A Quick Office Refresh with Facebook Marketplace Furniture

Give your office a quick and stylish refresh on a budget with step by step decorating ideas and a thrifted furniture makeover.

*Thank you Facebook Marketplace for sponsoring this post. There’s something for everyone!

One of the things I missed most when we lived overseas for the last four years was the ease of buying and selling things through online places like Facebook Marketplace. So you can bet with our new house in Fort Worth, I’ve been keeping an eye on furniture and home decor in local listings. I enjoy the process of turning our house into a home that my family and I love both stylistically and functionally. We have a home office for the first time and it’s been high on my list to refresh it since it’s where I spend most of my time. There are plans for a major makeover in the future but, in the meantime, I gave it an update by rearranging furniture, office items, and adding a couple of much needed chairs I found on Facebook Marketplace.  

I love that you can peruse Facebook Marketplace listings in your neighborhood and immediate surrounding area, which makes it super convenient to shop. I found a group of four mid-century modern chairs and wasted no time in picking them up. They needed some love, so I cleaned them, and reupholstered the seats with a boho style fabric to give them a great pop of color.  

How to Refresh Your Office on a Budget

1. Start with What You Have – We pulled two bookcases from storage and flanked my desk to create a sort of built-in bookcase look on the far wall, which is also the main focal point. My vision is to have custom built-ins for maximum storage, but for now I’m working with what I have.  
2. Live with it for Awhile – Use your space for awhile and ask yourself if you can use more storage, organization, a better flow with the furniture arrangement, and/or better light. My makeshift built-in is perfect for me to test the area and design custom built-in plans that will cater to my needs.
3. Write Down a List of Items to Improve the Space – We have three students in our house and my family loves to play board games and do puzzles. I have been wanting to add an extra work space in the office to keep these activities off our dining table.
4. Shop for Used Pieces on Facebook Marketplace – I brought in a round tulip table that was in our living area and used two of the chairs I found on Facebook Marketplace to create the extra work space. The round shape of the table and small scale of the mid-century modern chairs fit nicely in our small office.

The Easiest Type of Furniture Makeover

Now I like to think I could tackle any upholstery project, but I definitely look for pieces that can be doable for just about anyone. Looking for chairs with removable seats is a great way to try out this DIY for the first time.  

1. Clean off your furniture with soapy warm water and a rag.
2. Unscrew the screws underneath the chair cushion and remove.
3. Carefully remove staples with pliers (wear gloves for extra protection).
4. Assess the padding to see if it needs to be replaced, and replace, if needed.  
5. Staple new fabric over the padding, folding the edges under.
6. Place the seat cushion on the chair and screw back in the screws. An easy way to do this is to place the chair upside down on another chair to hold the seat in place.

What a difference this refresh made! Now it’s much less distracting to spend time in the room, and my entire family has already used the extra work space. Not bad for an afternoon of cleaning and DIYing for under $100! Next on my to do list for room makeovers is our living and dining area, and I’m already keeping an eye on Facebook Marketplace to see what goodies I can find!

You might also enjoy:

A Colorful Spring Home Tour