So I hear constantly from people who are young, just out of school, broke.... that they wish they could do something nice with their place, but money is always a constant problem. Well let me tell you! I definitely feel you on that. There's an easy solution though and it's called designing smart. Part of the issue I feel is that they feel they have to do everything at once, and that's not the case. You can gradually do your home over-time, as money flows in, as you take your time to find things, et cetera. Let's take a look at my own personal home as a reference of how to make your home cozy, cute and done for next to nothing!
When I first moved to California I had nothing but three suitcases of clothes and a laptop. Almost 5 years later and after several moves (each time into a bigger space) I now have a fully-furnished and decorated two bedroom apartment (minus one of the bedrooms, which isn't mine). When I got my first place (on my own) it was a tiny one-bedroom in Koreatown. I literally had nothing when I moved in. So I gave myself a couple hundred bucks and went to ikea. I'm not trying to promote Ikea, because generally, I think their products are crap. It's cheaply made and not meant to last, but if you're like me - young and on a tight budget - it is your best friend for you and your home. BUT don't limit yourself to Ikea. There are other resources for obtaining various odds and ends that will throw in a little eclectic spice into your home. Ikea is a good starting point.
Let's take a look at my living room since that's usually the main space of anyone's home. Heck, it's the first room you walk into in my apartment, so it had better look good!! Below are a couple shots of the living room. (Pardon the quality, it's difficult to get good shots it seems due to size and lighting.)
It looks like a lot if you think about all the "stuff" that occupies the bookshelves and what not, but forget about personal belongings and lets break it down into the basic elements that make this room and why it was cheap! We can start with a shopping list. Ill tell you the item, the cost and where I got it.
Couch: $120 - Bought this off the people I rent my apartment from. They had it in storage. This was a bit of a lucky find, but it is possible to find a nice couch like this as cheap as I did on places like Craigslist!
Lrg Book: $130 - Ikea
Sm Book: $70 - Ikea
Coffee Table: $170 - Ikea
Side Table: $90 - Ikea
Chairs: $100 - Ross - Ross actually seems to frequently carry nice furniture for very little. These two wicker chairs were 50 bucks each and add a unique look to the room. The thing is Ross is it's hit or miss and you should check there often until you find what you're looking for, and check multiple locations too! I think I went to two different stores before I found these chairs.
Rug: $70 - Some random store. I was driving down Pico with my mom and saw this rug in a window and just about crashed the car. I was like "Mom! There's the rug! It's perfect!" It was going for 85 + tax and I bargained with the guy and paid 70 flat. Im not much into negotiating prices.... but, when you're on a budget and buying something at a privately owned store it's a legit and honest thing to do. AND it pays off! (sometimes)
Lamps: $25 - Ikea & BB&B
Paint: $40 - Glidden from Home Depot. Glidden is at the lower end of quality when it comes to interior paints. However it's fine for an apartment. I'm not going to spend 40+ dollars on a gallon of paint for a place that I don't own. Homeowners - spend the extra money and get Behr or something, but renters, don't bother. You're just going to have to paint it back to white when you move out anyway. Two gallons at 20 bucks each allowed me to paint the living/dining and the one wall in the hall (and still have some leftover for future touch-ups!)
Accent Pillows: $20 - Target. Target is also a good place to get accessories and what not, though I find it a little pricey, but it's good stuff.
Art: FREE! I paint. So why pay for art when I can make my own and use my home as a personal gallery. Who know's who might come over and want to buy something, right? Every painting in my apartment I have done myself. If you aren't artistic and want some nice paintings.... be resourceful. This is LA. Surely you must know a starving artist who would paint you something for next to nothing. Heck, i'd paint something for a friend for free if they provided the canvas! And if you aren't in LA or another art meca, try ebay!
Now let's look at the dining room. I don't eat at home much and as it was initially just me, I decided to go with a bar table rather than a traditional table and chairs. And i'm glad I did. It's a clean and simple look and takes up little space. This was probably the cheapest room to do as there is really nothing to it other than the table/stools.
Table: $190 - Ikea Less space consuming than traditional table. Good for saving space, which since i have two rabbit cages in the same area, it works great!
Stools: $35 - Ikea. Not the most comfortable stools, but they work as a temporary solution. Well, could be temporary, they obviously aren't temporary for me as I've had them for years now lol.
Lastly let's check out my bedroom. This room for me is my hiding place from the world so I want it to be comfortable. The configuration you will see is not the first I tried with the space, but the second and now final. I used to have the bed against the wall where the futon is now, but while my ex and I were together I grew tired of climbing over him to get in and out of the bed, so I pushed it just off center of the room to allow access from both sides. I put the futon where the bed was which still allows viewing of the TV, or makes a good place to sit and read with the lamp next to it. Of course since i am in bed usually when watching a movie or playing on the playstation, the TV and Ikea coffee table turned TV stand are across from my bed at the foot. This allows me to comfortably lay in bed and watch whatever. The budget of this room, next to nothing. Here's the breakdown:
Bed: $200 - Craigslist. I love CL. You can find anything on that friggin' site! I just bought a nice Schwinn road bike for 160 bucks the other day. I found this mattress and boxspring, practically new, for 200? I might have even paid a little less than that. AND the guy delivered it and helped me get it upstairs into my apartment. You can find some great buys on CL if you check it regularly during your search.
Coffee Table: $40 - Ikea. This is their low-grade, basic coffee table. I think they will forever carry this item... Super cheap quality, but it works and its a simple look. Just don't expect it to last you for 10 years.
Night Stand: $0 - Obtained this from an old roomate who didn't want it anymore. It's a nice metal tube frame with glass top. Perfect size for me to put all my crap on.
Desk: $0 - Okay i will admit you probably wont get as luck as I got with this, though not many people would even want a drafting table as a desk... but it has a huge surface area. And as you can see in pictures i've posted that have my desk in them, I have a lot of art crap on my desk; paint, markers, printer, paper, files, etc. This was donated to me by a design firm in Orange County. They we're switching from manual drafting to CAD and gave it to me, I just had to show up, figure out how to take it apart, and take it away. I do have a good desk solution for those of you who need a cool desk. I'm not sure the price, I'd have to ask my friend, but essentially you take a white Ikea dining table with a frosted glass top, attach two fluorescent tube lights underneath with a switch, and shazam! You have a cool desk that glows. I think it would be less than 200 bucks to do. Maybe I'll do a blog post about it after I visit him next time.
CD Tower: $20 - Bed Bath and Beyond.
Futon: $100 - Ikea. I think the frame was 70 or so and then I had to buy the mattress separate (I think). This was actually my bed for a very long time. Now I use it as a place for guests to sleep, or somewhere to sit and read.
Lamp: $15 - Ikea
Mirror: $30? - Ikea I think it was around 30. May have been less. Nice look though. Slim frame and a good size.
Altogether I'd say I spent no more than $1200 to do the entire apartment; living, dining, kitchen (not shown because it's just a wall i painted), bedroom and bath (also did not show the bath because its just accessories in there. Nothing fancy.) It's totally doable to do your apartment for next to nothing. I am a guru at decorating on a budget, and I know ikea like the back of my hand. The friend I'm helping right now is on an ikea budget, and let me tell you, she's doing the high-end Ikea stuff. Her budget for the bedroom was 600, and I ended up only going over budget 100 bucks, and that 100 is for accessories. If you ever want suggestions, tips, or help with your place, you know how to reach me.
Hope you enjoyed the little tour of my place. It turned out perfect and I feel more than at home here. In fact... I refuse to move ever again! :P
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