New Home Checklist: Everything a New Couple Needs in Rwanda
Here in Rwanda, a new couple moves into a home that is already fully equipped. The pots, the plates, the bed sheets and the gas cooker are all there before the first night. Most couples buy step by step in the months before the wedding, and family and friends often take on part of the list. This checklist is how we help couples at Abby Home plan it, room by room. Every item on it is something you can buy at our shop at UTC or online at abby-home.com.
Shop the New Home Kit (ibyombo by'abageni)
Start with the must-haves
These are the things you will use from the first day. Buy them first, and buy good quality, because you will use them every day for years.
Kitchen and cooking
- Gas cooker with 4 burners, plus a cylinder and regulator
- Aluminium cooking pots in several sizes (amasafuriya)
- A large pot for rice, ubugali and stews
- A non-stick pot set
- Two frying pans: one regular, one flat for chapati
- Wooden spoons, spatulas and umwuko
- Ladles and serving spoons
- A kitchen knife set and two cutting boards
- A dish rack
- An electric kettle
Dining and serving
- A ceramic dinner set with plates, bowls, cups and saucers (see dinner sets)
- Extra plates: dinner, soup and dessert, 12 of each
- A full cutlery set, 24 of each piece
- Water and juice glasses, 12 of each (see glass sets)
- Tea cups and saucers, 12 to 18 (see tea sets)
- Thermoses: two glass-lined plus one large 3-litre, with a brush (see flasks)
- A food warmer set that keeps dishes hot when visitors come (see food warmers)
Bedroom, bathroom and the house
- Bed sheets, 5 to 10 pairs
- Two duvets with duvet covers
- Mosquito nets: one large and two regular
- Towels in big, medium and small sizes, 6 to 10 in total (see bed and bath)
- An iron and ironing board
- A storage trunk (malle)
Then the important things
You can live without these for a few weeks, but every home ends up needing them, especially once visitors start coming.
- Cooking: sauce pans, a pressure cooker, a rice cooker, a charcoal stove (imbabura), and casserole and serving pots with and without lids
- Kitchen tools: colanders and strainers (including an oil strainer), a grater and peeler, a mortar and pestle (agasekuru), a tea strainer, a can opener and bottle openers, 3 mixing bowls, oven mitts and kitchen gloves
- Cleaning up: dish basins in several sizes, a dish brush and sponges, 8 to 10 dish towels, a kitchen bin and an outdoor bin
- Storage: food storage containers and fridge boxes, a full set of spice jars, a cutlery holder, and a porte-à-manger for taking meals out
- Serving: glass water jugs and plastic fridge jugs, serving dishes and glass serving bowls, 6 serving trays and 3 preparation trays, soup bowls and fruit salad bowls, a salt and pepper set and sugar bowls, a teapot with strainer
- Drinks: 6 coffee cups or mugs, 6 to 12 wine glasses, 6 beer glasses, 6 coffee, latte and milk glasses
- Appliances: a blender, and a water dispenser or water filter
- Bedroom and bathroom: 4 to 6 pillows, 2 to 4 bedspreads (couvre-lits), curtains, a shower curtain, bath mat and toilet seat set, soap dishes, a toothbrush holder, a toilet brush and bathroom bins
- Laundry and cleaning: laundry basins and buckets (indobo), brooms, squeegees (raclettes) and a dustpan, 24 hangers
Nice to have
These make the home feel finished. They also make good gifts for the friends who ask what you still need.
- Table: tablecloths and table runners, table mats and coasters, 6 sous-plats, salad dishes, bread and fruit baskets, food covers, a napkin holder, a table centerpiece
- Glasses: champagne flutes, whisky and shot glasses, cocktail glasses, an ice bucket, a wine or bottle holder
- Kitchen extras: a microwave, a toaster, an air fryer or waffle maker, a hand mixer and whisk, measuring cups and spoons, a rolling pin and board, an oil dispenser, glass and plastic jars, fruit knives and a bread knife, steak knives, dessert forks and spoons
- Home: a living room rug and a bedroom rug, lampshades, vases, wall art and candle holders, a doormat, two small kitchen stools
- Bedroom and bathroom: a mattress protector, two bathrobes, slippers (babouches), a laundry basket, clothes pegs and a drying line
Tips from our shop
- Buy for visitors, not just for two. In the first months after the wedding, family and friends come to visit often. That is why the list says 12 plates and 12 glasses, not 2.
- Share the list. When people ask what to bring, give each person one part of the list, like the glasses, the thermoses or the food warmers. That way you don't end up with five kettles and no cutting board.
- Buy in matching sets. One dinner set and one glass set look better on the table than many different pieces, and they are easier to complete later.
- Come and see it first. At our shop at UTC you can hold the plates, compare the pots and check the glasses before you buy.
Questions couples ask us
What should a new couple buy first for their home?
Start with the gas cooker, the cooking pots, a dinner set, cutlery, glasses, a thermos, bed sheets, mosquito nets and towels. These are the things you use on the first day.
Can we buy the kit step by step?
Yes. Most couples buy a few items every month before the wedding. You can buy in the shop or online, and add the rest whenever you are ready.
Do you deliver the items to our new home?
Yes, we deliver to every sector of Kigali. Delivery is free for orders above RWF 50,000. Orders placed before 12:00 are delivered the same day. You can also pick up from our shop at UTC, Door 1.1, KN 4 Ave.
What is a good wedding gift from this list?
Dinner sets, glass sets, tea sets, thermoses, food warmers and cookware sets are the gifts couples use every day. Browse our gifts by budget if you have a set amount in mind.
How do we pay?
MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money, eKash or cash on delivery. In our shop at UTC we also take debit and credit cards.
Need help planning? Call or WhatsApp us on 0790 005 254, or visit us at UTC, Monday to Saturday, 8:30 to 20:00.