An email from Julie:
Dear AT,
I just jumped into a home purchase that is gonna make finances a bit tight. Any ideas on how to furnish an 1127 sq. ft. loft on the cheap?
Thanks, Julie
poor grad student, but soon to be condo owner!
Congratulations! 1127 feet is a lot of loft! Our first bit of advice is to take your time. Enjoy the open space and don't rush to fill it up or furnish it all at once.
The readers doing the cure would probably love to have lots of space and fewer belongings.
The best way to save money is to take the time to research and dream. What styles/colors/designers do you really like? What items do you need to live comfortably?
Once that is established you can use great budget resources like Craig's List and thrift stores with more confidence. If you are scanning often for specific items (coffee table, side chair) in specific styles (vintage scandanavian, organic modern) your chances for success go way up.
What are your tips on resources for good style on the cheap for Julie (and the rest of us!)?
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One thing that I did that I wouldn't specifically recommend is filling your space with less expensive, but lower quality stuff. IKEA, Target, etc may be attainable, but it'll be better in the long run to hold off and save up a little more for a better quality piece.
one thing i did when starting out was to buy outdoor furniture for apartment use, knowing (hoping!) i would some day have an outdoor area. which is not the buy what you love technique, but it worked out ok in the end.
Julie
I have to agree with Janel. Plan the space out the way you ultimately want it. Develop your ideas of color and style, figure out what items you NEED! if you buy items you love, then you'll ultimately be happier with the whole space. the happiest i was (with my apt) was when my then boyfriend, now husband, and i had a small table and chairs, a bed, a cardboard box and blanket serving as a couch and cardboard boxes for a desk. had lots of fun imagining the space. we're buying a condo in october and we're trying to start with a clean slate...getting rid of everything we think we can do without and going to begin buying more "protein" furnitur(very, very, very slowly).
as for cheap furniture...think cardboard...and craig's list!
Paint the walls white, put a pillow in the center, call it "emptiness" and then charge admission fees to see your work of art. Then, bam, lots of money to spend on furniture! :) Okay, kidding...but I echo the others about filling it unnecessarily. But, I think at least initially, if you can't afford big "protein" pieces all at once, getting a little Ikea in your life won't hurt. I've rarely been in this kind of a predicament--but when I just got out of college and had a bigger apt than I had furniture for, I ended up buying a Papasan chair that I lugged around with me for several years even though I hated it. Don't make the same mistake I did!!!
Craigslist is a great resource for low-cost furniture. When I wanted a new couch I checked craigslist several times a day for about 2 weeks until I found an amazing, never used knoll knock-off for $500. You have to check it frequently because often the first person to email gets the piece.
I agree Craigslist is a must for low cost furniture. You can also check out Thrift stores and yard sales.
Another AT reader named Andree put me on to rugsdirect.com. I was looking at rugs beyond my price range (Angela Adams, Emma Gardner) and was overjoyed to discover more affordable wool rugs at this site. You have to sift through a lot of stuff, but the site is easy to use because it lets you sort by color. If you're going to order more than one thing, don't. You get discounts and free shipper after each purchase.