Furnish Your Apartment in Spanish

Quick Answer

Do you need to amueblar tu apartamento(furnish your apartment)?

In this article you'll learn how to talk about furniture in Spanish, as well as about how apartments are furnished in Spanish-speaking countries.

You can say either apartamento or departamentoin Latin America. In Spain, apartment is translated as piso.

Furnishing Your Apartment in a Spanish-Speaking Country

There are a few notable differences about apartments in Spanish-speaking countries. These differences impact the way they're furnished.

Most people in Spanish-speaking countries do not use dryers to dry their clothes. So when furnishing your apartment, invest in a good tendedero(drying rack).

In many Spanish-speaking countries, air conditioning isn't that common. Make sure your apartment has plenty of ventiladores(fans). To keep the apartment cool in Spain, it is very common to have persianas(blinds) on your windows. Persianas are similar to shutters, and they completely block light from entering your home.

Do you have cold feet? Most apartments in Spanish-speaking countries don’t have wall-to-wall carpeting, so a nice big alfombra(rug) in your bedroom will be your best friend.

Regarding interior design, the open-plan kitchen layout was quite uncommon in Spanish-speaking countries until a few years ago. In some areas of the Spanish-speaking world, apartments in older buildings have a kitchen with walls that separate it from the rest of the rooms. Many new apartments, at least in some countries, are planned with what many people call a cocina americana, that is, an open-concept kitchen.

Furniture

Let’s start with a list of essential muebles (furniture) for an apartment.

Spanish	English	Spanish	English
el armario	armoire	la mesita de noche	nightstand
el banco	bench	la otomana	ottoman
la cama	bed	el perchero	coatrack
el cabecero	headboard	el reposapiés	footstool
la cuna	crib	la silla	chair
el escritorio	desk	la silla de oficina	desk chair
el estante	bookcase	el sillón reclinable	recliner
la mecedora	rocking chair	el sofá	sofa/couch
la mesa	table	el taburete	stool
la mesa auxiliar	end table	el tocador	dresser

Check out these examples!

examples
Ayúdame a mover el sofá. Help me move the couch.
El comedor está todavía sin amueblar. Voy a IKEA para comprar una mesa y unas sillas. The dining room is still bare. I'm going to IKEA to buy a table and some chairs.

Furnishings

Now let’s take a look at the furnishings and other objects that make a house a home.

Spanish	English	Spanish	English
la alfombra	rug	el marco	picture frame
el cartel	poster	la pintura	painting
el cojín	cushion	la planta de interior	house plant
el colchón	mattress	el reloj	clock
la cortina	curtain	la repisa	shelf
el espejo	mirror	el tapiz	tapestry
el florero	vase	la vela	candle
la lámpara	lamp	el ventilador	fan

Let's take a look at these examples!

examples
Necesitamos una lámpara para el estudio. We need a lamp for the study.
Pedí cortinas nuevas para la sala. I ordered new curtains for the living room.