Stylish and Comfortable Furniture

Everything Old, Nothing New: Designing A Stylish Home Office With Used Items

by Jason Mason

Does scrolling through all the beautiful home offices on social media fill you with longing for a cute space to work, blog, or pay bills? Perhaps you dream about designing a great home office one day when your budget isn't so tight. However, a beautiful home office isn't about spending tons of money but finding used furnishings and accents that look as good as any you can buy new.

Finding furniture

A trip to your local office supply store can result in finds for pre-owned office furniture. These used pieces often show little use but cost much less than new ones. You can also watch for local liquidation sales for office furniture or watch for going-out-of-business sales to snatch cheap deals on desks, bookcases, and filing systems.

Don't rule out a trip to your local furniture stores to shop for office furniture that may be reduced due to small imperfections or scratches. These reduced items can cost substantially less than the new items and often have minuscule damages that are barely noticeable.

Re-purpose old items

What items are laying around the house that you can use in a home office? Give unused notebooks a facelift with colorful washi tape. Mason jars make great pencil holders when decorated with ribbon or stickers.

Re-purpose a chipped mug or teapot to use as a vase to display flowers to dress up your office. Frame old photos from outdated calendars to use for wall decorations. Buy rugs, accent pillows, or curtains from garage sales or flea markets.

Turn to paint

One of the fastest ways to change the appearance of a room is with small amounts of paint you may have leftover from previous projects or can find at yard sales. Paint one accent wall your favorite color in an office with white or beige walls. You can also paint the door or trim in a contrasting color.

Spray-paint old, unused books and stack in groups of three. Tie a burlap ribbon around the books to use as a decoration on a shelf or desk. Paint old magazine files to give them new life, or paint unused wicker baskets in a color to complement your office.

Why wait for the home office of your dreams when you can start designing one now? Second-hand furnishings and accent pieces are the key to saving tons of money, and nobody but you will know they are used. Shopping for used furniture and re-purposing items around your home will help you create a home office that looks as good as any on social media.

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