How to Fill a House that is Too Big for Your Furniture

By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group 

As a professional moving company, we're here to share a few tips for when that empty new-home feeling hits.

1) Unpack What You Have

The first step is to figure out what you're working with. It's likely that you know before the moving company arrives to unload that your furniture will only fill two or three of the rooms of your new house. If you have more bedrooms, a bigger living room, or a living space separate from your dining space then simply start by spreading out your current furniture into its best locations.

Find the best place for your couch and chairs. Place your dining table and, of course, furnish your bedroom. From there, you can see what space is left to fill and visualize how you'd like to furnish it.

2) Revel in the Open Space

Take a few days or weeks or months just to enjoy the open space and empty rooms. This is space to dance or exercise, to play, or just to feel the quiet rooms around you. This is your space. The house is completely yours. Maybe you'll choose to leave one or more rooms mostly open so that you can enjoy the open floorspace in the future.

3) Decide What Each Room is For

When you are ready, walk through your new house and assign a purpose to each room. If there is an extra bedroom, decide if it will be a guest bedroom, home office, workshop, or some delightful combination. Decide if there will be a nursery, playroom, or space for pets. Determine how you want to section up your living room for purposeful spaces. Having an idea of the purpose of each room will help you decide the best way to furnish them.

4) Decorate the Walls, Then Plan for Furniture

If your house feels empty, part of the issue is often blank walls. You don't need furniture right away but hang something on the walls to make each room feel more lived-in and like it belongs to you. Hang posters, prints, or paintings that suit your style. Hang tapestries or attractive throw blankets to create a quick accent wall. This is a great way to make the house feel like yours without splurging too fast on furniture.

5) Snazz up Your Folding Furniture for Interim Furnishings

If you have a few folding chairs and card tables in your things, they can serve as interim furniture and even look good doing it. Use throw blankets, sheets, table cloths, and other clever tricks to make this comfortable but lightweight furniture feel more substantial when you walk through the room. While serving as placeholder furniture, you can also experiment with arranging how you want to place things before the heavy real furniture arrives.

6) Browse Garage Sales and Thrift Stores

You don't have to break the bank getting enough furniture to fill the house. In addition to all the elegant yet lightweight flat-pack (Ikea and Amazon) furniture available, you can also scour the local garage sales and thrift stores for furniture that would live a great second lifetime furnishing your house. You might find a few treasures that are perfect for your style or something serviceable that you can spruce up for an incredible deal.

7) Offer to Clean Your Parent's Garage

Finally, don't forget that the garages of your parents and extended family likely hold a few furniture gems as well. Offer to do the hauling plus a little garage clean-up, and those furnishings in storage can be yours. Whether they are family heirlooms seeing another loving use in the family or just convenient old stuff that isn't being used, family garages are a great source for first-home furniture.

Moving is a unique experience for everyone and, sometimes, you find a great house with more floorspace than you have things to fill it with. But this is one of those good kinds of problems. Not only will you have less to move in, but there are plenty of ways to source local furniture quickly and affordably. You can even ask your friendly moving company for advice on finding furniture for your new home.