Believe it or not, you can buy new furniture on a budget. Whether you’re furnishing a new home, or upgrading an old one, a little extra work can be the difference between paying retail price or snagging a bargain. There are plenty of creative ways to pay less for furniture. Here are eight of our favorite tactics for scoring big savings.
Despite being a relatively recent entrant onto the furniture scene historically, the coffee table has most definitely become ubiquitous. We not only set our drinks and snacks on it while watching TV or entertaining guests, it’s also home to our books, magazines, remotes, and maybe some special objects we’ve picked up on our travels. A coffee table is the perfect spot to play games with our kids and friends. And it’s the most natural place to kick up our feet at the end of the day. There’s no lack of coffee tables to buy in the modern era. But it’s a simple enough piece of furniture, that you can easily make your own coffee table. While a coffee table is very functional, it can add great style and character to a room. DIY coffee table ideas abound, and if you’re a devotee of the 3Rs in design (reuse, repurpose, recycle), you will have no lack of inspiration. Build a coffee table with pallets or crates. Upcycle a door, a tire, or even tree stumps into the next coffee table trend. When designing your own DIY coffee table, keep a few basic spacing guidelines in mind. Allow 18” between the coffee table and seating. That will give you enough leg room, while still making the table a comfortable distance to reach out to and set drinks. While there’s a range of heights that work for a coffee table, target within 4 inches of your sofa to keep the room looking balanced. Now, check out our favorite DIY, high style-low budget coffee tables, and get to work!
If your local university doesn’t offer “DIY 101,” it’s probably because the dorm rooms already provide all the home design inspiration anyone could want. Read on for 17 dorm-room-friendly design tips that are perfectly suited for grown-up accommodations, but can be completed on a college student’s budget!
Squeeze more greenery into any amount of square footage by maximizing vertical space with a ladder plant stand.
Add a touch of originality to your shelves with a DIY geometric bookend, molded easily from leftover cardboard and a little concrete mix.
Give your plush a fresh, clean, stain-free reboot with the guidance here. But keep in mind, it will be permanent, so be sure you can commit before you proceed.
Build this outdoor hammock stand in an afternoon—just in time to take a nice long nap in the sun!
Tripping over boots on your way out the door? Build up a station that can handle this season’s bulky footwear, and you’ll have an organized entryway once more.
Windowsill gardens are so last season. Build any of these handmade plant stand designs, and you’ll show off both your green thumb and your craftsmanship.
Can’t keep track of the time? This one-afternoon DIY can solve that! Read on for how to make a clock worthy of display on your bookshelf.