How to Plan and Furnish Your Home Before Relocating to Portugal, Spain or The Netherlands
Imagine arriving in your new country with the most important decisions already made.
You know where the furniture will go, what needs to be ordered first and how the completed home should look. Instead of starting from an empty room under pressure, you arrive with a clear plan.
That is the main advantage of planning your interior before relocating.
Before purchasing anything
Begin by collecting reliable information about the property:
Floor plans
Room measurements
Ceiling height
Door and window dimensions
Photographs from different angles
A clear video of each room
Information about stairs, lifts and access
Details of existing furniture
Accurate measurements are essential before ordering large pieces.
Prioritise what you need immediately
Your home does not need to be completely finished before you arrive.
Focus first on the essentials:
Before or shortly after moving
Beds and mattresses
Sofa or main seating
Dining table and chairs
Essential lighting
Window coverings
Basic storage
Later
Artwork
Decorative accessories
Additional occasional furniture
Styling pieces
Non-essential outdoor items
This keeps the budget and implementation manageable.
Plan first, shop second
Buying furniture without a complete plan often leads to problems:
The sofa is too large
The dining area feels cramped
Colours do not work together
Storage was forgotten
Delivery access was not considered
Attractive pieces feel disconnected
Before shopping, establish:
The 2D furniture layout
Suitable product dimensions
The colour palette
Materials and finishes
Lighting requirements
The overall design direction
Use 3D to reduce uncertainty
Planning from another country can make visual decisions more difficult.
Photorealistic 3D renderings help you see:
The scale of the proposed furniture
How colours and finishes work together
The atmosphere created by the lighting
Whether the room feels balanced
How your existing items could be incorporated
A walkthrough video allows you to move virtually through the proposed interior and understand the connection between different zones.
Studio Serrano includes photorealistic 3D renderings and a walkthrough video in the Signature package.
Separate your budgets
Create two different budgets:
Interior design service
The professional work required to create the concept, layout, product selection and visualisations.
Furniture and implementation
This may include:
Furniture
Lighting
Rugs and décor
Delivery
Assembly
Installation
Returns or replacements
Being transparent about the furnishing budget helps the designer recommend realistic products.
Think about deliveries before ordering
Confirm the following before making purchases:
When you receive the keys
Who can accept deliveries
Whether the property has storage
Building delivery restrictions
Lift and staircase dimensions
Supplier lead times
Assembly requirements
Return conditions
A beautiful sofa is not useful if it cannot enter the building.
Decide what is worth bringing
Before shipping furniture internationally, ask:
Does it fit the new layout?
Is it worth the shipping cost?
Does it suit the new design?
Can an equivalent be purchased locally?
Does it have emotional or practical importance?
The pieces you already own should be included in the design process from the beginning.
Shop according to your destination
Studio Serrano creates shopping lists with direct purchasing links, adapted to the client’s location and budget.
Recommendations can be selected from suppliers delivering to:
Portugal
Spain
The Netherlands
Other European destinations
Availability and delivery conditions should always be checked before purchasing.
What you should have before the move
Ideally, you arrive with:
An approved design direction
A functional 2D layout
Defined furniture dimensions
A prioritised shopping list
A realistic budget
Photorealistic 3D renderings, when selected
A walkthrough video, when selected
A clear order of implementation
You do not need a completely finished home. You need clarity.