Penny Modern

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at NO extra cost to you.

Have you been living with a bathroom you hate?

I have – for the past 2 years!

If you are ready for a budget bathroom remodel and are willing to put in a little work to save a lot of money, then this post is for you! Don’t worry – no demo required!

I’m going to give you a step-by-step breakdown on how to take your bathroom from meh to modern for under $350. The main way we’ll stick to this budget is by using a LOT of paint, and avoiding doing ANY demo. I’ll give you affordable sources and pro tips for getting a clean, modern look that will make your small bathroom seem bigger and more spa-like.

Here are the steps we’ll cover for our budget bathroom remodel:

• Make a plan and create a moodboard
• Clean and prep for painting
• Paint the walls
• Paint the hardware & shower curtain rod
• Change out lights
• Change out mirror
• Clean again
• Accessorize!

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When we bought our condo the whole place had been painted a pleasing light grey – except for the Master Bedroom and Master Bathroom. That was left a lovely dark khaki brown and light beige combo. Oy!

So here we are 2 years later – and I’m finally tackling this project since I’ve been at home a lot more lately. My goal was to do this for under $400 – which we did by doing the work ourselves, painting our hardware, and finding some hot deals.

General material list (totaling less than $350):

• Klean-Strip Liquid Sandpaper – $9
• Behr Premium Plus Swiss Coffee Semi-Gloss Enamel Low Odor Interior Paint and Primer in One – $32 for 1 Gallon
• Rustoleum Spray Paint – Auto Matte Finish Black – $7
• Rustoleum Primer – $4.27
• Rustoleum Top Coat – Matte – $10
• Vanity Light – Trade Winds Angie – $75
• Flushmount Overhead Light – Overhead Integrated LED Light – $50
• Threshold Studio McGee Black Rectangular Mirror from Target – $70
• Bathroom Accessories – $25
• Shower Curtain – $20
• Bathroom Rug – $25

OK let me break it down for ya…

Here is what I was starting with (AKA The Before Photo):

Plan and Moodboard

First things first – I needed a plan! I always start my projects with a few Pinterest searches and then make a moodboard showing whatever items I want to keep, along with anything new. That way I can make sure everything goes together.

My moodboard below shows my vanity, which I wanted to keep, with some ideas to achieve the bright, clean, modern look I wanted. I used a tribal/boho bath mat as my inspiration piece.

My master bedroom was a beige and khaki color scheme from the old owners so I needed to keep color scheme fairly neutral. The paint colors I chose were Behr Swiss Coffee for our walls and matte black for our hardware that would provide a nice contrast with the walls.

Clean and Prep

Next step of our budget bathroom remodel is cleaning and prepping. Not my favorite step, I’ll be honest.

Clean

By cleaning, I mainly mean cleaning the walls, since there was dust, hair, and nasty stuff everywhere. So I just washed the walls with a wet rag and a scrubber.

Prep

Next comes prepping the walls. If you have semi-gloss on your bathroom walls, which you probably do, you may want to remove the gloss to make the new paint stick. I found the easiest way is to use Klean Strip Liquid Sandpaper which deglosses the shiny coating. You can just wipe it on with a sponge.

Pro Tip: Take off all the light switch covers, hardware, and any light fixtures or mirrors you are going to replace. This way you won’t have to do touch ups later when you change them out (found this out the hard way).

Fix Texture (if needed)

My walls were in bad shape – which is why I waited 2 years for this project. The texture on my walls was honestly the worst texture job I have ever seen. So, I actually had to re-texture my walls, using Homax orange peel spray texture. This was scary at first, so I watched a couple of YouTube videos and went for it.

Pro Tips: Practice spraying texture on a large piece of cardboard to get the hang of it. Cover everything up you don’t want texture on, it’s messy. Also if you have large globs of texture you are trying to hide, sand them down first.

Here’s a photo during the retexturing process:

Paint the Walls

This is pretty self explanatory – paint is a must-have for nearly every budget bathroom remodel. As far as wall paint goes, I chose a Behr Premium Plus Primer Semi Gloss, in Swiss Coffee. Swiss Coffee was a great choice because it made our small bathroom seem so much bigger. If you have a small bathroom like me, I’d definitely recommend using something light on the walls for your budget bathroom remodel.

The Behr Premium Plus is thick! I went from a dark khaki to the off white of Behr Swiss Coffee, and I only needed 2 coats, no primer needed. It’s a little more expensive, but a time saver, so totally worth it for me.

