Bedroom Essentials Checklist
A bed you can sleep in on the first night, and the rest of the room after. 22 items.
New or secondhand furniture. Most owners say to furnish slowly, room by room, from thrift stores, estate sales, Marketplace and Buy Nothing groups. Older solid-wood pieces often outlast new flat-pack, and you learn what the house needs. Check secondhand upholstery and beds for bed bugs before they come inside. The one thing nearly everyone says to buy new and spend real money on is the mattress. (Reddit)
Day one
For the first night
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If you're buying new, schedule delivery for move-in day, and know that bed-in-a-box mattresses can take up to a day to fully expand.
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Pack one set in a clearly labeled bin so the bed can be made first, and keep a second for laundry day.
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Bring pillows in the car rather than the truck so the first night isn't spent without them.
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A house with drafty windows or an older furnace can run colder at night than an apartment surrounded by neighbors' heat.
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Sellers often take their curtains and new builds come with bare windows, so stick-on paper shades give privacy the first night.
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A backup for the first night if the moving truck runs late or furniture delivery slips, and a guest bed afterward.
First week
The first normal week of living there
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Check that the frame and headboard fit up the stairs and around landings before delivery day.
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A waterproof protector keeps a mattress clean, and stains can void the mattress warranty.
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Houses usually have more closet space than apartments, and matching slim hangers fit more in it.
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In a house the laundry room may be on another floor, so each bedroom needs its own hamper.
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Many older houses have no ceiling light in bedrooms, only a switched outlet, so a lamp is the only light in the room.
First month
Once you’re settled
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Mount rods 4 to 6 inches above the frame and wider than the window to block more light and make the window look bigger.
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Anchor it to the wall with an anti-tip kit as soon as it's in place, especially in a child's room.
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Choose ones with a drawer, about as tall as the mattress top, so a lamp, phone and water are within reach.
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Houses rarely include one, and an over-door mirror needs no wall anchors.
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Dust from the move, a previous owner's pets and smoke days: a HEPA purifier in the bedroom helps when it matters most, while you sleep.
Later
Upgrades and nice-to-haves
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Live with the closet for a month first so you build shelves and rods around how you actually use it.
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Measure the clearance under the bed frame first, since many frames leave less than 7 inches.
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A spare room makes overnight guests likely, and a daybed or sleeper lets the room double as an office.
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Softens hardwood underfoot and cuts noise to the room below in a two-story house.
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Cools one room for a fraction of what central air costs to run, and is the fix for the one bedroom that never gets cold.
Our pick: Hisense 8,000 BTU Smart Inverter Window Air Conditioner with Easy Install Bracket -
For rooms whose windows can't take a window unit (casements, sliders, HOA rules). Louder and less efficient than a window unit.
