This Renter’s 500-Square-Foot Apartment Was Furnished With Thrifted Finds

Apartment Therapy Submissions

published Apr 7, 2022

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Living room with tv stand and comfy chair — Credit: Jessica Jackson-Banks
My favorite room is the living room! I keep my “spooky” decor out year round, too.

Name: Jessica Jackson-Banks
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Type of home: Apartment
Size: 500 square feet
Years lived in: 9 months, renting

Credit: Jessica Jackson-Banks

A million selfies have been taken in this mirror from Homegoods

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: The apartment I live in now was built in the early 1940s. It is 500 square feet, so perfect for little ole me. After horrible roommate situations and by the grace of GAWD I was able to move in alone. Everything in my apartment is thrifted or was found on Facebook Marketplace because the way my bank account is set up… West Elm was not an option (still my dream though!).

Credit: Jessica Jackson-Banks

My green chair and yellow ottoman. Both from Marketplace and Salvation Army. I get the most questions about it.

My philosophy on decorating my apartment is that the item I purchase has to make me feel something. There have been times I’ve found a glass cup that’s just beautifully crafted and legitimately made me tear up. My home is my sanctuary and what I call my “black girl safe space.” It’s the place where I can truly just me me in all my Blackness in all its ways.

Credit: Jessica Jackson-Banks

Thrifted print for 20 dollars. My dream is to go to France one day.

My identity is a mixture of so many things and so is my home! Thrifted photography, floating books, old school albums, color-coded bookshelf, vintage trunk to hold all my belongings that don’t have room in my space lol. It’s a mix of messy and maintained, which perfectly describes me as a person.

Credit: Jessica Jackson-Banks

The window where all my green gworls hang out

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Thrifted, gifted, green, eclectic, warm

Credit: Jessica Jackson-Banks

Entertainment cabinet from, you guessed it, Marketplace. Elephants were from my aunt who passed in 2019.

What is your favorite room and why? The living room! My Playboy poster and my thrifted green comfy chair and ottoman feel like literal extensions of my soul.

Credit: Jessica Jackson-Banks

My bar cart and nook for eating meals not on the couch lol

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? The last think I bought was a canary yellow glass cup. I drank champagne out of it alone in my apartment on NYE and ate Pad Thai and danced around my apartment. My favorite memory in this home.

Credit: Jessica Jackson-Banks

My coffee/tea bar from Marketplace and thrifted art

Any advice for creating a home you love? If it stirs your soul it deserves to be in your home!

This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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