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08.03.24 | Posted in: Decorating, Frugality

Sites like Freecycle are great for locating furniture for a new abode, but what if all of those great free couches are snatched up quickly? For us, the answer was the Salvation Army.

Back in 2004, we were forced to move out of our (furnished) apartment and into an (unfurnished) home in less than a week. Unfortunately, being broke college students, we didn’t have the funds to purchase fancy new furniture. Fortunately, this home was right down the street from a Salvation Army Store, and passing that store gave us an idea of how to create a new start.

Entering the store was like entering a warehouse of used furniture; the building used to be a grocery store, so there was space aplenty. At first, we mentally couldn’t get past the outdated fabrics and marred surfaces, but, once we looked deeper, we saw something more important: potential. And, honestly, something even more important: price.

We walked out of the Salvation Army Store that day with 2 full-size couches (one leather, one fabric) for $55.

Of course, the leather was in need of cleaning and the fabric was a horrid rainbow pattern, but after a day of slipcovering and leather cleaning, we had two attractive couches for less than $75.

$75, by the way, was the cost of the rug you see in the photo to the right.

So, when looking for furniture, don’t count out the Salvation Army. You might be able to find (or create) a diamond in the rough!

08.03.18 | Posted in: Decorating

“Life is a big canvas, throw all the paint on it you can.” - Danny Kaye

Paint is a quick and easy way to completely change the appearance of any room. Unfortunately, for many renters, this change seems out of reach. Upon moving, the lords of our temporary dwellings tell us to, “leave no trace.” Instead of being forced to paint, not once, but twice; once to shape the room and once to erase the color, many of us just leave the walls neutral.

No more, I say!

When we moved into our rental house over a year ago, it was typical student housing. As I had just begun a career and a master’s degree, I wanted something that felt more like home; a serene place for studying and relaxing. The stark beige walls, however, lent me no help. Until my roommate presented me with a brilliant idea: paint a strip!

This strip gave not only color and contrast to the room, but also a perfect place to display photos and artwork, making an otherwise drab room feel more like home. Furthermore, the change is much easier to erase than a wholly-painted room: just paint over the strip, and voila! All evidence of your existence in the room is erased.

Like this tip? Have you tried it out? Please send me photos!

08.03.10 | Posted in: Organization

Looking for a way to avoid adding additional, bulky pieces of furniture to a bedroom? Love the zen-like state that organization brings? Have lots of foldable pieces of clothing? This solution may be for you.

The Solution?
Eliminate the need for a freestanding dresser by using a shelf-and-basket dresser to easily organize your clothing. This idea was born about five years ago when I decided to move by bed into my closet (a topic I’ll leave for another post). Since that space was no longer usable as clothing storage, I had to come up with another solution. I had already decided to install shelving to display photos and books and, after purchasing some simple weaved baskets to store knick-knacks, thought of utilizing these baskets as a clothing storage solution.

Let me be clear: this is definitely not for everyone! My wardrobe is such that almost everything I own is foldable and, for a woman, it’s not very expansive. In fact, it consists almost wholly of jeans, t-shirts, v-neck shirts of varying colors, and wrinkle-free black pants.

However, this solution is one I love and I implore you to give it a try.

What You’ll Need

• 12″ Shelving brackets (many styles available)
• 12″ Shelves (again, many styles available)
• Baskets (a mix of large and small looks best)

The 12″ specification is important because it will give you the most room to work with when choosing baskets. Any smaller measurement makes finding baskets to fit the space much more difficult (as well as trying to fit your clothing into the smaller space). I also recommend choosing baskets with lids to store your undergarments (or, alternately, store them on the top shelf), unless you’re bolder than I.

After installing the shelving (a matter of installing the brackets on wall studs and placing the shelves on top), finding the best organization for the clothing is the next step. The shelves I purchased were 6′ long and I found it was best to have no more than 3 large baskets per shelf. Any more and the shelf looked too cluttered with less room for displaying pictures and such, which help the unit blend into the room.

You’ll have to do some experimenting to find your ideal arrangement and organization scheme, but this is a quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive project that can add a touch of modernity to any room. My favorite part is the clean, uncluttered look. An added bonus is that it forces you to keep your clothes neat and tidily stored (unless you score baskets with lids).

Recommened Materials

• $9.99 : IKEA KOMPLEMENT Storage Boxes, Set of 6 (color: white or black)
• $9.99 : IKEA PILATORP Basket, Set of 4 (color: natural)
• $5.99 : IKEA BASTANT Basket, Small (color: natural, available online)
• $12.99 : IKEA BASTANT Basket with handles, Large (color: natural)
• $14.99 : Pottery Barn, Rustic Vine Utility Basket (color: natural, available online)

I had some trouble finding the type of shelving I used online, but I purchased it from Home Depot and they had a variety of sizes, colors, and coordinating brackets to choose from. For an even more natural look, you could always purchase a 1″x12″ piece of lumber and have it cut to your desired length. By staining, painting, or simple lacquering, you could achieve a custom look.

Like this tip? Did you try it out? Send me photos!