THE BLOG

Yes, you heard us… for free! Sometimes, there are things we all wish we could buy to revamp our apartment every few months. If you’re like me, then you LOVE to switch it up and give your space a good refresh every now and then. Often, the only thing holding me back from doing so is realizing that I probably don’t need to be spending money unnecessarily on new decor. Instead of feeling guilty about this, there are plenty of creative ways to spruce up your space without spending a penny:

1. Sell, buy (with profits), & trade on FB Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is an amazing tool to use – especially if you’re in a big city! There are so many options and easy ways to find great pieces. Start by figuring out what items in your home you don’t need and can part with, do some competitive research, and list it at a great price. In a city like NYC, items will sell super quickly and more often than not, people will be willing to pick it up too. The best part about this is that you can find the biggest decor steals! A lot of people move in and out of big cities with a hard deadline and little room for flexibility. It can be way worse to have to take unnecessary items with you when moving rather than selling for cheap or leaving behind. If you stay up to date with FB Marketplace, you can find “FREE” apartment sales where everything just needs to go and the seller will take the best offer (or if there aren’t any, for free). Between selling items you already own to buying new ones, grabbing free listings, or trading items of equal value with someone else, you can have a brand new apartment in no time! 

2. Restyle items that you already own

Sounds too easy, right? Trust me there are so many ways to do this besides just rearranging the room (although this is a great refresher as well). 

Hop on the boho trend and stick some of your favorite wicker baskets up on the wall with a simple nail! Is your style more minimalistic/classic? Try hanging your favorite decorative plates or even cute hats you have in storage!

My personal favorite way to update a space is a good old-fashioned DIY. It gives you something fun and creative to do while making your space feel more personal. A really easy refresher is to take some paint you already have and stain decor or furniture. It can be super simple to take a few coats to any piece and bring texture into a room.

3. Switch out items in-between rooms 

The accessories that we often gravitate towards to make space feel “trendy” or pulled together are the accent pieces or decor – (my and Chelsey’s favorite word!). Try switching out smaller accents like pillows, decor, throw blankets, books, and lamps between multiple rooms. You’d be surprised what a massive difference this makes in your space!

3. Move furniture around

This can completely transform the look of your space within a few hours- at no cost to you! Try moving your sofa to the other side of the room or rearrange the furniture in your bedroom. It may take a while but the end result can create the most dramatic transformation.

4. Take off cabinet doors to create open shelving

Again, with your landlord’s permission take off those cabinets (usually it’s ok as long as you put them back before moving out)! This is the best way to open up a room that may feel small or cluttered to you. It’s also a great way to hold yourself accountable for organizing all of your dishes, mugs, glasses, etc. By doing this you get to put all of your dining ware on display. This will make a room feel so much more personalized and inviting – and it’s so easy!

5. Subscribe to Creative Market for Weekly Freebies

These are free illustrations and graphics that you can print and frame!

I learned about this website way back when I had my first internship. If you like to be creative in any capacity then this is for you! By subscribing (for free) to Creative Market you will get (6) free downloads every single week. These can range from fonts, graphics, templates, photos, etc., and give you full use of the assets. Pretty frequently there are huge kits from designers that are included with illustrations/photos/artwork that you can download, print, and frame for your space! The best part is that they’re often a part of a large bundle which means you can have multiple new decor pieces that will work together perfectly as the newest addition to your gallery wall. 

And there you have it! Do you have more ideas on how to refresh a space? Let us know down below!

XO, Miranda & Chelsey