No two households are the same — it's part of what make House Tours endlessly entertaining. Still, there are some universal truths to life at home. So whether you're an avid cook living in an apartment, a raw vegan living in a rural tiny house, or a DIY aficionado living in a bungalow, your home will benefit from having these 10 essentials.
Most of the items on this list are practical, but a few lean toward comfort and aethestics. Why not? After all, your home should be as pleasant as it is functional.
- An emergency light source. Keep a flashlight, candles and matches, or a Candela easily accessible (and charged, as the case may be). I hope you never need this, but if you do, you'll be greatly relieved to have it.
- Towels. You may be an extreme minimalist who showers at the gym, but everyone needs towels at home. At the very least, two bathroom towels and two kitchen towels.
- Basic utensils. A fork, a knife, a spoon. Even if you've never cooked in your life, you may hate the cheap knives that come with your delivery food or may forget a fork for your take-out salad.
- A small toolset. A hammer, a flat-head screwdriver, a phillips head screwdriver, and pliers will suffice. You may not believe me, but you'll end up using it — to stop a running toilet, hang a picture, pry open a paint can, etc.
- Bedding. A necessity, of course. And, if you're over the age of 20 and are still sleeping on your sheets from grade school, you need new bedding.
- A small cleaning kit. Spills and mistakes happen, even if you have a cleaning lady. Your kit may contain only Dr. Bronner's and a sponge, but you'll use it at some point (hopefully regularly, to keep your place nice and clean).
- An extra set of keys. Years ago, I gave a spare set of keys to my brother. I've only needed to call him for them once, but it was a huge relief. Alternately, if you're forever misplacing things, you can keep an extra set by the door. Use it on days that you really can't find your primary keys.
- Art. When we were dating, my husband lived for a year in an apartment with beige walls and no art anywhere. It was not cool and minimal — it was sad and depressing. (He now admits this himself.) Frame a sentimental postcard, buy a reprint of a favorite painting, browse Etsy or local art fairs — just get something on the walls to make your home more warm and personal.
- A comfy place to sit. Have one place you can cozy up for long phone calls, read books, have a good cry, or just stare at the wall. After all, your home is your sanctuary from the world.
- One thing you really love. A framed drawing by your niece. A vase from your sweetie. A memento from a favorite vacation. Display one item that brings you joy, no matter how often you see it.
(Image: Julie Harmsen/Apartment Therapy)
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Towels and utensils? Hm. Okay. I expected a list of essentials that were more outside the..you know, essentials. An extra set of keys, cleaning kit, emergency light source, and tool kit are good suggestions but who in their right mind doesn't know they need a towel and utensils? Can #11 be walls?
Who is this post aimed at? I need towels and eating utensils? Thanks for the advice!
Since we're talking super-basic, how come toilet paper isn't on this list? You need that before you need art.
@Rachel C Brooklyn - Toilet isn't on the list, so let's not get ahead of ourselves.
I definitely need a corkscrew, a good knife and a cordless drill.
I think a beagle is a necessity.
Don't forget running water!
@ PI- Good point.
You forgot plates on the list in case the take-out container gets soggy or isn't microwave safe. That being said, add a microwave to the list. Or a stove, but then you'll also need at least one pot or pan. And a fridge for leftovers, and dish soap to clean your fork, knife, and plate. And a table + chair to eat your take-out - unless you plan on eating in your comfy chair but you wouldn't want fried rice in between the cushions, would you?
Oh, you'll also need nails or something similar. Having a hammer is great and useful but it is even more useful if you have nails to go with it. That will also give you the ability to hang your essential artwork.
And once you're done prying open that paint can with your pliers, you will need a brush.
This is what being a home owner is all about - one thing leads to another and before you know it, your list of essentials has grown from 10 to 100.
@REXFOREVER79 You're not kidding--that's exactly what my home is missing!
Fire extinguisher (in the kitchen, plus one for the garage, if you have a garage). I've never had to use one, but I wouldn't want to live somewhere without one.
hahaha, this post is really something! I kept reading and thinking "is this serious?"
I take more stuff than this camping (with the exception of art)....
my 5 year old is moving out next month... she'll love this list! thank you!!
