Congratulations! You have finally secured an apartment. But, here’s the real deal you are now going to embark upon, Figuring out where to get home essentials.

Lucky for you, in this blog I will list up all the things that me and my husband bought for our home. First things first, securing an apartment means either you found one with fitted kitchen or without one. Usually your fitted kitchen will also include a fridge, dishwasher, stove(induction or electric) and an oven. If this is sorted than read below to get started.

Furnishing Kitchen in Germany

Kitchen – the heart to every home if I may say. You will need to absolutely get a few items to get going. I have dotted down a list of basic categories and where you can get the best deals.

• Refrigerator
• Stove or portable cooktop
• Oven (optional — many expats use a mini-oven or air fryer if space is tight)
• Dishwasher (optional, depending on your budget/space)
• Microwave (optional but handy)
• Plates, bowls, mugs, glasses
• Cutlery (spoons, forks, knives)
• Cooking utensils (spatula, ladle, whisk, etc.)
• Pots and pans
• Cutting board
• Sharp kitchen knife
• Dish drying rack
• Dishwashing supplies (sponges, dish soap)
• Trash bins (plus extra for Mülltrennung — paper, plastic, etc.)
• Food storage containers
• Kettle or coffee maker (if needed)
• Basic pantry items (salt, pepper, oil, etc.)

Buying Utensils (Plates, bowls, mugs, glasses etc) in Germany

For basic utensils, my personal suggestion would be that if you’re on a budget, living solo or with a partner maybe for starters get something of at budget stores like Woolworth, Action, Tedi or Kodi. If you’re looking for better quality and can spend some more money find something at IKEA. If you have well enough budget, have a big family get your plating sets at big furniture stores like Hoffner, JYSK, XXXLUTZ

For kitchen appliances I would suggest to be on the lookout for great deals on Amazon.de, Mediamarkt and Saturn. Mediamarkt and Saturn, specialize for electrical appliances of all kinds. Feel free to scope around and compare both online or visit their nearest branch.

Bedroom – Schalfzimmer

• Bed frame + mattress
• Pillows, bedsheets, duvet/blanket
• Wardrobe or clothing rack (many German apartments don’t have built-in closets!)
• Hangers
• Laundry basket or bag
• Curtains or blackout blinds (privacy + sleep)

Okay so I can not emphasize the importance of buying the right type of Mattress, especially if you’re past your 30’s and will wake up with a backache any random morning because you slept a lil different than usual.

Straight to the point, we chose Bett1 for our mattress after researching alot, looking at thousand of reviews and reddit comments. We got their BODYGUARD^® Anti-Cartel-Mattress Soft, which is offers:

• two levels of firmness in a single mattress (soft & firmer)
• ten-year warranty on durability & core
• free delivery to your door within Germany
• 100 Night Trial: test how you sleep with money-back guarantee

Safe to say we have been so happy with this choice and so glad for the research. During our research we also saw people recoomending an equally great alternative at Emma matratze, ofcourse we needed just one so we don’t have an actual experience with it (yet)