Eight Things Your New Home Wishes It Could Tell You It Doesn’t Need

New home, new everything? That’s what Instagram and Pinterest-worthy pictures floating around the internet (and practically taunting you) will have you thinking. Next thing you know, you’ve robotically convinced yourself you can’t live without that… thing… you don’t need. Fast-forward a few months, and you haven’t even touched that “essential.”

If your walls could talk, they’d tell you this: for each splurge-worthy purchase justified by new home ownership, there’s another one your place can completely live without. Can you?

Here are eight items your new home just doesn’t need:

Bedroom Seating

Here’s a concept that’s easy to get swept away with: a bedroom chair, tucked cozily into a corner as a reading nook—or a vanity bench positioned in front of the bed as a place for you to gracefully put on shoes. Reality: clothes strewn all over these self-inflicted eyesores that haven’t been used as seating once. Enough said? Off the list.

Matching Everything

The misconception that furniture must meticulously match has been debunked by many interior designers, so nix ordering an elaborate dining set from your list. You’ll be doing yourself, your wallet and your home a solid, considering matchiness can make a design scheme feel generic and inauthentic. Whether it’s marrying furniture you already have or inviting in just a few new pieces, you may fall harder in love with a look that’s curated for your home—not a newspaper ad. Proof: this mismatched dining table.

An Accent Wall

An accent wall always sounds like a good idea—until it’s not. Just as quickly as this trend emerged, it could be right out the door, right as you’ve finished the third coat of a color you may abhor a month later. Even for one wall, paint is a physical and financial investment. Hold off on an accent wall until you know your urge (and the trend) is here to stay. In the meantime, try these accent wall alternatives that don’t require paint.

That Bar Cart

This one pains us to say—mostly because it’s true. Don’t buy into the Pinterest pressure that your home must have a bar cart to be festive and on-trend. Though aesthetically pleasing, bar carts are rarely used—because, if frequently used, would they any longer be aesthetically pleasing? If you’re a true party animal at heart, feast your eyes on these five boozy set ups that don’t require a bar cart.

All that Tableware

With new home ownership comes a sense permanency: a feeling that can trick you into tableware. So. Much. Tableware. You’ll need five different types of glasses, teacups, small salad plates and—exactly why, again? Unless you’ve developed a reputation as a four-course meal party host, don’t stock up on unnecessary tableware that’ll inevitably collect dust. Your table and cabinets will enjoy the elbow room.

Exercise Equipment

If you’re wincing at the thought of carrying a treadmill up a flight of stairs only to soon sell it at your own garage sale, you’ve probably been here before. Yes, extra space can be a tempting way to pursue that resolution you’ve dodged until now. Is a close-doored room (because, let’s face it—that’s what they become) full of bulky equipment the best way to capitalize on that space though? That’s what we thought. If the gym isn’t your forte, try these no-equipment exercises from top trainers; all of which you can perform at home.

Overpriced, Oversized Wall Art

Art can set the tone of a room, so we don’t blame you for decking your walls with some museum-like muses. However, oversized art can run up quite the tab if you’re not resourceful in your hunt for it. The best way to find luxury art you can afford? Peruse TJ Maxx’s online inventory of wall art and your local Home Goods in-store to snag high-end art at highly reduced prices. We just said the wall art couldn’t be expensive.

So Many Cushions

Hooked on Pillows should be an educational course—because it seems to be a common addiction among decorating enthusiasts. Before you add armfuls of pillows to your online or physical shopping cart, consider whether you really need them. A few accent pillows can bring cohesiveness to a design scheme, but a room overflowing with them can quickly become cluttered. If you’re deeply hooked on pillows, try purchasing covers when you want to switch it up. We’ll get back to you once a support group is formed.