This is how to furnish your first home!

Congratulations on your first home! Moving into your first place is always exciting. But what do you actually need for your home? And what should you consider when arranging the rooms so that your home feels as spacious and comfortable as possible? Read all our tips below.

1. The foundation of your interior: floors and walls

Floors

Decide how you are going to use each room. Will it be a space where people walk around a lot, cook or eat? This will determine which type of flooring is most suitable.

For example, it is better not to place carpet under the dining table. Light-coloured laminate flooring can also look beautiful, but it is not always very practical. Every speck of dirt, cat hair or crumb will be visible.

When laying laminate or parquet flooring, pay attention to the direction of the floorboards. Laying them in the right direction can make the room appear more spacious. It is usually best to lay them lengthways, parallel to the longest side of the room.

Walls

The colour of your walls has a major influence on the atmosphere of the room. Light colours create a fresh appearance and make the room feel more spacious.

White walls give you plenty of freedom, as you can combine them with furniture and accessories in almost any colour. You could also paint one wall in a different colour to create a playful accent.

2. Furnishing your first home

When furnishing your home, there is one important thing to keep in mind: space. More space at home creates more peace of mind. There are two ways to achieve this.

1. Create enough storage space at home

Make use of the space underneath your bed and unused corners in your home, such as the area under the stairs. Practical cupboards and storage units are also useful.

This allows you to store all the small items you use every day without making your home look cluttered.

2. Store rarely used items elsewhere

You only use 80% of the belongings in your cupboards a few times a year. Think of tools, Christmas decorations and your skis.

There may also be belongings you never use but still want to keep, such as your grandmother’s old cabinet, photo albums and childhood toys. All these items take up a lot of space.

A practical way to create more room is to store these belongings in an affordable storage unit. From as little as €1.40 per week, you can rent a unit that fits twelve moving boxes. You can access your belongings whenever you need them, so you can simply collect something when you want to use it again.

This is an easy way to create the feeling of an extra room in your new home.

Would you like to see in advance how your home will look once it has been furnished? There are now several useful online room planners that allow you to design your home digitally.

Simply enter the dimensions of the room and add furniture similar to the pieces you are planning to buy. The tool then creates 3D images, allowing you to see how much space will be left and how the furniture will look in your interior.

3. The finishing touches: window coverings, lighting and plants

The final step in furnishing your first home is adding the finishing touches. Think about window coverings, lighting and accessories.

Window coverings

Window coverings can be both functional and decorative. If you have many windows, it is best to choose calm colours and subtle patterns.

You should also decide in advance how much privacy you want. Privacy window film can be a good option, as it allows plenty of daylight to enter while preventing people from looking inside.

Lighting

Lighting is also both functional and decorative. As a general rule, the more lighting you have, the larger the room will appear.

It is also practical to have enough light so that you can comfortably read a book or newspaper in the evening. Dimmers are a great option when you want to create a warmer and more atmospheric setting.

Greenery in your home

Unless you are not a fan of plants and flowers, you can use plenty of greenery in your interior. Plants bring life, colour and fragrance into your home.

Did you know that plants can also help improve air quality, increase oxygen levels and improve the acoustics in a room?

With the tips above, your first home will not only look beautiful but will also be practical and comfortable. Have we missed any useful tips? Let us know in the comments!

P.S. Are you still preparing for your move? Use our handy moving checklist!