DIY: Simple ideas that create riches from rags
February 26, 2020
When you look at old objects with an imaginative eye, anything is possible. This is the key to transforming your home from dowdy to plush on just a small budget.
Creating a cohesive and beautiful home on a tight budget can be more than tricky. All of the accessories and details that make a home look richly decorated can really add up. However, with some simple DIY projects, you can give your home a luxury look and feel while remaining on budget.
First off, avoid department stores or specialty stores that will tempt you to pay $50 for something you can make for $5. With a few trips to the thrift store and craft store, you can recreate almost anything you dream of.
Re-purposing Old Furniture
Buying new and expensive furniture is completely unnecessary, even if you want furniture that looks new and expensive. You can grab a piece for free or cheap online or at a used goods store like Goodwill or Salvation Army. With the proper cleaning, coat of paint, or upholstering, you can turn a drab old piece into something new.
For instance, old fashioned oak furniture can always be sanded down and painted. Add a few cheap brass handles from a hardware store and you have something that looks like it came straight from Ikea.
If you’ve got a torn and stained sofa or armchair on your hands, instead of buying a new one, simply invest a little bit into cleaning it and then buy a large, cheap piece of fabric that you can use to cover the old upholstery.
DIY Shelves
Shelving and all the pieces you put on your shelves can add a rich and carefully designed look to your decor. But shelves can be pricy. In order to create fancy shelves on a budget, you can:
- Find old shelves or wood someone is giving away on Craigslist.
- Buy a used shelving unit from a thrift store.
- Buy wooden planks from a hardware store and try to get any metal hardware on sale.
Once you have your raw materials, you can sand down the wood you have and paint it whatever colour you like. You can make it shiny, matte, or skip painting altogether and varnish the wood instead if you’re going for something more rustic.
Home Decor From Nothing
Thrift stores, yard sales, and estate sales are great places to get home decor for free or extremely cheap. Keep an eye out for anything you can re-do or remake into something special. An old glass jar filled with marbles, flowers made from old newspaper, dollar store picture frames, spray painted vases and lamps with freshly painted shades can all add sophistication to a drab room. If you know how to sew, it’s easy to get cheap fabric with online coupons and make your own throw pillows or buy large pieces of fabric to make your own curtains.
It’s also a good idea to reuse and recycle things you may have thrown away otherwise. Old t-shirts you would otherwise throw away can be braided together to make a boho rug or old coffee canisters can be repainted to make beautiful storage containers.
Chipped teacups or mugs can hold flowers and broken or scratched CDs can be cut into pieces to make a shiny mosaic picture frame or piece of art.
When you look at old objects with an imaginative eye, anything is possible.
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