Ready for the 4 hacks on finding and creating high value decor without the high cost? These tips are must-know and sure to inspire your creative side. If you are like me you enjoy everything design. You watch all the Home improvement shows on TV, you watch DIY projects on Youtube, and you scan through interior design photos on Pinterest. You might think to yourself, “how does everyone afford all of this?” You do not have to make the big bucks to dream big. There are ways to decorate your living space in an inexpensive way. Think you know all the tricks for saving money and still creating high value design in your home. Test your knowledge with this List of decor hacks. I bet there is at least one hack in this list you haven’t tried yet.
HIGH VALUE DECOR WITHOUT THE HIGH COST HACK #1
Create personalized art to hang on your walls:
You might be thinking to yourself that you were never able to hack the whole art thing. You cant draw anything but a stick figure. Painting happy little trees with Bob Ross was never your jam. However, this hack may be more simple than you might think. All you need to do is check out your local second hand store and dig through the art section. You are more than likely to find a canvas with what might be an ugly painting across it. Yes, that is actually perfect! Don’t worry, I wont be telling you to hang the ugly painting on your wall. This is just an excellent way to purchase a canvas at an inexpensive cost.
Next, you will want to check out the craft store. What you will be scouting out next is a couple bottles of craft acrylic paint. You will only need two or three colors for this project. So it shouldn’t cost you more than a couple dollars. Think about the accent colors you have or are wanting in your home. These two to Three accent colors is what you will want to look for in the paint selection. So say your home design is consisting of turquoise blue, chocolate browns, and some gold or silver hardware for example. Those should be the colors you pick for your craft paint. Now, check out the sponge brushes. Sponge brushes can be inexpensive and are perfect for what you will be creating. Although, to save even more money you can just use an actual sponge for this.
Okay, so you’ve purchased your supplies at a low cost. So far so good. Now you just need to get painting. Do not be intimidated by this part. We are going for abstract design here. It’s just to get the pops of colors you need hanging on the walls. Use your Sponge to dip in the paint and smear across your canvas. You will want to use mostly one color and the other color or two as smaller smears. Just enough to break things up. Make sure you paint all four sides of the canvas as well. A great technique is to focus on your strokes. You should be breaking things up by stroking the paint vertically and horizontally. You will also want to use your sponge to just dab paint onto different areas of your canvas, creating texture. You can even add a couple splatters of paint here and there. Get creative, this is abstract, so have fun with it.
Remember, this canvas started out as a different painting that you covered up with your personalized art. If you get to a point during your painting session that you are not pleased with what you see. Just paint over what you have done until you are satisfied. You will probably end up wanting to make a couple of these personalized art pieces to hang up side by side. This trick is sure to stay way within budget and create a look for your interior that is unique and high value.
HIGH VALUE DECOR WITHOUT THE HIGH COST HACK#2
Hunt for treasures at a local estate sale:
You might think exploring the inside of a deceased person’s home is a bit creepy. Just don’t think about it as disrespecting the dead. Think about it as finding treasures that will be cherished by you for more years to come. People can become attached to their possessions. It makes sense, our possessions and our decor can be expressions of ourselves and our taste. Many people have travelled and been immersed in different cultures, collected art and other mementos over the course of their life. Many of these items are irreplaceable. Rare and unique items are most likely to be found at an estate sale. Sure you could peruse the target down the street. But, is another replica or variation of Live, Laugh, Love what you are really opting for with your home decor? You are sure to find something that wont break the bank but will enhance the personalized design of your home.
Things to search for at an estate sale are smaller items that are distinctive to your style. In my home I have a rustic and somewhat industrial, country theme. So for example I would look for anything that looks like a burlap sack. kitchen towels that have a rooster print on them, throw pillows that look like a feed and grain sack. I’d check for things that are made of corrugated metal. For instance, candle holders, coffee table tray, tiered trays and platters, decorative vases and planters, etc.
Figuring out where and when an estate sale is happening is the first step. For that I would suggest checking the classified section of your local newspaper, scoping out craiglist.org, or peaking at estatesale.com and estatesales.net. Don’t get spooked out of finding one-of-a-kind decor at a fair price. People do not live forever, but high value decor does!
HIGH VALUE DECOR WITHOUT THE HIGH COST HACK #3
Keep your eyes out for yard sales:
Yard sales can have outdated, bland junk. Its a rarity to find real treasure at a yard sale. This is usually the last stop for someone’s baby clothes and other outgrown and washed up items before heading to the dump. Before you bypass the yard sale all together though, let me give you this food for thought. In four words, old, sturdy, wood furniture. These days we spend way too much money on flimsy particle board furniture pieces. At yard sales people are typically trying to rid themselves of outdated wood grain bookshelves, coffee tables, dressers, etc. I get the idea they are looking for an upgrade on their homes design. This is a concept I can appreciate. Although, I see one major flaw with this. This flaw is going to be a benefit to anyone driving by a yard sale. Their loss will be your gain. The idea I want to present to you is, paint wood furniture!
Painting old wood furniture is the best way to update the old furniture piece and your living space. Wood grains that look like they belong back in the forest will be completely transformed by painting the item black, off-white, dark brown, or a warm neutral color. If you are not experienced with painting, that’s okay. You do not need to try antiquing techniques, stencils, or multiple colors. Just stick to one neutral color that will match the room it will be living in. I guarantee it will look like a brand new modern piece of furniture.
Yard sales are great for price because people are basically trying to clean house. They will practically give it away and come down on the price even more so, if need be, the majority of the time. You may also want to consider that bookshelf on your neighbors front yard with the sign that says free. If its in great condition and has not been damaged from the weather it could be a real opportunity for you to decorate your home with only the cost of some paint. Some older pieces of wood furniture have real character and charm. The kind of charm you wont find at IKEA and other big chain retailers. You could wind up with some attention grabbers in your home that look high value without the high cost if you just give that wood dresser or TV stand some TLC and some paint.
For some tricks and tips on buying paint check out Do’s and Don’ts of Interior Painting.
HIGH VALUE DECOR WITHOUT THE HIGH PRICE HACK #4
Get yourself to the flea market:
If you find yourself becoming a pretty creative type and you’ve really figured your way around a yard sale and a paint brush. It may be time for you to step things up and enter the world of repurposing. There are so many quirky and sometimes random items at the flea market. But the great thing about the flea market is that there is so much variety at different prices. The Flea market is a great place to negotiate on price so you are bond to find an item at a cost to you that is reasonable.
An item that I find works well in many different styles of interior design is the vintage steamer trunk. Steamer trunks can actually be a costly item, unless of coarse you can find one for a great deal. Flea markets are great for that. If you are going to find a steamer trunk for a lower price a flea market is going to be your best bet. The perfect thing about steamer trunks is that they can be left in their vintage form if its suits your style. Or if you would prefer, you can paint them, update their hard ware, make wooden legs for them to stand on, or attach industrial wheels at the foot of the trunk. They can be used in so many different ways, from coffee tables, to TV stands, to entry tables and even more! Steamer trunks can be just about anything your repurposing heart desires.
Don’t limit yourself to looking for just one specific item. Flea markets are all about being creative and finding an item you can imagine using as something else. Any item can become high value Decor if placed in your space in a deliberate and creative way!
Whether you are making the big bucks or not, I hope this list of 4 hacks for high value decor without the high cost finds you well and inspires you to create a beautiful living space that is unique to you and your style.
