What to unpack first after a move

Start with the kitchen. Clients ask for it the moment we walk in, and we agree every time.

It's the room that has to work from the first day, and nobody wants a week of takeout in a place they just moved into.

After the kitchen, let your household set the order

Here is what we recommend:

• Children's rooms, if you have a family. Get these settled early. A child who feels at home makes the whole house calmer.
• Your bedroom. Set up the bed and closet next, so you can rest well and get dressed without digging through boxes.
• Bathrooms. Keep your essentials within reach in the first days, then unpack the bathrooms fully.
• Linen closets and storage areas. Cleaning supplies and extra storage are not urgent, so leave them for later, and give each item a proper place when you get to them.
• Coat closets. Nobody needs these in the first week, so do them last, and organize them like everything else.

Nothing gets skipped. The order only reflects what you need first.

One more tip: unpack everything and give each item a place before you worry about finishing touches. The styling goes on top of that and makes the home look polished.

Written by the AfterMove team. Home organizing and post-move unpacking in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.