First time home buyer? Top 5 tops on how to buy furniture

As a first time home buyer, there’s a lot on your to-do list. Once you’ve signed the contract and gotten your keys, you’re faced with a big empty house. How do you fill it? Now that you’ve moved on from that studio apartment, you’re ready to ditch the old college furniture and start collecting pieces that you’ve invested in.

1. Start with the Investments

Big items like a sofa and a bed are important investments for a first time home buyer. A nice bed will improve your sleep, and a quality sofa will typically last for 10-15 years. Spend your time at the beginning to purchase these pieces, and find ones that you will enjoy for many years. Ordering a custom sofa is a great way to ensure you get exactly what you want, without compromising your style.

Once you’ve picked out those pieces, you can fill in the rest of your home. Those should be the statement items, and everything else can fall into place around it. It will help you determine how much space you have left for side tables, arm chairs, or rugs. Plus, you can shape the rest of the décor around these items. If you fall in love with a bold blue sofa, you can shop for more neutral pieces to match.

2. Embrace open space

Don’t rush to suddenly buy every piece of furniture known to man. An overcrowded home is not only inconvenient to move through, but also doesn’t create a calm environment. Extra space allows you to breathe, and gives you opportunities to grow in your home.

Your top priority should be proportion, scale and balance of your furniture and accessories within each room. Don't shove five pieces of oversized lounge furniture into a 15x5 den that has a modest 8-foot ceiling. It will feel overwhelming.

Embrace minimalism now, while you can. Allow some areas to remain open as you select furniture for a new home. This gives you an opportunity to add to it over time, or as your tastes change. Over time, you’ll pick up more accessories and get gifted Grandma’s antique armoire.

Open spaces are also easier to transition for when you entertain, or if your lifestyle changes down the road. If you fill that guest bedroom with heavy matching set of furniture, what will you do when its time to turn it into a nursery?

3. Take Your Time

As a first time home buyer, you might feel in a rush to get all the perfect furniture now. But mostly likely, you’ll just pick up pieces that you don’t really like, and will regret purchasing just a few months down the road. Be patient! There’s no rush to furnish your home right away. Take the time you need to shop for the perfect side table, arm chair, or dresser. Spend your weekends exploring estate sales or antique stores for a mix of old and new in your home. Work with a designer to custom-build your perfect sofa. It will be worth the wait in the long run.

But in the meantime, don’t be afraid to pick up an inexpensive dining table at IKEA or borrow one from a family member. This will keep you from rushing into a purchase, and so you don’t have to eat on the floor for the first six months. Your new home is an investment, so think long term.

4. Get Inspired

Create a vision board or take advantage of Pinterest to get ideas! Explore home design blogs or scroll through sites like Houzz for instant inspiration. You can find photos of real people’s homes, and even discover where they purchased items that you like. If you’ve already selected your sofa, search that sofa on these sites to see how others have styled it. If you’re overwhelmed by the design process, finding images you like will help you narrow down the shopping process. Plus, you can share your findings with friends and family members to get their input.

If you’re really stuck, you can hire an interior designer by the hour from Homepolish or other similar services. They find a designer that fits your style, meets with you in person or via video, then they begin consulting your home design by the hour. You can even book them for a hours on small projects like: finding your inspiration, running ideas by a professional, sourcing furniture, creating a layout, building a gallery wall, or picking paint colors.

5. Get creative!

A well designed-home isn’t made of pieces that all match perfectly. Combine different styles for a home that fits your personality! A mix of old and new, polished and personal, makes your new house feel more like a home. Don’t feel like you have to stick with one style or time period – just pick things that you like. It’s the best way to get furniture for a new home that will grow with you. Plus, when you do discover a cool piece at a flea market, you don’t have to worry too much about figuring out how to fit it in your home.

To tie it all together, try and stick with a color palette. That will make your 1970s couch, mid-century modern lamp, and antique table all look like they belong in the same room. Distribute the different styles evenly, so one side isn’t all modern, while the other is all antique. Make sure the mixed furniture also has the same mood. If you’re going for a laid-back style in the living room, a super-formal armchair might feel out of place.

Buying furniture for a new home is exciting! Just like your new home, furniture pieces are an investment. So make it worth your while and take your time to select pieces that you love – and will keep loving for years to come! When you’re patient and find something that perfectly fits your style, you’ll enjoy it forever. Fill your new home with pieces that you care about, and you’ll quickly have your own little oasis.