Repurposed and Upcycled Home Decor Ideas

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Hi friends! Today I’m sharing a few ideas for repurposed and upcycled home decor. This is my number one trick for creating a beautiful home on a tight budget. Because what better way to save money decorating your home than by using what you already have?

Before buying something new, I always try to give what we already own a chance to be reused. You’d be surprised what you have sitting around, or maybe you’re ready to throw away, that you can use to bring beauty and functionality to your home with a simple DIY!

Along with our projects here at Full Hearted Home, I rounded up other simple and affordable DIYs for repurposing and upcycling that were too good not to share.

What does it mean to repurpose and upcycle?

Repurposing (a favorite word of mine around here), is when you take something you already own/buy second-hand/etc. and give it another purpose. For instance, we bought an old wooden china cabinet off of Marketplace and turned it into craft storage for our kiddos. I’ll show this below!

Upcycling is taking an old/dated item and giving it new life with a makeover, or giving it a new function. These simple DIY projects for your home do not necessarily have to be done with items you already own. You can check your local thrift stores, Marketplace, etc. Inspiration and ideas are everywhere!

So today, I’m taking this idea and discussing things that can be repurposed or upcycled around your home to create beauty and functionality!

Let’s dive in 🙂

THINGS TO REPURPOSE AND UPCYCLE FOR YOUR HOME:

1. Upcycle a vase with paint or an “aging” technique.

repurposed and upcycled home decor — Source: Full Hearted Home (me) 😉

2. Upcycle wooden bowls with bleach.

Such a good idea from the House of Hawthornes for catching things on tables!

3. Repurpose a china cabinet by turning it into craft storage.

This is one of my favorite projects to date. Easy, beautiful, and just so handy!

4. Upcycle a lamp with paint.

I love the look of an “aged” lamp like what we see at Hamilton Park Home.

5. Repurpose old dish towels, pillowcases, tablecloths, etc. to make throw pillow covers.

If you know anything about throw pillows, you know they can be expensive little things! I love how Hydrangea Treehouse utilizes fabric of all forms to make her own.

6. Upcycle a mirror by sanding and restaining or painting.

I sanded this one down, but the possibilities are endless. Paint, rub n’buff, etc. A great, affordable way to bring mirrors into your home that you love.

7. Upcycle old or cheap photo frames with spray paint.

I have a full tutorial on how I created a gallery wall out of Dollar Tree frames here.

8. Repurpose drop cloths by turning them into no sew curtains.

Full tutorial for how I did this here!

9. Upcycle an old throw pillow with a new, luxurious insert.

10. Repurpose an old bar stool by turning it into an end table.

I sanded down, trimmed off the bottoms, and re-stained these wooden stools with Special Walnut. They make the most charming little end tables in our living room!