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Welcome to the UAE!
Now that you’ve chosen from among the best apartments for rent in Dubai, it’s time to transform it into your new home.
Moving into a new apartment offers a fresh start and a blank canvas. But while a clean slate is generally easier to work with, furnishing a bare Dubai apartment has its own unique set of challenges compared to fitting your stuff from where you previously lived to the new one.
One is fitting the project into your budget.
Unless you have unlimited funds, you need to decide which pieces to splurge on and where you should be saving. To make matters easier, this article offers a practical guide for cost-effective apartment furnishing for new renters in Dubai.
Which Pieces to Splurge On
When furnishing an apartment on a budget, you’ll need to select a few good pieces to splurge on. So before you pay for anything, consider which elements you use more frequently than others, like the following:
- Bed and mattress
Did you know that purchasing a mattress can be as taxing as buying a new car? With so many choices, you may find the decision to be a nerve-wracking process.
Since you’ll be spending a lot of time using it, your bed needs to be of top quality.
Get as much information as you can about the different types of mattresses available, including foam, coil, or a combination of both. You also need to consider the size of the bed and the material the frame is made from.
Even if you intend on buying the final piece online, make sure you visit IKEA UAE and other furniture stores to get a feel of how soft or firm the mattress or how high the bed frame needs to be for maximum comfort.
- Sofa
If the bedroom has a bed and mattress, the living room needs a good, sturdy sofa as well.
Whether it’s a sectional or any other form of plush seating, you need to invest in durable upholstered furniture. This will serve as both the main couch for your household members and guests and the focal piece of your living room.
Make sure you choose one that comes with high-quality fabric made from tightly woven natural fibers or high-grade synthetics. This will ensure that your sofa will feel good to the touch and be able to withstand the test of time. Top-quality fabrics also fare better with dirt, even when they come in lighter hues.
- Kitchen cabinets and drawers
Your kitchen is one of the places you’re bound to use every day, so investing in high-quality cabinets for the room is a wise idea. In fact, these pieces can add significant value to your home, especially if they are quality pieces made from durable material.
If you scrimp on kitchen cabinets – especially their drawer fronts and doors, you might eventually find them looking battered sooner than you expect.
On the other hand, well-made cabinets and drawers are not only sturdy but can also be refinished or updated with new hardware to change up your kitchen’s entire look.
- Essential bathroom fixtures
Although these are not technically furniture, bathroom fixtures like the toilet, tub, and lavatory are considered the focal pieces of a bathroom. Cutting corners with these fixtures not only hampers a beautiful bathroom design but can also put your plumbing at risk. And everyone knows that poor plumbing can become quite expensive in the long run.
Since bathroom fixtures are fixed and tend to stay longer where they are placed, trends that cover them don’t also change very often. As you choose a model from a reputable brand and a model with good reviews, you should be good for a long while.
- Multifunctional pieces
Besides essential pieces, it is also worth spending some on items that have more than one function. Items that serve two or more purposes or can be repurposed down the road have a lasting value.
For example, built-in shelving units can be transformed into a compact workspace eventually.
If you’re planning to have a coffee or bedside table, you can also choose one with a retractable top that lets you eat your dinner in bed or on the sofa much more comfortably.
What Pieces to Save On
After figuring out the most important pieces you need for your new apartment, it is time to determine what items you can still buy but need to save on. This includes:
- Dining furniture
Although dining furniture can be considered essential for a home, these are pieces that can help you save a few dirhams while still adding personality to the area. The solution? Secondhand pieces.
Your dining table doesn’t need to match your dining chairs. Each seat doesn’t even need to look exactly the same either. You can just buy four or six chairs in different styles and paint them the same color. These are available secondhand furniture stores, online forums, and even garage sales.
Don’t forget to be extra critical when buying used items, though. Look closely at the details and pay attention to the current state of the material to make sure the pieces can be refinished and renewed into a gorgeous part of your dining set.
- Accent chairs
Accent chairs are lovely additions to any room that offer a fun and unexpected element to your interior design. The only thing you mustn’t do is break the bank for them.
Unlike sofas and other primary seating, accent chairs are not used very often. They may also be switched easier when you feel like changing up the appearance of your space, so there’s no need to overspend on these.
- Side tables
Side tables don’t demand too much attention in a room, which means you can easily get away with more affordable pieces.
Of course, with a variety of options out there, you can still find good ones for your living room or bedroom that are within budget.
- Vanity cabinets
Since most apartment bathrooms are fairly small, you won’t need a big vanity cabinet to bring the space to life. Just an airy, floating piece is enough to give your bathroom an elegant vibe while maintaining the open layout, free up some space, and highlight the dramatic bathroom floor.
Get More Value for Your Money
Furnishing a new apartment is an exciting part of moving to Dubai.
To make sure that the excitement doesn’t get in the way of you getting more value for your money, use this article to determine which furniture pieces to splurge on and which ones to limit your spending on.
