Our motto is to create a stylish home you love but it shouldn’t cost the earth — figuratively or literally! We’ve always been keen thrift shoppers and upcyclers, and love how this movement is gaining popularity. Blame years of fast-furniture and fast-homewares or simply the ever rising cost of living but there’s been a noticeable shift recently towards more sustainable home decorating ideas.
People seem more open than ever to upcycle furniture, reuse old items in new ways, and shop more consciously to be kinder to the environment and their wallet. And we’re here for it! To inspire you to join this movement, we’ve gathered our favourite eco-friendly home styling ideas.
Related article: 50+ ways to save on the cost of living
Related article: 23 decorating hacks for rental properties
1. Give old furniture a refresh with paint
Possibly one of the most popular ways to upcycle an old piece of furniture is with paint. But what many people don’t know is just how easy it is to do this! From chalk paint that doesn’t need primer to spray cans that cut the time down to minutes, this quick upcycle hack will have you looking at old furniture with new eyes.
Over the years, Gina has painted plenty of furniture including a thrift store dresser and old timber coffee table in a tile-effect.
Tip: You can be so creative with paint. Consider using two colours to do a stripe or checkered pattern. Or channel your inner artist and try a floral or other pattern. Did you know it’s not just timber and metal that can be painted but upholstery too?!
2. Reimagine dated photo frames
We love how photo frames can personalise your home by displaying your favourite memories but they’re typically pretty boring! This clever thrifter picked up a range of old photo frames and gave them a cohesive glow-up using paint, timber beads and stain. Not only are the results fab but this video is too cute not to watch!
3. Old towel becomes cement vase
Some people are just so creative! Before you throw away your old towels, consider making your own concrete fluted vase like Shannen of @ourperthreno did! Essentially she dipped an old towel in cement and allowed it to dry over a PVC pipe to create this luxe-looking fluted vase.
Find all our favourite concrete DIYs here.
4. Turn old bedsheets into wall art
There are sooo many ideas out there on how you can turn old bedsheets into wall art. Many of them are questionable, haha.
This understated one we found on TikTok was one of the best, achieving a modern, minimalist aesthetic. Whether you have old frames you don’t like any more or bedsheets that have seen better days — or both! — you can use this DIY tutorial to repurpose those materials. Consider putting your own spin on this art, perhaps incorporating colours you like or playing with different forms.
@kaelimaee trust the process LOL i love how they turned out 🥹🤍☁️ #fyp #foryoupage #aesthetic #home #decor #diy #wallart #diywallart #texturedwallart #satisfying #minimalist #inspo ♬ Black Out Days – Sped Up – Phantogram & Speed Radio & Esteve
5. Left over pavers becomes side table
If you’ve got left over pavers, why not turn them into a stylish side table? Gina used left over terrazzo tiles to make this curved side table. But if you can’t cut the pavers down to size, you can simply place 3 pavers in the same T design to achieve a similar design. Follow our DIY tutorial to make your own side table.
6. Dated vases get a clay makeover
It was hard to miss the ‘Trash to terracotta’ trend a few years ago! While the ultra-organic aesthetic has tempered down, there’s no denying this is still a fabulous way to give old objects a completely new look and feel.
To create the clay-effect paint, all you need to do is add a teaspoon or two of baking powder to regular paint. Whether you have an old vase or perhaps a table lamp with an unsightly base, this painting trick will have it looking like a contemporary, clay piece in no time.
7. Turn a plastic bottle into a pendant light
Want to add ambience to your home with softer lighting? This DIY pendant light using an old plastic bottle looks fab, especially when several are clustered together.
@curiguay Magnifica Lámparas Colgantes con Botellas plásticas #diyproject #diy #homedecor #reciclagem #lampara #lamparacolgante ♬ I'm Good (Blue) – Cupido
8. Reuse old jars as pantry storage
You don’t have to spend hundreds on beautifully matching plastic or glass canisters for your pantry when you can reuse jars and tins. We love this mix of jars below and the use of a white chalk pen to give them that whole foods aesthetic.
9. Make a coffee table out of cardboard and paper
Won’t lie, we were super sceptical about how this would turn out but shut our mouths when we saw the final result. Seriously!!!
No one would know this organic looking table is made from cardboard and paper mache!
10. Drawers become a hanging planter
There are so many ways you can repurpose timber drawers around your home. Just google ‘drawer upcycle’ and you’ll find ideas ranging from magazine storage boxes to hanging planters! It’s a clever idea to salvage what you can from an old piece of furniture that can’t be restored.
11. Turn a plastic cleaning bottle into a vase
If you’re in need of a vase, this inexpensive hack is sustainable and stylish! We’d probably leave the jute twine and consider using a coloured paint or the clay-effect paint trick we mentioned earlier. How would you put your own spin on it?
@iza.mariano.diy Oi, genteee! Tudo bem por aí? 😍❤️ Que tal reciclar e criar uma peça linda para decorar? Olha só esse vaso boho feito com pote de amaciante! 🏺✨ Me conta aqui nos comentários, você também amou essa ideia? 🥰 Para fazer esse DIY, usei: ✅ Um pote de amaciante vazio ✅ Cola quente ✅ Fio de juta ✅ Tinta acrílica branca (misturada com bicarbonato para dar textura) ✅ Uma esponjinha para pintura —– Hey everyone! 😍❤️ How about recycling and creating a beautiful decor piece? Check out this boho vase made from a fabric softener bottle! 🏺✨ Tell me in the comments, do you love this idea too? 🥰 For this DIY, I used: ✅ An empty fabric softener bottle ✅ Hot glue ✅ Jute twine ✅ White acrylic paint (mixed with baking soda for texture) ✅ A sponge for painting . . . . . #DIY #vasoboho #reciclagemcriativa #decoracaoboho #facavocemesmo #decoracaosustentavel #bohodecor #bohostyle #handmadedecor #upcycling #homedecor #artesanato #craftideas #decoracionboho #reciclagem #passoapasso #tutorial #tipsandtricks #casacriativa #criandoedecorando #artesanatocriativo ♬ Anxiety – Doechii
12. Plastic bottles become floor lamp
Talk about looking at rubbish in a whole new way! Gen took a bunch of old plastic bottles and turned them into this contemporary floor lamp! Find out how on her blog.
13. Keep pretty tins and turn them into a lamp
Turns out almost anything can become a lamp — including cute food tins! Loads of people commented on this video saying how much they loved all the creative ideas, and that the most creative thing they’ve done with old tins is use it as storage for their coffee pods. Hey, that’s still repurposing and reusing!
14. Turn your old tyre into an ottoman
If you’ve got any old tyres around the place, why not put them to good use and turn them into an ottoman or side table? Simply wrap them in rope and you’ve got a durable, weather resistant piece of furniture — perfect for your outdoor area.
Find all our favourite rope DIYs here.
15. Make an unusual floor lamp with paper mache
Never have we seen this — not made from new materials or recycled ones! Innovative and unusual, this lamp inspires many creative ideas… What would you make out of paper mache?
What’s your favourite sustainable home decorating idea in this round up? Or perhaps you’ve spotted something else you think should make the list? Chat with us in the comments.
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