No matter how much pre-measuring you do, some things are best purchased after you've already moved in and had a chance to examine how you use your space. Here are a few things that made our list:
1. Rugs: Even if you measured your floors when you viewed your apartment, that doesn't mean you know exactly where your furniture is going to go. You might have an idea, but until you know where things are best to get a great view, or avoid certain things (like covering an outlet), rugs should be held off. They're just as specific to the furniture in your space as they are to the floorplan itself.
2. Small Appliances: Kitchens are tricky spaces and the space small appliances can take up can be easily underestimated. Some things like a microwave are more simple, but things that live inside cabinets are best held off on until you know a spot exists for it to live!
3. Television/Large Electronics: Large electronics are great items to buy on super sales and it can be easy to feel impulsive when you know you might require a new one for your space. Waiting until you're sure on placement and size is a bonus. Even though bigger always seems better, knowing you have space to use it without it dominating the room is a good thing!
4. Thrifted Finds: The beauty and joy that thrifted pieces bring to a space is remarkable. They're also easy to overload on when you're in a transitional state. Hold off until you know exactly which spaces you'd like to fill with treasures, otherwise you could easily find yourself drowning in squirrel statues and chairs that just had to come home with you.
5. Closet Organization: Every closet is different and more importantly how you use the space and access it can be tricky. You might need to put a chair half in front of the door, allowing you a seating area or dressing space, but negating getting to a specific corner. Wait to buy anything more than hangers before you have that space situated!
Is there something you wished you would have waited to purchase until after you were all settled? Did it end in returning or reselling? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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might I add a few items that I have yet to purchase for the home that I bought over a year ago.......artwork, wallpaper, paint (yes, live in the space for awhile to decide what color is best.) The other items I would wait on would include window treatments and storage solutions. I find myself still rearranging artwork and furniture and textiles. It's much better to wait than to re-do something three or four times because you didn't live in the space for awhile.
I would definitely say to hold off on purchasing any updated versions of decor/appliances you may have. Moving to a new place can come with unexpected costs and you might not necessarily need the latest and greatest version of something great that you already own.
totally agree on the closet organization and the rugs.
even though i recommended (in last week's post) that everyone should start out with a rug in a new apt, its really important to have the measurements right.
we've been in our place for a year, and now that we have a new layout of furniture, i realized that the 5x8 area rug i've been eyeing for the living room, is never going to work because then our rolling office chairs couldn't 'roll' anywhere, they would hit the rug everytime.
also, the closet organization can be incredibly tricky in a new place, especially an older building. our closet is an amalgam of 5 different types of storage due to all the previous tenants. it's not worth it to waste your time & money until you're living there and figure out what you really need.
I'd agree with most things except the thrift finds. As long as you love it and can imagine it in many homes then it doesn't matter.
Before my coming move, I already bought new bedding linen as there had been heavy summer sales and I made great deals but I refrained buying others stuff (new tv, small appliances, furnitures, etc.) as I prefer waiting for the move in order to better plan my new apartment organization... I have a wish list of best of and faves and may select (or not) its items once I move in....
I somewhat disagree on not buying thrifted things until you're in your new space. In a place like Boston, where it seems that half the apartments in the city turn over every September 1, there are amazing deals to be had on furniture in August, even if you're moving yourself. If you've always wanted to replace something, now's the time to do it, and you can make a few bucks in the process by selling yours (last year I bought a desk from someone on craigslist and sold my old one on craiglist the same day for $20 less than I paid for the new one). I'd also weigh the cost/hassle of moving something to the new place against the cost/hassle of buying it new post-move. But I agree that if it's a big piece that may not work in the new space, it's better to wait.
I generally hold off on all home purchases until I've moved. If it is something I really need to use, I first check with friends/neighbors to see if it's something I can borrow in the meantime. My last resort is to buy whatever it is I need.
Chairs. I have every likely spot for a chair in my home occupied, and I STILL eye bargain fixer-uppers with desire... It's an addiction! (I don't let myself buy them, but oh how I WANT to!)
Much thrifted furniture is "buy now or regret later". If you really love it, better get it. If all else fails, you can probablly sell it yourself, but you won't have missed the opportunity...
I may have to disagree about the artwork suggestion above. My mother began buying us artwork for every Christmas and birthday when I was around 11 or 12 and kept it up until I was in college; since that time, art has been an occasional gift. She has great taste, and those beginnings have formed the basis of the art collection we now have, some 40 years later. While I did complain about "all the art" in sour cross country moves, I have always been really happy to have good quality prints and such to help make each of out apartments or houses our home. I really believe that we should buy art that we like when we see it and we will make it work.
I have sooo much artwork - but even though I will always buy another beautiful piece whether or not I have the space, I usually live somewhere awhile before I decide where to hang it.Otherwise I end up moving it all around four or five times like pyrexmaniac.
I don't think art is something that should be bought to match the curtains or the space. I feel like art either moves you or it doesnt...and if it really moves you then you'll ALWAYS be able to find the perfect space for it in any apartment/home.
I second the thrifted finds and most importantly the small appliances. When I moved in all I had was a coffee maker. We live in a really small apartment with a teeny tiny kitchen. After I was all moved in, I got to see what we had room for and where it would even go before we purchased.
Now I have a little tiny stainless steel microwave that fits perfectly into the shelving and a toaster and juicer on the prep table.
I just got married, so the influx of small appliance gifts are giving me a heart attack. Of course I want a crock pot but now where am I supposed to put that big stinkin thing?!
After decorating the basics, I had fun adding charm to the apartment with thrifted/antique finds a few months after we were settled in.
I can see waiting on an area rug, if you just buy to fill a space, but I have inherited rugs that are a part of my life - they're floor art - not afterthoughts. I can see waiting on large electronics but the rest? No way. The closet is the first thing I plan because if I can't find a way to edit my stuff to fit then some of it needs to be donated pre-move (I take measures and then fill to 80% so I have room to maneuver and add a few pieces). Overall, my belongings support how I live my life, I don't buy to fill up space but my space will always be adjusted to fit my belongings. I may rotate things in/out of storage now and then but that ensures I get to hold onto a few more family heirlooms and things collected during travels.
Where can I find that pink scale?
Pianos. I just bought a $50 vintage (working) piano and moved it to Canada. OOPS! It made finding a place harder but it turned out to be worth it, since we painted it and now it is amazing.