Furnishing Your Spanish Home on a Budget: A Guide for Expats

If you’ve recently moved to Spain – or you are planning to soon – there is plenty for you to consider.

This includes furnishing your new home on a budget.

While this can seem overwhelming, there are plenty of ways to make it easier and simpler!

To help you embrace your challenge with confidence, the team at Furniture Express reveal their top tips!

Methods of furnishing your Spanish home without breaking the bank

Don’t get overwhelmed, there is plenty you can do to get your furnishing adventures underway – and it’s guaranteed to save you money, too!

Buy second-hand or lightly used items

The Spanish are big fans of markets, using them to haggle and bag a bargain.

So, make like the natives and get yourself down to the local second-hand shops and markets. While there is no way of knowing what you’ll come back with, if you have a list and a preferred budget you can purchase accordingly based on what you see.

Things to bear in mind with markets:

• Arrive early – that way you won’t miss the best bits. It’ll be cooler, too!
• Bring change – paying with large notes is awkward and inconvenient for cheaper items so keep sellers on your side and try to bring a good selection of tender.
• Ask a local when market day is – market day can be any day of the week and this differs town by town so don’t assume.
• Have a plan for bringing back larger items – you don’t want to miss out on the perfect wardrobe or dining table because you are ringing around friends or taxis. Think about who could help you with large items or have money set aside to tempt people into dropping the item to you.

Upcycle whatever you can

While it can sound intimidating, upcycling is a massive trend for a reason!

You don’t need to go so far as cutting items up and repurposing them into something new, consider inexpensive beginner-level DIY, including:

• Sanding to remove existing stains or paint
• Repainting or restaining
• Changing handles and knobs
• Adding screw-in legs
• Filling gaps
• Covering imperfections with adhesive vinyl
• Adding ready-made doors to open units
• Fixing shelves to the wall

Getting comfortable doing these things can allow you to take second-hand or even free items that are nearly right for your home and tweak them slightly for a couple of euros, so they remain cohesive with the look you’re going for.

Plus, once you realise how simple these tasks are, you might even consider more complex tasks – which could save you much more money!

Start with the essentials

If you are on a budget, you need to prioritise the essentials before the extras.

These will differ depending on your home and how you like to live, but generally include:

• A comfortable seating option – like a sofa or chair
• A side table
• A bed frame, mattress, and bedding – if possible, try to find a new mattress and bedding inserts like duvets
• A chest of drawers or wardrobe to store clothes
• Somewhere to eat meals – this could be a tray or side/coffee table or even a full dining table if you also need somewhere to work from home

These essentials will allow you to start using your home right away and do all the day-to-day fundamentals without sacrificing the important things like sleeping and eating.

You shouldn’t be afraid to spend more of your budget on these items, as these will be the things that stand the test of time – additional items like side tables can be picked up relatively cheaply in large quantities. 

Speak to experts

If it’s all a bit overwhelming or you simply don’t have time, furniture packs are a great starting point.

Choose a style that you like, browse our inventories to see what is included, and reach out to ask for a quote that’s inclusive of delivery and set-up!

But remember, you can add or remove items as needed to keep within your budget and any size of property can be catered for.

Furnishing your new home isn’t a race, so don’t worry!

Before furnishing your property, it is useful to properly try and imagine how you might use the room. Not only will this help you see what you need but it will allow you to measure the space so you can be sure everything you’re buying will definitely fit!

To speak to the team at Furniture Express about a furniture pack, call us on 0034 952 886 677 or email us at info@furnitureexpressspain.com. You might well find that a personalised furniture pack is the quickest and easiest way to furnish on a budget.