Most important items of furniture

evoke

Okay, I have essentially an empty house - one bed and one sofa. Where do I start on the furniture front assuming I have a limited budget per month?

lagi

Microwave, then fridge with freezer compartment, if your including electricals. If not then something to store clothes, wardrobe or chest of drawers.

Owain_Moneysaver

Salvation Army and homeless charities sometimes have schemes for people moving into unfurnished accommodation.

Charity and second hand furniture shops.

Otherwise priorities are probably:

Food - do you have kitchen units / table / fridge / microwave?

Clothes storage - wood&canvas wardrobes are fairly cheap. If you are working you probably need to be presentable, so iron/ironing board, washing machine unless there is a local laundrette.

Leisure - telly and something to put it on.

If you have the time/ability you can often get dark varnished 1920s/1930s wood furniture for next to nothing - strip and clear varnish it, fit new knobs. Chests of drawers are pretty versatile - lounge, bedroom, even the kitchen if you put a sheet of worktop over the top.

Otherwise it's Ikea or Value Flatpack.

savingmummy

evoke wrote: »

Okay, I have essentially an empty house - one bed and one sofa. Where do I start on the furniture front assuming I have a limited budget per month?

Freecycle - you may find something you need that will help you out for now!

MAIN must haves are bed, sofa, wardobe/chest.

Do you have kitchen appliances?

evoke

Yes, I have a fully-furnished kitchen and bathroom. But I have virtually nothing in the lounge or bedrooms. I'm just after priorities on what to buy first and i'll be buying new.

MaggieBaking

Everyone's priorities are different. What would you use most and need the most? Someone said a wardrobe earlier but I'd probably get a hanging rail and live with that, I'd rather have a small table first - to eat off and so on.

I agree with small kitchen electrical items being a priority.

Personally, my needs would be

Towel & some basic toiletries
Bed & Bedding
Sofa
2 small coffee tables (Ikea, £5 each)
Kettle
Microwave
Hanging rail

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Chest of drawers
Additional seating
More kitchen equipment

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And so on - by that stage you'll know what it is you want the most next!

Yorkie1

It is interesting to see others' priorities.

I never use coffee tables and had a disaster with a hanging rail which fell over when the metal twisted ...

I'd go for wardrobe and chest of drawers (depending on what sort of clothes you have) as the first priority. Perhaps at a later point bedside table for light / radio etc?

As for the lounge, looking round mine, the only extra stuff I have are a couple of bookcases for the hi-fi and books, plus something for the CDs / DVDs. And lamps, I think they make the room look so much more homely than a central overhead light.