I had a message from a lovely lady a couple of weeks ago, who asked about essentials for her first home... now that I've shared the story of my flat with you, I thought I'd do a little post about that I would consider to be 'essentials' to have when moving in.
As mentioned in the blog about my flat, I wasn't earning much money at all when I bought my first property. This meant that a lot of my 'stuff' was second hand - but still perfectly good!
I lived with a CRT television (I know!) for the first two and a bit years of being a homeowner. Yes, it was old, yes, it was huge, but it was perfectly useable and did the job perfectly. This TV lived on top of an Ikea Lack coffee table (at £15, this was a bargain!) and was free from a friend.
It's not all about what you have it's about how you style it. Grab a tin of paint and paintbrush to give something a whole new lease of life, or buy some pretty accessories to tie it in to your theme.
My Essential New Items:
- A good quality duvet and pillows. This is one thing that I definitely wouldn't scrimp on, quality of sleep is paramount to health, so invest in a good one. Take it to a launderette for a wash every once in a while and I also use the Dyson to give mine a good clean too.
- A good mattress. As above. The bedstead itself doesn't matter too much, it's very easy to pick up a cheap (or even free) base on Gumtree, but the quality of the mattress is what really matters.
- Cutlery - I am really OCD so there's no chance I could use some one else's cutlery. You can pick up sets really cheaply in places such as Home Bargains or Wilko, so it doesn't need to cost the earth, and you can always update it at a later date.
- Plates - it's nice to have something new and fresh. I've always gone for plain white plates as they go with any scheme, but if you're planning on having open shelves, why not get a few feature plates.
Things that I wouldn't (and didn't) rush out to buy:
- TV - pick one up from Gumtree if you can't afford a 'good' one.
- Saucepans - run them through the dishwasher or just give them a good scrub and the job's a good 'un.
- Furniture. I am constantly changing my mind about layouts and furniture, so there's no way I could furnish the property before living there. Things like the way the light comes in to the room, how warm the room is and your ultimate layout will influence how you lay the room out. So don't rush in to buying things that you may end up having to get rid of because there's no room for them.
- A sofa. Sofa's are expensive and as above, you may end up tying yourself to a certain layout because they're such a big feature of a room. Make do with what you have, or get a couple of deck chairs / bean bags for the first few weeks, that way you will be able to feel the house and know for sure what you want. Also remember, because they're expensive, you don't want to be changing it every year. So when you do buy, go for a good quality and be sure about the colour!
You'll want to make your property 'yours' really quickly, so have a couple of decorative items that you love and have some nice framed photos to instantly inject a bit of personality. If you like the quirky shabby chic look then visit some second hand or charity shops to find cheap photo frames that you can use or upcycle.
I have always decorated the lounge first, as it's the room in which I spend the most time. Don't rush in to decorating or you may end up making a wrong choice about colour. Take your time, live in the property and get to know it before you start on any major projects. I've always worked one room at a time to make sure that I do things properly and to a high standard. Having a goal to save for has always been 'my way' so I would save hard to be able to afford the project, and then when it's completed you feel such a big relief and achievement.
I've never started anything that I couldn't afford, as in, that I didn't have the money already sat in my account for. If you're looking to put things on a credit card or finance deals then make sure that you can afford it. I've had a really tough last couple of years with facing redundancy at my last two roles, if you were to lose your job, could you afford to make the payment each month? For me, I also really love the feeling of 'seeing' my money turn in to something, rather than be paying things off for a long time. I'm not saying that's the right or the wrong way of doing things, it's just how my mind works and I wanted to share how I've slowly turned the properties that I've owned in to somewhere that I am thrilled to call ' H O M E'.
How've you turned your house in to your home? Do you do things one step at a time, or all at once? I'd love to hear!
Ems xx
As mentioned in the blog about my flat, I wasn't earning much money at all when I bought my first property. This meant that a lot of my 'stuff' was second hand - but still perfectly good!