A lot of these are "well, duh" kinds of things (towels are so useful!), but I so agree with number 8. A home with nothing on the walls is sad. A carefully designed home that has bare walls reveals a reluctance to commit, a hesitancy to reveal oneself to others. Of course, there are plenty of people who just never get around to putting something up, but for a design-conscious person to avoid art on the walls -- I think it's meaningful.
@Pi, number 12 is a floor, and 13 a roof.
I think you guys would be surprised. The girls who live below me borrowed my toolkit last week because they don't own a single tool. My college roommate once dated a guy (well after college) who did not, in fact, own utensils. I also had a houseguest thank me once for putting a towel in her room - she had recently stayed with another friend who had a single towel and subsequently didn't have one for her to use during her stay.
Also, good call on the fire extinguisher. Although I must say, a stove, microwave, and pots are not essentials to everyone, according the raw vegan who lives down the block from me.
I thought for sure this was going to be another list of silly novelties inappropriately deemed "essential," but it is a lot weirder to see a list of things that are actually essential in the most boring, unsurprising way.
When you said to frame a postcard, all I could think of was Ennis's postcard of Brokeback Mountain....
Tough crowd.
Thank goodness for all of these comments. I no longer feel weird for my initial reaction.
@tetegrondona - Or giant beds.
@tetegrondona - reread the post - the spare keys are with her brother, outside the house. Although I have both, outside and inside (for the days I can't find my keys). I notice everyone picking this apart went for the easy snarky response but other than a few people, haven't actually offered up any alternatives. And just like Kathleen, I know a lot of people who do not have a lot of these items but have had to borrow them from me. So I guess they kind of are essential.
i wish i could like some of your comments...
A battery operated radio. When the electricity goes out it is nice to be in touch with the world. You might need information regarding the outage.
A list of emergency numbers. To report outages, gas company, etc.
Fine. Here's my list of essentials..obviously there's more, but here are ones right off the top of my head:
1. An emergency exit plan of all valid exits
2. A layout of your house, showing you where the electrical box and water cut off valves are in the house, and also where the water shut off is outside your house
3. A good plumber and electrician on speed dial
4. Emergency funds (I know this isn't feasible for a lot of people, but even just $60 hidden in a shoe is helpful in case you've lost your credit cards or were a victim of identity theft)
5. Food that can be eaten without heating or refridgeration (if you lose power and want a snack, crackers and peanut butter go a long way)
6. Battery-operated charger for your phone
Also: water!
Spare keys, ha! All of mine keep going to my daughter-in-law when she's in a rush to get to work and somehow I never see them again. I think she has a drawer full at work. If you have a cottage, keep a spare set of car keys there too. Actually, have several sets of spare keys in strategic locations, great for those panic/rush times when the key fairies took them and left those weird changeling keys that don't work in anything in their place.
I second the TP. That is the first thing that came to mind. Maybe that means my head is up my ass? They should recycle this post on April 1.
Oh, all of you are so quick-witted with the comments! Sarcasm aside, I think this article is a bit silly, but still useful. It seems to me that the author is speaking mostly from personal experience rather than the objective point of view. This article is mindful (I am the only one of my 4 roommates with a tool set, flashlights, and spare keys to my car and the apartment) and full of heart, as well (I'm also the 2nd of 4 roommates with art on my walls, personally made or store bought).
I think this is a great list for all the college kids who are heading off right now, getting settled into their first place of their own. Not everyone has lived already & is pro at this. Nor does everyone have a doting mother who will provide all that & fruitsnacks, too.
Forgetting the silly out and out basics, I agree with the aforementioned fire extinguisher, tool set, and backup lighting (I personally love and use my ikea sunnan solar light.) I'll add: vacuum cleaner, toilet plunger, small first aid kit (with butterfly bandages!!).
Re: Art. I do HAVE art, some lovely pieces, too. But I also painted my walls, and it kills me to make holes in my immaculate white walls (it's been over a year since I painted now!) So the art is stacked up against furniture, or behind doors.
great info for those who need it. the name of the post is the "bare minimum". so if it doesn't apply to you, then why is it necessary to comment negatively? let's try to be friendly people this is not youtube.
@Rural and Rueful: interesting. I actually have some original pieces that I like a lot, and some I paid a fair amount for. Reluctance to commit may be partly why won't display things I like.
