Kate Wagner's How to Decorate an Apartment with Limited Funds Special

Howdy folks! Today I’m going to talk about something that may seem off brand for the ol’ blog, which is how to decorate a whole apartment from scratch with no money aka What I Did Last Month. I hope this will be useful for those of you who are looking to redecorate or also have studio apartments that they want to spice up on a budget of a freelance writer.  

Due to Dramatic Circumstances™, I ended up in a situation where I had to move on very short notice and no furniture (books do not count as furniture.) I managed to swallow my pride and asked Twitter for money to move. (I am aware that not everyone can do this, and I am beyond humbled and thankful that I have so many wonderful, generous people, like all of you, who fund my continued survival and life’s work). Basically, I had $1200 for furniture. 

For those of you who are like me (broke degenerates), I probably sound like one of those “here’s how I’m a successful entrepreneur at the age of 30 thanks to a small $1 million dollar loan from my uncle” articles from Business Insider, but in the grand scheme of things, $1200 isn’t a lot of money when it comes to furnishing an apartment and providing basically everything one needs to live (utensils, sheets, etc) in one single gesture. For those of you who have real jobs and can buy furniture at West Elm (the dream), gaze in wonder at my thrifty craftiness. 

Having been offered this second chance at life, and making the most of a unique opportunity to decorate from scratch, I decided to do what any serious design aficionado does: go absolutely ham and pretend I am the host of HGTV’s Design on a Dime. The premise of Design on a Dime is exactly the same as my situation: the contestants are given a little bit of money (in their case $2500 which is enviable) to redo a problem area of their house. The clever team of designers look at what’s going on in the world of High Design and come up with nifty ways of reproducing those good looks on a normal person’s budget. It was the best show ever, and I miss it. 

After I paid the security deposit on my (rent controlled!! Thank Jesus!!!) 450 square foot studio apartment, I immediately got to work. Fortunately for me, the apartment building gave me a PDF of some floor plans of the place that were even to scale, saving me the trouble of taking out the measuring tape and drawing some to-scale plans on graph paper. Overlaying a piece of trace paper over the plan, I used my scale ruler to measure the approximate dimensions of the space in inches (because most furniture measurements are in inches). I highly recommend doing this before renovating or redecorating, first because you get to play architect, and second, because you get a better feel for exactly how much space there is, and a better spatial picture of how that space works by seeing everything at once on paper. 

Then, I started to conceive of my needs for the space. Because the space is a studio, I would have to try and find some way to make it feel inviting for guests yet still retain some privacy, all while using the space as efficiently as possible. I saw the space as having three purposes: a kitchen/dining/work space, a sleeping space, and a living space. That’s a lot for one room to do! Plus, I had to accommodate a lot of books and records, so finding a handsome way to do that was another priority. 

Rather than starting by thinking exactly what kind of look or style I wanted to achieve, I began instead by space planning. I knew I would need a bed, some kind of work/eating surface, a sofa, a few bookshelves, and probably some chairs. Having as many books as I do, I decided to start by borrowing a technique from my boyfriend: using a 5x5 IKEA Kallax shelf as a room divider. This took care of two problems: first, it solved the problem of book storage (the 5x5 Kallax is probably the only bookshelf of its size that costs under, like, $1000, and it has an open back which means you can put things on either side), second it solved the problem of demarcating private and public space: by putting a bed behind the shelf, it could be hidden from the guests in the living room and anyone who happens to be lurking outside. 

After measuring the dimensions of a full-size bed, a plan had begun to come together: two “rooms” partitioned by the bookshelf. I was still fuzzy on how I would accommodate a work space (added later in the drawing below), but I could determine or approximate the dimensions of a rug, another Kallax shelf, and an average size sofa. I applied another layer of trace in order to map out the approximate dimensions of the furniture:

(In the end, I ended up reversing the sofa and the chairs/bookshelf.) 

By this point, a vision of what kind of furniture was going into the room had emerged. Now, the question of style. 

First, I knew that I was not a minimalist. Nobody with this many books (post-Kondo-ing!) is ever going to have a space that is immaculately sparse. Plus, there was the question of money. As much as I would love to furnish my home with nothing but goods from Design Within Reach, I was working on a budget, and also none of that shit is actually comfortable. I needed to have an apartment that made lots of stuff look good, and the whole architect-y minimalist look was not going to accomplish that. With that in mind, I started to think about how I wanted the room to make me feel. 

