4 Tips for Thrifty Home Decor

Need a thrifty way to spruce up your home? There are lots of great resources for frugal and unique items that require just a little bit of creativity.

Here are some tips on trying your hand at thrifty home decor:

1. Become a regular at your local thrift store
There are tons of great home decor bargains to be had at the thrift store. Some of the furniture might be old, stained, or beat-up... but think outside the box and you'll find some great pieces to reuse in new ways.

• Wood furniture can be sanded and repainted for a quick refresh
• Picture frames can be reused as is (love the distressed look!), repainted, or repurposed.
• Artwork on canvas can be painted over. Use multiple canvases painted a solid color as a grouping, or do easy stripes or stencil shapes.

2. Discover a flea market
You'll find some of the same items at flea markets as you will at thrift stores, but flea markets tend to have a much wider variety because there are so many vendors.

• Old doorknobs and furniture knobs can be reused or mounted on wood and used as hooks
• Old children's books and old cookbooks are great sources for pictures to frame
• Salvaged metal work, sanded and sealed, is great wall decor.
• Windows, with or without glass, can be painted and hung on the wall.
  

3. Reuse fabric
There are many places to find old, funky fabric, including thrift stores and flea markets! Look for bolts of fabric, sheets, curtains, or clothing. Yard sales are another great resource, as are the bargain/remnant bins at fabric and craft stores.

• Put fabric in a frame or wrap it around a canvas and secure with staples. Hang as artwork.
• Recover old chair cushions with new fabric. Simply remove the screws holding the chair seat in place, wrap and staple the fabric, then screw back together.
• Recover old pillows, or get new pillow forms, with new pillow cases.
• Wrap unsightly but practical items in fun fabric and use for a new purpose. Upturned garbage cans work as a plant stand. Stacked milk crates can be an end table.
• Drape fabric over a curtain rod for an easy swag or scarf look
  

4. Don't be afraid of used upholstered furniture
A good vacuuming and a can of Resolve will clean up reasonably-used furniture. (Skip anything that smells like cigarette smoke or anything with holes too big to patch.) Then just spruce it up!

• Buy or make a slipcover. A slipcover isn't cheap, but is a lot less expensive than buying new furniture!
• Use a coordinating blanket or throw to cover the back or arms of a chair or sofa
• Add homemade or store-bought throw pillows for a splash of color

Finding your own style, and finding a way to express that style frugally, means taking chances. Not everything you try is going to work out, and that is OK!

Take a few of the ideas above, or come up with your own ideas, and go for it! The great thing about frugal decorating is that if you don't like the end result, you are not out much money and it's inexpensive to try something else.

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