Home furnishing doesn't have to empty your bank account. Here are some tips for creating a vibrant home on a budget.
Furnishing a home doesn't have to be a budget buster. There are many tricks that will help you furnish your home with items you love without spending a lot of money.
The traditional first home method is to furnish your home with cast-offs from relatives. This option is not to be despised. There's a lot of good furniture out there in the storage sheds and attics of your loved ones.
One pitfall to beware of, though, is to take everything that's offered and fill your home with furnishings in poor condition or that you find unattractive. Don't let those wide open spaces of your new home stampede you into this. Take a deep breath and take your time. Once you have a bed to sleep on, a table to sit at and a place to sit and read or watch television, you have enough furniture to to get by with while you find the pieces you know you will enjoy.
Other options for budget furniture include thrift stores and estate auctions. When shopping these venues, you need to look at the furniture with a practiced eye and know what you're looking for. For starters, what are your tastes? From the relatives' cast-offs offerings, did you accept Grandma's late Victorian or your aunt's mid-century Danish Modern? While only buying furniture that all matches is out and the eclectic mix is in, you don't want styles so clashing that the result is outright decor warfare in your living room.
Look for sturdiness and a shape that you like. Color and upholstery patterns are less important because those can be changed or covered up. As you shop the thrifts, you'll see plenty of sofas in frankly weird fabrics. Stand back and squint a little, to determine if you like the shape. If you do, and the frame and upholstery are in good condition (sit on it to make sure you won't be feeling a spring every time you sit down!), you can always slipcover in a fabric you like. In fact, why not go with two sets of slipcovers? A light cream or sand for summer, and a brighter or richer color for winter, and your decor will always be fresh. And even if you love velvet, it's a better idea to get slipcovers in machine-washable fabrics, especially if you have children or intend to have them someday soon.
Estate sales and auctions are great places to find dining room tables and chairs. 1950s dinette sets are trendy now, so the price might be more than you're willing to pay, but antique solid wood sets are surprisingly affordable, often much less than a new set would be. You can find real bargains on sets of chairs is the upholstery is shot, and dining chair seats are about the easiest refinishing do-it-yourself project there is. No experience necessary, no sewing, just pop out the seat bottom, remove the old fabric and padding, replace with new cotton batting and the fabric of your choice, and staple-gun into place. Go with a sturdy non-stretchy fabric, perhaps even denim, and who says all the chairs have to match? If you find contrasting but complementary fabrics, go for it. You might want to think about painting the chairs different but complementary colors as well.
Be sure to check the chair frames for sturdiness before you purchase; it would be a shame to pour your creativity into chairs that are going to collapse in a few months.
Older dining room and kitchen tables are frequently quite large, often too large for the space you have in a starter home. If this is your situation, look for gateleg tables so that you can fold the sides down when not in use; it will take up much less room.
If you're shopping for bedroom furniture, be aware that queen and king sized beds are fairly recent innovations. Bed frames in these sizes will more likely be found at thrift stores than at auctions. But if you'd like an economical way to get your king-sized mattress up off the floor, consider two twin beds pushed together. Put the headboards side by side to see if it looks natural. Or if the dining chair seats left you motivated to try more challenging projects, some plywood, batting, and fabric will allow you to join the two headboards into one with comfortable padding for sitting in bed to read or watch television.
Take your time furnishing your home and remember the end result you're going for. You don't want a home that looks like it was furnished on a budget! You want a home that is a vibrant reflection of your tastes and your creativity.