I like to do the corners and details first with a brush, then take my roller and roll it out to try and hide the brush marks. Don’t forget the trim. Will make a big difference in refreshing that too. Here’s a shot during the painting process:

Paint the Hardware

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This was a new frontier for me, but it turned out great. I thought that having matte black hardware would make my budget bathroom remodel seem more modern, and would contrast nicely with the light colored walls.

Since my hardware was fairly new, but in brushed nickel, I thought it would be worth a try to paint everything matte black, and keep this a true DIY budget bathroom remodel. I ended up spray painting my towel bars, toilet paper holder, vanity knobs, and even my shower curtain rod to stay within my budget.

Here are the products I used, in order of application (primer, paint, topcoat)

Here’s how to paint your bathroom hardware:

• First find a spot to do the painting outside – and cover everything you don’t want paint on with a tarp or old sheet. At first I put everything on an old sheet, but found an old cardboard box worked better, which I could transfer inside for drying.
• Next, give the hardware a light sanding with 300-400 grit sandpaper (fine or extra fine) will help all the paint stick. Try to avoid deep scratches but light scratching is ok.
• Then spray a light coat of primer at 8 or 10 inches away. The key to avoid drips is making it a light mist and do a few light coats right away.

• Next spray on your first coat of color – I chose Matte Black by Rustoleum.

• Let dry, then spray a second coat of the same color – a light mist using several coats is the key to avoid drips. Turn things over, upside down, etc to get all the sides.
• A clear topcoat is key as your final step, since you’ll be touching your hardware – especially the towel bar. I used a flat topcoat but I think a satin might be better for reducing the amount of dust that sticks to these babies.

I’ll be honest the shower curtain rod was the most difficult, and I had to do like 10 coats but it looks pretty good. I’ll update this post to let you know how long it lasts.

If you don’t want to do any painting of your hardware, here are a couple of similar options that you can buy on Amazon (no paint required!), each less than $65 for the whole set:

Change Out Lights

Once the painting was over we were in the home stretch! Picking out lights is fun, and both of ours were old and hideous.

I went to my inspiration photos from Pinterest, and kept seeing a matte black modern globe-type light in a lot of the photos I liked.

I found a similar one called the Trade Winds Angie 2-Light Wall Sconce, from Lights Online. It was only $70 after their 20% discount code from joining their email list, and 2-day shipping was free. This baby was also dimmable, which was an added bonus.

Pro Tip: If you pick out a light that has the same “style” or base as your existing, it’s super easy to swap out. Just follow the manufacturer’s instructions and turn off the power going to that location.

Change Out Mirror

One of the biggest changes for my budget bathroom remodel was the mirror. I originally intended to paint the existing antique looking mirror frame black. I did that, and it just reminded me of a mirror from a gothic-inspired bathroom so I had to resort to plan B, buying a new mirror.

Lucky for me, Studio McGee just did a collaboration with Threshold from Target, and they have an awesome modern black mirror with rounded corners for only $70 (photo above).

I just ordered online at Target, and went and picked up at a local store. Target has lots of great deals for modern home decor so check their website, especially around holidays.

Here is another similar sized mirror with sharper corners from Amazon (affiliate link) for $133. I love the thin frame and think it would great over both a single or double vanity.

Clean Again

Next up was cleaning up all the mess and deep cleaning our shower, floors, and vanity like nobody’s business. Nothing makes a bathroom feel brand new like a deep clean!

Pro Tip: Magic Erasers really are magic and can even work on getting off mildew from grout in your shower, and can make old grimy tile look way better. Plus they are great for removing marks and fingerprints from doors, walls, etc.

Accessorize

Keep some money in your budget for a new toothbrush holder and soap dispenser, bathroom rug, shower curtain, towels, etc. Once you have an updated bathroom, you’ll want to update those too! I included a bunch of accessories below that will go with a modern, neutral color scheme.

For the bathroom accessories, I went with grey ceramic to tie in one of the colors from the countertop, from Amazon (affiliate links) for $25:

I’m including a few other modern and affordable accessory sets I considered (ranging between $31 – $41):

For the shower curtain, I like the simple waffle weave textured ones, or geometric patterns for a more modern look.

Pro Tip: To make the room seem bigger, remember to hang your shower curtain rod as high as the curtain allows.

Some great shower curtains from Amazon (affiliate links) are below (each less than $19):

The rug was really fun to shop for, since you can opt for something more trendy that you can always change out later. We wanted something cream and black or grey, and in a geometric design. Below are a couple of options less than $25 I found on Amazon (affiliate links).