I lived with a CRT television (I know!) for the first two and a bit years of being a homeowner. Yes, it was old, yes, it was huge, but it was perfectly useable and did the job perfectly. This TV lived on top of an Ikea Lack coffee table (at £15, this was a bargain!) and was free from a friend.
 |
| Both the solid oak table and the sideboard were Gumtree bargains! |
My Essential New Items:
- A good quality duvet and pillows. This is one thing that I definitely wouldn't scrimp on, quality of sleep is paramount to health, so invest in a good one. Take it to a launderette for a wash every once in a while and I also use the Dyson to give mine a good clean too.
- A good mattress. As above. The bedstead itself doesn't matter too much, it's very easy to pick up a cheap (or even free) base on Gumtree, but the quality of the mattress is what really matters.
- Cutlery - I am really OCD so there's no chance I could use some one else's cutlery. You can pick up sets really cheaply in places such as Home Bargains or Wilko, so it doesn't need to cost the earth, and you can always update it at a later date.
- Plates - it's nice to have something new and fresh. I've always gone for plain white plates as they go with any scheme, but if you're planning on having open shelves, why not get a few feature plates.
 |
| When I moved, this was the lounge. A year and a half previously I still had hand-me-down sofas and a CRT Television on the Lack coffee table. |
Things that I wouldn't (and didn't) rush out to buy:
- TV - pick one up from Gumtree if you can't afford a 'good' one.
- Saucepans - run them through the dishwasher or just give them a good scrub and the job's a good 'un.
- Furniture. I am constantly changing my mind about layouts and furniture, so there's no way I could furnish the property before living there. Things like the way the light comes in to the room, how warm the room is and your ultimate layout will influence how you lay the room out. So don't rush in to buying things that you may end up having to get rid of because there's no room for them.
- A sofa. Sofa's are expensive and as above, you may end up tying yourself to a certain layout because they're such a big feature of a room. Make do with what you have, or get a couple of deck chairs / bean bags for the first few weeks, that way you will be able to feel the house and know for sure what you want. Also remember, because they're expensive, you don't want to be changing it every year. So when you do buy, go for a good quality and be sure about the colour!
 |
| This was the third layout of the Master bedroom in my flat! (And the second time I had to paint where I had the pink wall) |
I have always decorated the lounge first, as it's the room in which I spend the most time. Don't rush in to decorating or you may end up making a wrong choice about colour. Take your time, live in the property and get to know it before you start on any major projects. I've always worked one room at a time to make sure that I do things properly and to a high standard. Having a goal to save for has always been 'my way' so I would save hard to be able to afford the project, and then when it's completed you feel such a big relief and achievement.
 |
| And this is the second way I've had my bedroom in the house. The reason for the randomly wallpapered wall is because the bed used to be against it. If only I'd listened to my own advice ;) |
I've never started anything that I couldn't afford, as in, that I didn't have the money already sat in my account for. If you're looking to put things on a credit card or finance deals then make sure that you can afford it. I've had a really tough last couple of years with facing redundancy at my last two roles, if you were to lose your job, could you afford to make the payment each month? For me, I also really love the feeling of 'seeing' my money turn in to something, rather than be paying things off for a long time. I'm not saying that's the right or the wrong way of doing things, it's just how my mind works and I wanted to share how I've slowly turned the properties that I've owned in to somewhere that I am thrilled to call ' H O M E'.
 |
| Adding accessories and photos will instantly make the property feel more like 'yours' |
How've you turned your house in to your home? Do you do things one step at a time, or all at once? I'd love to hear!
Ems xx
2 comments:
Oh I love this post, another piece of great advice & really heplful. I have heard of lots of people not even moving into a house until it's all decorated and perfect, but I definitely agree with your advice to get a feel for the house first before doing all that, as long as it's liveable. I'm definitely going to bear this in mind when for when I get my first house.
I am now following you on instagram as myfirsthome_journey ☺
Thanks Charlene :) I'm following your journey too, it's so exciting buying your first home and I can't wait to see what sort of property you go for and your style! It's definitely one of those things not to rush when you first move in, like you say as long as things are liveable then you can do things gradually and make sure you're getting it 100% what you want! :)
Post a Comment