Furnishing your house in the Netherlands: the ultimate guide

So, you’ve just moved into your new place in the Netherlands. Great! But here’s the thing: it’s unfurnished, semi-furnished, or just ugly. Nightmare.

Well, we’re here to help you with our best tips and tricks on furnishing your house in the Netherlands, beautifully.

You have a lovely space, you pay your utilities and bills, so of course, you want the place to look nice! Let’s talk about how you can do that. 🛋️

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Kringloop winkels (second-hand shops): cheap and sustainable

Ooooh, the almighty kringloop winkels. These Dutch second-hand stores can save you hundreds (thousands, even) of euros on all sorts of items — but especially furniture.

While there may be some items you’d rather not pick up here, second-hand shops are a great place to find unique pieces for a fraction of their original price. 🤩

If you have time to look around, you can get some truly fantastic items, and who knows: maybe you’ll even find that perfect eye-catcher your apartment is still missing!

In short: go to a kringloop if you haven’t already! Most areas will have at least one of them, so a simple Google search can help you find your nearest one.

It’s definitely one of the best places to go if you’re furnishing your house in the Netherlands.

IKEA: the Swedish giant

We love IKEA! Then again, who doesn’t? The Swedish furniture giant has 13 stores all over the Netherlands, and it’s worth the visit if you have a spare five hours or so on the weekend. 😉

IKEA is a very cheap alternative to other furniture places. They’ve got all you need for your home — from matching furniture sets to kitchen supplies, rugs, and houseplants.

If you don’t mind assembling your furniture (and trust us, it can be a lot of fun), it’s one of the best ways of furnishing your house in the Netherlands.

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No car? No problem. Most IKEA furniture can be bought online and delivered to your house for a reasonable price.

Then again: it’s probably worth going to their stores so that you can indulge in their cheap hot snacks. Did someone say Swedish meatballs and 50-cent hotdogs? 👀🌭

Flexispot: for your home office

Ever since the pandemic, working from home has been all the rage. So, of course, having a home office that can offer comfort and practicality is more important than ever. 👩‍💻

If you’re looking to seriously level up your home office, Flexispot is the place for you. Those fabulous standing desks you see all over social media? They got ’em.

Insanely comfortable office chairs? Jazeker! And they even sell desk-bikes, which allow you to stay fit while working. 🚲

Flexispot’s home-delivery service makes shopping enjoyable, and the quality of their products is unmatched (— we can say that with confidence, since we’ve got their E7 desk in our little DutchReview office 😉).

Marktplaats: the Dutch eBay

Marktplaats (market square) is the perfect place to visit if you’re after a bargain. Both new and used items are put up for sale on this site every day — some are even free! 💻

READ MORE | Best options for selling your stuff in the Netherlands

Some listings are from regular people like you and me selling unwanted items, while others are from online shops. It’s easy to use, and if your Dutch is not up to scratch, many listings on the site are written in English.

Facebook: use the power of social media

Another way to get some cheap or free goods is to join international groups on Facebook. And because expats are always on the move, there’s almost always somebody there who is trying to get rid of their furniture.

The best part? They often want somebody to take their furniture off them quickly, so they sell their stuff cheaply. 🤑

Having realised how popular buy-and-sell groups were on Facebook, the platform even introduced its own Marketplace, where you can see listed items in your area. 📱

Go to your Facebook homepage, and you’ll find the Marketplace in the sidebar. There is a load of cheap and free items to be found here! It’s updated all the time, so make sure you quickly snap up that bargain before somebody else does.

Action: for all your bits ‘n bobs

Action is the best for the smaller, yet just as important little bits for your home. It has paint, duvet sets, cleaning products, kitchen items, little tables, lamps, garden products, candles, shoe shelves, towels, DIY tools, hardware — and we could go on forever.

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This is the place you need to go to if your house is almost fully furnished, but you’re still missing some essentials, and a bit of decoration too. Luckily, Actions can be found pretty much everywhere in the Netherlands, so you have no excuse not to go. 🤷‍♀️

Just be careful; you might find yourself walking out of here with way more than what you actually came in for. 🫢

Your neighbours: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!

If you live in a block of apartments, keep an eye on any communal areas!

Members of the building who want to get rid of an item will often leave them out for other people to take. It’s a win-win! It saves them the hassle of bringing it away and gives someone else a free new piece of furniture.

Besides that, checking out your flat’s noticeboard or communal walls is also worth it —  people often advertise items for sale from within the block. 📍

If the notice is in Dutch and you aren’t fluent yet, translate it! You could be missing out on a bargain. 💰

Do you have any other tips about furnishing a house in the Netherlands? Tell us in the comments below!

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in February 2018, and was fully updated in March 2023 for your reading pleasure.