Decorating on a budget HELP!
chita jing
br...@dave-world.net wrote:
>
> I just got my own apartment
> How do I decorate it ?
> i want to make it a home but I have hardly any money
> and no furniture!
> Any ideas are greatly appreciated!
Start wandering around alleys, where people throw away stuff. I
swear, in most big cities, you can furnish a whole house with
throwaways! <G> I did an alley run once and not only got a bunch of
great shelves, they left the books in 'em too - and I was able to give a
bunch to the women's shelter on my way home. They, in turn, gave away
stuff they didn't need.
Don't overlook storage containers from stores. We've got several
fruit stands nearby which regularly toss bushel baskets, wooden crates
and plastic boxes too. Nail a few to the wall and you've got instant
decor and shelving.
Also don't turn down cardboard. Some of it - like what you find
outside liquor stores - is very sturdy indeed and can serve you for many
months before getting banged up or sagging. Four of 'em bolted together
can make a coffee table or TV stand, even a dining table. Appliance
boxes are VERY sturdy and can be cut and turned around for all sorts of
things - such as seating platforms. Eggs sometimes come in big carboard
and steel strapping "frames" that can be used with pieces cut from
appliance boxes to make all sorts of storage. Strong enough for dishes
if you gusset the corners with more cardboard or scraps of wood from the
cabinetmaker's dumpster.
Myra Dinnerstein
br...@dave-world.net wrote:
: I just got my own apartment
: How do I decorate it ?
: i want to make it a home but I have hardly any money
: and no furniture!
: Any ideas are greatly appreciated
: --kerstin
Hi Kerstin,
Look for a book called "Champagne Decorating on a Beer Budget" by Doreen
Roy (Stein & Day 1977). It has dozens of ideas for decorating and
furnishing a home on almost no money.
Also, if you get The Learning Channel, tape a show called "The Furniture
Guys." The hosts, Ed Feldman and Joe L'Erario, turn trash into treasures
-- on a budget and in a realistic way for even beginners.
Back in my salad days, the best decorating investment I ever made was in
paint -- relatively inexpensive, and it really can turn a plain-Jane room
into something with lots of personality.
I remember not being able to afford a good lamp for my living room, so I
bought a huge, round paper lantern in Chinatown for about $5.00 and wired
it with an inexpensive hanging lamp kit from Pier One. It looked lovely
-- especially after I used watercolor paints to wash over the lantern.
I made bedroom curtains out of sheets, and I used very inexpensive plastic
bamboo shades for an 8-foot window in the dining room.
To make an entertainment center, I knocked the legs off an old, junky
9-drawer dresser and put the TV on top of it. The drawers held all kinds
of stuff.
To make bedroom end tables, buy round pressboard tables (about $5-10 each)
and cover with pretty cloth or sheets to match your bed.
You can make bookcases out of cinder blocks and planks.
To inexpensively frame a large poster, cut a piece of cardboard to back
it, then put the poster on the cardboard, wrap it all in clear plastic,
taping the plastic to the back of the cardboard. Use thin black, gold or
silver tape to create a "frame."
Anyone else have more ideas?
Myra
cole
br...@dave-world.net wrote:
>
> I just got my own apartment
> How do I decorate it ?
> i want to make it a home but I have hardly any money
> and no furniture!
> Any ideas are greatly appreciated
> --kerstin
Watch Interior Motives on the Discovery Channel. The show gives
lots of great easy inexpensive ideas. Shop at Thrift stores,Flea
Markets,and Garage Sales. Use sheets as curtains. Old suitcases can
become a coffee table or a place for your t.v. You can buy ply wood and
make boxes to use as pedestals, coffee table or make two boxes and put a
piece of glass over to make a dining room table. Twin mattresses can
be used as a couch. Just put it against the wall and add lots of
pillows. Target has alot neat stuff and some prices are good.
If you find an old couch, just throw some fabric and pillows on
it to make it look pretty. Oh yeah, if you find an old lamp you can just
get a new lampshade and decorate it with paint,fabric or jewelry and
now they even sell a kit that you
can use to turn anything you want into a lamp.Also, paint fixes and old
piece of wood furniture. Basically, just use your imagination
there aren't any rules and the eclectic look is in so run with it.
Diana
br...@dave-world.net
$avvy Discount$ Newsletter
>br...@dave-world.net wrote:
>: I just got my own apartment
My wife does wonders with fabric (e.g., table clothes) she buys for
nothing (10-25 cents) at the thrift store. Any old chair, couch, table
etc. looks very different with a piece of fabric thrown over it.