Below is a more neutral, solid color rug from Wal-Mart (affiliate link). The Luxurious Plush and Braided Chenille Anti-Skid Overside Rug, in ivory, for $22. Since this was for our master bath, we wanted something soft for our feet – that would also cover up our older tile.

Wrap Up

Well – there you go – a full breakdown of my budget bathroom remodel for less than $350. I hope you enjoyed seeing my bathroom go from beige builder to modern marvel. Here’s a final before and after shot of my budget bathroom remodel:

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Trust me, the best way to tackle any new project is to do your research (Pinterest and YouTube work great!), make a plan, then just dive in. You can always fix mistakes if they happen when it comes to home makeovers.

Final tip: When buying stuff online – always check the return policy so you can return it if your plan changes or it doesn’t work with your decor scheme.

Check out my resource page for more sources of affordable modern home decor to help you with your own budget bathroom remodel!

Let me know what you think of my budget makeover, in the comments below…

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at NO extra cost to you.

Do you have a tiny, non-functional entryway or no entryway?

Do your loved ones leave their shoes/jackets/backpacks all over your living spaces and it’s making you crazy?

Wish you had a mudroom/drop zone for everyone to drop their stuff off when they come in?

For me, the answer was absolutely YES to all of the above! So, I decided to do something about it, and transform our entryway closet to a mudroom.

I spent a lot of time thinking how I could take our entryway closet to a mudroom on a tight budget, and want to share it with you to show you how easy it is! It’s been a game changer, since now I have trained my toddler and hubby to drop their shoes, jackets, and backpacks in our mini-mudroom, and it’s made me feel more relaxed and at peace with my family.

Here’s what I did go from entryway closet to mudroom:

1. Clean out the closet (AKA the hardest part)
2. Measure everything
3. Gather or buy materials
4. Paint the inside
5. Put up the wallpaper
6. Add hooks (lots) & mini-bench
7. Put in your stuff & enjoy

Let me show you each step…

Step 1: Clean Out The Entryway Closet (AKA the hardest part)

Honestly the hardest part was finding an alternate place for some of this stuff. The toys we purged or put in my toddler’s bedroom closet.

The vacuum we put upstairs in a spare bedroom closet. Our downstairs has luxury vinyl plank flooring, and the upstairs is carpeted – so it made more sense anyways.

The brooms and cleaning supplies we moved to our laundry closet (which I’ll get to organizing “someday.”

The toolbox went outside in our utility closet.

Step 2: Measure Everything

Step 3: Gather or Buy Materials for Your New Mudroom

Next up we needed to gather all the materials needed for our mini-mudroom makeover. I ended up spending about $62 for this entryway closet makeover since I was able to use quite a few items I already had around the house.

Here is my full materials list, which should total around $100 – $150 if you needed to buy everything on the list. I challenge you to try and use stuff you already have on hand to save $ (that’s what I did).

• Primer and Paint – 1 quart cans of each = $16 – $25 depending on brand.
• Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper – around $35 for 1 roll
• Hooks and Hook Rack – $20 – $37
• Shelf and Brackets – $7 – $18
• Drywall anchors & wood screws for installing everything – $9.
• Optional Shoe Rack – $17

Primer and Paint

First I needed some primer and paint, you may not even need this step if your closet matches the rest of your house. Thankfully I had some paint left over from a different remodeling project last year (I know you probably shouldn’t use year-old paint but let’s face it, we do it).

I used Killz Primer from Home Depot to cover up the ugly rust colored paint. It does the trick every time when you want to cover up dark colors with light ones! 1 quart is probably all you need for a closet, it runs around $9.

Peel & Stick Wallpaper

This was my favorite part of the whole project! I have always wanted to try some of the new peel and stick wallpapers and wasn’t sure where in my house I wanted to put it.

When I had the idea for a mini-mudroom – I thought putting wallpaper on the back wall would really elevate the space, and be a cute, thoughtful touch when guests grab their coat from the coat closet.

I used the wallpaper from the first photo below, around $34: RoomMates Gray Chevron Stripe Peel and Stick Wallpaper from Amazon (affiliate link). I also included a couple of other ones I considered that would give your mini-mudroom a modern look.

Hooks and Hook Rack

I knew I wanted hooks for things like backpacks, kids jackets, and hats, so some serious hooks were a must. The white coat rack was around $21 from Amazon, and the pack of 5 coat hooks was $15.99. If you only need a couple of coat hooks you can probably just pick some up for less at Home Depot, Target, or Wal Mart.

