|
As you know, I'm a big supporter of recycling and upcycling items to use as home décor. I talk about it all the time. I share tips, tricks and projects. And I advise my clients to use what they have before purchasing new furnishings and décor items.
There are so many ideas, but I'm going to share with you my five favorite no-cost/low-cost and eco-friendly ways to decorate your home. 1. Shop in your house - Chances are, you have décor and furnishings in the attic, the basement, and even in closets that you've forgotten about. Do a sweep of your house to look for pieces that could be used where you need a functional item. Think out of the box and forget how a piece was designed to function, but think about how it could function. 2. Thrift shops, yard sales, online sites - You can find some great items for short money from these sources. There are people who are just looking to clean out their homes and therefore price items very low. These are also the perfect places to find vintage furniture. Antiques are typically well-made and very sturdy. If a piece is structurally sound, but isn't very pretty, look beyond the "ugly" and think about how a coat of paint or refinishing could freshen it up. And, of course, don't forget to check out all our fun pieces at Better Than Before Home Furnishings! ;-) 3. DIY décor - Get creative! Pinterest is my favorite place to find ideas. Do a search for an item that you have or that you need and see how many ideas pop up. It's amazing how much lovely décor can be made with what you have lying around the house. Artwork can be made very easily by framing beautiful calendar photos, maps or even a scrap of fabric. Glass pickle or mason jars can be spray painted and used as vases. Or an old cutting board can be painted with chalkboard paint and become a message board for the family. The possibilities are endless! 4. Natural elements - Nature offers so many treasures. Pinecones, pebbles, shells and sea glass make great fillers for vases or candleholders. A piece of driftwood is a nice piece of table décor. And, of course, if you have a garden, fresh flowers always bring beauty into a room. 5. Swap with friends - We all get tired of our own décor at some point. Before you take a trip to the second-hand shop to make a donation, call up some friends and see if they're ready to do the same. Have a girls' night and ask everyone to bring several pieces (or pictures of furniture, if the items are large) and swap your less-than-loved items. You can create a new look and help your friends do the same.
0 Comments
 I'm going to tell you something that you may not know. In fact, you may want to argue with me about it. But, believe me, it's the truth.
Your wall color should be one of the last things you choose when decorating. Yup, that's the truth. Why? Well, it's much easier to choose a paint color that matches or complements your furnishings than the other way around. Paint can be tinted to an endless amount of colors. But have you ever tried to find just the right color fabric for a sofa, or window treatments, or a rug that coordinates with your wall color? Talk about frustrating! If you're redesigning your entire space, it would make sense to choose all fabrics and colors together. But wait until you've chosen your color palette before you go to the paint store. Then it makes sense to bring samples of your items and fabrics to match. If you're redecorating over time, but anxious to paint your room, contain your excitement. You'll be happy that you did.  It's outdoor entertaining season. If you love to entertain, you probably have a great outdoor space that you set up each year. To me, it's just as much fun as decorating indoors.
I have a beautiful metal gazebo that fits perfectly on my patio. Unfortunately, it's not the type that can stay up all year. I’ve been hauling that thing in and out of my shed for the last 3 or 4 years, setting it up with step stools and a balancing act, and decorating it to be not only functional, but pretty and cozy as well. Then in the fall, I take it back down, again looking like I’m performing a circus act all the while. It looks beautiful when it’s constructed, complete with mosquito netting, lights strung inside, and planters holding colorful annuals. I only wish I could add A/C to it! I work hard to make it a space where my family and friends could hang out on beautiful summer nights, enjoying the sounds of nature without having to worry about mosquitoes. And each year I like to switch things up a bit. First things first Like I would with any room inside my house, I first have to determine how I need the patio to function. I know that we’ll need to keep the grill there. We sometimes eat on the patio, and if we have visitors, we’ll sit out if it’s not too hot or cold. So now I know that we'll need at least some portion of the patio that is not enclosed (for the grill) and would still like to have a covered area to sit because there is no shade. Layout Thinking about my intended function for this space, I’ll make a sketch of the patio and place the grill first. Because of the importance of the placement of this big item (because of the fire hazard), the layout of the remaining pieces will revolve around it. With that taken care of, I’ll determine where it makes sense to place a table and chairs. I’m also thinking about having a small, separate seating/conversation area, and probably a table