Also all stores throw away display racks. There are racks for
sunglasses, for postcards, for magazines, you name it. Scavange these
when they get discarded or ask the management when they are planning
on throwing away any display racks.
=======================================
Rick Doble, Editor & Publisher
$AVVY DISCOUNT$ Newsletter
++the best money-saving newsletter++
http://www.clis.com/savvynews
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David Willus
I wouldn't say that my house would make it into House Beautiful, but
here are a few things that I did to make it more homey:
1. I made curtains from sheets(cheap) from Wal-Mart. If you don't sew,
you may get lucky and find a set that has a built-in "rod pocket" at the
top. You can play with them to create valances, etc...
2. My husband collects tins. We were lucky enough to have a built-in
plate shelf in our dining area, and this now holds his tins, and my
home-canning projects. Looks beautiful, with a couple of old bottles
and the like thrown in.
3. Buy some cheap but pretty glass jars at the dollar store, mine were a
buck apiece, Golden Harvest brand with a plastic lid. I buy pretty
pasta, beans, etc...and these decorate my kitchen counter.
4. I had a bunch of baskets, that I never use. I bought a roll of heavy
duty mounting tape, and mounted these along the top of my kitchen walls.
5. For bookshelves, we use concrete blocks with planks of particle
board. Not very classy, but very effective.
6. If you're mediocre at crafty things, you can do wonders with
stenciling in a short period of time.
HTH<
T
tbr...@aol.com
>
>>br...@dave-world.net wrote:
>
>>: I just got my own apartment
>>: How do I decorate it ?
>>: i want to make it a home but I have hardly any money
>>: and no furniture!
>>: Any ideas are greatly appreciated
>>: --kerstin
>
>
OOOh. My specialty -imparting personality to the white box of a first
apartment. Dont try to duplicate your parents' house here (like you
wanted to!). Go for exotic, creative, off-the-wall creativity. Paint and
cardboard are my favorite materials. Paint supplies, like brushes and
rollers are cheap.
BOXES. Empty, sturdy cardboard boxes, like TVs come in. Be careful where
you get them - boxes can carry roaches - avoid grocery boxes. Make end
tables, coffee tables, bedside tables with a piece of fabric to drape or
covered with wrapping paper, inside-out cut-apart grocery bags, or
newspaper (try a foreign language paper for interest). You can make them
funky with markers or paint if you want.
Duct tape similar-size boxes together and stand up like cubbyholes for
clothing and other lightweight storage needs. Cover outside with paper.
Put heavier stuff in bottom row of boxes to stabilize.
CINDERBLOCK and BOARD bookcases. Start bottom shelf sightly away from
wall and stagger each back a half an inch to make it "lean" on wall for
stability. Paint blocks for color. Mistinted interior paint can be had
at big home improvement stores for $1 a gallon. Don't use exterior paint
indoors - it has mildewcides that escape into interior atmosphere and can
make you sick.
IKEA sells sets of screw-on table legs for about $20. You can attach them
to almost any flat thing for a table. Try an old door, repainted. A
sheet of plywood (I'm very fond of painting things). If you have no IKEA,
fill boxes (again) with cinder blocks for weight, stack them, cover with
fabric or paint, and put the flat thing on top.
SOFAS and CHAIRS. The very first thing to buy is a bed. Build the table.
Now you have to sit down. Haunt those thrift shops, mission stores, and
flea markets. If you are in a warm climate, there are yard sales YEAR
'ROUND (I drool). Paint mismatched wood chairs. Cover a beat-up, but
serviceable, sofa or other upholstered furniture with cheap bedsheets
(takes several). Use a heavy-duty stapler to attach sheets underneath to
frame. Wrap cushions like packages, using duct tape to secure (put duct
tape side down).
Since you are in an apartment, I will assume you probably cant repaint the
walls or attach things to them. It is probably white or off-white. In
order for your cheap-chic decorating to look anything but the tacky
temporary solution it is, you need to have a color scheme. Two that work
well are monochrome-neutral (everything white and beige and black) and
"riot of bright color". With monochrome, go for texture and variety of
scale for interest. Spray paint all of your cheap yard sale picture
frames black, fill them with black-and-white illustrations cut from
magazines, and fill a wall. Who will notice there's no sofa yet if they
stand in front of the wall looking at pictures during the party? Pretend
you MEANT for it to look sparse (use the word "mimimalist " a lot).
