We all want our homes to be beautiful and reflect our personalities, but it’s often tricky to know where to begin and what to spend money on when setting up your first ever house or apartment. Well, first things first, we’ve put together a list of what to invest in first. These items should be timeless and we believe are necessary to call your house a home. The rest will follow in time…

1. The bed

We spend about a third of our entire lives sleeping. An average of 26 years! With this in mind, you can see why we put a bed at the top of the list. A good quality mattress and base will allow you to sleep better, and therefore have more productive hours during the day. Make sure you set aside some budget for a stylish headboard – from reclaimed timber to paint, or wallpaper to create a feature.

2. The duvet

If you spend 26 years in bed, damn, let the time be amazing! Opinions vary when it comes to types of duvets, some like down and feather, other like wool, some like silk, some actually prefer microfibre. From our experience, a down duvet is what you need to create that comfy puffy hotel bed look. Whatever you pick, a quality duvet is definitely an investment piece. Do thorough research on this one. Read more about the duvet Winter sale from Lovely Linen, which you can now order through us.

3. The sofa

When putting together furniture pieces in a living room, the most vital item is a sofa or couch; and when it comes to your first home or apartment, you’ll often only have budget and space for one. Be sure to choose a sofa that is a beautiful piece on its own (not part of a set). It’s easy and fun to mix and match side chairs and coffee tables, but the sofa generally grounds the look of the entire room. Three tips to keep in mind when looking for a sofa are to check that the frame is sturdy; the foam or filling used for the cushions is good quality; and the fabric or leather is hard wearing. Another way to preserve the fabric is to have it scotch-guarded.

Take a look at how this red sofa in the Coetzee house is a stand-alone statement piece. In time, when you move to a larger house, something like this will still be statement piece:

4. Storage space

When buying for your first home, everything must have the benefit of storage. Storage space is something we never seem to have enough of. There are some clever and beautiful ways to store items in your living space or kitchen, such as baskets, crates and shelves, but it is also good to invest in some larger statement pieces. A large armoire style cupboard is ideal for linen and crockery, and can even be used to create a mini work area for crafts.
Take a look at this short video of a girl who lives in a tiny apartment in New York upper west side. She has done a great job in terms of storage.

5. The dining room table

Part of enjoying the home you love is sharing it with friends and family. A dining area often becomes the heart of the home, especially in open plan living spaces. It is a great place to gather whilst the host is preparing food, and allows for conversation without the distraction of the TV. Buying an antique timber dining table is always a sound investment as it stays on trend and is hard wearing. You can always modernise the look with the chairs you choose.

6. The dining room chairs

As we’ve mentioned, the dining area is a great gathering space, where you may spend many hours chatting. So it’s important to make sure that the chairs are not only beautiful but also comfortable to sit on. With space being limited, we don’t always have the luxury of having a separate work space at home, and the dining area can serve as a mini home office area. If this is the case, it’s important to choose a chair that has good ergonomics. This means the chair must have a supportive backrest and a comfortable seat. A timber chair with a straight backrest encourages you to sit up straight, and if you add in a cushioned seat, is a winning option and styles can be mixed and matched to create an eclectic look.

Whatever you go for, remember that if you invest in good quality key items, they will give you many years of enjoyment.

You can keep the look fresh and current by changing the smaller accessory items such as scatter cushions, vases, lampshades and throws.

Keep it simple and accessorise to suit your tastes and trends. For more tips and advice on home decor, sign up to our newsletter.