near the grill for food preparation. I may need to come up with two or three different layouts, based on different functions or needs, to see what may work best. Inventory I will have to take inventory of the pieces I already own. I also like to have measurements for each piece. Once I come up with a layout, I'll see which of my existing pieces may work, what may not work, what I may be able to repurpose or what may need to be purchased. I will also look around in my garage, shed, in my house, and at yard sales if I am looking for any other specific pieces. Once I know what my layout will look like and I have the furnishings that I need, I can start accessorizing. This is the fun part. Flowers, tablecloth, outdoor carpet and lighting are some accessories that can help pull the design together. Whether you're decorating inside or outside, the basic principles are the same. Determining the intended function of the space is the foremost decision. Once you know what you expect from a space, the planning becomes easier.   Have you ever refinished a piece of furniture? Well, I haven't. Not in the sand-down-to-raw-wood-and-restain-it type of way. I typically paint furniture. And when my client asked me to refresh this table she was gifted, I have to admit that I was a little bit scared–especially after she told me that it was about 100 years old, and very dear to her. Yikes! She had been a client for about a year and I've been to her home numerous times, picking up furniture pieces to paint for her. So when she told me she'd like me to refinish an antique table, I thought, 'No problem!' Until she gave me all the details. She told me that she didn't want it painted. Ok then. Did she want it re-stained? If she did, I have some contacts I can refer her to. Nope. Then what did she want? She really didn't know, but she did know that she didn't want it painted or re-stained. So I told her I could clean it up and make it look new again. I thought, 'OMG, I can't ruin this table!' So my research began... I wanted to find a way to do this without having to strip or sand, but that resulted in a beautiful finished product. Here's what the table looked like before I touched it. There were lighter spots and darker spots (I assumed that some were water stains) in the wood. The table is very sturdy and there were really no deep scratches or holes, so overall, it was in pretty good condition. Now to get to work. Here's what I used from start to finish (Links to the products are at the bottom of this post.): - Cotton rags - Super Fine (#0000) steel wool - Murphy's Oil Soap - Howard Restor-A-Finish (Natural) - Howard Feed-N-Wax The first thing I did was use Murphy's Oil Soap and a wet rag to wash the entire piece. By doing this, I was able to wash off any surface dirt and oil. Next–and I was really nervous about this part–I took some super fine steel wool and dipped it into Howard's Restor-A-Finish and started scrubbing (WITH the grain. Always WITH the grain). I started slowly because I was afraid that I'd leave scratch marks on the table. But the wool is so fine that it didn't leave any marks. I kept dipping the wool into the product to be sure my wool didn't get dry, and I finished the entire table. It took a little elbow grease–and I probably could have used more to get deeper into the wood, but it did strip off enough of the finish and get the grime off the table. Every so often, after finishing a small area, I'd take a wet rag and wash away the dirty Restor-A-Finish from the table so it didn't seep back into the wood. Here's an in-process shot. You can see that many of the stains have been removed and the beautiful grain of the wood is visible.  Some of the wear was still visible so I did work on it a bit more after I took this picture to try and remove the remaining stains. (I later decided that the very dark stains must be burns in the wood because they just would not clean up.) If I had used my hand sander on the tabletop the stains would probably have been removed, but I don't have the ventilation in my work area to do the deep sanding that was needed. In any case, I got the table to a point where I was happy with the result. The last step was to seal the table with Howard's Feed-N-Wax. It's a wood polish and conditioner that contains beeswax and orange oil, and is food safe. Again, I used a cotton rag and rubbed the wax on very liberally. It's very greasy and has a consistency of petroleum jelly. After leaving the wax on for about an hour, I took a clean rag and wiped off any excess that sat on top of the table. I let the table sit overnight before I took yet another clean rag and polished the table. And, voilà, the finished product! I'm so pleased with the result! It's G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S! And now I know that there is a way to refresh a wood piece without worrying about stripping off the finish and sanding down the whole dang thing. Of course, there are cases where stripping and sanding would be the best option but this is a great process that can be used on a case-by-case basis. Give it a try! Happy decorating! ~Kerri  Click on any product below to purchase. Products include affiliate links. I may receive a small fee for each product purchased, but you will not be charged any more for any of the products.
|
I'm Kerri.I like to create, inspire others, and make things beautiful. Archives
August 2024
Categories |
RSS Feed
