What To Consider When Furnishing A Condo

If you are like many people who buy a condo, you looked at the unit, fell in love with it, and decided to buy it. You are well on your way to enjoying the condo lifestyle, but many people get tripped up when they think about how to furnish their new home. If they are downsizing, they suddenly wonder where everything will go. And if they’re buying a home for the first time, they wonder how they’re going to fill it up. In both instances, a little moderation is a good thing.

First, consider the space you’ve got. Condos are available in a wide variety of sizes, from studios to three-bedroom places fit for a multiple-member family. In many cases, the most relevant question to ask yourself is this: What do I really need?

Following are some of the most common home-furnishing items, and some thoughts on how to look at them through the condo-living prism.

Bed: Everyone needs to sleep, but if you’ve got a studio or one-bedroom condo, is your bed functioning as well as it could? Beds take up lots of space, so if that’s at a premium, consider a Futon or day bed with a trundle bed underneath it. Both are comfy to sleep on at night, but can be transformed during the day so they take up less space or – especially in the case of Futons – can be used for seating.

Coffee table: Your glass coffee table no doubt looks great, but how functional is it? Even if there’s a shelf or two underneath, you’re probably not going to use it for storage. Consider instead an ottoman or flat-topped chest that you can open up, put things in, and then close. If you choose an ottoman with inside storage, it’ll pull double duty because you can kick up your feet on it, too.

Couch: Your big L-shaped couch may look great in a big living room, but will it consume too much of your new space? If it does, you likely will tire quickly of squeezing through tight spaces just to walk around your couch. Consider instead a regular-sized couch and a cozy chair or two.

Television: Many of the older styles of televisions are heavy and huge. Not only do they take up precious space, they also can be downright dangerous to move, especially if you try doing it on your own. It might be time to invest in a new TV. You can buy flat-screened models that not only are light, but that are no more than a couple inches thick. Talk about a space-saver.

Stands: Make your TV stand pull its weight. If your TV stand has a lot of shelves or drawers, don’t feel like you have to keep only TV-related things in there. Depending on the size, they make great places to store wine or champagne glasses you don’t regularly use, or dishes that only come out on holidays.

By: Andy Asbury

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Condo buyers and sellers in the Twin Cities can find up to the minute information on all Minneapolis condos at Andy Asbury's web site: www.MinnesotaLoftsandCondos.com