Help me furnish my new home!

[FirstTimeHomeowner]

Hi all,

NC for this... please be kind :)

I'm in the process of buying my first (and dream!) house for me and DS. I'm a single mum and feel like I've been clawing my way here forever ~ 9 years of saving, 2 of searching for the perfect house, and now we're so close to signing and moving in!

I'm a perfectionist and want a nice house. I've saved a decent chunk (£30k) to furnish and get it all nicely set up - it's already decorated well and is coming with white goods.

I'm the first homeowner in my family - the first person to have anything more than a council flat - and I grew up with very second hand, mismatched, broken furniture and housewares. I know the advice is to start with FB marketplace finds but I SO don't want to 😂

So - if you were starting fresh, with a budget a step above IKEA, what would you splurge on or save on? What do you wish you knew buying/furnishing your first place?

Bonus for links of cool shops/your dream homeware picks!

Congratulations OP! It rather depends on your style / taste. I would far rather buy (unfashionable dark wood) second hand furniture, at the same price as new Ikea, for example. In general, I would splurge on your bed (a really good quality frame and decent mattress) and sofa. Those are things that last so go with something you like, not just that’s fashionable at the moment. You shouldn’t be planning to replace them anytime soon. I’d buy a good quality kitchen table / dining table and chairs second hand and get the chairs reupholstered with a nicer fabric if I needed to. The John Lewis readymade curtains and blinds are good value, they also do made to measure. They have some lovely patterns such as William Morris. Again, depends on your taste.

Are you getting any fitted cupboards, shelving etc done? Ikea shelves can be made to look fitted, but you may want to splurge on handmade - again, depends on your priorities.

Are you a keen gardener? If not, you may want to spend a bit on getting a landscaper / gardener in to either design or maintain, depending how mature the garden you’re acquiring is. Worth the money in my opinion!

Oh and where I would save on - crockery, cutlery, glassware, mixing bowls, other kitchen stuff - all are fine cheap. Buy a good food processor, should last you a lifetime. If you don’t have one already.

I’m not into super pricey bed linen, cushions, rugs etc. John Lewis or Ikea are fine for me. Again, your mileage may vary. Kids’ rooms can be Ikea, it doesn’t need to last, you’ll be changing it as they grow up.

Can you give us a sense of what kind of style or look you’re going for?

I know you said no to marketplace...but it's definitely worth a look before you splash out unnecessarily.

Someone I know is selling their house after only being there three years, and selling all their stuff. You could pick up something wonderful and you'll have money leftover for holidays!

Things I would splash out on - good quality carpets upstairs, a decent mattress, and a really nice sofa (but I'd check on marketplace first!)

I like Roseland furniture for bedroom items if you want freestanding, but I'd have some really nice fitted wardrobes put in (get quotes from local recommended carpenters rather than places like sharps who are a rip off)

Checkatrade is a very useful website to find trusted tradespeople and get quotes btw.

@ClementineChurchill thank you so much, all of this is brilliant advice and exactly why I wanted to pick the mumsnet hive mind instead of trying to piece together the online articles 😂
Cupboards - I hadn't even thought of this 🙃 the house is much bigger than where we are now, and there's already quite a bit of built in storage so I'm hoping we're ok on that front for now.
Curtains John Lewis is a great shout TY! Same for a landscaper, the garden is in great condition now but I'm not at all green fingered (and tbh in my naive FTB head it would stay in perfect condition indefinitely with no help 😂)
My style - I'd say probably quite bold block colours accents over classic, muted, basics (if that's a thing!). I could probably just buy everything from The White Company and add pops of bright colours everywhere 😉

Congratulations on your first property.

I understand that you want to do it properly, but FB Marketplace has some fantastic barely used items that you may not be able to afford new and also some great vintage buys you can mix in - ercol, mirrors, 70s sideboards.

Other than that, John Lewis, Marks and Spencer, Heals have well made, durable items. You can then mix in Ikea, Dunelm, HomeSense accessories.

Above all, have fun and buy what you like - whatever the brand is.

Congratulations on your lovely new home OP.
I can highly recommend splurging on a new bed and mattress and some gorgeous new bed linen. I like Sealys bed range and can vouch that their medium firm gel mattresses are very comfy and supportive to sleep on
Also, some new decent quality towels and some nice bone China and a nice tea pot / bean to cup coffee maker. Little things that make your new home a cozy comfortable haven. Let us know how you get on and happy hunting for some nice house bits and pieces

@steadywinner Thank you, I think I'll find my 'dream' furniture and then maybe browse for similar ones on the marketplace then. I just don't want to hunt only there (definitely have past trauma around secondhand stuff if you can't tell 😂) - I'll check out Roseland TY!

Another one saying please don't discount FB 😁 (sorry, sorry). The stuff people practically give away is mind blowing, really expensive furniture and household goods for practically nothing. I've seen really beautiful solid wood dining sets for less than £100 in perfect condition. Charity shops are great places for curtains - we bought some beautiful next curtains that would have been over £200 new for a fiver.....

Supermarkets do nice tableware and kitchenware, especially Sainsbury.

