I actually liked the article! The whole point was not just buying a bunch of furniture to fill space, particularly cheap discount furniture (read- IKEA crap).
Get a couch so people can sit down and be patient with any furniture purchases. Don't just buy shit to fill space. We've left our two empty bedrooms sit as empty bedrooms for now: what's the point in staging an empty room?
We did get some cheap IKEA stuff, but only stuff that was needed, not to fill the space. A little kitchen island (amazing!) and a sofa table (less amazing, but still very functional. It's where people can charge their phones, some books are displayed, and can put drinks easily instead of leaning forward to the coffee table).
The only other suggestion I would make is a proper dining room table, something that's extendable. We got one that can fit 10 people and it's way too small. If I had to go back, I'd get one like my in-laws, that can fit 16-18. That way everyone can sit at one table for large gatherings.
On the side discussion of "reasonable":
Multi-variable optimization. I wouldn't buy a 2 bd/1 ba "starter" home like my parents did, but I also didn't knock my Mom at the age of 18. So I had more budget room. :)
1800 sq ft is quite large, IMO, but I grew up in a household that was all of 1400 sq ft for 6 people and currently am in about the same spot. It's definitely not at the "ridiculous" point, though. You can definitely make use of that space. For me, it'd be unreasonable, because that extra 400 sq ft would entail about $100,000 in price. Eeep. Not reasonable in this area, given my budget.
What I don't see as reasonable, that I have seen lately, among my crowd (mid-20s to mid-30s first time homebuyers):
1. People paying premiums for flipped/remodeled homes. My friends recently bought a flipped home, when they could've bought something right down the street, on a bigger lot, with about 600 sq ft more space, for 15% less. Why?
2. People paying massive amounts of money for absolutely huge homes in premium areas and leaning on their parents to help with payments. I'm talking $650,000 homes, when their actual budget is around, say, $300,000. I understand your parents might want to help, but the $300k home is going to get you a standard 3bed/2ba split-level in a really nice neighborhood. You will not be living in squalor.
3. People expecting young children using their house dollars to buy premium finishes/slightly more space rather than good schools. I seriously don't get this at all. If your budget is $300k in my area, you can get a reasonable size home in one of the best school districts in the entire nation. You're paying the money anyways, you're not saving time on your commute, you're not in a walkable neighborhood, and you're sending your kids to a school where the mean ACT is like 6 points lower because you want 2000sq ft HGTV instead of 1500 sqft slightly less nice.
The above items, I can't wrap my head around. I at least get the people who want to live in trendy neighborhoods and pay a premium for it. I wouldn't do it, but I get it. The above, I just don't get it.