Moving into Your First-Ever House? Here’s Our Furniture Shopping Guide for New Home Buyers

Firstly, congratulations on finding a new place to call home! Whether you’ve finally found a dream rental or have bought a new property, moving out for the first time is one of life’s most memorable milestones. So many new memories to be made…and so much new furniture to buy, right?

Don’t stress. We’ve been there and know how exciting yet overwhelming furnishing an entire apartment or home for the first time can be. From minimalist to rustic, Scandinavian to coastal, finding your style and picking the right pieces to complement your space can be a struggle, especially if you’re new to it.

With our 5-step furniture shopping guide, we’ll walk you through the easiest and smartest way to tackle your furniture shopping list. 

5 easy steps to furnish your new home like a pro (and skip the dreaded buyer’s remorse)

1. Measure and plan your space

Before you begin, you need to do the most important (boring) bit first: measure your space. Accurately measuring your space is crucial if you want a functional layout where all your furniture fits well.

You can opt for the old-school way by using a retractable tape measure, a pencil, and some graph paper. By drawing a to-scale floor plan, you can sketch the outline of each room and note the locations of doors, windows, and any other built-in or architectural features. 

Alternatively, you can use AR apps like Tape Measure ® and Magicplan to measure and plan your space on your mobile. For extra accuracy and peace of mind, double-check all the scanned measurements with a tape measure.

Using a bedroom as an example, these are the key measurements you’ll need:

• The room’s length, width, and ceiling height
• The width and height of the doorway, including the swing space if you plan to place furniture near the doorway.
• The width and height of windows, distance from the floor, and distance to adjacent walls.
• Measurements of any built-in features, such as the wardrobe and location of lighting fixtures and electrical outlets. 

You’ll then be able to determine the size and positioning of any key bedroom furniture pieces like the bed frame, bedside tables, and shelving, as well as desired decor.

Referring to your measurements, always ensure clear pathways and furniture clearances for comfortable movement, especially in a smaller space. 

2. Furnish your home based on priority

Whether furniture shopping feels like a chore or some much-needed retail therapy, don’t make the mistake of furnishing your entire house in one shot. You’ll not only blow your budget, but you may also run the risk of buying into short-lived trends. 

We highly recommend assessing your needs, considering how each room will be used, and making a list of the essential pieces you realistically need before you move in.

For example, furnishing the main living area and bedroom is much more important than decorating the spare room. 

Think of it this way:

• Which item do you need first to live in the space?
• Is a bed to sleep on or a buffet table for the hallway more important?
• Is a dining table to eat at or a pretty armchair for the study more needed?

Once you’ve identified your needs, you can then prioritise core furniture pieces and allocate your budget accordingly.

It’s your first home - don’t rush; figure out what you need ASAP versus items that can come down the track. 

3. Curate your aesthetic with a mood board and start a wish list

Now that you have your floor plan measurements and priority list, it’s time to get into the fun, creative bit: mood boarding and wish listing. 

Creating a furniture mood board and wish list for your new home is a great way to find inspiration, organise your ideas, refine your style, and plan your purchases. 

Start collecting ideas and curating your aesthetic with a mood board.

Apps like Pinterest are handy for saving images from Pinterest, Instagram, interior design websites, and online furniture stores. You can also create separate mood boards for each key space in your home, such as the kitchen, living area, bedroom, bathroom, and outdoor space. This will help you to identify any recurring themes of colours, textures, and finishes that appeal to you, helping you to achieve a cohesive aesthetic. 

Similarly, a wish list is fantastic for tracking the furniture and decor you want to buy.

Referring to your priority list, start browsing online furniture stores and saving the items or links you like. Be sure to note the dimensions of each item, ensuring it fits your space according to your measurements. You can also mark which items are essential or optional and decide the order in which you’ll buy items based on your needs and budget. 

Need help visualising how all your wish-listed pieces will look in your actual space? Apps like Room Planner and Roomle that allow you to furnish and decorate your rooms using augmented reality. 

4. Focus on quality for longevity 

We’re finally ready to go shopping! While this may be the fourth step, prioritising quality over quantity is potentially the most important one.

Splurging on a few high-quality items is always better than filling your entire space with cheaper, low-quality options. Higher-quality furniture will often mean a higher upfront cost, but it will last much longer than budget, fast furniture. This is particularly important if you’re determined to stick to your budget. 

Invest in the bigger, more essential furniture items you know you’ll use frequently and for a longer time, such as your bed, dining set, couch, outdoor dining furniture, and outdoor lounge set. These are the pieces you’ll want to maximise your return on investment by ensuring their timelessness and longevity. 

Take your time researching and finding pieces you love rather than rushing and ending up with items you’ll soon regret buying and replacing. Always furnish mindfully and meaningfully, not wastefully. 

5. Add personal touches

One of the most important parts of making your new house your home is making the space meaningful to you. It doesn’t have to look like a picture-perfect display house from an interior design magazine; add touches unique to your style and personality.

You can personalise your space with your remaining budget with smaller, creative pieces. You can curate meaningful items or elements that add a splash of colour like plants, artwork, rugs, lighting, and other accessorising decors.

The great thing is that accessories tend to be more affordable to replace when you want to refresh your space to reflect new design trends down the track. For example, you can easily replace your cushions and throws without buying an entirely new couch. 

Also, you don’t have to buy all your furniture and homewares simultaneously and from the same place. To achieve your desired aesthetic, you can mix and match your furniture and decor by shopping from several places, including your favourite furniture retailers, vintage shops, and online marketplaces. 

Meet Kinso: Transforming Spaces, for Life’s Moments. 

At Kinso, we do things a little differently. We balance the functional with the meaningful because we know that furniture does more than occupy a space in your house, it can transform your home. 

Whether you’re spending slow mornings lounging with a cuppa outdoors or Friday game night around the dining table, we offer gorgeous furniture packages that have been carefully considered for Australian lifestyles. You’ll find beautiful and functional ranges that will last you a lifetime, delivering effortless value with every meaningful moment they facilitate. 

Browse the Kinso furniture range online today and discover how easy it is to make your home, home.