A sleek, modern look means you dont have to buy curtains or other
decorative doo-dads. Use big pieces in blinding colors. That chartruese
wall-o-storage-boxes in the bedroom. Your mattress/spring is on the floor
covered with a cheap cotton throw you have tie-dyed in the bathtub with
Rit dye. You have carefully cut out one whole side of a refridgerator
carton, primered it with latex paint, and done your abstract creative best
to make a whole-wall finger-painting as a headboard (edge with tape for a
framed effect). I saw an architecture class once that made wonderful
mosaic floorcloths by painting and marbelizing sheets of cardboard
different colors, using a utility knife (change blades often) to cut
shapes ( think quilt patterns), and gluing them down to a big piece of box
cardboard.
Be child-like in your willingness to throw color and shape and shiny
things around the room. Its so much fun to have a first apartment and no
money!
Tracy
P.S. Maybe I'll start a cheap decor website.
'Jherek' W. Swanger
>I just got my own apartment
>How do I decorate it ?
My husband and I were in the habit of buying calendars
(wait until they go on sale in Jan. or Feb.). We'd cut
out the pictures we liked and use double-sided tape to
tape them to a piece of cardboard (free at supermarkets
and liquor stores). Tape a piece of string to the back
and hang it on the wall.
kirsti
(not jherek)
RainCloud
David Willus wrote:
>
> I wouldn't say that my house would make it into House Beautiful, but
> here are a few things that I did to make it more homey:
>
> 1. I made curtains from sheets(cheap) from Wal-Mart. If you don't sew,
> you may get lucky and find a set that has a built-in "rod pocket" at
> the top. You can play with them to create valances, etc...
When I moved into my current house, I needed curtains. I mentioned this
to a woman at a garage sale. She went and dug up a big set from her
living room that she had made but recently replaced. She hadn't sewn
them at all, but had used that iron in web stuff to turn them under. I
was truly amazed.
A friend of mine bought some truly cheap white material and tea dyed it
for curtains. They're very classy looking. I'm mentioning this because
many places have rules that the windows have to look white or off white
from the outside.
> 2. My husband collects tins. We were lucky enough to have a built-in
> plate shelf in our dining area, and this now holds his tins, and my
> home-canning projects. Looks beautiful, with a couple of old bottles
> and the like thrown in.
> 3. Buy some cheap but pretty glass jars at the dollar store, mine were a
> buck apiece, Golden Harvest brand with a plastic lid. I buy pretty
> pasta, beans, etc...and these decorate my kitchen counter.
A friend of mine is an art professor. She uses beans like this in glass
containers to keep her candles in place. It looks neat (obviously, you
need to watch the candle).
> 4. I had a bunch of baskets, that I never use. I bought a roll of heavy
> duty mounting tape, and mounted these along the top of my kitchen walls.
To go with baskets, you can use those basket type paper plate
reinforcers/holders. My Mom and sister made some filled with fabric
scraps folded in a certain pattern. They were just glued in. These are
light weight enough to attach to the walls with a straight pin.
Another idea is to attach those (palm leaf?) fans to the wall in a
pattern for a headboard.
Back when I had room in the bathroom, but no shelving or storage space,
I stored my towels decoratively like a flower arrangement in baskets. I
folded the towels in half length wise and rolled them. Look at the
folded end - sort of looks like a rose. Arrange with the ones in the
middle sticking out some to give the middle height. You could use some
fans again with silk flowers and a ribbon glued on for the walls.
One place I lived in had a terribly cracked wall. I came upon some thin
sheeting material of woven bamboo that I attached to cover it. This
also helped define a small living room area. Those sisal mats can be
used on the floor in the same manner.
For religious reasons, I attach the palm leaves and palm cross from Palm
Sunday to my walls.
There are also placemats made of this material. Maybe someone has some
ideas for how to use these?
I collect white and blue plates, bowls, ashtrays, etc. My SO uses some
kind of silicone (I think) to attach a wire (or coathanger wire) loop to
the back for a hanger. I don't know why a glue gun wouldn't work,
though. Much thriftier than those expensive plate hangars. I use these
along the top of my kitchen wall. It's great if you have a dishwasher -
they just pop in there to clean! There's tons of white and blue knick
knacks at the $1 stores.
mharr...@aol.com
In article <32A4A2...@concentric.net>, RainCloud
<bil...@concentric.net> writes:
>I collect white and blue plates, bowls, ashtrays, etc. My SO uses some
>kind of silicone (I think) to attach a wire (or coathanger wire) loop to
>the back for a hanger. I don't know why a glue gun wouldn't work,
>though. Much thriftier than those expensive plate hangars.