Funny comments. Especially love the need for microscopic pillow. Definitely a must. I guess the only benefit I saw from this article was usually we're looking at ways to pare down while this is just paring up, taking nothing and turning into livable. But for the love of Pete, don't forget the TP.
Listen. I went to visit a (grown!) friend to help her put some furniture together. I asked for her toolkit and she looked at me like I'd spoken it in Russian. I said, "Okay, just a hammer and a screwdriver." She stopped dead, then ran and grabbed a heavy shoe and a nail file. Kid you not. And I did, in fact, put that furniture together with those "tools." I gave her one of those pink toolkits for Christmas the next year. She calls me every time she uses it.
Man! I'm so glad I scrolled down to the comments on this post. Thanks for the laughs all!
Art and utensils on the same list? If utensils are a concern, chances are art isn't. And if art is a concern, chances are utensils have already been taken care of:)
Some of the comments were really funny!
These comments gave me a good chuckle! Thanks for the laughs!
So, rather than being dismissive of the post, how about offering up your top 10?
10. An extra towel. Yes, I read Douglas Adams.
9. Can opener. And make sure it is with you when you move in.
8. Cozy comforter. This can go on the bed, but also wherever you hang out in the space.
7. I'm aspiring to minimalism and I have to remember I invite people over, and to say over. Extra towels, glasses, plates, bowls, cutlery, etc. It's okay if it is ONE more of whatever. Just enough.
6. Charger for mobile devices.
5. An awesome chef knife or cleaver. Paring knives and serrated things can be cheap, but not this.
4. Music playing device/ speaker for mobile device.
3. Mood lighting. Scarves over a lamp, LED or real candles, whatever you love as chill time light.
2. A fan.
1. Openness to more
One might want to consider a phone that plugs into the wall if you don't have a cell phone, which I do not. If you don't know what a phone that plugs into the wall looks like then I am really dating myself. If the power goes out so does your cordless.
I'm surprised there's no mention of an area rug.After reading AT for years, I thought that was an essential ;-p
Almost as funny as Sheldon on Big Bang Theory, which is on right now. Can't beat a sense of humor. TP indeed!
Agree -- this is sort of a strange list. There are very basic essentials, but a lot of equally basic essentials have been overlooked in lieu of less essential essentials. It would be great to see a list of things that every first-time renter should own.
For example, I didn't realize that apartments have very little lighting outside of the kitchen and bathroom, so I'd consider lamps essential for first-time renters. It also didn't occur to me when I first started renting that I'd need to supply my own waste baskets. I do think everyone should be able to make a can of soup and grilled cheese, so I'd suggest that one saucepan, one frying pan and one spatula are essential, in addition to the utensils, plate(s) and bowl(s).
screaming.............yes...a beagle for sure, but I was so expecting a homey feeling post and not be sitting here reading these laughing or having my eyes pop out..I feel that people who don't know these basic basic's, wouldn't be reading AT for suggestions of a plate and a couple utensils...but to be looking for where to find, salvage and be inspired on their journey of gloriousness..heads filled with vision, even with a only a few dollars 'left over' a week.............flashlight is very practical along with hammer and screwdrivers, I find that's all I still ever need..: )
Great list. I'm working on #9.
i never complain about AT posts... ever.... but @joelwaters, you got me good. can't stop giggling!
This list is slightly hilarious. How does someone NOT have bedding and utensils? (Let's not forget who the audience is here).
Things that I always look for but never have: pens, extra light bulbs, tape, spare paper/post its, safety pins, a ruler/tape measure, containers to store left over food in.
ouch...!
someone came in the room I am in to see what I keep laughing at! everyone is a comedian...
I think a cat is an essential.
When I was getting ready to move into my 1st place a co-woker gave me this advice:
Buy the best mattress/box spring, couch and kitchen table and chairs you can afford. Everything else buy at Ikea or Target. She was right.
@HRHPRINCESSFIONA - brilliant LOL
Wine bottle opener. I can drink out of the bottle.
The title should have been "So, you're ready to move out from under that rock?!" "We'll help you get started!".
If anyone is reading this and is THAT Spartan; yet has a cleaning lady!!!
