Decorating your Burlington apartment can be a lot of fun, even if you’re on a tight budget. You just need to get a little creative. And by incorporating upcycled pieces throughout your apartment, it can end up looking even better than using store bought designer pieces, at a fraction of the price. Get creative and inspired with some of these upcycled home décor ideas.
Side Table Recovery
If your side table is beginning to look battered and scratched up, but you’re not ready to purchase a new one, you can easily refurbish the one you have to make it look like a top designer piece that you just brought home from the store. All you need are some paint stirring sticks (so try to ask the paint guy at the hardware store really nicely for a bunch extras), in addition to stain and polyurethane. With these three ingredients in hand, all you need to do it cut the stir sticks in measurements that create a zig-zag pattern that will fit together along the top surface of your table. You can attach and seal them with the polyurethane, and finally add on some satin to create that vintage, rustic tabletop look.
Mantel Head Board
Need a new headboard for the bed but can’t afford it? Well if you can get your hands on an old mantelpiece, this is the perfect project for creating your own headboard in a creative and trendy way. You can attach it to the wall and paint it in whatever colour you like to suit your bedroom décor (white is usually a good neutral option, or a stained wood). Then think of ways to get creative with that inner section – add a wooden board with neat designs on it, attach fabric on top of a wooden board, add some funky tiles – whatever tickles your fancy. The best part is that you can place some candles, books, or even paintings on the mantel to finish it off nicely.
Storage Bins
We know that when it comes to apartment living, maximizing storage is important. And once you’ve gone through your shelves and junk drawers during that spring cleaning, you need somewhere to put those items. A creative solution for this is using old crates that you can find just about anywhere these days (check out your favourite wine store for some freebies). You can have some fun with these by painting them, or adding a rustic stain. Then simply paint on a label, such as “Books” or “Paints” or whatever it is you need to store in them. Add on some wheels to the bottom and slide them under your coffee table to add that quaint little rustic touch to your décor. It looks great and lets you neatly tuck away some of those items.
Lamp Shades
If your lampshade is looking discoloured and old, there’s no need to go out and spend $50 odd dollars on a new one. All you need is the perfect sweater to get this job done, with little to no costs involved. Start by finding a sweater – a colour and pattern that you like and could use as a lamp shade. If you don’t have any old viable options, head down to your local thrift store in Burlington, or make a day of it and head to a flea market on the outskirts of down. You’ll need a sweater that isn’t too thick and can stretch over the shade in a snug enough fashion. Then all you need to do is pull the sweater down over the lampshade so that it’s nice and snug. Make sure it’s even, and then begin trimming off the excess material. Leave about an inch of material to fold over the top and bottom to secure with hot glue. And that’s it! You have a unique, fashionable new lampshade that cost you next to nothing.
Decorating your apartment doesn’t have to break the bank. Get creative instead with some of these upcycled ideas for your new apartment in Burlington!
