Renovation Soft Furnishings Summary: How and What to Buy for Furniture and Home Appliances

PS:

Based on most people's schedules, it's best to look into renovation content and choose renovation contractors about a year before the Chinese New Year. To avoid issues from thermal expansion and contraction, schedule the renovation for late February through late March, or even mid-April. The completion cycle is usually around 3 months, which allows you to catch the 618 sale for appliances and the Double 11 sale for bedding. Then, let the place air out for about 6 months before moving in. A whole year timeline works out pretty well. (Most working folks basically just move in after the New Year.)

Most budget-friendly option:

For the hard renovations (structural/work), check this out: How can ordinary people renovate their house? (An incomplete renovation guide). If you want to save money, you need to have the time upfront. Find skilled craftsmen, buy the materials yourself, and you can save about 40% on costs (sourcing materials yourself saves a lot).

I've read some shares from programmers and made a simple summary (for relative cost-effectiveness):

Important: Products from the same brand aren't all equally good, but the brand's flagship lines are generally reliable.

Core: Try not to buy multi-functional all-in-one units (buy them separately). Avoid smart home systems (except for smart switches and sockets); these are mostly pitfalls.

Extra tip: Choose products with high sales volumes. If there are issues later, replacing or repairing is more convenient, and since they ship in large quantities, spare parts are relatively easier to find later on.

Brands:
Siemens, Hitachi, Panasonic refrigerators
Moen showerheads
Little Swan, Panasonic, and LG washing machines and dryers
Rinnai gas water heaters
Sony TVs
IKEA tables
Edifier speakers
Hualing and Gree air conditioners
Siemens imported dishwashers
Solid wood furniture from Taobao C-stores, shipped from Jiaozhou, Qingdao. Besides the styles being a bit lacking, the quality is decent (though searching through them is tiring).

Main product recommendation section----------------------------

What kind of bed is good to buy when renovating your home?》 (Double 11)

What kind of mattress is good to buy when renovating your home? (Double 11)

What kind of washing machine is good to buy when renovating your home? (618)

What kind of refrigerator is good to buy when renovating your home? (618)

What kind of air conditioner is good to buy when renovating your home? (618)

Apple TV usage experience and resources (Apple TV user guide) (618)

TV solutions suitable for the elderly (of course, also suitable for young people)

-----------------------------Reference section

If you follow my personal plan, excluding custom cabinets (doing the hard renovation directly is relatively more practical), the main things you need to buy are just the appliances and furniture for each room.

The bed should be simple and practical, solid wood, nothing with crazy multi-functional features. A headboard with a small shelf for your phone is enough. The mattress needs to be good (definitely pair it with a three-proof mattress protector); sleeping comfortably is what matters.

For appliances, focus mainly on ease of maintenance (meaning lots of spare parts, or in other words, high sales volume). The cost of replacement is relatively low (if you can't keep up with maintenance, just replace it). Based on this, they are relatively durable. Overall, the air conditioner budget is about 2,500; washing machine budget is 2,700; refrigerator budget is 4,000; living room needs a floor-standing 3-horsepower unit, budget within 6,000.

Estimating down: Bedroom budget needs 0.8 wan (bed 2,500 + mattress 2,500 + AC 2,500 + speaker 500), living room budget needs 1.8 wan (5,000 sofa + 5,000 TV + 1,000 TV box + 1,000 speaker + 5,000 AC + rug + folding table), dining room budget needs 0.9 wan (dining table + stools + 4,000 refrigerator).

Online isn't suitable for buying sofas and curtains because sizing and material issues are troublesome. Sofas need to be durable; durability means fewer leather covers and foam pads. You configure the cushions yourself, which makes them durable. Most online ones just have leather covers and foam pads paired with a wooden or iron frame. If the cover or foam pad gets damaged, it's very troublesome, so it's relatively recommended to go to physical stores for pure solid wood sofas, customize the cushions yourself to put on top, or just skip the cushions altogether. For curtains, measure yourself and ask offline shops, it's better to let them handle it directly.

You can skip the coffee table in the living room, or get a folding one. The benefit is obvious: you free up a large space, making it convenient to do whatever you want (easier to clear space for kids or for your own fitness). You might consider buying a rug to use.

》Solid wood folding small table (size doesn't matter much, normal placing a few people's water cups and tea pot is no problem, can fold and store to free up living room space), 300

》Machine-washable rug (convenient to clean, just throw it in the washing machine with cold water, easy to handle, can also serve as a lounging/seating area in the living room), 800

(PS, 》Xiaomi's machine-washable rugs are nearly half the price)

Other details won't be elaborated on.

Expansion》How can ordinary people renovate their house? (An incomplete renovation guide)

》How to reduce formaldehyde during renovation?

For reference only:

How can ordinary people renovate their house? (An incomplete renovation guide)

Renovation soft furnishings summary (how to buy renovation furniture and appliances)

What brands and products did I buy for renovation furniture?

