There is a good chance on today's competition market that you may have to stay in your starter house longer than you.
Therefore, the furnishings and decoration of your first home is a balancing act. It is important to curate a cozy space in which it is pleasant for several years, but not to invest in too many pieces that lack the layout flexibility or durability.
We have asked three professional designers to share which articles they encourage for their customers not to buy for their first houses. Your advice can help you buy carefully.
Meet the experts
- Laurin White is a designer and founder of Cambridge Row in Alabama.
- Elizabeth Ryan is interior designer in Dallas, Texas.
- Amber Kamat is a professional designer and organizer in Atlanta, Georgia.
Furniture that you don't love
According to designer Lauren White, life is too short to live with furniture that they do not love.
“Just because they won't live in their first home forever, it does not mean that they should waste the investment of their time and money into pieces that they don't really enjoy,” she says.
While fast furniture can save money at short notice, in the end they spend more money on replacement items in the street. For example, do not hurry to buy cheap accent chairs. It is better to do without them until they can afford high quality people who really speak to them. In the meantime, you can deal with your couch or bring your kitchen chairs to the living room when guests come.
Oversized seating
While you should definitely love the furniture you buy for your first home, you may not be in the best life time to do without a large section.
When working with customers who provide their first home, the interior designer Elizabeth Ryan asks to adhere to sofas and chairs in standard size that could work in a variety of layouts. Your rule of thumb for seating is sofas that are no longer than 8 feet long and were less than 3 feet wide.
Generic art and accessories
Vases, art and shelf decor are akent pieces that give your room personality. If you work to decorate your first home, you are in a unique position to start over and curate a collection over time with parts that tell a story.
The purchase of generic art and tabletop accessories in a Big Box Store as filler pieces is not the way to use the fresh slate.
“If you style every surface right from the start, your space can be overcrowded and not feel comfortably,” says the professional designer and organizer Amber Kamat. “Let your home develop with you. Add the personality as you go, not everything at once.”
Lighting for structural degrees
All three designers agree that it is better to spend more money on lights than for Builder-Grade versions when it comes to illuminating their first home.
“Only good things can come from a lighting upgrade,” says Ryan. It is worth investing in chandeliers and wall candlesticks that you love and become every day for the main areas of your first home. Regardless of whether you are at home for six months or six years, you need good light sources to shed light on how you live. “
So enter a little when you have to replace or install new lights in your first house. Quality lighting can offer your home added value when it is time for sale. If you have to be attached to your chandelier and wall candlesticks, you can take them to your next home at any time and install cheaper lights before your house comes onto the market.
A king-size bed
If you live at home in your first home instead of one forever, it may not be time to invest in a king-size bed.
“When it comes to setting up a first home, flexibility is the key and that applies in particular to big ticket articles such as beds,” says Kamat. “It is a clever move to choose a queensize bed instead of a king if you are not sure about future space.”
If you have to bring your partner on board with a queen-size bed, Kamat points out that queen-size bed linen is generally more affordable and easier to find. You can also easily hand it over to a guest room later.
Matching furniture sets
The selection of new furniture for your first home can feel overwhelming. While it may be tempting to give in to the decision -making tiredness and simply buy a suitable furniture set (ie, bed, bedside tables, chest of drawers that all fit), White encourages you to resist this error.
“The chances are good, you will be fed up with this set within months after moving into your first home,” she says. “Instead, start collecting pieces that are interesting and special for you. Even if you do not all fit in the same exact space of your next house, there will probably be a new way to use your special finds somewhere else in every house that you have all your life.”
Additional dining room furniture
If you are an initial homeowner who pulls out of an apartment, you will probably still explore your hosting style.
This is exactly why Ryan suggests investing on dining room furniture than the bare essentials. So that an dining area is really functional, you only need a table and a number of chairs.
“Some families may find that they will actually always be a casual garden host, and the dining room selection may not need a storage for a variety of settings,” she says. “Or you may realize that your best dinner parties are when everyone gathers at the table and your focus may be on comfortable seating.”