HOW TO FURNISH AN APARTMENT WITH STYLE WHEN YOU’RE ON A BUDGET
I’m back with another blog post I have written on Zulily’s Blog! Today’s topic is on How to Furnish an Apartment with Style When You’re on a Budget.
In this article, I’ll share smart tips and hacks for maximizing apartment small spaces with your own personal style!
You can read the original blog post here.
I’ll never forget renting my first apartment. When I walked in that very first day, I felt that I was given a freshly painted, newly carpeted, crisp, and clean “blank canvas” to furnish and decorate. I wanted to move in and make each nook and cranny my very own. The only catch? I didn’t have a whole lot of money, and furnishing an apartment on a budget is a tall order.
I quickly learned that if I wanted to make this space special, as well as functional, I would need to be creative with my furniture and decor purchases. In many ways, I found it a fun and exciting challenge. to find items that would fit my needs while staying well within my budget.
Adding a busy family to the mix makes furnishing an apartment even more complicated – space is at a premium and everyone needs a space of their own, to some degree. These tips and tricks will allow you to save some serious pennies as you furnish your apartment without losing your sense of style or comfort.
FIND FURNITURE THAT PROVIDES MORE THAN ONE USE
If you want to maximize your spending, invest in furniture that you can use for multiple purposes. Plus, when you have less furniture, it opens up space in your apartment that your kids can play in or you can use for things like exercise and self-care. These furniture pieces might include:
- Floor lamps with shelving spaces to display knick-knacks, photo frames, or candles.
- Foldable futons, beds, or chairs that offer seating in the daytime and sleeping spaces at nighttime.
- Foldable or extendable tables that can be used for things like work, eating, and doing crafts projects with your kids, then folded up to display pretty decor when you entertain company.
- Rollable kitchen carts with a flat top or cutting board and shelves, for extra food storage and additional kitchen counter space.
- Stackable clothes hangers for storing non-clothing items like bedsheets, blankets, scarves, and crafting items (ribbon, thread, tape, etc.). Ladders work for this purpose as well.
LOOK FOR PIECES WITH HIDDEN STORAGE SPACE
My first apartment was very limited on storage space for the things I didn’t want out in the open like clothing, cleaning products, linens, and towels. Plus if you’re like many moms, you want a clean and serene space, free of clutter. Finding furniture that includes hidden storage space solves both of these problems. You might use these:
- Drawers and containers are hidden under a bed.
- Over-the-door hangers to store items like clothes, shoes, socks, gloves, purses, cosmetics, and even kids’ toys.
- Drawers inserted inside a coffee table.
- Lift-top coffee table with open storage underneath the top.
- Cushion bench with shoe storage under the cushion.
Drawer organizers to store your shirts, socks, and underwear in an organized, clutter-free way.
Get clever with your closet storage. Grab hangers with tiers to layer multiple items.
USE UP THAT WALL SPACE
A new apartment isn’t quite complete without some pretty items hanging on the wall. Buying ready-to-hang wall decor is a great option, and you can also try these tricks:
- In addition to purchasing already-framed art, try purchasing affordable art (or you and/or your kids creating your own) and framing it with inexpensive art frames.
- You can also use inexpensive photo frames to display family images, as well as your own photography.
- Creating your own art (or having an artistic friend do it) on inexpensive canvases that can be directly hung on the walls.
- Integrate budget-friendly mirrors (unframed may be more affordable) to “open” the space up in each room.
- Put up affordable floating shelves (or be adventurous and build your own) for displaying already-owned books and other decors.
- Create a fun gallery wall with an inexpensive mix of framed art, photography, shelving, and mirrors.
Remember, when you’re furnishing an apartment and working within a budget, you don’t have to do it all in one fell swoop. Take your time in making it a wonderful space your family can really live in, as your finances allow. That way, you can truly enjoy every moment of the furnishing and decorating process, and every inch of the apartment without an ounce of stress or worry.
Happy apartment decorating!
For 16 years, I have been the creator & full-time blogger of Mom Spark. I’ve also created content for numerous outlets such as Good Housekeeping, Better Homes & Gardens, & Huff Post.