Thinking of redecorating because your initial decor is looking tired? If your tastes have changed or you just feel like something new, you won’t have any regrets. But sometimes, we look at past-their-prime items with sadness. They were so nice when they were new, but no longer! All is not lost. Oftentimes, worn out seeming furnishings can be hiding their true potential and just need a little loving to be repaired, restored to their former glory, or updated. Explore these options before you consign your old decor items to the trash or the nearest junk store.
1. Renew it with Professional Cleaning
Before you take offence – we’re not implying that you don’t know how to keep your home clean. However, experts at Woodard Cleaning and Restoration say that when cleaning is your business, you have a few tricks and some super-cool (and expensive) equipment that ordinary households won’t have. Sometimes, all it takes is a real deep-clean by the experts to restore dull and faded-looking furnishings or carpets to their former glory.
2. Restore It
Back in your grandma’s day, this was the rule rather than the exception. Nothing was ever discarded if it could be mended. Today, we’re more likely to replace things, but restoring them could save you money – or a much-loved item you’d be sorry to get rid of. What steps you take will depend on the item and the reasons why you’re no longer happy with it. Options would include refinishing of wooden furniture (a nice DIY project if you’re that way inclined), reupholstering soft furnishings you’ve grown to love, or repairing wonky tables and chairs.
3. Reinvent or Repurpose It
Converting one thing into another, finding a new way to use it as is, or making an old item take on a completely different look will require some creative thinking. Ideas could include moving furniture from one place to another.
Love that battered couch? Maybe it will be at home on the patio or in your workroom – a throw can cover a multitude of imperfections. South-facing curtains faded? Maybe the less-faded, north facing ones can go to another room or you can use the curtain fabric to make something entirely different. Do you own a set of chairs of which some are past praying for? Mixing things up with occasional “odd” furnishings is very stylish these days.
Thinking of ditching things that look cheap, dated or drab? It could be that a coat or two of paint can turn them into a stylish statement. Let your creativity run wild and see what you can come up with.
4. Broken but Smart
Some things are just plain broken, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be smart. Turned table and chair legs can make great candle holders, for instance. Worn out window frames can become photo frames or even cabinet doors, and broken vases or china can become planters or rough yet character-filled mosaic tiles. Before discarding broken items that you’ve grown to love, take a long, hard look at them. You might just find a fun and quirky idea for reusing them in your home’s interior or exterior decor.