Shelf and Brackets

Creating a mini-bench for backpacks took me a while to figure out, as I wanted to do this on the cheap. So, I happened to be cleaning out our garage, and found something like the below heavy duty brackets ($18), which I had bought for a different project:

Then, I saw an awesome Rubbermaid 12″ x 24″ wood shelf at Home Depot for under $7, so picked it up to go with my brackets. My closet was only 25 inches wide so I needed something small, and this fit perfectly.

Another way to do this step inexpensively is to build a shelf out of wood or wood scraps, with wood brackets as support. Then paint to match the rest of your closet.

Drywall Screws and Wood Screws

We had a bunch of drywall anchors on hand, which you need for installing both the shelf and hook rack, to make sure they are stable. Home Depot has drywall and stud anchors that work beautifully for $9.

Optional Shoe Rack

At some point I want to add a small shoe rack, like this Closetmaid one below for only $17, but that will have to wait for now.

Step 4: Paint the Inside

Step 5: Put Up the Wallpaper

Step 6: Add Hooks and Mini-bench

Step 7: Put in Your Stuff and Enjoy Your New Mudroom

Conclusion

Well this one was pretty short and sweet. We cleaned out our ugly entryway closet and completely transformed it into a working stylish, mudroom:

Our steps were first cleaning out and finding new homes for stuff like the vacuum and brooms. Then we measured, gathered our materials, painted, and put up the wallpaper. Finally we added in our hooks, coat rack, and mini-bench. Then it was just a matter of adding our coats and hats.

For around $60, this was totally worth it for me to keep me from having to pick up other people’s stuff all day. I hope it inspires you too!

Leave a comment below telling me what part about my entryway closet to mudroom transformation you liked the best!

For more ideas on how to spruce up any space on the cheap, check out my article, 5 Ways to Make a Room Cozy (on a budget).

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at NO extra cost to you.

Tempted to buy furniture online during the lockdown? Never done it before?

Have no fear – I’ve become a pro at buying furniture online over the years, and will share everything I’ve learned to help you buy furniture online like a boss! I’ve bought coffee tables that are way too short, couches that are a bit too big, and a desk that was the perfect fit. Nearly everything in the below photo was purchased online (by me)!

My mistakes and wins are your learnings, so you can buy furniture online with confidence. I’ve made a list of 10 helpful tips for YOU to buy furniture online like a boss! Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Understand Your Needs (and wants)
• Measure, Measure, Measure
• Determine Your Budget
• Check the Specs
• Check for Scale
• Evaluate Quality
• Find the Best Price
• Examine Return Policy
• Select Shipping Option and/or Assembly
• Inspect & Enjoy!

1: Understand Your Needs (and wants)

Prioritize

Figure out what you really need in terms of furniture, and the function it needs to serve. If it’s more than one piece, then make a list of priorities (in order of urgency).

Next Consider Function

Who’s going to use this furniture? How durable does it need to be? What comfort level do you want? Or, can form be placed over function if it’s not a heavy-use item?

A lot of these functionality questions can help you decide what type of materials you need. For example, if you have small kids, white fabric dining chairs are probably a bad idea (trust me, it is!). Something darker or with wipeable fabric would be more appropriate.

If you want something to last a long time, you may want to steer clear of particle board and go for real hardwood construction.

Determine Your Design Style

After you find your style, make your vision board on Pinterest, Instagram, or a Google Image search, and look for examples of furniture online that matches your style. Even if the pieces are out of your price range, it will help give you something to try to mimic in a lower price range.

Insider tip: Use your design style as a descriptor when doing a search for your furniture item. For example, “Scandinavian coffee table” or “Mid-century modern couch.”

2: Measure, Measure, Measure

I would say this is the single most important step in buying furniture online. You won’t be walking into a showroom to get a feel for the height of a table, or how tall (or short) a chair is. So, you need to measure and check the product’s specs to make sure it fits and is proportional to other items in the room.

First, Measure your Space

First, you need to measure the space you want to place this furniture. This is to get a basic idea of maximum dimensions for your new pieces.

If you’re buying any kind of larger piece – make sure there is enough space around it for traffic flow. Apartment Therapy has a great article, Dimensions to Follow: Furniture Spacing Basics. This will tell you the minimum space you need around your dining table or coffee table, for example.

Next, Measure Adjacent Furniture

Next, measure the pieces of furniture that will be near your new piece. For example, if you are buying dining room chairs, measure your dining room table.

