Buying your first home is probably one of the most exciting purchases you will make in your lifetime. The thought of furnishing and decorating your home in any manner you desire is thrilling. However, if you have few or no material possessions to take to your new property, you’ll need to buy a whole list of items. Here are some essential buys for your first home.

The lounge

When you’ve had an exhausting day moving lots of boxes into your new home, you’ll be glad that you purchased a comfortable sofa and a couple of armchairs. Before you move into your home, consult the estate agent’s particulars for the home to get a record of the room measurements, or ask to visit the house to do some measuring up of your own. Doing so will mean that you’ll be able to choose a sofa that will fit into the sitting room, and you’ll know whether or not the space will accommodate that L-Shaped or chaise sofa you always dreamed about owning.

If you desire, you can purchase a television for the lounge and a unit on which to stand it, unless you wish to wall mount it. You may want to get a shelving unit for books, CDs, DVDs and knick-knacks. IKEA is a great place to pick up storage furniture that will fit into any size and shape of room.

A coffee table or some side tables are great pieces of furniture to have in the lounge so that you can rest your cup of tea somewhere or have cosy suppers of pizza and other takeaway meals in front of the television. You could buy a table lamp or two to give a warm glow to the room rather than using the sometimes harsh ceiling light.

Soft furnishings such as rugs, window dressing, and cushions are a fun thing to buy, and you can really bring your new home to life and inject some of your personality into it through the careful selection of these items.

The bedroom

Obviously, in the bedroom, you’ll need a bed. If you share the house with a partner, you’ll probably want to buy a queen-sized bed. As you spend a good chunk of your lifetime asleep, you must ensure you invest in a good quality queen size mattress that will give you a blissful night’s sleep and make sure you wake up feeling refreshed and pain-free. You’ll also need to buy sheets, a quilt or blankets for the bed, as well as some ergonomic pillows that support your neck and align your spine correctly.

A couple of bedside tables are practical for either side of the bed so that you and your partner can store items such as books, jewellery, reading glasses and night-time medications on them. Bedside lamps are essential for those who like to read at bedtime.

If there are no built-in wardrobes, you’ll need to purchase suitable furniture for storing clothing. You can buy free-standing wardrobes, a metal clothes rail or a chest of drawers. You may want to buy a clothes rail as a temporary measure and then have fitted wardrobes built in once you’re settled into the house.

The kitchen

If the kitchen in your new home doesn’t come equipped with large appliances, you’ll need to purchase a stove, an oven and a fridge freezer. You should also check whether the stove needs to be powered by electricity or gas and have it installed by a qualified engineer. If money is no object and there’s plenty of space in the kitchen, you may want to purchase further kitchen appliances such as a microwave and dishwasher. Small appliances such as a kettle, toaster, food processor and coffee machine will make life easier. A washing machine and clothes dryer are two other essential white goods you should buy for your new home.

The dining room

If your home has a dining room, you’ll need to furnish it with a table and chairs. Once again, check the measurements of the room to see what size and shape of table will fit. Remember that people must have enough space to get in and out of their chairs without banging into the walls. If you have a large dining room, you may want to get a unit or sideboard in which to store crockery, cutlery, glassware and alcoholic beverages to use when guests come.

The garden

It’s not just the house for which you need to buy things. If your new home has a garden, you’ll need to acquire a lawnmower and some other tools to keep your garden looking immaculate and well cared for. Visit the local garden centre to see the range of plants on offer. The staff there can advise you as to the best ones to choose for your garden’s size and situation.

Many of the things that you consider as essential buys for your first home will differ to mine or the next person’s. Items such as bed, fridge-freezer and seating will more than likely cross-over, but what else could you not live without?

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