Last year I moved into a one bedroom apartment in Manhattan. At 28, I lived alone for the first time. It’s very interesting, but I also have a problem: I don’t have furniture. For weeks I slept on an air mattress and when I woke up it was almost deflated.
Having lived with roommates for almost a decade, when everything seemed shared and temporary, I strove to make the new space feel like my own. I want every thing, even my glass, to say something about me.
But the high cost of sofas and desks quickly scared me, and I decided to go into debt. Instead, I spend a lot of time on the Internet looking for beautiful things that I can’t afford.
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With the recent inflation hitting furniture prices, it may also be harder for many others to decorate at a reasonable price. Household goods and supplies are up 10.6% this summer compared to last year, according to the consumer price index.
However, there are several ways to creatively use your budget, says Athena Calderone, author of the design book Life Is Beautiful.
“While renovating on a small budget can be stressful, the good news is that there are no limits,” Calderon told me. “In fact, they are often the source of real creativity.”
Elizabeth Herrera, designer for online interior design firm Decorist, advises people to stay away from trend cycles and follow their hearts when shopping for furniture.
People also need to know what items to splurge on, she adds: “It’s okay to buy inexpensive fashion accessories to freshen up your space, but leave the classic big pieces.”
Experts say it’s easier to tell when basic items like sofas and dining tables are on the cheap.
“Look at the long term,” says California-based interior designer Becky Owens. “If you are patient with the process and invest as much as possible in quality, you will have objects that can be built.”
If durability is the goal, Owens also recommends buying basic furniture in durable materials and neutral colors.
Calderone said she is very supportive of buying used furniture from vintage and vintage stores, whether in person or online. She also loves auction sites like LiveAuctioneers.com.
Some expert recommended reselling sites include Facebook Marketplace, Etsy, eBay, 1st Dibs, Chairish, Pamono, and The Real Real.
The trick to finding great deals on these sites, according to Calderone, is to enter the right keywords. (She recently wrote an entire article about phrases to put in when searching for antique vases online, including “old urns” and “large antique earthenware vases.”)
“And don’t be afraid to negotiate the price,” she added. “Take a chance and offer lower bids on auction sites and see what happens.”
However, she says she has found incredible art from emerging artists, especially on Instagram. Two of her favorite works are those of Lana and Alia Sadaf. Calderone said other works by new artists tend to cost less because they’re just getting started and can be found on sites like Tappan and Saatchi.
John Sillings, a former equity researcher who helped found Art in Res in 2017, realized that it’s hard for people to buy all the art at once.
Work on the company’s website can be repaid over time without interest. A typical painting on the site costs about $900 on a 6-month payment plan that costs $150 per month.
Now that I’ve lived in my apartment for over a year, it’s filled with so much furniture that I can barely remember when it was empty. Unsurprisingly for a Manhattan tenant, I actually ran out of space.
But it reminds me of one piece of advice I got from my mom when I first moved. I complained that it took me a while to decorate the place and she said it was good, lots of fun in the process.
When it’s over, she said, I wish I could go back and do it again. She’s right, although I still have more to fill.
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Post time: Sep-25-2022