Little Cost, Big Change: Unique Home Makeovers

Tracy Hutson and Tanya McQueen of Lifetime’s latest addition Picker Sisters truly know the meaning of this old mantra: “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”  Every Tuesday, you can watch as the bombshell beauties scour everything from shabby retail stores to junkyards to find hidden treasures for your home.  The décor duo seems to majestically morph junk into utter gems, and that’s why Cotton Candy asked the home-style ladies to divulge some of their biggest secrets on how to turn your scrap into stunning pieces.  The best part?  These ideas will cost you little to nothing.

Architectural Salvage

Seemingly, every homeowner has replaced a window or door, removed molding or cut down trees in the backyard, then wondered what the heck to do with the scrap junk left from the mini-renovation.   Now is your chance to mix a bit of the old with the new.  Use old discarded molding as a frame around a plain bathroom mirror. Tree stumps can be reused as stools, or to elevate an art piece to set it apart from the collection.  Try using that old door as a headboard; use the window as a tray.  Everything old really does have another purpose.  It’s refreshing to think outside of the box and give scrap a new use.  All it takes is a little vision and voilà! You have one more feature that makes your house unique.

Architectural Salvage

Furniture Swap

The old rearrange-the-room trick has been used a thousand-and-one times, but try embracing it in an amplified way.  REALLY move stuff — switch rugs from the bedroom to the dining room, blinds from the office to the kitchen. Pillows play musical chairs and accessories get pulled and moved from one space to another.  This is a crazy way to think about it but is similar to changing the style of your hair without getting it cut or colored. Move the part.; wear it curly instead of straight.  The change provides a new look without spending a dime.  You can also try simply swapping furniture pieces with your friends.

Wall Art

Think about hanging art in unusual places.  Instead of centering a picture on the wall or even combining multiple pieces in the tried-and-true “collage layout,” try nailing art right in the center of a bookshelf or on a cabinet door to create a twist on the expected.    Another option is to use leftover paint to create frames on the wall.  Fill each frame with a child’s drawing, sketch or painting masterpiece.  Or draw something yourself. For a whimsical approach to liven up the walls, use a wall in your bedroom or bathroom to hang hats in a uniformed pattern, or scarves in a sweeping fashion—remember that accessories shouldn’t be stuffed away; your beautiful bits and bobs can serve a dual purpose of making YOU and your HOME beautiful.  For those who really want to mix things up, the idea of wallpapering a wall or ceiling with original personal photos makes the eclectic heart swoon.

Wall Art

Shop Nature for Décor

How many times do you flip through the pages of design magazines and see really beautiful flower arrangements? The answer is probably every other page.  Those arrangements can run hundreds of crisp, hard earned dollars.  The first step: trusting your own creative chops.  Rip examples that you’ve seen and loved from those magazines.  The second step: step out your front door and start clipping.  You don’t have to have a beautiful English garden or a green thumb.  Mother Nature has done the work for you.  Look for flowering trees, bushes and plants. Try finding interesting twigs, grasses or seasonal flowers.  Finally, using an interesting container, start putting all of your finds together.  Use your inspiration photo as a guide or just trust your gut.  Sometimes, one large tree branch in an interesting container livens up a space.  Bringing the outdoors in adds breath to your room.  It’s textural, colorful and best of all, FREE.

Shop Nature

Nature Table

A nature table is one of the coolest and earthiest ways to add texture, color and visual intrigue to your home.  It’s a way to enlist the entire family your home’s aesthetic.  It is a one-of-a-kind art installation.  Choose a space, preferably one that is commonly passed through or occupied by visitors, so to ensure it gets the maximum ooohs and ahhhs.  Now, begin the hunt for interesting rocks, twigs, feathers, bones, shells, bird’s nests, sea glass, any interesting discarded organic materials.  This makes every walk through nature an adventure.  It doesn’t matter if you’re on vacation or in your backyard.  Look around.  You’ll be surprised to discover Mother Nature truly is the best inspiration for design.

Photo Credit: Skip Bolen