The cute knick-knacks and organisers that you see on decor websites and lifestyle stores can be prohibitively expensive. But that is where DIY comes in. You can make so many creative and artsy things for use around your home with the objects that you already have. And the best part? You can rest assured knowing that what you have is one-of-a-kind.
With a bit of elbow grease and some creativity, you can whip up something brand new and funky, which can be customised to your own requirements. Depending on the size of the space you decide to decorate, you can choose to scale these tips up or down. Here are some great potpourri decor ideas you must include in your home.
Most of the things required to perform these DIYs are already available in most houses, so you don’t even need to step out of your home. Let’s get started on 10 ways you can give your home an affordable facelift!
10 Affordable Decor Ideas To Revamp Your Space
1. Upcycle Books To A Shelf
If you’re a bookworm and proud of it, you can repurpose a tall stack of books to create a display rack or a nightstand. Just make sure that you use books that are all roughly the same size and thickness. Resting them against a wall will help give them some extra support.
2. Use Wine Bottles As Vases
The elongated necks of wine bottles can easily be used to keep some dainty flowers, both real and fake. If you tie some thin thread around the base of the bottles, they look even more rustic and charming. If you want some diffused lighting, you can even put a string of fairy/rice lights in an empty dark-coloured bottle of wine. They work really well as centrepieces for the dinner table too.
3. Print Out Your Photos
Even in this age of digital photographs and soft copies, the beauty of an actual paper photograph has not diminished. Print out a few of your favourite snaps and get them laminated or framed to add a personalised touch to your home.
4. Add Some Corner Shelves
Don’t let your corners go unutilised. Install a few shelves and put in some travel memorabilia, knick-knacks or souvenirs to liven up your space. Shelves made for the sole purpose of hanging in a corner are cheap and easily available at second-hand furniture stores and even online. And if you buy them in glass or engineered wood, you can get them at a very reasonable price.
5. Hide Your Cords
Messy tangled from your different devices and appliances can clutter up any space and make it look like an eyesore. Pack away your wires neatly behind large pieces of furniture or in a specially designed cable management box. You can even use cable ties (similar to the plastic locks used for bags when you check luggage at the airport) to tidy up your cords.
6. Swap Out Dark, Heavy Curtains
It has been scientifically proven that if you wake up with sunlight hitting your face, you wake up in a more comfortable and relaxed state of mind. To this end, it would be really helpful if you replaced your thick, black-out curtains with some semi-sheer and translucent ones that allow air and light into your space. You can even make your own curtains by repurposing some old sarees or bedsheets.
7. Create A Low Seating Area
For an informal and chilled-out vibe to your space, you can spread out a thick rug on the floor and spread some cushions and throw pillows on it. They are wonderful for long conversations and endless cups of chai on lazy weekends. Keep them against the wall so that people who sit in that spot can rest their backs comfortably.
8. Use Coffee Mugs As Planters
So many of us have been gifted one too many coffee mugs by people, most of which we end up not using. Use the mugs or some glass jars to grow money plants or bamboo plants. Both these plants require minimal maintenance and attention, aside from being watered periodically. If you are having trouble getting the labels off your jars, try using nail polish remover as it works incredibly well in removing sticker glue. For bamboo, jars with wide mouths, like the jar Nutella comes in, are preferable. You can also make these plants in jars or coffee mugs a part of your office desk decor to bring some freshness around your workstation.
9. Make Some Origami Flowers
Take your room from generic to artsy just by putting up some origami flowers or butterflies on your wall. If origami proves to be too much of a challenge for you, you can also cut them out of different kinds of paper to make a beautiful design on your wall that costs next to nothing.
10. Make A Paper-Mâché Lampshade
Most people will associate paper-mâché with art projects from their school days, but it can also be used to make some really interesting decor objects, like bowls and lampshades. Lampshades, in particular, can be made in really interesting shapes and patterns. Though the process is time-consuming, the ingredients required for this are easily available at home and the result is truly worth it.
Make your dream home come alive right in front of your eyes with these easy DIYs and save some money in the process. This is adulting done right!