Small cleaning kit? Let's just pare it down to a bar of soap; preferably larger than motel size and a sponge; preferably newer than when you got your first car.
i clicked on this post thinking i'd find some interesting advice or useful information but instead i'm told i should have forks, towels and bedding at home? really? i must be getting too old for apartment therapy.
Well, I found it enlightening. You have established homes, but think about college students moving out of the dorms and into the leased houses around campus? We have zero money, and zero stuff. Some of us only stay for a semester or a summer. You're not going to buy a bed, you're going to sleep on the floor. A couch would be nice, but we can't afford that.
I have one towel, one set of utensils that I stole from the campus dining hall. You'd be surprised how many kids live with the plastic utensils that come in take out. There's a 20" minifridge stocked with oatmeal, beans and spinach. One pan. No microwave.
Tips like a light source, tool set, and Dr. Bronners and a sponge might be dumb to you guys, but it's valuable to us. I should really find a toolset.
These hammam towels are beautiful and are also great for traveling
http://beropabazaar.com/collections/hamam-towels
I just moved for about the tenth time, and I think I've got it down pat. This list isn't so silly. Think about like this, some of that stuff should be the first things you unpack. Packed in a separate box marked "open me first!"
I hate being that person that makes that totally irrelevent comment based on the picture...but...does anyone have a source for that duvet cover in the photo? I've been looking for a printed neutral like that for a while
thanks!
This is great! I figured out the 'comfy place to sit' the hard way when I had friends over and the only seating choices were straight backed chairs or the bed!! (It's a studio.) I quickly found some great lounge chairs for my eat-in kitchen that have made it much more comfortable and fun to have people over.
The one thing I'm missing is "One thing you really love." It's definitely a work in progress.
1. A front door (preferably one that locks)
2. Windows (preferably that lock and with bug screens)
3. A finished floor. Walls (I just hate bare studs) and ceiling.
4. A place to bathe in private.
5. Electricity (I know, I know)
6. Running water (preferably from Hetch-Hetchy) that you can turn on and off. Both hot and cold would be great!
7. High speed internet, a modem, and an Apple AirPort (no other kind will do)
8. One or more "devices" that can access the internet like a computer, an iPhone and Apple TV.
9. A comfy chair, a lamp.
10. The Complete works of William Shakespeare (in multiple volumes, please), the King James Bible, the Book of Common Prayer (1928 and 1662), and the complete works of Ian Flemming or Jane Austen.
@LSUgrad03: I have most of this stuff in my handbag.
Some of these comments are perfectly wonderful :)
Ok, let's go for it.
1. iPhone
2. Corkscrew
3. Make up kit
4. Underwear
5. Ready cash stash
6. Something to drink - alcoholic and non-alcoholic
Thinking ... thinking ...
7. Medicines (if required)
8. Swiss army knife
9. ID
10. A small bag to hold the above items
All set. And as for the comments that the post is a good list for college kids, any kid who doesn't realise that they will need a towel, basic utensils and bedding isn't bright enough to go to college in the first place.
hahaha
@AMARANTA: Add 1 or more breakfast bars and this sounds like my work day trip packing list! Something to drink being purchased after passing through security at the aiport, of course!
I was hoping for more functional advice, for instance the bedding advice should have been "have a spare set of bedding", now THAT is a lifesaver between loads :)
Why have spare bedding? Get up, strip the bed and put the sheet. duvet and pillowcases into the washing machine once a week. Add to tumble drier. By ten in the morning make the bed with the clean bedding. Bedtime - enjoy!
We don't have spare sheets or any sort of bedding. We just wash what we have.
I was mad that I wasted time reading this silly list, but the comments made it worth it.
@AMARANTA: firstly, its better for the environement and your bedding to not tumbler it, os for that you need a spare one. Secondly, if you get really ill, you might be glad to have a spare one, maybe you have a high fever and sweat a lot or something. Besides that you don't want to wait till your bedding is washed and dryed before going back to bed if you're really ill, you might not have the energy to wash it while you are ill, so in this case a spare one is very helpfull. Besides, I often change the bedding while cleaning the apartment which is not necessarily on the same day as washing day, so I need a spare one for that too.
@CLASSOF65: thats scene is so sad and beautiful at the same time, isn't it?
combine #8 and 10 and you can save yourself some effort
jug of water
blanket
headlamp
book
cat
apples
all set
a good first aid kit.
