Living Room Essentials for a New House
Seating, light and the small things that make a living room usable. 15 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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Stick them on furniture legs before anything is set on hardwood or vinyl plank, since dragging a sofa once can leave permanent scratches.
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Living rooms in many houses rely on lamps plugged into switched outlets, so without one the room is dark on the first night.
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Gives you somewhere to eat and sign paperwork until real furniture arrives, then covers holidays and garage sales.
First week
The first normal week of living there
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A TV in a new room usually ends up farther from the cable jack and outlets than before, so longer cables are often needed.
First month
Once you’re settled
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Measure doorways, hallways and stair turns before you buy, because a sofa that won't fit through the door is the classic delivery-day problem.
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Front windows usually face the street, so once the lamps are on in the evening the whole room is on display.
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If you wall-mount, screw into studs, since drywall anchors alone won't hold a large TV safely.
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Leave 16 to 18 inches between the sofa and coffee table so people can walk through.
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A non-slip pad keeps the rug from sliding and stops some rug backings from marking hardwood.
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Moves air in rooms the HVAC doesn't reach well, like upstairs bedrooms and finished attics in summer.
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Hooks, wire and anchors sized for drywall and plaster matter in older houses, where plaster cracks around a regular nail.
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Have the chimney inspected and swept before the first fire, then use a screen to keep sparks off the floor.
Later
Upgrades and nice-to-haves
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It learns your schedule and lets you adjust the heat remotely, but check that the HVAC wiring includes a C-wire first.
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Tall bookcases need to be anchored to a stud, especially in homes with kids.
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A quick way to make the room feel finished once the main furniture is in.
