Recently, I moved into a new apartment and decided to use this opportunity to make some decorating/furniture changes in my life. As most of us know, I’m not exactly drowning in cash, so everything I purchase with my own money has to be carefully considered and thought out. I’m very lucky to live in a neighborhood of Boston that is well-known for having “Christmas” every month; aka, folks leaving their furniture on the street corners when they move out. The lovely wood bureau with drawers is an example of one of my lucky freebee finds. It’s a bit scratched on the top, but it’s perfectly functionable and has really helped me to consolidate space.
Speaking of space, I don’t have much of it! My new room is 10×10, which is much smaller than the bedroom in my previous apartment. Because of that, I have had to consolidate so much furniture and get creative with my storage. One thing that has made a huge difference for me is a bedframe; my mattress was on the floor before and I couldn’t utilize any under-bed storage. I also purchased a couple of wall shelves at Target last week, and that has allowed me to showcase some of my favorite records, cd’s, and photographs that felt cluttered in my old space.
Facebook Marketplace has also been a crucial tool for me in re-decorating! I found an amazing desk with plenty of storage space on Marketplace, and the woman selling it was even kind enough to drive it over to my apartment for me. My other furniture pieces, such as the mirror on my bureau, were lucky finds at Goodwill. I am almost always in favor of choosing secondhand over new if I have the opportunity to do so. Nine out of ten times, you can find amazing, well-made, stylish pieces for a fraction of the price, and you can even give your space a rustic vintage-look with pieces that you won’t find anywhere else besides the thrift store. I love that my room clearly looks like it belongs to a cozy, boho grad student, because that’s what I am.
Of course, there are certain things that I did buy new from the store, such as my bedding. With fall right around the corner, I have been really into warm-toned neutrals (tbh when am I not into warm-toned neutrals.) I loved this bedding because it matches some of the artwork and the furniture I have in my room, and the velvet material is also so luxurious feeling. I bought it at Target during the same shopping trip as the wall shelves.
Pinterest has been a huge influence in my design and decorating aesthetic, so if you’re looking to pull together your bedroom or switch things up, I recommend popping over there and checking out some boards that resonate with you. As I’ve shown you here today, you can recreate almost anything on a budget- you just need to be creative and resourceful! Visit your secondhand stores, check out Facebook Marketplace, or see if any of your family/friends are trying to get rid of some furniture. You just might luck out!
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