If you've just moved into your first apartment, you're probably on a tight budget with little free money to spend on lavish furnishings and apartment décor. By being resourceful and creative, you'll discover you don't need a lot of money to create a tasteful apartment dwelling. Here are some ideas for cheap apartment decorating:
Buy Smart
If you're decorating your apartment on a budget, forget heading to high priced furniture and art stores. Instead, discover the amazing world of estate sales, garage sales, and thrift stores. Pick up a copy of the Friday paper and make a listing of estate, garage, and yard sales in your area. Visit these sales as early as possible on Saturday morning for the best selection. You'll be amazed at what's offered and how inexpensively it's priced. If you see an item you'd like but can't afford, check back towards the end of the sale. If it's still there, the owners will most likely be ready to do a significant mark down. Check local thrift stores in your area for bargains on dishes, glassware, and kitchen supplies. You can usually find gently used items in beautiful condition at an excellent price.
Find New Uses for Common Items
Think creatively a bit about how you can use common, inexpensive items to create functional art. Buy a set of inexpensive wine glasses and some tiny glass pebbles at your craft store. Fill the wine glasses half way with glass pebbles and use them to anchor a votive candle. You can also use sand or small beads to fill the wine glass. Need a cheap table? Place a clear, round piece of glass on top of a large, sturdy ceramic vase. Create a completely new piece of functional art by gluing interesting bowls to plates or gluing the bottoms of two bowl together to serve as the base for a centerpiece. The possibilities for transforming common objects into cheap art are endless.
Frame It
It's easy to find quality picture frames cheap at yard sales and estate sales. Buy as many as you need to decorate your apartment. Find creative ways to fill those frames. Get out your camera and take your own nature photos or photos of local landmarks in your area. Buy old vintage books at the same estate sales and frame some of the more unusual prints. Enclose some beautiful fabric or handmade paper in a frame. Create your own artwork with paint and a little elbow grease. Budget artwork can instantly transform an apartment and make it look homey.
As you can see lack of money doesn't have to compromise your sense of style and good taste. Cheap apartment decorating can liberate your creativity and your bank account.
