If your budget is tight, buying new bedroom furniture is probably not at the top of your to-do list. Besides making apartment decorating easier on your wallet, being “thrifty†hardly ever goes out of style. A shiny lamp made in a retail store is always nice, but does it beat a vintage fixture from your local consignment store?
Not only are pieces from Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and local thrift stores affordable, they also bring character to your home, telling a richer story than the new pieces on offer. Here, home stagers and a design enthusiast share the best used bedroom furniture to buy to save money.
Lamps are the most sought after part to buy used. Wanda Colón, instructor and co-founder of the Academy of Home Staging & Design, says older lamps are fun to buy instead of cheap floor lamps that all look the same. “Antique lighting, like Art Deco lighting, is so beautiful and can be set up in almost any setting as a conversation piece,†she says. If your home has an eclectic style, from bohemian to country, make the most basic bedroom item steal the show and become a vibrant focal point in your space.
Bedside tables are a second-hand must. According to design enthusiast Seana Freeman, the “holy grail of vintage and second-hand shopping†is finding the most special piece that requires the least amount of work. Even if you’re not sure about a color or a small scratch, Freeman says you need to be open to painting or polishing most end tables. “Either way, they’re still going to be cheaper than a lot of new nightstands at the same amount,†she says. If you’re looking for a more funky look, buy a vintage trunk, dainty stepladder, or tray table to use as a ready-made nightstand, she says.
Freeman says you can easily accent 10-20% of your home with second-hand finds, as a vintage shape or style enhances the room’s design scheme. Fort Lauderdale stage director Bridget King finds that aside from the small vases and mirrors, it is worth buying large, used works of art. “When you have an 18 foot ceiling, you can’t put a 36 by 36 piece of art from HomeGoods on that large scale wall, so you can find some really beautiful artwork that is unusual and larger than you. wouldn’t want to find it in national retail, “says King. On the smaller side, she says some of the best decorations in thrift stores are books. They’re cheap, easy to take home, and useful pieces for beautify any hanging shelf.
If you are resourceful when it comes to creative projects, headboards are the most versatile bedroom pieces to use. When working for TLC’s “Home Made Simple,” Colón says she saved a fireplace at a consignment store, painted it white, distressed it, and painted a coral painting on it. Get this: The entire headboard only cost him $ 50. If you’re not ready to take that creative leap, she says you can find shutters or an old fireplace and just cover them with fabric or paint. If you find an entire bed frame or headboard, Freeman says that even if there are scratches, you can damage it or cover it up. “Those touches just add to that heartbeat, to that soul in the room,†she says.
You should always avoid used mattresses and anything that is soft fabric like bedding. The only exception to the rule? Carpet. Large rugs tend to be expensive, so these items are definitely worth buying second-hand. “I would definitely check the condition of the carpet and go for the more upscale routes,†King said. Instead of buying a natural fiber rug, she says that wool or polypropylene rugs are more luxurious and practical to buy second-hand. It’s important to very carefully inspect the carpet to make sure there are no stains or animal odors.
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