Design on A Student Budget

Many people who come over to our place are amazed that it doesn't have the hand-me-down look of most newly married apartments.

Believe me, it did once.

At one point we had that unsightly leather, overstuffed, lazy boy loveseat/sofa set; black and grey metal office desk; tv armoire in a very traditional cherry stain with gold hardware, and everything else was cheap, black, and from Ikea. Don't get me wrong, I love Ikea, but you have to make the right choices there. At the time, I didn't really have a clue what I wanted and so I took the safe road just like everyone else, and chose black and simple. We were grateful to have furniture and so I did what I could with what I had.

Here's a glimpse back in time...

Unlike most people, I'm not willing to wait until my husband is done with school and we have a house to actually love the space I live in. After all, I did name my design business Carpe Diem Design, so that really is my design philosophy. Don't wait your whole life to have a home you love. Seize the day!

So here is how I accomplished this...

1) I kept our not so great furniture in the best condition possible, so when we were ready to upgrade we could get top dollar out of it. Then I put that money toward the new furniture. Nothing genius.

2) Decorating my home is pretty much my greatest hobby so that's what I would spend my money on when we had a extra cash that I could use on what I wanted. Create a little fund for furniture/decor otherwise you'll always find something else to spend the money on if it's not your top priority.

3) When I did upgrade, I didn't buy furniture that was top of the line that I will have to keep for the rest of my life to justify the cost.

I like to switch things up and I knew I would want to upgrade in a few years, so I didn't worry about having thousands and thousands of dollars to spend on new furniture. The most expensive piece I bought was our sofa from Pottery Barn. It was about $1600. The rest of my furniture I bought at Homegoods/TJMaxx, Ikea, homedecorators.com, wayfair.com, and other online sites. I also refinished several pieces that I found at consignment stores.

(links below)

4) You just have to be willing to put a little effort into finding the right pieces and do it a little bit at a time. It's really not reality to go out and buy everything new in one trip. Be patient! A great home is built over time.

**This is my design philosophy. It may not be right for everyone, but it works for me, and it may work for you!

Here's what our place looks like now...