Need some cheap furniture to create a living space in your college dorm? Here are 5 creative pieces of furniture that you can make cheaply and sometimes for free. These furniture alternatives are super easy to set up, versatile, and great to take apart, transport, and reuse!
The door filing cabinet and desk
The most important thing is the desktop. You will spend a great deal of time hunched over your desk studying and doing homework. It must be a large and resistant piece of furniture to stack many books. The cheapest way to achieve this is the door filing cabinet and desk. It’s simple: get two file cabinets and a door from Home Depot or Lowes. Stack the door on top of the filing cabinets and voila, you have a spacious desk!
Estimated cost:
$20 for an unfinished door
$50 for two file cabinets
The computer chair with exercise ball
You can’t have a desk without a chair. An exercise ball is not only very affordable; It may be the most comfortable computer chair you’ll ever have, especially for your back. Forcing you to balance and contract your abs, an exercise ball is ergonomically correct for your body. Just make sure you get the correct size (the size recommendation is on the box and it usually depends on your height). Exercise balls are also a great way to multitask. When not used for a chair, they are great for toning and conditioning the body.
Estimated cost:
$15 for an exercise ball
The milk crate bed frame
Be sure to get commercial strength milk cartons. Don’t trust cheap retail imitations. You can order them online for a relatively low price. If you can get them for free at grocery stores, even better! All you need is a mattress. Just line up the milk crates on the floor and slam the mattress on top. Milk crates make it easy to store things under the bed. They are also very versatile. If you decide to buy another type of bed, you can always use the milk crates for other furniture such as side tables or bookcases. They’re also great for moving around!
Estimated cost:
$Free! (or relatively cheap)
The cinder block book box
Cinder blocks and wooden slats are cheap and readily available. A trip to a hardware store will provide you with the two things you’ll need to create this trusty old piece of furniture. The amount of cinder blocks and wooden slats needed depends on the size of the bookcase. For a bookcase with three shelves, 6 cinder blocks and 3 pieces of wood will do the trick. Simply place the wood on 2 cinder blocks at a time.
Estimated cost: (depends on size)
3 wooden slats: $15
6 cinder blocks: $12
The trunk coffee table
An old trunk has a lot of character. Not only is this a vintage and eclectic piece to add to your apartment, but it’s also practical. Store blankets and other items you don’t use inside. If you have an old trunk lying around, perfect! But even if you have to buy one, they’re not that hard to find. Keep an eye out for thrift stores or grandma’s closet. Old tea boxes make pretty coffee tables too. But they are getting harder to find.
Estimated cost:
$Free! (or thrift store prices)
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