If you are buying a coffee table, measure your couch and armchairs. According to Freshome, a coffee table shouldn’t be lower than 1-2 inches from the cushion of your couch seat. I made this mistake myself:

I learned this the hard way when I ordered the above coffee table online from All Modern, and it was about 4 – 6 inches shorter than my couch seat! It looked tiny compared to my huge couch. It was on clearance at the All Modern Outlet, so no returns allowed!

I had to buy $30 of Nannarp furniture legs from IKEA to make it tall enough to be functional.

Also Measure Items Your Are Replacing

Make sure you measure your existing items if you are replacing them, so you can try to get something the approximate same size (or bigger/smaller if that’s what you want), just a different style or color.

Don’t Forget Your Doorways and Passageways

Finally, measure all doors, entryways, hallways, and stairways (or elevators!) the furniture must travel through to reach it’s final destination. Crate and Barrel has a quick guide on How To Measure Furniture for Delivery. This step is mainly if you are buying something online that is already assembled like a couch or mattress, since most online furniture comes with some assembly required.

3: What’s Your Budget?

This one is pretty self explanatory but super-important. You don’t want to waste your time looking for couches, tables, or chairs you simply can’t afford. A lot of times I actually need to shop for furniture online a little bit before I can set a realistic budget.

Keep in mind, smaller is generally cheaper. So, if you are looking at the lower end of price ranges, double check the product specs to make sure the item is big enough. More on specs next…

4: Check the Specs

Dimensions Are Key

Once you find the pieces you like online, look at the product specifications on the product details page and write down the dimensions. Make sure you are looking at the assembled dimensions, not the dimensions of the box that it comes in.

Make sure the new furniture fits in your space and will work with the scale of your other furniture.

Check the Materials

The product specifications or description will often reveal the materials of the item. If not, you can always call or email the online furniture retailer a question on what it’s actually made of.

Wood and Wood Products

For types of wood, The Stated Home Blog has a great post, Types of Wood for Furniture, that has an extremely thorough explanation of every type of wood or wood product commonly used in furniture.

The coffee table I ended up getting for my living room had to be a light colored wood. I ended up getting this coffee table from All Modern, and it had a pretty nice manufactured wood finish. A similar one can be found here.

I will say that furniture in the lower price ranges typically uses wood veneers which can chip off or peel, with age or if you get it wet. But if you’re not looking for it to last a lifetime – that may be okay.

I’m somewhat partial to IKEA as they have a lot of real wood furniture (like inexpensive pine) that you can easily paint down the road if you get sick of the color.

Upholstery Fabrics

A great article with tons of information about the most common types of upholstery fabrics is Fabric.com’s post on Picking the Perfect Upholstery Fabric. I have a little boy at home so have been looking for easily cleaned upholstery like wipeable faux leather, dark fabrics, and easy cleaning wood veneers.

Check the Color (then check again)

Color can be super tricky when buying furniture online. Some ways around it include:

• View the photos and closeups of the color on multiple devices (for example on your laptop, then your mobile, and maybe on an iPad).
• Look at the reviews if anyone uploaded photos of the piece inside their home.
• Read the reviews to see if anyone comments on the color, if it came in lighter/darker than expected.
• Get a swatch – If the online retailer has a physical store, go in and check it out or ask them directly for a swatch of the fabric you like.

5: Check for Scale

There are a couple of ways to check for scale – meaning how the new piece will look relevant to other nearby pieces.

One way to check scale is to use painters tape or masking tape and tape out the dimensions on the floor in the room where it will go. This will give you an idea if it fits and if traffic can flow around it.

Another way to check for scale is to draw out a floorplan to make sure everything fits (for details, go to my post, 7 Simple Tips to Create a Floorplan. To sketch our your floorplan, you can use pencil and paper, or try a free online app like Room Planner.

The last way to check for scale is quick and dirty. I simply take a tape measure and measure out the product’s dimensions next to the adjacent furniture and imagine it being there. You could use cardboard boxes too, to get a good visual of how it will look.

I learned about scale when looking for an end table to go with my new coffee table. I almost bought below Sauder North Avenue Side Table from Wal Mart. It was super cute, very modern, and the price was amazing at less than $45!

Before I hit the “buy” button, I checked the product specs. It measures 15″ x 15″ x 20″ high. I measured my couch, the arm of the couch was 26″ high. So, this table would be 6″ lower than the arm of my couch – not very useful when you want to try to put your drink down somewhere.

