Making our first house home
Buying a new home has many highs and lows. Before we knew it, we were in but feeling severely underwhelmed by how our old, mismatched décor was looking in our new home. A few trips to Albany Mega for a wide selection of furniture and homewares made a big difference to our home and how we felt about it.
Simon and I had been saving for a new house for over three years. Rich in income, but poor in assets, we needed to work hard to save for a deposit. The economy looked to conspire against us, with day-to-day living costs increasing and our rent constantly going up. And just when we started to get despondent, we realised that property prices had come down and, with some well-timed help from the bank of mum-and-dad, we could afford our first home.
Positivity was soon replaced with despair as we searched and searched with little luck. And suddenly, it all happened. We saw it on Saturday, went to the auction on Wednesday and we were instant homeowners. Six weeks later, Simon and his brother unloaded the single van we hired with all our stuff. For a day or two we were euphoric, still unable to believe that we’d finally got onto the property ladder. Eventually, reality hit home and we could see that our house lacked style, personality, warmth and a sense of being ours.
Over a series of weeks Simon and I, with help from friends and family, redecorated, introducing a modern, off-white tint to all the walls, wooden floors in living areas and a stylish dark carpet in the rest of the house. Consistent walls and floors made the house look designed and planned. It was still lacking cohesive furniture.
Our first trip was to Farmers Home. As always, they had a huge selection of quality and stylish furniture at really good value prices. We quickly found a beautiful deep blue sofa we both loved and could see ourselves getting lost in. We then chose a dining table with chairs that had colours that worked with the sofa. We then found an armchair that would sit in the ‘nook’ between the living and dining areas.
It was a good start and made an instant impact on the house.
A few weeks later, we were back down at the Albany Mega Centre at Adairs. The first selection was a set of nested tables that we could use as a coffee table and side tables. Simon admired their prints, and we bought two Kiwi summer-inspired pictures for the lounge and a graphic print for near the front door. I loved their cushions and throws, and we got a selection for the lounge sofa.
We thought we were done but a few days later Simon said that he hated the bright overhead lighting. In the evenings he wanted a softer, more ambient feel to help him relax. The weekend that followed saw us down at Lighting Direct. We found a 1.5m high free-standing lamp with a white lampshade that would give the room a soft glow. We also found a similar desk lamp that would sit nicely in the nook, on the table next to the sofa.
It's taken a few months but we’re now feeling like our house is really our home. All those highs and lows to get to this point were suddenly worth it. Simon proposed a toast to the great furniture and homewares at Albany Mega Centre. I slipped back further into the comfy sofa and responded with, “and to our amazing first home.”