When decorating your home, most of your budget will probably go to large purchases, such as furniture or repainting your wall. The smaller touches, those that can really affect the overall feel and finish of the room, may seem like a luxury. However, you may be able to find many answers to your decorating desires already residing in your home.
Old items that may have been abandoned long ago, or are not being used to their full purpose, may be used in multiple ways around your home. You can find creative and unusual ways to store or display your treasured items, or even create new pieces of furniture from old ones. Some projects will take more knowledge and craft-based skill, but others may simply involve relocating a single object to its new home and purpose. Any one of the following ideas could be used to give your home decorating project its finishing touches.
Kitchen Items
The key to repurposing items from your kitchen is to look at them with fresh perspective rather than their original use. Many of these items can help you organize your kitchen to make it less cluttered and feel more personal. Consider how the following items may be used for other things:
- Glass containers, such as jars, can store food in a pantry or on shelves, which allows you to turn your supplies of dried goods into a more decorative display. They can also be used as drinking glasses, or candleholders. Glass bottles, particularly those made of tinted glass, can also be used to store decanted cooking oils for a sophisticated and functional look.
- Old ceramic dishes can be used in several ways around the house. Old cups, for example, can be used for potted plants or to hold small items. You can even use broken kitchenware, provided you are careful, as a border for a flower bed or as mismatched tiling for a craft project.
- Food trays are a wonderful addition to any room’s décor, as they allow you to select and display certain items while keeping the display contained so the room does not seem cluttered. They are also easily moved, making them perfect for an area such as bathroom counter.
- Cans or tins can be repainted and used as small containers for any loose items around your home. Keeping the same color for a number of cans and tins in different sizes can help maintain the appearance of a matching set.
- Cake stands can be used as decorative trays, perhaps to display jewelry or other small items. They can also be a nice option for displaying items on a kitchen counter, as they elevate the items away from the surface.
- Many types of dishware are beautiful enough to be used as decoration, especially in a kitchen or dining area. Decorative platters may be particularly appropriate for this, perhaps mounted on a wall. However, you can use your dishware as decoration even while it is still in use. Simply store it vertically on suitable shelving so it faces outwards and arrange it the way you want.
Organization
Many items in your home can be repurposed to assist you with your organization tasks. Use the following items to step up your organization game:
- Key and coat hooks can be used to organize many other items in your home. You can use them to hang anything from coffee cups to bathroom towels, depending on the size and sturdiness of the hooks.
- A bar cart presents numerous repurposing opportunities, to organize items as well as move them wherever you need them to go. Supplies for a hobby or administrative task, for example, could be set up on the bar cart, allowing you to move your activities to suit your needs.
- Ladders can act as a combination of storage and display, while not taking up much room in the home. Stepladders may be used as narrow shelving, perhaps as a bookshelf or nightstand. Longer ladders with rounded rungs may be used to hang blankets or towels.
- Benches are another item, often left without a purpose, which can be used as shelving. If you have a set of benches, these can be easily stacked to form a sturdy shelf set.
Storage
Everyone wants more storage and luckily, if you are creative enough, there are plenty of additional storage options you have not considered yet. Consider the following:
- Baskets and bins will generally have been purchased with storage in mind, but there will always be an opportunity for you use them in a new way. As well as storage, you may use one as a trash can if you line it, or as a plant pot holder. Less attractive baskets and bins are also easy to decorate for more a more stylish storage solution. You can even add wheels to the bottom of a basket for additional convenience.
- Old luggage is an excellent way to combine storage and decoration. Vintage luggage sets can be used as a display while also holding your belongings. Steamer trunks are an especially popular choice, as you can use the top as a table. They might be suitable for a coffee table or placed at the end of a bed.
- Crates offer a number of uses in your home. Old crates can be repainted or refinished and used for general storage. You can also stack them to create a set of deep shelving or mount them on the wall as a combined shelf and bracket. If the crate is sturdy enough, you can also turn it upside down to use as a side table or nightstand.
Tables and Chairs
If you have a partially damaged table, perhaps with a scraped and dented top or a missing leg, you may be able to salvage the good half. This can be set up as a console or sideboard in small rooms or hallways. Chairs may often be left over after you have updated your dining set. You might also have chairs that are no longer sturdy enough to be sat on or have a hole in the seat. If they are too pretty to consider throwing away, you could use them as a small table. This is often the best solution for a tiny spare room or narrow entryway where a normal table would not fit.
Doors and Shutters
Old doors and shutters can be repurposed in a number of ways. For example, you can paint the door or shutters and hang the piece on your wall as an eclectic piece of art. Shutters hung on a wall are especially useful, as you can hang items such as photographs or notes from the slats. You might even use them as an outdoor planter. A doors or shutter can also be used as an inexpensive headboard for your bed.
By Admin –
