- Karen Lau
Know your priorities to determine the furnishing cost for your new home
Furnishing a new home, whether it’s a single room, your entire house, or a rental property, can be a daunting task. The cost of furnishing a house depends on your goals and how you balance them. Whether you aim to create your dream home or provide a comfortable temporary space, several factors need to be considered. If you’re moving to a new house, you likely have a specific timeline in mind. The furnishing cost for an entire house or apartment involves a delicate balance of time, budget, and style. And often, the budget poses the greatest challenge in the planning process.
Table of Contents
While it is difficult to truly get an exact cost to furnishing a house, we have compiled a chart that will give you a good idea. The cost to furnishing a home will range based on the brand, furniture and sometimes style.
Prices in USD This is Furnishr's guide to help you make decisions about how to balance your goals, timeline and budget.
1
Is this house for you or for someone else?
Determining the importance of personalization is crucial. For your personal residence, you’ll want to create a comfortable space that reflects your preferences and needs. If the home is for someone else, prioritize durability, ease of maintenance, and style. For short-term rentals like Airbnb or VRBO, refer to our separate guide.
2
What are the priorities between timeline, style, and budget?
Time as the priority
If you are relocating to a new city for a new job or moving out for school, time is usually more limited. Often, the cost to furnish a house increases as your time is more limited. That said, there are areas to accommodate a quick turnaround time in these situations, often prioritizing essential items to help you ease your transition.
Prioritize the essentials
Style as the priority
Budget as the priority
Certainly, budget is always a consideration no matter where style and timeline stand. Therefore, we see budget as more of a conversation about your flexibility in time and style. However, this can vary greatly depending on your life stage, priorities, style and the quality you’re looking for. Because this is so personal, we have created a free furnishing cost calculator to help give you an idea of what it would cost to furnish a house of different sizes, different rooms and quality levels.
Cost of furnishing a house by tiers
Cost of furnishing a major room in a house
- The rooms vary in sizes greatly. The more products you can fit into a room, the higher the cost.
- The location of the house also indicates the prices of products. The more variety of shopping options available, the more competitive the prices.
- The style of products also vary in prices. More intricate details you want in the furniture, the higher the costs. Styles like coastal and shabby chic call for natural imperfections and less polishing and may cost less.
Cost of furnishing a house by type
Too overwhelming? Let us help
Ready to get started? Submit a design request.
Furnishr specializes in a turnkey solution to furnish a few rooms or the entire house of any size. We have a team of designers and professional installers who will assemble all the furniture in one day. Check out how we work here.
How to find the tier for you?
Basic Tier
This tier includes essential furnishings at an affordable price point. These items are typically made from manufactured or synthetic materials and will be more simple in design. We recommend this tier for a starter apartment, or a lower traffic space. Comparable brands in this category include Bob’s Discount Furniture, Target, World Market and Ashley Furniture.
Standard Tier
These pieces are typically made with solid wood frames, denser foam, natural and synthetic materials. This tier can include some accessories and decor pieces to make your space feel like home. If you’re looking for quality furniture at a reasonable price point this is for you. Comparable brands in this category include Article, Crate and Barrel and West Elm.
Luxury Tier
If you’re looking for high quality furnishings and a fully accessorized space, this is the tier for you. These pieces are typically made with solid wood frames, higher quality finishes, denser foam, performance materials and leather. This tier can include a full selection of accessories and decor pieces to give you a complete design. Comparable brands in this category include Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn and Room & Board.
Considerations when furnishing your home
Essentials
Moodboard
Living Room
- Sofa
- Accent chair
- Coffee table
- Media unit
- Area rug
- Floor lamp
Kitchen
- Counter stools x2
Living Room
- Queen bed frame
- Mattress
- Nightstands x2
- Small dresser
- Table lamps x2
Essentials with some accessories
Moodboard
Living Room
- Sofa or sectional
- Accent chair
- Coffee table
- Media unit
- Area rug
- Floor lamp
- Side table
- Wall art
- Throw pillows
Kitchen
- Dining table
- Dining chairs x4
Living Room
- Queen bed frame
- Mattress
- Nightstands
- Dresser
- Table lamps
- Wall art
- Area rug
Essentials with all accessories
Moodboard
Living Room
- Sofa or sectional
- Accent chairs x2
- Coffee table
- Media unit
- Area rug
- Floor lamp
- Side table
- Wall art
- Throw pillows and blankets
- Tabletop decor
Kitchen
- Dining table for six
- Dining chairs x6
- Sideboard or bar cart
- Area rug
- Tabletop decor
- Wall art
Living Room
- King bed
- Mattress
- Nightstands x2
- Large dresser
- Area rug
- Table lamps x2
- Mirror
- Wall art
- Throw cushions
- Bench or accent chair
