Keep in mind, too, that our taste tends to change as we age. And, not knowing what a future new place will be like, it's very hard to buy rugs & furniture that you can be assured will work just as well in your future home - in terms of size, style, etc.

Generally, whatever furniture you have will work to hold you over in the new place - assuming the new place is larger than the old, until you decide what you really want to invest in. Smaller items are easier to transfer from place to place - small rugs, artwork, maybe side tables & lamps. Depending on how long you think you'll stay at any given place, may determine the investment you make in your furniture.

You may decide, as Alison above, to start with IKEA, or even thrift for some of your bigger pieces.

I'd actually start with the biggest/most expensive things - sofa, LR rug, etc., and work your way down, but if I knew that I wasn't going to be in that home for more than 5 or so years, I would look at affordability, comfort & style over long-term durability. When I mention the small stuff, it's only b/c that stuff is generally easy to move & easy to find a spot for anywhere, if you really love it.

A couple of books you might find helpful:

"The Perfectly Imperfect Home: How to Decorate and Live Well" by Deborah Needleman

"Domino: The Book of Decorating: A Room-by-Room Guide to Creating a Home That Makes You Happy" by Deborah Needleman

Don't be afraid of color and pattern if you like them.

Look at lots of pictures of good, quality interiors and room and look at them to see what makes them work.

And just to play devil's advocate, I'm in my early 50s and my taste has been consistent for about 30 years : ) . I wish I had started collecting better pieces when I was younger.

And some earlier helpful threads:

Where to go for "Home Decorating 101"?

What's your favorite Interior Design Book?

I think your notion of investing in excellent foundational pieces for furnishing your new house is spot on. Naturally, over the years you and your family will evolve and want to incorporate new things and new ideas into your decor, a house grows with its inhabitants. But the basics need not change. Paint colors can change, art is added, cushions are swapped out, porcelain and ceramics can be added (or subtracted,) but the sofa, rug, dining table and chairs and bookcases need not change to my way of thinking.

Pay attention to what you like in a house. See what you are consistently attracted to in your friends' interiors and in the work of designers you see in shelter magazines or books (I think there is too much uniformity/fashion in Houzz pictures for them to offer a reliable means of discerning what you like that has some permanence versus what you like that is current.)

Speaking of current and fashionable, there is nothing wrong with incorporating some fashionable or trendy items in your decor. You must be judicious and thrifty with those kinds of buys since they are here today and gone tomorrow (and that cycle churns faster and faster theses days.)

If I were starting out I would find the big basic pieces I liked best, paying close attention to what was available second hand so as to have as much money leftover for things I could not buy used (dining sets for example are abundant on CL and brown furniture is on the verge of coming back in from the cold.)

Remember there is no need to stick to one style in your furnishings. Mixing high and low as well as old and new make a lively mix.

Then I would look at beautiful fabrics and find one to serve as an inspiration for a color palette. From this fabric you can consider curtains and cushions.

Oh, and I would look for a nice Persian rug (these need not match anything, they are a neutral background in traditional and transitional decor. They might work in modern settings as well depending on the pattern and color scheme.)

This is such an exciting time for you. Do not feel rushed. Trust yourself and have a great time.

PS When I mention dining sets on CL, I do not mean for you to buy a set of matching dining furniture. You can offer to buy the table or the chairs or the sideboard. As mentioned upthread, sets of furniture are somewhat of a no-no.

Spend some time going through houzz or decorating magazines and look for rooms that you like...after awhile, you'll find common elements that will help you determine your style (traditional, modern, etc.) Once you find a style you like, it will help guide you to purchases you make now that you will continue to enjoy into the future.

When it comes to specific rooms, I do start with an inspiration piece that could be anything...a picture, a vase, a hunk of fabric... that helps set the color scheme for the room.

It's wonderful that you're looking for good pieces upfront, but what works in one place may not work in another, so you're wise by saying, "Dying to start acquiring quality pieces/design, but can’t afford redoing all my furniture/etc for each move."

I encourage you to wait to buy those quality pieces until you've purchased your home or apartment. While still moving around, shop your local Craigslist and consignment stores for well-built pieces that you like/love.

I speak from experience because the last move cost so much when expensive pieces purchased for my last home (thought it would be forever, but life happens), didn't fit this one in dimensions or style. I cringe at the amount of money invested in pieces that I had to donate or give to friends/family. Then, I had to buy new pieces to fit my current, downsized home.

Now -- back to what to get first. It depends.

Are you foodies who love to cook and have friends/family dine with you? Then, dining furniture (chairs don't have to match a table, but they need to compliment) may be your priority.

Do you spend a lot of time reading? Then, comfortable chairs may be the thing.

Do you love textiles? Then, perhaps a rug of a reasonable dimension (no larger than 8x10) to fit many spaces.

Do you love art? Find a piece you love, but again, with reasonable dimensions so that it won't be too large to fit in another home.

I still have pieces I purchased for my college apartment so my taste either has remained consistent or my Ocd combined with frugal nature trump changing taste :).

I took a lot of family and friends hand me downs, curbside treasures, auctions and thrift shop finds when I started out and reimagined them. I stripped paint off of tables and refinished, I learned to sew adequately enough to make slip covers, I waited and saved for a few splurges, i.e.a pottery barn like tv armoire in the late 90s and a pair of antique leather wingback chairs and a set of dining hardback antique chairs. I keep everything unless it fails and totally falls apart, like my oversized white slip covered pottery barn love seat and sofa from the early 2000s needed to be tossed after less than 12 years.

As a rule, I invest a lot in mattresses. I have never spent less than 3,000 on one and even the guest room has an expensive foundation but I will refinish throwaway case goods and display them proudly.

My best advise is take your time, enjoy the process and let your style naturally evolve. It is this process I feel that leads to consistent homes that need little to update from time to time yet continue to make their occupants consistently content with their surroundings.

Some very good advice above : ) .

dyhgarden didn't mention it, but she has a recent thread with photos of her house that are lovely and very inspiring,

Downsized in real life. Update on my 1939 living room.

dyh is at a different stage of life, but first of all the rooms are so well done -- attractive, inviting, comfortable -- and then also show how you can rework your rooms/home to achieve a desired result. The pictures also show that these results aren't instant and do require some effort, but it's oh so worth it.

Dyh's home is simply beautiful and her selections are perfect. But don't let her experience of having to give away what she thought were lifetime purchases keep you from choosing "something". Consider all the above suggestions about size, price, permanence, style and patience as you make your selections. Good luck!

Purchase quality items when it comes to dressers, dining tables, chairs and sofas. Avoid anything particle board like the plague. You can always sell the higher quality things later if they don't work in your new home. I bought a lot of modular storage stuff at IKEA and it has served me well in many moves and homes because it can be reconfigured. I'm a big entertainer, so having a nice dining room set and housewares for entertaining has been something I have enjoyed over the years, consistently. My solid wood kitchen cart worked well in several homes. I got some modular pieces with glass doors for displaying collections. The collections might change, but the utility of the cabinets has stuck over the years. I got a high quality wool Persian rug on sale and it has served me well in several homes. I got a lot of great hand-me-down things that I could tweak either by painting or recovering, and they have lasted. I got a solid wood frame mission style futon, that has been a great piece to have over various living situations. It's great as a couch and worse comes to worse makes for more sleeping arrangements if space is tight and you have guests.