Marriage Life: Things to Avoid When Easily Choosing Your Interior Design

2020.12.12 published

How to Choose Furniture for Newlywed Life?

One of the major events before the wedding, moving!

A new life begins as a couple who lived separately starts to live together.

With moving comes a lot to do, like finding a property, arranging a moving company, contracting utilities like electricity and water, moving your residency registration... the list goes on.

Amidst all this busyness, you also need to think about "interior design."

Some couples opt to bring personal furniture from their previous homes, but for items like dining tables, sofas, and beds, it’s best to invest in new furniture that suits both of you.

Most brides-to-be want to start their exciting newlywed life with a fresh interior they chose together.

While it’s usually hard to find time to carefully consider interior design amidst all the preparations for moving and the wedding...

If you decide too readily with "Well, this will do for now," you might end up regretting your choice later.

Therefore, I have summarized the points I believe should be considered before purchasing furniture, having moved eight times over the past 12 years (I'm currently in my ninth home since leaving my parent's house).

This could provide some useful insights for those planning to move soon, so I hope you will read on!

(By the way, from my experience, if you procrastinate thinking "I can do it when I have more time and money," years can easily pass without making a decision...)

Newlywed Life: Things You Shouldn't Decide Lightly When Choosing Interiors ① Curtain Prices

I don't think there are many people who buy large furniture and appliances brand new with each move, but there are items you have to replace due to circumstances.

One such item is curtains.

Window sizes and numbers vary by home. While this might be manageable in a single living arrangement, when it comes to two people living together, the variations in layouts makes it rare for the curtains from your previous home to fit perfectly in the new space (I haven't experienced this even once since moving in together).

In other words, what I want to convey is, "Don’t buy overly expensive curtains."

If you intend to buy a home—which means you’ll definitely be living there for over 10 years—then it may be alright to spend on curtains, but since most are renting, I don’t recommend splurging on curtains.

(Expensive curtains can cost tens of thousands of yen for one panel, and if you can no longer use them, they are difficult to sell secondhand, resulting in a total loss...)

Personally, I think it's best to get simple solid-color curtains (in ivory or light colors) that match any wallpaper from affordable interior shops like IKEA.

Alternatively, using a large multi-cloth hung with clips as a curtain can be lovely. If it’s a multi-cloth that can be folded to adjust its size, it can be used in your next home, making it worth the investment!

Newlywed Life: Things You Shouldn't Decide Lightly When Choosing Interiors ② Table Color

You’ll spend a lot of time in the living/dining area together.

It's not an exaggeration to say that the color of the table largely influences the impression of the living/dining space.

I’ve replaced my dining table twice thus far, and changing large furniture is both costly and time-consuming.

It would be a dream to find the perfect dining table (the fateful one?) right from the start of your newlywed life.

From my two replacements, I've learned that it’s better not to decide on the table color in isolation.

Whether you purchase online or in-store, it’s easy to be swayed by the ambiance of a photo or the display.

But when it actually gets delivered to your room, you might think, "It’s darker than I expected," or "The laminated surface looks cheap."

When deciding on the dining table, consider the color of the room’s floor and walls, as well as the combination with other furniture.

Personally, I prefer lighter colors as they make food photos pop and prevent the overall room from feeling heavy.♡

Newlywed Life: Things You Shouldn't Decide Lightly When Choosing Interiors ➂ Bed Size

Once you start living together, most couples will sleep in the same bedroom.

Many people may be considering discarding their single beds and purchasing a double or queen bed.

There’s even a lyric that goes, "♩You and I will sleep in the same bed even when we’re 50..."

While it would be wonderful to have a loving relationship like that, there are also realistic periods when you might find yourself saying, "No, let me sleep in a separate room!"

In my case, after having children, I had a separate bedroom to respond to nighttime crying. Sleeping in the same room would mean both of us would be sleep-deprived...

We had a queen-sized bed in the bedroom while laying out futons in another room, but futons can be uncomfortable on the back, making me wish, "I should have bought two single beds instead of this queen-sized one" multiple times.

However, it’s impossible to foresee everything that lies ahead, so setting the expectation of "Even after having children, we will all sleep in the same room in our 1LDK apartment!" can help prevent any regrets later.

Additionally, with a bed that has a headboard, if there's a window on the wall where the headboard is placed, it can clash with the curtains and be quite inconvenient!

Choosing a design that is as simple as possible might be key here.

Newlywed Life: Things You Shouldn't Decide Lightly When Choosing Interiors ④ TV Board Size and Design

A TV board is essential if you're putting a TV in your home.

Since it’s not a piece of furniture that gets replaced often, you will want to find something you truly love.

After two years of deliberation, I finally purchased a TV board last year (which felt like quite a big investment for me), but after a year, I find myself thinking

☑ Maybe a smaller size would have been fine (I want a wall-mounted TV in the future, which would make a large TV board unnecessary).

☑ I should have opted for a drawer-style storage (open shelves allow children to mess with things).

☑ I should have chosen a design without sharp corners (it could be dangerous if children bump their heads).

These three points.

Like with beds, it's impossible to predict everything that will happen in the future...

Even decisions that weren’t made lightly can lead to regrets, and if you decided haphazardly, you may find yourself wishing "I want to replace this quickly."

If you don’t have the time to make a choice slowly, one strategy is to let one of you use your current items for a while as a stopgap (I recommend setting a time frame for when to replace them!).

Newlywed Life: Choosing Interiors Without Regrets

I have talked about points in choosing interiors that I want to convey to couples planning to purchase new furniture for their marriage.

Just like the wedding, it’s no fun to think "I wish I had done this differently back then..."

Since large furniture is not something you can easily replace, you might end up living every day with lingering feelings of dissatisfaction.

You're likely busy with preparing for your new life and wedding, so it can be easy to make quick decisions, but I recommend taking a deep breath and considering your choices thoroughly.

Just like with the wedding, collecting images of your ideal room on social media or purchasing interior magazines to learn more about brands can make the process enjoyable!♡

@nagisa_marry