new space. If you’ve been squeezing everyone around a small dining table, now’s the time to invest in that stylish extending dining set that can offer everyone a seat. If you’ve never had a dining table of your own, there’s no better time to find one that’s just right for you and your new space.
TOP TIP: One great way to stay focused on one room at a time is to use Pinterest. This way, you can create a board for each room. It’s also a great way to get an idea of how the pieces you’ve selected will work alongside each other. We use Pinterest all the time to create boards and offer some interior inspiration. Make sure to give us a follow so you don’t miss a thing!
Measure Up
Get to know your space by measuring the area, and if you haven’t moved in just yet, make use of the estate agent’s floor plan to get a better idea of the shape and size of the rooms in your new home. If the layout differs greatly to your current home, that’s when you’ll need to consider furniture that’ll suit your space. If you’ve downsized, then your current furniture might no longer fit. And if you’re starting fresh, the furniture world is your oyster! Many online retailers will list the furniture measurements on their website, and there are loads of handy sizing guides available.
To get a better idea of how your furniture will fit before you move into your space, interior design apps are a great help. Apps such as Planner 5D can be easily downloaded to your iPhone (for free!). You can then size and scale furniture pieces along with the size of the room. This will help you get a feel for how things will look.
There’s a whole host of interior apps that will help you each step of the way of your new home journey. Want to know the best ones? Take a look at our Top 6 Must Have Interior Design Apps.
Don’t Buy Everything All At Once
So you have your dream house, you know which room is which and you’ve measured everything (including the door frames). Armed with everything you need, it can be tempting to go ahead and buy everything at once. However, this is one furniture buying mistake to avoid when furnishing your new home. Buying everything at once is a huge cost in one go. It will also take away your styling focus from each room. This is because you’re looking at multiple pieces and styles throughout your home.
Starting with your staple pieces is a great way to start filling your new room. You can add any additional pieces when you have a better idea of the space and style you have to work with.
Not buying everything at once doesn’t mean you have to spend the first few months sat eating your dinner on the floor, however. Focus on your staple and investment pieces first, then all the sleek accessories can be added later to give your room an even more homely touch.
TOP TIP: One way to make sure you stick to the essentials is to make a note of your budget- and stick to it! Moving home can be an expensive time, so it’s a good idea to know how much money you have to actually spend on furniture before you set your heart on a sofa and dining set that is way out of your budget. Once you know what you’ve got to work with, then you can start shopping around. If you have any leftover cash, you can then buy those extra pieces on your wish list without any guilt as all the important pieces have been covered.
Start With Your Investment Piece
The term investment pieces can hold connotations of costing a lot of money but try to think of your investment pieces as just that- investments, not expenses. A good quality bed, sofa and dining table will provide comfort and seating for your family for years to come. So if you can afford it, it’s a very smart move to spend more on these staple pieces for your new home. Vital parts of any home, investment pieces will be the furniture that you use the most and keep the longest, so you’ll want to choose something that’ll last.
- Dining Sets
Dining sets are up there with the essentials for a new home. A set like the Sanza White Gloss and Loop 5 Seater Right Hand Corner Bench will offer you style, practicality and versatility all in one setting.
A dining set is definitely one of the investment pieces you’ll want to get right. With so many choices and combinations available, we’ve also written two handy guides to help you choose the perfect dining chair and dining table which you can view (after you’ve finished reading here of course!).
- Sofas
A sofa is something that will be used day in, day out. So you’ll want something as comfortable as it is durable. We have a whole variety of sofa sizes in fabric and real leather upholstery; there is sure to be a piece that is right for you and your family!
- Storage
A sideboard is such a versatile piece of furniture. This is because it can be used for both styling and storage in a variety of rooms. If you think you’ll be a little pushed for space, consider a compact sideboard as this will still offer a storage space that keeps items out of sight, without taking up too much space.
Make the Most of Your Space, Inexpensively
Make the most of your new living room by choosing a side table set that can be stacked when not in use. Or, consider a set that doubles up as a table and stool to offer a handy extra seat. Extending dining tables are also great as many of the mechanisms can be stored within the table itself.
Tie Everything Together With Colour
Starting out with a blank canvas such as a new home doesn’t mean that you have to buy everything matching to coordinate your space. One great way to tie your room together is through your use of colour. So if you already have a sofa but now have the space for a coffee table, consider your materials and colour scheme. This will help to seamlessly combine the pieces together.
Many new builds will have a very neutral interior. So if you want to inject some colour into your space but don’t have the time or money to go all out on your decor, be clever with your furniture choice colours, such as colourful dining chairs or a bold coloured sofa set. Colourful dining chairs are a great way to add a stylish pop of colour to your new dining area.
The neutral scheme of many new build homes is a great opportunity to be bold with your colour choices. Our velvet sofas are a great example of how to inject some colour into a more neutral space. With our free swatch sample service, it’s easy to order a couple of samples to get a flavour for your colour palette and material choices.
Get Inspiration From Other New Homeowners
The glossy interior magazines do look stunning. However, sometimes the best styling inspiration can come from real homes. There’s a whole community of new homeowners sharing their design journey on social media platforms such as Instagram and Houzz, so be sure to follow people in the community. #newhome, #newbuild and #firsttimebuyer are great hashtags to get started. Then you’ll start to discover accounts that you love! You can also use the platforms to ask questions and even share some of your own knowledge. This can be invaluable when moving into a new home.
Start off by searching for relevant hashtags. This way you’ll find relevant accounts and people to follow.
Along with sharing the journey, many people like to showcase the finished look! We ask our customers to use #mydanetti when they snap their homes so we can see the finished results. Here are a couple of our favourite customer images, but remember, you can view loads more if you search #mydanetti on both Facebook and Instagram.
Be Smart With Your Delivery
The ease of buying online is accompanied with another great factor- delivery services. Rather than trying to up end your sofa in the back of your car, at the click of a button you can have your new furniture delivered right to your new front door. From next day delivery to fully trackable orders, we’ve made sure that getting your goods to you is as easy as possible. Make sure you check the delivery process when you’re buying online so you know what to expect. All our delivery info can be found here.
So there you have it, 8 top tips on how to furnish a new build home. We’ve covered a fair amount, so here’s the final takeaways and key things to remember…
- Don’t overfill your space
- Know your measurements
- Be realistic with what you can create
- Consider your investment pieces first
- Know your budget before you start shopping
- Try to focus on one room at a time
- Don’t buy everything all at once
- Solve practical problems inexpensively
- Tie everything together with colour
- Take inspiration from other new homeowners
- Connect with others on social
- Be ready for your delivery
And most importantly - have fun! Moving into a new home does have its worries and stresses, but make sure you take a moment to think of the home you’re creating for you and your family; it’s a space to make new memories during mealtimes, Christmas dinners, and snuggling up on the sofa.
We hope this post gives you a bit more guidance on how to furnish a new build home. If you have any questions or have just moved and want to share some of your new build experiences, be sure to let us know in the comments.