Room	Item	Product	Derivative Accessories	Status	Quantity	Budget Unit Price	Budget Total Cost
Master Bedroom		1.8m Bed	Bed Frame	Not Purchased	1	2599	2599
			Mattress	Not Purchased	1	2199	2199
			Mattress Protector	Not Purchased	2	89	178
			Throw Blanket	TBD	2	109	218
			Bed Sheet Set	Purchased	2	130	260
			Quilt	Not Purchased	2	200	400
			Nightstand	TBD	2	600	1200
		Air Conditioner	AC Unit	Not Purchased	1	2399	2399
		Air Conditioner	AC Companion	Purchased	1	79	79
		Speaker	Speaker	TBD	1	550	550
		Trash Can	Trash Can	TBD	1	9.8	9.8
Secondary Bedroom		1.8m Bed	Bed Frame	Not Purchased	1	2599	2599
			Mattress	Not Purchased	1	2199	2199
			Mattress Protector	Not Purchased	2	89	178
			Throw Blanket	TBD	2	109	218
			Bed Sheet Set	Not Purchased	2	130	260
			Quilt	Not Purchased	2	200	400
			Nightstand	TBD	2	600	1200
		Air Conditioner	AC Unit	Not Purchased	1	2399	2399
		Air Conditioner	AC Companion	Purchased	1	79	79
		Speaker	Speaker	TBD	1	550	550
		Trash Can	Trash Can	TBD	1	9.8	9.8
Guest Bedroom		1.5m Bed	Bed Frame	Not Purchased	1	2399	2399
			Mattress	Not Purchased	1	1999	1999
			Mattress Protector	Purchased	2	79	158
			Throw Blanket	TBD	2	109	218
			Bed Sheet Set	Purchased	2	120	240
			Quilt	Purchased	1	120	120
			Nightstand (TBD)	TBD	1	600	600
		Air Conditioner	AC Unit	TBD	1	2399	2399
		Air Conditioner	AC Companion	TBD	1	79	79
		Speaker	Speaker	TBD	1	550	550
		Trash Can	Trash Can	TBD	1	9.8	9.8
Guest Bedroom		1.5m Bed	Bed Frame	Not Purchased	1	2399	2399
			Mattress	Not Purchased	1	1999	1999
			Mattress Protector	TBD	2	79	158
			Bed Sheet Set	TBD	2	150	300
			Throw Blanket	TBD	2	109	218
			Quilt	TBD	2	200	400
			Nightstand)	TBD	1	600	600
		Air Conditioner	AC Unit	TBD	1	2399	2399
		Air Conditioner	AC Companion	Purchased	1	79	79
		Speaker	Speaker	TBD	1	550	550
		Trash Can	Trash Can	TBD	1	9.8	9.8
Living Room		TV	TV	Not Purchased	1	6800	6800
		Audio System	Audio System	Not Purchased	2	2299	4598
		TV Box	TV Box	Purchased	1	1399	1399
			HDMI 2.1 Cable	Purchased	1	45	45
			1.5m Cat6 Ethernet Cable	Purchased	1	3.9	3.9
		Sofa	Sofa	Not Purchased	1	4299	4299
		Sofa	Throw Pillow	Not Purchased	2	50	100
		Coffee Table	Coffee Table	TBD	1	1200	1200
		Rug	Rug	Not Purchased	1	499	499
		Air Conditioner	AC Unit	Not Purchased	1	5299	5299
		Air Conditioner	AC Companion	Purchased	1	79	79
		Refrigerator	Refrigerator	Not Purchased	1	4000	4000
		Refrigerator	Smart Socket	Purchased	1	49	49
		Robot Vacuum	Robot Vacuum	TBD	1	4000	4000
		Trash Can	Trash Can	TBD	1	9.8	9.8
Dining Room/Kitchen		Cutting Board	Cutting Board	Purchased	1	43	43
		Kitchen Knife	Kitchen Knife	Not Purchased	1	400	400
		Kitchen Knife	Knife Block	Not Purchased			0
		Tableware (Spatula)	Spatula	Purchased	1	100	100
		Snack Plate	Snack Plate	Purchased	1	12	12
		Bone Disposal Plate	Bone Disposal Plate	Purchased	2	10	20
		Flour Container	Flour Container	Purchased	2	60	120
		Rice Container	Rice Container	Purchased	2	0	0
		Vegetable Washing Basin	Vegetable Washing Basin	Not Purchased	1	15	15
		Dough Rising Basin	Dough Rising Basin	Not Purchased	1	15	15
		Wok	Maifan Stone Non-stick Pan	Purchased	1	160	160
		Steamer	Steamer	Not Purchased	1	200	200
		Steamer	Steamer Tray	TBD	3	80	240
		Rice Cooker	Rice Cooker	Not Purchased	2	400	800
		Electric Griddle	Electric Griddle	TBD	1	150	150
		Tableware (Bowls)	Tableware	Not Purchased	3	50	150
		Dining Table	Dining Table	Not Purchased	1	5099	5099
			Tablecloth	Not Purchased	1	50	50
			Plastic Stool	Not Purchased	5	25	125
			Pot Holder	Not Purchased	1	15	15
			Dining Chair	Not Purchased	6		0
		Blender	Blender	Purchased	1	200	200
		Speaker	Speaker	TBD	1	550	550
		Dishwasher	Dishwasher	TBD	1	4000	4000
		Trash Can	Trash Can	TBD	1	9.8	9.8
Bathroom		Toothbrush	Toothbrush	Purchased	1	17	17
		Rinse Cup	Rinse Cup	Purchased	4	6	24
		Washing Machine	Washing Machine	Not Purchased	1	2599	2599
		Plastic Stool	Plastic Stool	Purchased	1	50	50
		Towel	Towel	Not Purchased	1	46	46
		Foot Washing Basin	Foot Washing Basin	Not Purchased	2	20	40
		Trash Can	Trash Can	TBD	1	9.8	9.8
Master Bedroom Bathroom		Toothbrush	Toothbrush	Purchased	1	17	17
		Rinse Cup	Rinse Cup	Purchased	2	6	12
		Towel	Towel	Not Purchased	1	46	46
		Trash Can	Trash Can	TBD	1	9.8	9.8
Other		Smart Door Lock	Smart Door Lock	Purchased	1	1529	1529
Other		Pre-filter	Pre-filter	Not Purchased	1	499	499
Total							87820.3

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