@jessicawallace01 we broke now🥲🥲 #fyp #foryoupage #houseoftiktok #marriedlife ♬ BIZCOCHITO – ROSALÍA
You did it! You bought the home, moved in, and you’re left with a blank canvas. Or you’ve had the space but want to change it up and furnish your home on a budget. There are many classic or trendy pieces at places like EQ3 or Article, but they can get pretty pricey, and waiting for sales isn’t always guaranteed that your dream item will be marked down. Even Pinterest features a lot of beautiful and trendy designer furniture that tends to be out of budget. Don’t know where to look? These are some options you may have not thought of.
Furnish your home with budget-friendly auction pieces
People who love to hoard collect are everywhere, and eventually, they must get rid of those things. Estate Sales or Downsizing Sales tend to have really unique pieces. Every now and then, you’ll find a pristine Mid Century Modern set that you can bid on that starts at $0. Although bids get up to $700, you could score some serious deals if you time it correctly. Castle Content Sales has luxury auctions specific to Toronto, but Max Sold has auctions all over North America. My favourite trick on Max Sold is that if you find an auction with multiple pages, the further in the pages you get, the less likely you will be to compete on bids. I’ve bought a cabinet for $1, and a dining table for $2 – I speak from experience. They have auctions all the time, so be sure to check them out.
Ikea furniture hacks
Ikea is a great place for budget-friendly furniture, but it’s so mass-produced that it might not make your home unique. One idea is to re-style your plain Ikea pieces and make them statement pieces. Lone Fox has many DIY Ikea Hacks that he’s used to furnish his home on a budget. One really popular video he posted featured an IKEA Ivar Cabinet he flipped by nailing half-inch wooden dowels across the front and staining the entire piece black. What’s really great about these kinds of furniture flips, is that you can customize finishings like handles or paint colour to create something extremely personal to you, your taste, and your style. Or if you come across an expensive item on Pinterest or other designer furniture stores, sometimes you’re able to recreate them yourself, and for much less. The opportunities are endless when you’re in control.
Paint the town red, or whatever colour you like
Sometimes what we have already is super functional, but it may look outdated or doesn’t match. It’s yours, you can paint, upholster, embroider, or embellish the way you want to. Find out what’s the best way to change the colour based on the material you have and how it’s finished. If it’s wood, you may have to strip the staining and do some sanding before you start, but the final product is usually worth it. YouTuber Erin Spain has a great video called How to Paint Furniture: A Beginner’s Guide where she goes over the whole process super easy.
Restore a vintage piece
You may have inherited a family heirloom or found an old teak dresser at a thrift store but that doesn’t always mean they’re in great condition. Instead of tossing out that piece from your relatives, you can renew its life to give your home some distinguishing features. Renewing something with some history behind it is its own reward.
There are a lot of unique ways to furnish your home on a budget and they might not be the places you think to look first. Keep your eyes peeled, remain patient to find the ones that check off your list, and don’t be afraid to put in a little bit of work to add personality to your home.
If you’re trying to furnish your home to sell, check out our Staging Success stories or fill out our form to receive our Staging Guide so we can help you make your home interesting to potential buyers or investors.
Written By
Eeya Mendoza
Marketing Manager
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