Furnishing your home, can be an expensive business. Finding furnishings that we like can be fun, but affording a home makeover in these credit crunch times can seem almost impossible. However, with a bit of persistence and inventiveness , it is possible to both find and craft, lovely home furnishings which both reflect a sense of individuality and don’t break the bank.
1) Buy second hand. This has to be my biggest tip. The great majority of the goods in our house, are second hand. From the chandelier candlesticks on the table, to the washing machine, setees , even the light fitting in the bedroom were pre-owned.
It is amazing what people part with and in such good condition. Sometimes things may need a wash or to be mended , yet when saving money in the long run, it’s definitely worth the effort. Look online at www.ebay.com .
2) Learn to revamp or restore. Often there is a piece that I would like for my house, but it is the wrong colour or has a tiny flaw. For example, I have seen a chair in my local thrift store for three pounds. It is a dark wood dining chair with a red seat panel.
As it is , it would be just right for some people, yet I want it for my bedroom, where the colour scheme is much lighter. I intend buying the chair , but also a tin of gloss paint from a hardware shop and a fabric oddment from my local haberdashers.
Don’t think for a minute that I have great craft skills. Far from it! but chair painting is fairly straightforward. Just remove the seat pad and cover the chair in paint. Leave the chair to dry for 24 hours. Whilst the chair is drying, you could cover the seat pad in the fabric oddment.
Cut around the seat pad making sure you have enough fabric to cover all of the topside and underneath. Then using a staple gun , staple the fabric to the under side. Once the paint is dried , add the newly covered seat pad to the chair. Voila, your own bespoke furniture.
3) Recycle oddments. I have a great haberdashers , five minutes from home who are always selling oddments for a cheap price. It is amazing what can be achieved by using oddments. They can be used to revamp chairs , make cushions and for quilting and because they often come ready hemmed , there’s less work for you to do.
4) Reuse. There are a number of ways to aquire second hand furniture for free. www.freecycle.org, is a website whose philosophy is to encourage people to avoid placing unwanted furniture in landfill sites. Members use the website in order to give away or aquire furniture for free.
Another way to gain free furniture, is to look for for furniture that others discard. If the furniture is outside someone’s property , it is important to ask their pemission before you take it. However, many people are happy for their unwanted furniture to be reused. With just a small lick of paint, you may gain a little treasure for next to nothing.
Remember,you can achieve a homely and individual feel ,even on a budget.Just be inventive and have fun.