Right, you've bought your own place at last. Assuming there's a few pounds left in the kitty for essentials such as a bed, a table, and any other item you might need or desire, you go out and try to buy them.
The wise thing to do is to measure your property before you move in, and order while waiting to exchange contracts if your funds allow - because you could be waiting up to four months and longer for furniture to arrive.
Due to the size of pieces like beds and sofas, very few items of furniture sold in Irish outlets are held in warehouses here, and almost nothing is sold off the floor. Practically everything larger than a coffee table has to be ordered in.
The amount of time you have to wait for delivery can vary a lot, as does the amount of money you have to pay up front. Habitat's policy, for instance, is to request payment in full at time of order.
A friend who ordered a £550 (€698) Habitat cabinet in early January was told it would take about four to five weeks to arrive. The payment was made in full at time of order.
In the fifth week, she started calling the shop to inquire about when she might expect said item. She was told, however, that there was no trace of the order, given no indication of when it might arrive, and was asked several times she if she wanted a refund.
No, she said, she simply wanted the object she'd liked and ordered. Almost 10 weeks after making the initial order, the cabinet arrived.
In Haus in Temple Bar, which sells unusual and expensive furniture, the order time is eight to 10 weeks, according to Eoghan Kennedy, the general manager. Haus ask for a 50 per cent deposit at time of order and delivery in Dublin is £35 (€44).
AT FOKO, like Haus, the furniture is different and can be pricey. Customers can sometimes take away some of the smaller items, but anything like beds or sideboards must be ordered.
It usually takes six to eight weeks but at present the delay is eight to 10 weeks, as Foko received a lot of orders during a recent sale, according to assistant manager Nessa Grennan.
Like Haus, Foko customers pay a 50 per cent deposit - but get 5 per cent off if they pay the full amount at the beginning. The delivery fee is £25 (€32) in Dublin, and they don't deliver outside.
In Arnotts, most of the furniture is sold to order, with a 20 per cent deposit. Beds take four to six weeks, and couches 14 to 16 weeks. Anything leather takes at least 20 weeks. According to Maria Mooney, a sales assistant in the furniture department, there is currently a worldwide shortage of leather, hence the very long order time. Delivery in Dublin is free, and £50 (€63) elsewhere.
You might think that furniture coming from the farther reaches of Europe might take longer to arrive, but it doesn't seem to matter where the country of origin is. The kitchen table I ordered from Arnotts will take between 14 to 16 weeks to arrive, and that's just from England.
The explanation given was that this line of furniture is only made to order. But it was a very simple table of the kind you'd imagine could be in stock in a local warehouse.
No matter how organised I thought I was in my new house, I'll be eating meals for the first few weeks off my lap - that is, if the Habitat chairs I plan to sit on have arrived by then.
