Five Things You Need For Your First Adult Apartment

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In March of 2013, I moved into my first apartment that was all mine – no parents, no roommates, no nothing. Prior to that, I had lived at home, lived in residence at university, and then back at home. And while living at home, I slept in the twin bed that used to be half of a bunk bed I shared with Tomiko when we were little girls. After a couple years as a full-time working adult, I moved into my own apartment (you can see the before and after pictures of my bedroom, bathroom and kitchen here). Needless to say, I had to do a bit of scrounging and shopping. The items listed here are not frivolous items – some lists recommend things like art and plants. Yes, those are certainly nice to have and I do have a collection of each, but I don’t feel like they are ‘must-haves’ when starting out.

1. Mattress

I finally bought a double mattress. Granted, it’s not as big as a queen or king, but I no longer have a child-sized bed! Good mattresses are expensive, but the timing of needing my mattress luckily coincided with a friend needing to get rid of one. She and her husband were selling their cute little house, and they had bought a double mattress for the staging (to make their tiny bedroom look bigger). So we split the cost of this brand new Canadian-made mattress – and after her house had sold, I could pick up the mattress and keep it!

Although I love picking up used and second-hand items for my home, due to the number of bedbug cases in Toronto, it’s best to get a mattress from a reputable source. However, I did get my Ikea bed frame, used, for just a fraction of the retail price, via Kijiji.

 

2. Sofa

Not only do you need somewhere comfortable to sit, but your guests do too! I have a tiny 425 sq ft apartment, and the main living space is a combined dining and living room. A regular full-size couch wouldn’t fit without taking up the whole room, so I opted for a loveseat from Canadian furniture company Roscoe Rug. My solo loveseat upholstered in a tweedy grey fabric is neutral but also hides small marks and stains. It is also supremely comfortable and stylish with clean lines. I really dislike the overstuffed look that is common in suburban-style furniture stores – it seems like the manufacturer makes the sofa look larger in order to fill up the ridiculously-sized living rooms in suburban McMansions.

 

3. Pots and Pans

I do a lot of cooking, and in order to cook, I need a set of pots and pans. A big stock pot, two medium saucepans, and a little pan for melting butter or heating sauce covers me in the pot department. Add a frying pan and a wok, and I’m done! I got my set without spending any money by using airmiles I had collected over the years (but never used). See if you have any gift cards or airmiles like I did in order to save on the cost of a good set.

 

4. A really good Chef’s Knife

As I said, I do a lot of cooking. I mainly use a chef’s knife for most of the heavy chopping, but I also use a paring knife for finer tasks, like trimming radishes or hulling strawberries.

 

5. A Desk

I bought an antique roll-top desk from Kijiji for a great price. Most roll-top desks are massive, heaving, expensive antique monsters that wouldn’t look out of place in an old man’s library. Mine has a set of drawers on one side only, and thus easily fits in my teeny apartment. Desks offer valuable storage space (for stationery, writing utensils, stamps, notebooks, even electronics). And the desk itself is a great place to do homework (even adults need to do homework sometimes), or even for paying bills or filing important documents. (Photo from Dutch Crafters)

 

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