Moving in to your first home together is such an exciting time. At last, a space to call your own; somewhere you can express yourselves with furnishings and decor you have chosen yourselves. At the beginning of married life, kitting out your new home is a fun project that enables you to learn more about each other and familiarize yourselves with each other’s tastes. Marriage is all about compromise and setting up home together presents the perfect, early testing ground for this most valuable of partnering skills.
Take it slow
After the expense of getting married, furnishing a house or apartment can be a stretch financially, so be careful not to spend too much too soon. The smart way is to prioritize wisely and spend money in the right areas. Investing in important items such as a brand new bed and sofa makes sense because they get a lot of use and need to be able to stand up to considerable wear and tear. A sofa is a vital piece of furniture that gets used all the time, so pay out on a neutral style that resists the tides of fashion and will last you a while. Modular sofas are a good solution when money is tight because you can start with a corner sofa and then gradually add extra seating when the budget allows. Keep things sweet by making sure that investment furniture and quality pieces that you build up over time are always decided upon together.
Pre-loved perfection
Knowing when to buy new and when to buy used items will save you money in the end. Stocking a kitchen up with new crockery, utensils and pans can be a huge expense, but if you go to a charity store you’ll pick up the basics for next to nothing. Furniture is well worth the investment though, if you can afford it. To make the most of your money, I’d advise buying a classic piece like one of the Savvy leather sofas. You can accessorize with thrift-store finds like tables that can be painted or old flea-market mirrors, but in the end something that substantial will end up paying for itself as it will last a lifetime.
What else will you need? How about a place to sit together for those romantic dinners? Dining tables and chairs can often be found second-hand at good prices from yard sales or flea markets. If the style or finish is dated, remember you can personalize them with a lick of paint or re-upholster in fresh fabric. You can really pull together the look of a room furnished eclectically by choosing one shade to co-ordinate throughout. This creates balance and harmony and helps disguise the fact that styles are mismatched.
Sometimes, new homes look bare and featureless so spice them up with some vintage accessories. Old lamps, picture frames, vases, rugs and cushions can be picked up for cents second-hand and they will inject instant personality into a bland space. Train yourself to always be on the lookout for charming pieces and soon your home will be an interesting, welcoming space.
Just because something is cheap and cheerful, doesn’t mean it lacks style. With frugal furnishings, necessity is the mother of invention and it is a lot about the way pieces are combined and the juxtaposition of old and new. With a skillful blend of textures, pattern and color, you can travel a long way together towards creating a million dollar look on a fifty buck budget.
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