How to Upcycle Your Home on a Budget

In 2022, the way we view the world is changing. While everything around us seems to move at a rapid pace, lots of us are making a concerted effort to slow down and take a more mindful approach to living. We’re increasingly noticing the impact we have on our environment and many are endeavouring to make positive changes, whether by turning their backs on fast fashion, adopting recycling as a routine, or trying, in general, to live more sustainably.

This trend extends to our homes, with upcycling being a key example. Not only is this good for the environment, but it can also be beneficial for those working with a smaller budget. That’s why we’ve created this article. In it, we’ll look at some great ideas for reusing, repairing, and recycling the items in your home so they have a positive impact on both your purse and the planet.

Change the colour scheme to transform your space

Upcycling, by definition, means to reuse and repurpose something that’s no longer useful. While it usually relates to transforming items, it can also extend to reinventing interior spaces. Say you have a small downstairs room you’ve fallen out of love with. As it stands, it’s become an overflow area for excess junk and things that don’t seem to fit anywhere else.

This is a waste. Ask yourself what sort of space you’d really benefit from having. It doesn’t matter how frivolous it is. Maybe you want a craft room or a second small office for when you and your partner are both working from home. At this moment in time, however, it seems uninspiring.

One of the easiest ways to breathe a new lease of life into an unloved room is by painting it a different colour. Think about what you want the room to convey, and don’t be afraid to experiment – what’s been painted once can always be painted again.

If it’s a cheerful, happy place, for example, you might try a vibrant yellow or soft spring green. For somewhere more tranquil, a pale blue or dusky pink. Whatever you opt for, try to inject the area with a sense of personality.

Then select furnishings that complement your choice. By the time you’re done, it will feel like an entirely different room, and all it will have cost you is the price of a few tubs of paint and perhaps a couple of new cushions and a throw. Anything else you need can be sourced from other rooms or picked up cheaply from charity shops or Facebook Marketplace.

Borrow bits and pieces from elsewhere

When it comes to transforming your home, your goal should be to turn it into the sort of space you need. This isn’t the time to think small; dream big and push the boundaries when it comes to working with what you have.

This means re-assessing every room to see whether it serves the best possible purpose. If it doesn’t, think about what it could be rather than what it is. Let’s return to our home office example.

Creating a special space for when you work remotely might seem like a costly endeavour, but you can often use what you already have to furnish it. All it requires is a little imagination. Say you want a desk but don’t have a spare lying around. Do you have anything that could double as one, like an old side table gathering dust in the garage? Repurpose, reuse, and keep your outlay to a minimum.

Repair and reuse

It’s not only that you can reconnoitre items and use them elsewhere. You can also gather up any broken pieces of furniture you have lying around and fix these up to breathe new life into your interior. Garages, outbuildings, and attics are often a good place to start, holding most of the things we’ve forgotten we were meant to fix.

Assess the damage and decide what’s salvageable. For breaks, you’ll want a type of glue that’s going to last. Avoid picking up whatever’s easiest to find in your local supermarket and look for a specialist brand for a solution that will endure. You ideally want something designed for DIY and craft, so you can be certain it has the properties you need.

For tarnished or stained surfaces, a coat of paint can work wonders, and you have lots of different options and finishes to choose between. Chalk paint is great for creating a distressed look, but do your research to decide what sort of aesthetic you’re aiming for.

It may be necessary to sand first, depending on the degree of damage you’re trying to fix. Reupholstering can also work wonders for any furnishings with damaged or outdated fabrics. Anything you don’t need or want should either be recycled or donated to charity to declutter your space and give you more room to work your magic.

Source what you need second-hand

On that note, if there’s anything you need but don’t already have, think about how you can source it sustainably. Buying second-hand is cheaper and better for the environment, and there are lots of different ways to get your hands on any furniture, fixtures, or fittings you require.

Your local charity shops and thrift stores are a great place to start and allow you to support worthwhile causes when you spend. However, their selections may be limited. If you can’t find what you’re after, head to Facebook Marketplace or other selling sites to see what’s available. By purchasing locally, you’re reducing the carbon footprint of any items you buy.

There’s lots of great stuff out there. The old saying that “one man’s trash is another’s man treasure” has never rung truer, and it’s possible to completely overhaul your interior without buying anything new or direct from a retailer. This way, you’re reusing and repurposing what somebody else couldn’t and massively scaling down how much you spend.

When it comes to improving your home, there are so many ways to do this without breaking the bank or buying new. We’ve outlined a few of them above, but there are many more to discover with online research. Why not see what you can achieve when you set your mind to it?

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes