The excitement of the hunt and the thrill of the find will always be with me when it comes to selecting furniture; no matter how thrifty or expensive the items can be.
In fact, I think finding your perfect mix of high and low price points is the key to making a house feel more like a home. I never feel limited to IKEA if I’m on a budget (truthfully, I would rather shop just about anywhere else most of the time).
Budget is, however, the key factor in determining how minimal or grandiose your design can go. And since I am specifically speaking to your first place, we’re going to assume your resources are quite limited the same as mine were. Also, depending on the size of your space, you are may want to add or take away some of the elements discussed below.
What You’ll Need
I like to think there are three main–we’ll call them zones–everyone needs in order to feel comfortable when coming home. To what extent you expand the zone is up to you. They are:
- A place to sleep
- A place to eat
- A place to be social
By no means is this to be interpreted as a random order. They are definitely in this order.
Zone 1 is all about comfort. The mattress you select should be the absolute best you can afford. I don’t care if it has to go on the floor, you get that good mattress. Remember how I was on a sofa for 2 months? Yeah, I learned just how important the right mattress could be. I mean seriously there is a mattress store on every street corner in Chicago, so you should be good if you’re local.
This zone also needs a place to store clothing. In a dresser, under the bed, in the closet: you decide. The dresser I still have today was a vintage find at a thrift store and I’m in love with it just as much as when I found it.
That is all you give to Zone 1 because you are new in town and need to be out meeting people.
Zone 2:
Okay, your mom always told you not to bring food to the bedroom when you were growing up, because food in the bed is nasty. She is right. Don’t do that. Instead find yourself a dining table and some chairs.
This is my favorite of the three zones because of the story behind finding the dining table: I spotted it in the window and read the price tag for $20 (again, back at the same thrift store). I walked in, decided it was a good match and the friend accompanying me offered to grab it as a cheeky house warming gift. I told the person working there which item I’d like and she responded, “oh, you mean the 69¢ table?”
“No, the $20 table in black over there by the window.”
“Yeah, today it’s 69¢,” she said again.
“Give this woman a dollar!” I yelled as we grabbed it and ran.
Because I was able to essentially steal the table, I ultimately treated myself to some ghost chairs. These are great because they make perfect additional seating in zone 3 and they’re stackable for storage, too!
Zone 3:
While searching for a sofa and coffee table to use in our living room at the time, I came across a Craigslist ad for a really cool modern glass piece asking $50. I was all about it.
When we got there, though, it turned out the couple selling the piece was moving and getting rid of everything. Anything was for sale at the right price and it seemed like the more we could take off of their hands, the less they would have to move.
JACKPOT.
We got bookshelves, accessories, rugs, lighting, storage solutions, mirrors–you name it. I highly recommend searching moving sales or estate sales to make your budget-friendly shopping ridiculously easy.
No matter how high or low you go, remember it’s only your first place; it’s a little like those friends you had in middle school that were “for sure going to be the most important people in your life“–don’t fool yourself. Keep it casual and don’t overthink it.
Sometimes, being less attached to the pieces you select gives you the flexibility to toss them and start new.
xx
Cory
According to Cory 