The general rule, according to Apartment Therapy, is to have the side table around the same height as the arm of your couch.

Bottom Line: Make sure you check for scale before you hit the “buy” button when buying furniture online!

6: Evaluate Quality

Question: How Can You Determine Quality When Buying Furniture Online?

Answer: Reviews & Personal Evaluation

Read Reviews

One of the major benefits of buying furniture online is you can often find numerous product reviews online, to inform your buying decision. Read BOTH the good and bad reviews to see the pro’s and cons of each.

Once I find a piece of furniture online that I like, I often put the exact product name into Google and add the word “reviews.” Then I can try to find the item on other websites to find even more reviews (and do some price comparisons too!).

Personal Evaluation (if possible)

Another option is to buy from stores offering both online and brick-and-mortar stores. This way you could actually go into the store to try and find the item you like to see how it feels and looks. Then, you could always wait until they have a big holiday sale, buy the furniture online, and have it delivered to your door.

Alternately you could try to find someone who owns the exact piece of furniture you are looking at. The best place for that is probably some of the interior design groups on Facebook, or if a blogger has posted a review of the item, you could always email them a question.

7: Find the Best Price (including shipping)

Start with a Google Search

Finding the best deal on Google is fairly easy if you are looking for a specific piece, but can be harder if you are open to any manufacturer or color. Google Shopping is a great option here, but a lot of times Amazon is left out from the Google search results.

Wait for Holiday Sales

Another tactic to finding the best price is patience. A lot of furniture stores and big box stores like Target will have sales around nearly every major holiday. If you can wait, start checking online furniture retailers for sales on holiday weekends.

Sign Up for Their Email List

A lot of online furniture stores offer discounts for signing up for their email marketing list. This is usually a pop-up on their site, or a newsletter subscription box.

Insider Tip: If you sign up for an account (or get on their email list) and put stuff in your cart, then you may get some “abandoned cart” deals. Some retailers will email you offers for your item, or even special discounts to try to entice you to purchase what’s in your cart.

8: Check the Return Policy

Return policy is important so make sure you read the fine print. Anything custom is typically a no-return policy, so be careful.

If returns are allowed, some company’s require you pay a restocking fee, or pay for shipping back to them. Again, read the fine print.

One benefit of shopping for furniture online through a brick-and-mortar store is that you may be able to return the item by taking it to a physical store. Wal-Mart, Target, and Home Depot are great retailers with both online and physical stores where you can take most returns purchased online.

Always read the fine print for return info on the product listing page. Check out the Penny Modern Resource page for more modern and affordable sources to buy furniture online.

9: Select your Shipping & Assembly Options

A lot of online furniture stores offer free shipping if you order a certain dollar value worth of furniture. Others, who also have physical stores, offer free ship-to-store service, where you pick it up for free at your nearest store. Alternately, you would need to factor shipping costs into your budget, after you enter your zip code at the checkout.

Keep in mind, most furniture purchased online has some assembly required. If you are not handy, some online furniture retailers offer assembly and setup for a fee (it’s usually given as an option at checkout):

• Amazon and IKEA offer an add-on to buy assembly and set up service through a third party.
• Living Spaces offers full service delivery for an added fee.
• All Modern and Wayfair also offer assembly for an extra fee.

10: Inspect and Enjoy!

OK, you bought your new table, and now it’s time to sit back and relax, right?

It’s not over yet folks – make sure you do a thorough inspection of the furniture once it arrives. You want to make sure all the pieces are there, and there are no scratches, stains, or broken parts. If so, you should take photos and contact the store’s customer service ASAP and let them know.

Put your furniture together, and enjoy it. You worked hard to find the perfect piece now put it to use.

Insider Tip: Some companies may not want to take returns on damaged merchandise, so they may offer you a significant discount if you agree to keep a piece damaged in transit.

Recap:

So, you now know everything I know about buying furniture online! We went through so much, and covered:

Understanding your needs & wants, measuring everything, budgeting, checking the specs, checking for scale. Then we figured out how to evaluate the quality of furniture online, finding the best price, and reviewing the return policy. Lastly, we learned about shipping and assembly options, and how to inspect once you get your brand new furniture delivered.

Which one surprised you? Let me know in the comments below.

I hope that my mistakes will help you buy furniture online like a boss! You got this!

Next, I recommend checking out my post, How to Design a Room (for beginners), for a full step-by-step guide on getting a cohesive, modern look to your home.