As someone with not only regular depression but seasonal depression as well, I wanted a space that was full of life, colorful, and maybe even a little tropical, since the dreariness of the rainy mid-Atlantic winters would be inevitable. I thought about my favorite colors, which are teal and green, both of which are calming colors. I flipped through Elle Decor to look for some “maximalist” rooms (maximalism is just a term meaning design for people who actually own things).

One of the unfortunate realities of apartment dwelling is that you’re not allowed to paint the walls, cabinets, or any other surface. I came up with the idea of both having a big painting on top of one of the shelves as well as planning a gallery wall out of a desire to break up the soulless expanse of Apartment Ecru™ that made up the living room. By this point, I had gotten a feel for the look of what I was going for, now it was time to shop for it. 

There was one thing at the beginning of this project I knew I wanted: a teal velvet sofa. I’ve always wanted a velvet sofa because it is plush and luxurious, and teal is my favorite color. I’m also keen on brushed brass as a material, because of its modern, high class looks. Using these two “ideas” (brushed brass and teal), first I scoured Target for a rug that would match the sofa, which I found on Wayfair. Once I had found the rug, the rest of the design (the colors of the Kallax shelves, the green chairs, the comforter) came from pulling items that matched the rug. This is a good tip - find a material, fabric pattern or a rug and let it do the work of choosing a color palette. Making a moodboard helps visualize things in one place.

Some of you might notice that, when added up (including the 5x5 kallax and a cheap memory foam mattress), these things cost more than $1200. You’re right! Here’s the catch: when I moved the first time, I got a USPS welcome package with some pretty sweet coupons, including 15% off of not only Wayfair, but also its subsidiaries AllModern and Joss & Main; plus an extra 15% from Overstock. 15% off of my Wayfair order saved me $100. I highly recommend searching for coupons when buying furniture online because they’re generally pretty easy to find and the savings add up fast. 

At this point, I had a bed to sleep on, a couch to sit on, a countertop to work on, some chairs, and storage taken care of. What came next was making things into a home, which, fortunately took place after I had gotten my May paycheck. I know this might feel like a scam to some of you who are reading this thinking I have all the answers to buying cheap furniture. However, I know some of y’all are just nosy about what my apartment looks like, so now is the part where I get to show you. 

JK! I do Have Answers to Buying Cheap Furniture

Before I get into the thick of the photo tour, I want to say my piece about what places are best to buy cheap furniture. This all depends on one’s aesthetic tastes to some extent, but I genuinely think that there is a strategy to buying some items at some places rather than others. 

IKEA

I know it’s kind of a trope that everyone in their 20s buys everything at Ikea. My first furniture (in college and later grad school) came entirely from Ikea. However, I think that some things at Ikea are better than others. Ikea really excels at a handful of things: storage, home goods (i.e. dishware, cooking supplies, textiles, decorative goods), and small furniture like night stands. For storage, especially books and clothes storage, the Ikea goods are guaranteed to get the job done in the most economical way possible. There is a huge price differential between how much and how efficiently one can store things with Ikea and, like, every other furniture store imaginable. I also think the home goods and organization selection at Ikea is worthwhile, as are some other furniture like night stands, dining chairs, and rugs. Let’s be honest: the really cheap stuff, like an $8 LACK table, is what it is - throwaway furniture that is better than nothing (I have gone through many in my lifetime), but not built to last. 

In some respects, Ikea is definitely lacking and one would be better shopping elsewhere from both a price and a variety standpoint. The first of these is sofas. Ikea sofas are awful. The cheap ones are like sitting on cardboard and the expensive ones aren’t durable enough to justify the price. You’re better off looking pretty much anywhere else for a sofa. The desk selection is frankly, pretty lame compared to competitors. Ditto with beds - the IKEA bed frames are alright quality-wise, but they are a total bitch to put together and the range in terms of style is very limited. Buying an IKEA mattress when there are options out there like Lucid and Wayfair is like setting your money on fire. A better alternative for these products if you like the IKEA style, is AllModern, the subsidiary of Wayfair specifically for modern design. 

