Cheap, creative furniture ideas?

Question

I'm trying to make my livingroom look a little more like...well...someone lives there. I only have one chair and some shelves, desk, etc. What I'm wondering is if anyone has any cheap, do-it-yourself furniture ideas. Especially seating and whatnot. I was going to just throw down a whole bunch of big pillows but I thought I'd see if anyone had any other ideas. (cheap ideas)

Answer 1

well you can make an awesome coffee table out of a door--a wooden door--you can pick up the legs at a flea market or a wal mart--use a drill and aa furniture bolt and screws to bolt them on each corner==you can paint a chessboard on one end and maybe just stain the other end or have an artsy person do a scene on it --then spray it with that stuff (ask in the home dept at walmart what its called) tht you can just wipe off--you can pick up cheap used furniture at yard sales--couches and chairs go very cheap! Also check ur classified ads in newspaper for garage sales--then make sure you get there just as they begin to get the good stuff!

you can take those big flower pots and turn them upside down and paint them if you like and put a round piece of glass on top for gr8 end tables!

Yard sales and thrift shops are ur best bet!
Watch for junk day in your neighborhood! When folks put out the big stuff as trash--to find out when they do it just call the city mayor's office and ask when they collect old couches etc.--then get up early on those days with a truck and check it out--you would be surprised what people throw away!
People will usually give u permission to haul it away--look in classified ads in your paper--sometimes people will advertise free stuff--so long as u haul it away!

Answer 2

Check out thrift stores, yard sales, etc.
1] do not buy a second hand bed, ever. You can buy a used frame, but not mattress or box springs
2] upholstery - bring someone with a great nose. Many smells do not come out [ tobacco,pets, diapers ]. Sniff any and all cloth items - pillows, curtains, etc.
3] buy two 2-drawer file cabinets, lay a door, piece of plywood, or plexyglass across - a desk!
4] some boards, bricks or cement blocks - bookcase!
5] wire spool from the phone company, throw a cloth over it - table!
6] you can buy many used kitchen items, but I wouln't buy used appliances - only dishes, pots/pans, silverware, plasticware - stuff you can scrub and doesn't need a warranty
7] plastic milk crates are great for storing things you don't have a place for
8] when my husb and I got married, we each had a cardboard box for: underwear, tops, jeans - he had a wall of three boxes, and I did too.

Answer 3

Good will, salvation army, all have lots of used furniture for very little. I just bought a recliner for 35.00. It need to have the base fixed. 3 bucks for a peice of wood and it good as new. It was only 2 years old. After that go to garage sales, estate sales, auctions. Check the want ads in the papers. craigs list?

Now if you want to build it your self, look for stackable heavy duty baskets, lay them on their side with the opening out, add boards and you have a bench, add more levels and you have shelves. Cinder blocks work well for this, but they are heavy and not what I would consider a high end look.

Answer 4

First decide on what color you want so you can then decorate around the color. Just painting can do wonders to change the looks of a room. Then decide on a bedspread and pillows to go with that color. Then pictures, wall hangings and what not. You can have drapes, curtains, shades or blinds for the windows. Mirrors can work magic also. Also put real or artificial plants or a palm tree in a corner.

Answer 5

one word IKEA