I'm trying to fill up a new apartment and make it feel more homey but am on a budget and having a tough time finding cheap art/furniture. I don't live in a large city so craigslist has proven difficult. Where do you all buy cheap home decor and accent furniture? I haven't had to shop for home things in a few years, so it's possible I just have unrealistic expectations of what that stuff costs
Rooms to Go and Ashley often have clearance rooms in the back of their stores. If you have a Farmers Furniture (or Farmers Home Funishings) near you they aren't bad. Beware that there was a camouflage couch the last time I was in one. The prices were good, and the quality seemed decent.
Don't forget your local Goodwill, Salvation Army, and thrift/discount stores. I've found some good art & decor there, not so much furniture. Kohls sometimes has decent artwork that's not badly priced if you get it on sale & stack with a coupon.
Are you willing to refinish furniture? We have a few pieces that MH took from people's curbs and sanded down, re-stained, put on new hardware, etc. He also builds furniture from scratch. (ETA: I know this isn't for everyone - I sure as hell can't do it! - but sometimes you can find local people at craft fairs or on Craisglist or whatever. MH actually sold some of his wooden wall art via Etsy and word of mouth.)
Our dining room table and china cabinet are from an antique/thrift shop. Much cheaper than furniture stores, and better quality too. Downside - they reeked of cigarette smoke so it took a while to air them out.
Most of our wall art is just our own photos in Target frames, either standard sized or blown up really big. We also have some inexpensive pieces from art.com, Etsy, and local artists (we have an art fair in our local park every few months, and our favorite coffee shop also hosts artists' pieces that you can buy).
Our little items (random little bowls, candle holders, figurines, books, etc.) are mostly thrifted. Or gifts.
I've seen some nice stuff at Christmas Tree Shop and TJ Maxx. I like IKEA for certain items, but IMO their couches are not worth it.
See if you have a local Freecycle chapter (people give stuff away for free). Take a ride though the neighborhood on trash day/large item pick-up day and salvage things off the curb. If you don't like it you can always just put it right back out on your own curb.
I'll buy used wood furniture and accent/decor stuff all day, but I'd never buy a used couch. I would just hit up an affordable furniture store or a department store and buy whatever you can. If you like a couch that's ugly, just deal with it for a while until you can buy slipcovers.
When we bought our first house we got a "room" from Rooms to Go. It came with a couch, loveseat, chair, ottoman, end tables, lamps, coffee table, and a TV. It was 0% financing and our payment per month was low (I don't recall the amount). It worked really well for us when we didn't have a ton of savings.
When we bought our first house we got a "room" from Rooms to Go. It came with a couch, loveseat, chair, ottoman, end tables, lamps, coffee table, and a TV. It was 0% financing and our payment per month was low (I don't recall the amount). It worked really well for us when we didn't have a ton of savings.
Places like this also offer discounts on items that have been returned/repossessed/discontinued. My old roommate got some great furniture this way.
Post by imojoebunny on May 4, 2016 10:28:56 GMT -5
I have had good luck with nice estate sales and consignment shops for furniture/decor. There is also a big antique market here once a month that is awesome, and has new furniture, as well as, old. It is considerably less expensive than new, and often far better quality to price.
Post by lightbulbsun on May 4, 2016 14:27:49 GMT -5
Estate sales and auction houses can have great inexpensive furniture. We took a bunch of stuff from my mom's house to an auction house, and it was crazy how cheap it sold for.