Best comment thread ever.
I was going to say a first aid kit, and I see KassGood already said it. And I thought of a cat, but somebody beat me to that, too. I thought everybody had towels and utensils and bedding when they set up a house or apartment. A flashlight is a good idea, or candles and a lighter/matches. Some of the "essentials" left me scratching my head and saying, "What? Doesn't everybody have that?" A spare key? Doesn't everyone know to have one made?
Art - Ah, yes. Art. We all need something beautiful on the walls.
i think the comments around art are really interesting.
i take a very minimalist approach *and* have a preference for scandinavian design, which often means no art on the walls. In fact, we currently have no art on the walls. But, we do have architectural interest in our place and a great view, so art isn't really necessary at that level.
Likewise, we -- as a family -- are more calm and have more creativity and fun together when there's no visual clutter on our walls and in our home. We even keep DS's toys to a minimum (and tidy them 2-3 times a day to "clear the visual field" which makes his play more creative and more focused as well).
At the end of the day, the choice for minimalism -- including the choice not to have art on the walls (or pictures of family or whatever else) -- really doesn't "mean" anything in particular. It doesn't' mean that I don't like art, don't like design, or have commitment issues.
It means i'm making a conscious design choice that works for me and my family. I'm sorry if others think that's "sad" but I guess that's on "them" and not on me.
I feel sad for all of you people feeling the need to make negative comments. Thank you to the author for the effort to put together a list and get people thinking.
Not a worrier, but I'm surprised a working smoke alarm wasn't mentioned or knowing how to or even where the main water shut off is.
@Zoebird. That's interesting. I have minimalist tendencies, too, although I also like nice things. I like seeing artwork in other people's houses, but in MY house, I don't mind bare white walls. In fact, like you, I find it more calming. Also, by having NOTHING up means not having to make that design choice, which I'm not good at.
Thanks SO MUCH for including the Candela link! Have been looking to replace my batteries and was getting no response from Candela. Nice to see they are part of OXO now.
You've made my day :-)
And @rexforever79 Beagle = AWESOME!!!!
Was this a joke? the person who wrote it was on a BIG deadline and couldn't think of a DARN thing to say?? Come on guys, you can do better than this...
I agree with wine opener..there's little that's more frustrating (other than getting out of the shower to discover that OMG I have no TOWELS!!!) than getting ready to toast your new home with a nice glass of your favorite wine only to discover the wine opener got left in the place you just left. I ALWAYS buy one just in case when I go to the grocery store for the other "essentials" I need on my first day in my new place (like a bottle of wine ;>)
I definitely had a college roommate that needs to read this. Anyone who showers with the plastic shower liner outside the tub and then when asked about the lake on the bathroom floor replies "I didn't know I had a shower with a glass door at home" needs to read this.
@pearmelon
i can understand. for me, it is a conscious design choice. we buy minimally, but buy quality, so I, too, "like nice things." I just don't need/want many things, so it keeps very minimal. :)
Wow, I've never posted before but felt the need to register and do so for the sole purpose of expressing my gratitude-I feel 100x better about myself after reading this...I didn't think someone could screw up this whole "be an adult and live on your own" thing more than me, ha.
My essential is calling "home" when I'm in a jam. Yes, you know something is wrong when you own your own house but "home" is where Mom is lol.
@FULINLIN I take your point but I don't have any alternative drying facilities. Everything we wash is tumble dried. Yes, it would be great to have everything hung out on a washing line to get that glorious sun-dried smell but we don't have that luxury.
Regarding illness, if I was so ill that I really couldn't throw bedding into the washing machine, then into the drier, I think I'd need to be in the hospital or at least have someone to help me.
I think you have a larger washer too. I can't do the bedding on washing day because a sheet, four pillowcases and a duvet fill the washer completely. They have to be done on their own.
Seriously folks, give the lady a break. This post isn't for you if you're a homeowner, duh. It's for people like me who have never owned a flashlight or spare keys (you're not allowed to duplicate a lot of apartment keys), but do have art, and a very empty first apartment of my own at the moment. I have friends who have apartments without private bathrooms or kitchens or absolutely don't cook and have cleaning ladies and thus lack cleaning products, toilets or toilet paper, utensils, etc.