You can also bend a paper clip and use a rubber band to make your own
plate hangers.
jen kilmer
RainCloud <bil...@concentric.net> wrote in article
<32A4A2...@concentric.net>...
| David Willus wrote:
| > 3. Buy some cheap but pretty glass jars at the dollar store, mine were
a
| > buck apiece, Golden Harvest brand with a plastic lid. I buy pretty
| > pasta, beans, etc...and these decorate my kitchen counter.
One can often also find cheap but pretty glass bowls or bottles.
These can go well in windows or anywhere they'll catch the light.
| > 5. For bookshelves, we use concrete blocks with planks of particle
| > board. Not very classy, but very effective.
I made my particle board shelves look classier with a coat of
paint. Two sets are plain white, but the one in my bedroom I painted
white and then added some pink & peach swirls & heart stencils.
Paint also seals the formaldehyde into the particle board.
I also had picked up some old pine boards which I covered with
white contact paper (and some masking tape to make it stay for
good). Yes, my first apartment was done in Early Book (and
second and third, now that you mention it.... :)
Contact paper can also be great on cardboard boxes - it
sticks great on cardboard, reinforces the strength of the box,
and can make it look like a "new & cool" organizer, laundry
hamper, etc.
-Jen
--
jen kilmer -=- je...@saranac.microsoft.com -=- iptd testing
the views expressed in this message are my own personal
views and do not necessarily reflect those of Microsoft Corp.
m...@delphi.com
Boy, there sure are a lot of silly suggestions being made to this person
who needs furniture. First thing I would do is to ask the apartment
manager if he has any furniture not being used or left behind by a previous
occupant. It can't hurt. You never know what you might find. Also,
visit yard sales etc. and explain to the seller that you will be glad to
take anything off his hands that he would like to have moved when it gets
down to getting rid of the leftovers. Look for moving sales in particular.
Good luck with your quest.
es
m...@delphi.com wrote:
>Boy, there sure are a lot of silly suggestions being made to this person
>who needs furniture. First thing I would do is to ask the apartment
>manager if he has any furniture not being used or left behind by a previous
>occupant. It can't hurt. You never know what you might find.
Exactly! We are moving next week, and my sister is giving us all her
furniture that she is not using and is in the basement. Some have no
problems other than a different color scheme than her apartment.
Others have minor problems like lamp rewiring.
But, additionally, when she got down there, she really noticed how
much stuff has been left by previous tenants. She asked the landlord
about it, and he said Yes! Puh-LEEZE take it off his hands. Some of
the stuff had been left for years, but he had never found the time to
deal with sorting and mucking out.
Ask! The prevous newsgroup response was right on!
Phyllis Harbst
Wall paper borders are inexpensive and easy to put up and can add quite
a bit to a room.
Scatter rugs and toss pillows can add alot too, without alot of $. Put
the rugs right ontop of the carpet.
Valances and miniblinds come in a wide range of colors and you can do a
standard window for roughly $15.
Futons are airy looking and can fold out of the way during the day.
Possibly even just painting the wood trim in a room to coordinate with
the furnishings can really boost the appearance. If the walls are white
you can use just about any of the trendy colors: mauve, teal, gold.
David Willus
Eleanor Symonds wrote:
>
> I missed the original post, but I also need frugal decorating advice.
> I've found an affordable apartment - and the previous tenant is leaving
> behind most of the furniture! But there are some problems...or maybe
> I'll call them "features"... :)
>
> 1) It's a basement, gets almost no light, and the ceilings are low
> (can't be much more than 6 ft.).
>
> 2) There are 4 *small* rooms in an L shape...feels like a doll house.
>
> 3) It's painted white throughout, with beige shag carpet. (yuck)
>
> So, I'm looking for ideas (colour, light, accessories) to make it cosy
> rather than cramped. Anything I'd have to buy would ideally be
> portable, as I'm only staying until the summer.
>
> I've looked at decorating books, but even the "budget" and "small
> spaces" ones don't have many suggestions, apart from painting. I'd love
> to paint, but I doubt the landlord would pay for it, as the paint is in
> fairly good shape.
