Thousands of people spend millions of dollars on home improvement every year in the United States. However, you do not need to spend so much to change your home. By incorporating some older, unexpected items and some new decorations, you can make a bold statement without having a bold bank statement. By following these simple tips, you can update your home by using old items, and saving tons of money.
Recycle and reuse old materials instead of buying new ones. If you tear down a shed, barn, garage, or other structure, consider using the dried wood to make tables in your new home.
Use older furniture for pieces like bookshelves, cupboards, and vanities. These are all great areas where the age of a piece can add a touch of quirkiness, and make what would normally be a boring and simple piece exciting in its environment.
Make light fixtures out of common items like mason jars or bottles. These can add a rustic feeling to your room, and create a unique lighting experience. Using older lamps, refurbished kerosene lights, real and electric candles, and patterned lamp shades can also create a unique and interesting environment for you.
Salvage old pieces of furniture and re-use them with a new coat of paint or stain. This can add a lot of character to your home, and give it a lived-in feel. To do this, simply grab an older piece of furniture. If it is wooden, and already painted, simply paint over the old coat of paint. If it is stained and has a clear coat over the stain, try the paint. If it does not stay, take the stain and the clear coat away and apply the paint.
Combine new items of furniture and old ones. This can add an interesting flow to your rooms, and can link all the rooms of your house together with the common feature of being mixed. If you have one room of all old furniture and one room of all new furniture, the feeling can be very strange and create a feeling of awkwardness as people move from room to room.
If your furniture is old enough to be unstable, you may need to install braces. You can use tea to stain the wood and make it appear older, or simply place books over the braces and use the braces as a bookshelf. This can add an interesting feel to the piece, while also having a dual purpose. Placing books in unique places can be one way to handle a book storage problem, which many book-lovers find to be a very real issue.
Though it seems against the grain to use strange, reclaimed, or discarded items in a home you are trying to improve. However, in an age of up-cycled, re-purposed, and re-cycled materials, using old items can be a charming touch on a new and modern home. By following the simple tips above, you can adapt old pieces into your new and modern home to give your home a happy and rustic feeling and tone.