Wayfair/AllModern/Joss & Main

Wayfair is the shit. For Ikea (or less) prices, you can buy pretty much an infinite range of goods of different styles. Wayfair is the main site; for more modern goods, there’s AllModern, and for the traditional/transitional stuff, there’s Joss & Main. The downside to the Wayfair family of brands is you can’t see the furniture in person, and stuff gets delivered to your door, which can be inconvenient for some people. I tried Wayfair because I was, frankly, tired of Ikea. There’s just tons and tons of stuff to look at, which is bad if you have an addictive personality like me. Plus, the instructions that come with the furniture are a mixed bag. Some, like those for my bed, were very detailed; others, like those for my countertop, were half guessing game. I made it out alright, though, in the end. The returns are also good. No matter what, read the reviews before you buy, as they tend to be pretty honest. 

Overstock

Like Wayfair, but more hit-and-miss. Some of the stuff from Overstock is actually brand name goods on super discount. A lot of it is no-name junk made in sweatshops. It’s imperative that you read the reviews before buying. You can get some pretty good deals though, if you’re diligent. 

Target

Target is my go-to for decorative goods. Their in-house brands are all very chic and cute and the style is on point. Target furniture is a mixed bag, but other than the Room Essentials particle-board stuff, their furniture tends to be pretty durable and fashionable overall. The OpalHouse brand played a huge role in my apartment: all of the textiles came from there. 

HomeGoods/Marshalls/TJMaxx

You never know what you’re going to buy at these stores, but you’ll always buy something. HomeGoods (and to a lesser extent the other brands) is amazing for finding designer stuff at insane prices. I bought a 12” LeCreuset casserole pan there for $19.99. I bought Orla Kiely dish towels, KitchenAid kitchen tools, Pyrex measuring cups, just, like, so much stuff for dirt cheap. If you’re able to go to HomeGoods before going to Ikea, go to HomeGoods and knock out the little stuff for less money and higher quality. 

Thrift/Vintage Stores

Thrift stores tend to be appropriately priced, vintage stores tend to be overpriced. Unless the piece is super unique, there’s no reason to charge out the ass for it. You shouldn’t pay more than $100 for a MidCentury nightstand or side-table. A no-name fiberglass shell chair is not worth $300. Thrift stores can be a boon for art, dishes, pottery, and small furniture especially. Large pieces, especially if they’re vintage, get into the realm of diminishing returns. You really should splurge for something that’s special; if it’s just a generic, no-name Mid-Century looking piece, buying something new from a mid-range furniture store like West Elm or Room & Board might be a better investment. 

How Kate Wagner Decorates

Welcome!

View from entry. On the left is the closet, on the right is the bathroom. 

This is the closet. In the green set of drawers are office supplies. In the wireframe baskets to the left are long-sleeve t-shirts, shorts, t-shirts, and pants. On the back of the door are pockets for shoes. 

Bathroom (ft kate wagner)

The laundry station came last week! It’s $53 on Amazon and has 3 separate bins, which I use for regular, delicates, and towels/bulk. The top is an iron board. 

This is the Washer/Dryer combo. It takes like 5 hours to do a load of laundry but also it’s free and in my house so I shut the fuck up about it. Note the cute folding drying rack (Ikea)

Behind the door is storage. Everything is meticulously labeled because if I don’t meticulously label and keep everything organized my life will fall into ADHD disarray and it will not be pretty. 

All of this is from Target. 

One cool idea I had: since there’s no outlet in the “room” where the toilet is and turning on the light burns out one’s retinas in the middle of the night, I put some $7 battery string lights (Target) in a mason jar to serve as a nightlight. 

Kitchen

The kitchen area is very small. There is only one drawer. I need all of you to appreciate that I matched my sponges to my dish soap. 

Another view. Note, that since there is only one drawer for utensil storage, I had to find handsome ways of displaying my cutlery ($10 target), which came in the form of some containers (HomeGoods). Note also, storage in countertop for coffee, bar, and useful tidbits. Pretty much everything in the kitchen came from HomeGoods.

Bed Area

The curtains on the canopy bed help increase privacy. Linen came from Target. Nightstand was $50 at a thrift shop. 

I turned the reverse of the Kallax into a little pseudo-wall, where I hung a little bulletin board and calendar. 

Living Area

Plants!! Plant stand is from IKEA.

Sofa and Gallery Wall. Lamps and side tables were all thrift store finds. 

Bookshelf. 

Opposite wall featuring my Soviet pin collection. Eventually I’ll buy another stereo but for right now the records are for decoration. Side table was $30 at thrift store. Giant weird painting was $100 also from thrift store. 

And that’s it! Hope you enjoyed my tour and unsolicited advice. See y’all soon with some ugly houses.