>
> Any ideas would be appreciated!
>
> --Eleanor
Hi, Eleanor. As for light-the floor-standing halogen lamps put off a
LOT of light. They cost about 15-20 dollars. As for the other
problems, I wouldn't put any money into it as you'll only be there a few
months. Maybe some pretty throw rugs or something.
T
Carole Hong
Also, hit the yard sales, discount stores, whatever and wherever for
colorful pictures, posters, vases, bowls, etc. They can really brighten
up a place for very little $$$
Carole
mam...@istar.ca
Kelly Gombert
Since you're dealing with minimal light, put up cheap mirrors in places
that will reflect light sources.
LaMaia Cramer
I know everybody says to try thrift stores, but here's some more
specific advice:
look at the *art* in thrift stores. A friend of mine once told
me that every single time she went into a (large-ish) thrift
store there would be exactly one piece of art that she liked.
Do sort through all the stuff leaned up against the wall to find
that one piece that you like.
Just yesterday I found a poster (high quality--the sort sold
from museums) titled "Dutch Still Life" I've always wanted
one, 'cause I'm especially fond of the style. Since I took
the poster without the (incredibly ugly) frame, I got it for
$5, which is considerably less than the $20-$50 charged for
nice posters of this size in new poster shops around here.
My S.O. pulled out a frame that he'd been saving, and cleaned
it up, and mounted it for me. It looks fantastic. I'm
blissfully happy about it.
-LaMaia
ObFrugal: The Smith's here has a brand of yoghurt (the least
expensive brand) which comes in wonderful plastic cartons with
lids that are almost the same as tupperwear. We washed and
saved these when we were eating that yogurt, and now have
tupperwear to carry small amounts of stuff, but if they get lost
no one is heart-broken.
Marla Saunders
You can simulate wallpaper by using fabric. If you find a sheet
pattern you like, soak the fabric in liquid starch and apply like
wallpaper. When it is time to move out, you can peel it off the wall.
With a quick wipe of the sponge, the painted wall is clean again.
Works great for Christmas decorating, too.
Marla Saunders
Editor, Homelight
mar...@emi.net
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Chris Clarke
Hi Eleanor:
Fabric can be tacked onto walls with staples or push pins with minimal
damage and can really change the appearance. Maybe something in pastel
floral? You can use old sheets for this and for curtains too.
Cristine Clarke
Craftor1
One of the best ideas I have seen is an old panel door used as a table
top. Covered with a piece of glass cut to fit. Under the glass in the
indented areas they had put old photos, postcards, mementos and small
objects like bottlecaps etc. It made a very clever table and was a real
conversation piece. I think this would work well for a coffee table idea
as well.
I have also read that you can apply fabric to walls etc with liquid starch
and that it can be removed easily with no damage to the surfaces and the
fabric can be reused.
Craftor
Who? What? Huh?
On the notable day of 16 Dec 1996 04:37:31 GMT, craf...@aol.com
(Craftor1) stood before the denizens of misc.consumers.frugal-living
and gave the following oration:
>I have also read that you can apply fabric to walls etc with liquid starch
>and that it can be removed easily with no damage to the surfaces and the
>fabric can be reused.
How well does this "stay stuck" under humid weather conditions (New
England tends to be mostly dry in winter [*snort* not _this_ winter,
of course] but summers can be VERY sticky) and does the dried liquid
starch attract insects?
--------------------
Mari Morgan
mor...@argo.net, http://www.argo.net/~morgans/
"When it falls on your head, then you are knowing it
is a rock." Tad Williams, _The Dragonbone Chair_
--------------------
*All emails will be read, although not all get replies.*
S
In article <32B4D3...@lamar.colostate.edu>,
jcl...@lamar.colostate.edu wrote:
--Hi Eleanor:
--Fabric can be tacked onto walls with staples or push pins with minimal
--damage and can really change the appearance. Maybe something in pastel
--floral? You can use old sheets for this and for curtains too.
--Cristine Clarke
This is also very French, especially if you can find some old Toile de
Jouy, which would make the room look fabulous, very romantic. You might
find some sheets with a toile-style pattern. (Didn't see the first post
so don't know if this is for a child or adult)
Alternatively, I've seen designer rooms with a light sisal or burlap on
the walls (washed burlap of course!) and it looks very English-Colonial.
Beautiful!