One of the most important things about decorating on a budget is…
…look at common items as a possible decoration to accessorize your home.
Simple common items that you may discard, often make beautiful decorative objects to personalize your shelves, walls, tables and counters.
Plus, one of the added benefits to using everyday items is they are inexpensive or you may already have them. Which if you are decorating on a limited budget is really important.
Anytime you do not need to buy something new to furnish your home, saves money.
Some everyday items can easily be repurposed or upcycled into new decor.
To help you start looking at everything as a possible decorative item…
26 Common Items that Transform Your Home Decor on a Budget
Wooden Ladders – wooden ladders are very versatile common items. You can do a number of things with a ladder…hang it from the ceiling to hang pots and pans, as a magazine holder, and my personal favorite as a towel holder in your bathroom.
Nut Jars – you may have received one of these jars as a holiday gift…I did and I was quite excited. After you eat delicious nuts keep the jar to decorate a coffee or end table. Place colorful items inside to add a pop of color to a room.
Dishes & Glassware – if you have open shelves in your kitchen, displaying your dishes, bowls, mugs and other glassware becomes the decor in your kitchen. If this is the situation in your kitchen, get dish ware with color for an instant accent.
Plates or Platters – antique or China plates or platters hung on the wall adds a focal point in a dining room.
Baskets – use baskets of any shape or size to decorate…plus baskets can be layered with other decorative items or to organize other items. You can even paint thrift store baskets to get them a new updated look.
Trays – food trays are fantastic multi-use items for your home. Place a tray with a few books and accessories to dress up a coffee table or bathroom counter.
Books – books you already have can you can use to decorate for home. Create small stacks of interesting books to place on shelves or console tables.
Vases – cheap vases are great to keep around for decorating a mantle, table or counter. If you have clear glass vases you can spray paint the glass another color to give a cheap vase a fresh look.
Vintage Anything – vintage items are wonderful items to keep and have on hand when decorating. Vintage camera, typewriters, or other small objects are interesting to mix in with new items. If you do not have any vintage items see if your parents or grandparents have anything you can have.
Empty Food Boxes – you can reuse empty food boxes (cereal, oatmeal, gram cracker boxes) into inexpensive organization trays. Dress up a normal cereal box with decorative scrapbook or wrapping paper…no one will know that it is just a cereal box underneath.
Purses – for the guys that read my blog this is not for you…ladies if you have a collection of purse and handbags display them altogether on floating shelves or on wall hooks. Not only will this give your purses a dual purpose…you will also be able to find your favorite handbag a lot faster.
Jewelry – sorry guys one more for the ladies…display your jewelry altogether in your bathroom, bedroom or walk-in closet.
Cake Stands – cake stands are get for elevating other decor to create different layers…which is a key to styling any space. Check the my post, How To make a DIY Ring Stand in 5 Minutes, to see how to make a mini cake stand.
Mason Jars – Mason jars are very popular these days because there are so versatile and add a rustic and somewhat an industrial feel to a room. You can use Mason jars as vases, candles holders, and even as a pendant light.
Hand Mirrors, Perfume Bottles, & Brushes – in your bathroom display a nice tray of perfumes bottles, a nice hand mirror and hair brush can give the room a simple sense of elegance.
Luggage – if you have old luggage that you are no longer using…repurpose it as inexpensive decor. You can also store items in the luggage to hide clutter. There are also many ideas out there on ways to recreate old luggage into end tables, liquor store, bookshelves, etc.
Wooden Utensils – in your kitchen wooden utensils, if you don’t have any you can be pick up some cheaply at thrift store. Wooden utensils are great for dressing up your kitchen counter. Place them in a utensils jar to create quick and functional decor in your kitchen.
Wine Glasses – if you have wine glasses you only use periodically, use them in the meantime as decor. You can flip a wine glass over to be used as a votive candle holder and place things inside the glass to quickly add seasonally accents…such as cinnamon sticks for fall and cranberries for Christmas.
Maps – frame old maps from your glove compartment or cut maps out of a world atlas. A large map creates an interesting focal point in a room.
Sports Equipment – if you are stumped on how to decorate your kids room…display their sports equipment. Skateboards, baseball bats and gloves, hockey sticks, skis, etc. make great decor in a teens room. Same thing can be done with musical instruments.
Doors or Shutters – old doors or shutters painted in an accent color and hung on the wall is a cheap way to add artwork to a room.
Architectural or Industrial Items – fancy moldings, old pulleys, gears, or tools are the perfect item to style a shelf or mantle with. Clean these items a little bit, but not too much because you want their age to show.
Coffee Beans & Dried Beans – beans in a glass vase or jar look great on shelves and can add pops of color to a room. If you don’t have coffee or beans, some other great options are pasta, cereal, snacks, and baking ingredients.
Empty Wine Bottles – empty wine bottles can be upcycled into home accessories. Empty wine bottles make great vases, paint them a different color to match an accent color in a room or make a pendant light with them.
Scrap Wood – I keep and collect a lot of scrap wood…scrap wood can be used in many ways to decorate your home. You can stencil or transfer words onto the wood to create a personalize wall sign, put several piece together to make a platter, or if you have enough scrap wood, create a whole wood plank wall.
Stones or Rocks – stones or rocks are great little decorative items you can pick up for free out in your yard. A small stone can top a stack of books on a coffee. A heavy rock can make a bookend. Stones and rocks are more than just paper weights when it comes to decorating…they bring a connection to nature into your home.
Home Accessories are Easy to Find
I hope that this list shows you that you can decorate your home with items you already have or things to can purchase very inexpensively.
The whole idea is to look at everything around as possible decor for your home. You may have to use your imagination a little bit to repurpose an item, but often common items make great home accessories…which saves you money.
What everyday items have you used to decorate your home with?
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