If youve not already set up some Pinterest boards so that you can see what you like and if there's a theme. Which will also help with ad-hoc purchases like lamps and stuff

Congrats OP!
I'm in a similar situation, just DH and myself though. We have spent 2yrs renovating a derelict property and have a blank canvas now.
I too wouldn't discount 2nd hand furniture. Its often better made and will last longer.
I've found ikea good for quirky/space saving and storage type smaller items. An organiser to put in the drawer for plates/bowls etc. Wall hooks and a laundry, drying thing.
Note that some sofas have a 3mth or more lead time- so be prepared to wait if its not something in the showroom!
Our carpenter recommended 24/7 Blinds. I've ordered samples, but yet to actually have proper blinds.
If you want some spring colour in the garden, spring bulbs like tulips and daffs are on sale now.
Edited as forgot, I bought a dining set from Denby using tesco vouchers years ago. I've since added to it from buy off ebay! You need to check prices, because some people will advertise as the same cost as the outlet, but sometimes you can get a bargain.

This is great advice. I’d add - don’t feel pressured to fully furnish it from day 1. Get the most important stuff in, like beds, but decor - picture, nicknacks, fancy crockery, textiles, etc - you can add gradually as you find the right things. It’s really obvious when someone has gone out and furnished an entire home in a week. Let your home evolve into your own style gradually. That’s also how you find stuff that you want to keep. If you need stuff immediately but have not found anything that’s to your taste, buy cheap and pass it on to charity or sell it secondhand once you find the right item for you.

Feather and Black are worth a look btw. My F&B bed frame is 2 decades old and I fully intend to see my life out in it …

Kitchenware: spend money on pans and knives. Sorry to keep posting, I just keep thinking of things.

I quite like the futon company - not so much for futons, but their home accessories
https://www.futoncompany.co.uk/

Completely agree with @ClementineChurchill on not being pressure to do everything straight away.

Treat yourself to some nice afternoons wandering around the shops to get a feel for what you like. Researching is half the fun!

I just bought a house. I had no furniture as I sold it all with my last house. Tbh most of it was old and falling apart.

I had £12k to furnish my 3 bed. I bought my sofa and chairs and tv unit from next. My side board and shelves look exactly like my next tv unit, but was quarter of the price from Amazon.

ikea drawers in bedrooms. Spent good money on my bed and mattress. The spare rooms I bought from a local bed place. Apparently the beds are really comfy. My table and chairs from M&S. my crockery and cutlery from Tesco. They lasted well as good price. Pots and pans from Asda.

other bits and bobs picked up and B&m and the range. Look for local blind companies. I got my full house done for £650. The girl next to me paid £1500 for same blinds using a chain.

look about as you will find you can do it less. All my stuff are sturdy and look a good quality. I went for good makes for stuff I would use lots and other decorative things went cheaper.

What's your style Op?

Dunelm is also good for soft furnishings at a very reasonable price. Also blinds are good from there.
Definitely buy new bed and mattress - spend time picking one that's comfortable. Ditto sofa/3 piece suite.
I'd suggest table and chairs are VERY easy to pick up second hand locally.

Dunelm is great for ready made curtains.

I would invest in some real wood pieces, we purchased a solid oak dining table, sideboard and side tables ( all quite plain) 17 years ago and a leather sofa and they are still going strong.

Don't scrimp on your mattress.

My favourite bit of furniture is my drinks cabinet. Second favourite is my oak table.

Our wardrobes are IKEA Pax and they have been amazing, 20 years old and moved multiple times, they are so versatile as well. We do have one solid oak wardrobe and to be honest it's so heavy it's a nightmare to move.

We've had good quality sofas from Furniture Village - they also stock good brands like GPlan.

I echo good beds.

I also wish I had a good table and chairs, my aunt got one from oak furniture land and I’m very jealous of how comfy and sturdy the chairs are.

Wardrobes are the next thing I think are really important. I have an Ikea one in my rented flat that is much better than the wall length John Lewis one in my old flat because it’s much better configured - enough drawers AND hanging space.

Don’t buy black furniture - it’s a pain in the arse! Always shows up dust no matter how much you clean it!

I would live in the space for a while, with just the essentials (but yes to decent beds and sofas!)

That way, you don't rush into any expensive mistakes and it gives you time and headspace to work out what to invest in, and find the right pieces. Same with painting ans big changes:)

Congratulations! It's a wonderful achievement. I was you many years ago and I was so very proud of myself as you should be too!

I've had a variety of furniture over the years but my best and most expensive buys were my bed with a really good mattress and our dining set. I always thought if I could have a really good quality table I had made it! I've also bought black out curtains.

But yes do look at Marketplace. People sometimes refurbish and let things go.

Congratulations OP, that’s awesome!
look out for a chunky oak table, not FB but perhaps an antique shop - it’s such a good investment and will look better as it gets older.
brushed steel light switches and quality door handles stand out, if needed.
pay for good carpet- ours is the sort of wool
one that looks like porridge, indestructible.
we trend to buy nice mugs, crockery etc when we’re on holiday, a nice and useful memento and happy to spend a bit more and build up a nice collection.