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As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become wiser—and that includes my approach to home decor. Over the years, my style has evolved, and now I lean toward a more minimalistic aesthetic. But let’s be real: my style will probably change again in the future! So, how do you keep your space fresh without spending a fortune? The secret is simple: to create a joyful space, let the “new” inspire you to find purpose in the “old.” Repurposing old pieces is a great way to breathe new life into your home—it’s like designing original pieces that are uniquely yours!
Create A Joyful Space: Let The New Inspire You To Find Purpose In The Old, By Dying a Leather Couch!
To Create A Joyful Space: Let The New Inspire You To Find Purpose In The Old by dying your couch! This is probably the one project I wish I had attempted sooner. It’s the simplest, least expensive project with the biggest impact! The idea of dyeing my sofa struck me while shopping for a new piece for my front living room. I was drawn to Restoration Hardware’s $6,000 “Kensington” sofa (pictured above), and that’s when I had an idea: why not dye my 24-year-old brown sofa, which has a similar style, to get a similar look? I’m thrilled with the results, and I know you’re wondering—”Does the dye rub off?” The answer is no! When applied correctly, it should last just as long as your sofa’s original dye. And just so you know, this DIY project can be applied to any leather items you own—shoes, handbags, pillows, and more!
Create A Joyful Space: Let The New Inspire You To Find Purpose In The Old, By Making a Plaster Lamp!
If you have never worked with plaster, it’s not a difficult product to work with. It’s like icing a cake! Although probably not as difficult since I stink at icing. Anyway, I found this lamp online and at the time, I really liked it. However for one lamp, it was a whopping $495, and I would need two! This is when I decided I could make a similar lamp out of my slightly outdated existing lamps. All I used was a few little styrofoam balls (cut in half), hot glue, plaster and paint. Not to brag, but I actually like mine better than the $500 version.
Create A Joyful Space: Let The New Inspire You To Find Purpose In The Old, By Creating Your Own Art!
You can spend the majority of your budget on commissioned art, or even original one of a kind pieces. However, depending on your style, creating your own piece of artwork really isn’t as intimating as you may think. Just remember art is subjective. Because I’m super in to texture and raw elements when it comes to design, perfection when it comes to my style isn’t exactly what I’m going for. Which means, my artwork doesn’t have to flawless. For me, painting minimal art or even plaster art goes well with my aesthetic. If that’s not you, try websites where you can download or purchase original prints and frame them yourself!
Create A Joyful Space: Let The New Inspire You To Find Purpose In The Old, By Recovering A Chair!
Now I am by no means good at reupholstering furniture, nor do I know how to. But what I’m suggesting is to make your own chair covers. First find an inspiration piece to keep your vision alive while tackling this project. I purchased the fabric from Hobby Lobby and had the lady working in the fabric department help me with measuring out exactly how much I needed. I covered each chair and just began to cut where needed. Then I stapled, and used a little hot glue for stability. Honestly both chairs turned out exactly as imagined with exceptional durability.
Brittney Jackson contributed to this article.