Categories: Shopping; DIY & Crafts

Post-Dorm Days: Getting your Boston apartment from shabby to chic in no time

By jilliancyork
updated about 1 month ago

Boston is not a cheap place to live - so once you get past the $1,000+ rent bill, you've hardly got anything left for decorating...So print out this guide for your drive around Boston for the quickest, easiest spots to grab some cheap furniture, decor, and anything else you might need.

Economy True Value Hardware

144 Harvard Avenue, Allston, MA 02134

I bought my couch here this week and although it won’t be delivered for a couple of weeks, I have NOTHING bad to say about this place. I come here when I’m feeling disorganized and end up leaving with something every time – the first time it was cloth drawers, last time, a couch…perhaps next time a bookshelf or a new bedframe. This is like hardware store lite. This is the kind of place I can get lost for hours.

Side note: the staff are some of the coolest people I’ve met in the area.

Home Goods

Middlesex Avenue Somerville, MA 02145

So, I know Home Goods is a giant chain, and perhaps worse yet, part of the TJX family, but I can’t help it, I love this place. Perhaps it’s the Rachel Ray cookware for cheap money, perhaps it’s the abundance of random silicone muffin cups and tajines, or perhaps it’s the fluffy towels for $10 or less, but every time I enter a Home Goods, I spend loads and loads.

Devi Home

1134 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118

Devi’s your source for throw pillows! Although they’re not a steal, they’re worth the $25-50 price tags for quality. The style is exotic-chic, great for those looking to decorate in Moroccan, Indian, or other farther East styles.

My advice for making your very first apartment suck just a little bit less

Although I lived in an apartment for two years during college, my parents paid the rent, so I lived alone in a good-sized pad. My first living experience post-college was, on the other hand, a bit less stellar. In a nutshell? Three girls in a two-bedroom.

Now that I’m a bit more grown-up (I said a bit) and my life is less about going out to bars and more about staying home (and writing), comfort is a priority. So are aesthetics. Here are my top 5 most important bits of advice for making a house a home:

Invest in a good mattress and boxspring. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a bed frame, you can always put both on the floor (or find a used frame on Craigslist or a cheap one at Home Depot). But a good mattress and boxspring should last you at least five years, and probably a whole lot more.
Buy matching dishes. They don’t have to be nice dishes, in fact, Target has a great collection of cute plastic ones. They shouldn’t be Corelle either…get something cute and within your budget, and buy in sets of at least four, preferably six. As for silverware, choose something sturdy but don’t spend too much – it’s much more likely to get lost in your many youthful moves!
Pick a theme. I don’t mean “tropical” or “Indian” and I certainly don’t mean “movie posters that were on my dorm room walls.” What I’m saying is, if your Aunt Debra gave you a fantastic Eames-style chair that you can’t live without, head to Ikea or somewhere that sells retro-modernist goods. If you’ve got an awesome African drum collection, jazz up your walls with a dashiki-inspired tapestry.
Curtains, bedspreads, towels. Three things that should not be overlooked. The first are necessary if you don’t want people peeping in on you, and can really make or break a room. The second is important for both comfort and money-saving warmth in the winter (you do have to pay for heat, you know), and the third should be of decent quality, should match (at least the hand towels), and should be soft and cuddly. I buy all three at Kohl’s, Target, and TJ Maxx, especially the last. No reason to go for broke on this one.
Yard sale! Looking around my current apartment, I can only find one piece of furniture I paid more than $10 for. My end tables were found on my parent’s street (and they were in perfect condition!), my couch and chair were my parents’ (as was my nice TV, thanks guys!), and I picked up a papasan chair and TV stand for $5 each last summer at yard sales. I’d rather buy used, cheap furniture and splurge on accents like a colorful rug (who wants a used rug? Ew!) or gorgeous curtains.

Basics Carpet & Furniture

1967 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140

A great place for getting your – what else? – Basics. Located in a little basement spot, Basics carries all sorts of inexpensive furniture items, as well as high-quality carpets and other necessary accoutrements.

Funusual

1 Faneuil Hall Market, Boston, MA 02109

Okay, so you can’t really afford to decorate your home entirely from this place. Mariah Carey can’t even afford it (and she’d probably like to). Funusual’s eclectic selection is more for last-stop trinkets (think wine bottle danglies and crocodile staplers). Still, it’s quite possibly the most fun shop in all of Faneuil Hall, so five stars for that!

Reside

266 Concord Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138

A mid-century furniture-lover’s heaven, Reside has excellent turnover, so if you don’t see something you like the first time, go back a week later.

Pod

313 Washington St, Brookline, MA 02445

This unique little spot in the heart of Brookline Village is like an oasis for those of us who prefer our goodies on the natural, organic side of life (read: this girl doesn’t shop at chains – okay, except those listed above!) I admit it – I poke around the floor here, saying “thanks, I’m just browsing” and just hoping that they’ll stop looking at me so I don’t feel like I have to buy anything, but the truth is, with just a bit more cash flow, I’d be in here every week!

Target

21800 Towne Center Dr, Watertown, NY 13601

Okay so perhaps Target is no way to build a quality home, but first apartment? Indeed! When my husband and I moved to the States last fall on a budget of very little, we hit up all three local Target locations for cheap decor – we ended up with a giant framed print of Tournee du Chat Noir, some towels, dishes, and a freaking awesome wall clock. I’ve bought furniture here, posters, you name it.

Crate & Barrel

48 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

This Crate & Barrel location is extra large and extra full of yummy home stuff! Wander through the three floors of home goods and fill your basket along the way. Once upon a time, I decided I needed matching dishes, so I hit up my local C&B – 25 minutes later, I was an adult. Magical.

Boutique Fabulous

1309 Cambridge Street Cambridge, MA 02139

A great spot for finds like vintage cocktail dresses and jewelry, Boutique Fabulous’ lesser-known job is as a vintage home decor retailer! Beware: the decor of the store itself makes me want to cry over how pathetic my own apartment is – that’s how seriously inspiring this little spot can be.

West Elm

160 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215

Ever since the first time I walked in and discovered their Moroccan-themed collection, I was hooked. West Elm has an amazing catalog (which I’d already been getting for quite some time), but you’ve got to see their products in the flesh to really get it. Much of it is a bit higher-end, but the store is still a great place to get those finishing touches.

Bowl & Board

1063 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138

A more down-to-earth version of Crate & Barrel as its known, Bowl & Board carries earthy-looking home supplies, particularly for the kitchen, making it a very, very fun place to get lost!