WELCOME to CAROLINA PANACHE! I believe our homes should be a haven, a place of beauty and peace that reflect who we are and what's important to us. I'm on a journey to add personality and panache to every corner of my house. For me, good design evolves, grows and changes with the needs of one's lifestyle. I want my home to be creative, to be stylish, to be entertaining, to be real. I hope you will join me on my journey. It's always more fun to travel together.
This blog is all about bringing style and elegance to the home. The art of dressing your home goes beyond hanging a few items on the wall and arranging furniture. Much like a fabulous set of earrings or a new stylish handbag may take your little black dress from fine to fabulous, home accesories and key furnishings can take your rooms from ho-hum to singing the Halleluiah Chorus! Join with me as we discover new ways to add panache to every room of the house.

30 Days, 30 Tips to Budget Friendly Home Decor - Day 8

If you are new to my blog let me first say "thanks" for stopping by. Secondly, I am in the middle of a month long segment - "30 Days, 30 Tips to Budget Friendly Home Decor". I was listening to the news this week and a financial analyst was saying that our economy is showing signs of improvement! Yeah! That's good news. He also went on to say that Americans HAVE money but we are holding on to it and are making wiser decisions about how we spend, what we repair, restore and reuse and where we invest. The really good news is that Americans are staying home more and investing in, well, "nesting". So today's tip is about using what you have in a new and creative way. Day 8 - Tip 8:
Reuse, Restore, Repurpose
Using what we have in new ways is always fun. Looking at an old object and thinking of creative ways to put it to use can be a challenge but with a little inspiration you can find new meaning in that junk you were going to give to Goodwill. Here I will share some inspiration with you that will make you think twice before heading to the dumpster.
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1. The picture above shows a home office desk that has been made from an old, hollow-core door. All that was needed was a good sanding, a couple coats of primer and paint, and the addition of some table legs picked up at Lowe's and viola you have a great desk.
2. Okay, I LOVE this! A wooden wall cupboard that was rescued from an old farmhouse is restored to beauty and used in this modern kitchen as extra storage.

3. Egg cups! They're not just for Easter anymore. Use a collection of these mini cups as desk organizers. They are the perfect size for pushpins, paper clips, staples, stamps, etc. And they have so much more style than those plastic holders from the big box office stores.


4. Notice the white sideboard? It use to be an old table. A new granite top has been added as well as a fresh coat of white paint and two additional shelves for storage. What was sure to end up in the trash heap has now found new meaning.

5. The biggest problem with crafts and hobbies is usually where to store everything. Well here is a solution. An old bedroom armoire was salvaged from Goodwill and converted to a nifty home sewing center. When you are done, close the doors and the clutter is out of sight.

6. Don't bake in those muffin pans anymore? That's okay, use them as drawer organizers. The little cups are great for keeping your desk drawers neat and tidy.

7. Turn an old, wooden fruit crate in to a storage bin for extra pillows and blankets. When set upon a luggage stand it offers a convenient and stylish solution for storage.

8. In it's former life this utility cabinet housed cans of paint, household cleaners and hand tools. Newly purposed, painted and enhanced, it provides needed pantry space in a tiny kitchen. Adding cork tiles to the inside of a door panel provides a great place to tack up important reminders or shopping lists.
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With just a little thought and consideration you can just about find a new purpose for most household items. I'd love to hear about anything you were planning to toss but kept and reused. Tomorrow we'll talk about the soft side of style. I hope you will stop by.
Until then,
Happy Decorating!
~Alisa







7 comments:

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

What great ideas. I really love them all. The only thing that I have repurposed recently is an old 2 door storage cupboard that was once in a child's room for toys. Now it holds a lot of my candlesticks and things for tablescapes and crafting and fits perfectly in the laundry room. Hugs, Marty

Anonymous said...

I have a solid oak mirror hutch from a bed room dresser. It has shelves on both sides of the mirror. Loved it when it was new, but 28 years later I just don't want it any more. It fills up the tiny guest room. I've tried to think of a way to repurpose it, but just can't come up with anything. Unless I can find someone who wants it, I'm ready to remove the mirror and discard the huge frame/hutch Any ideas.

Deanna said...

Really like the old fruit box being used for blankets.
Thx for sharing and God bless,
d

Lisa said...

I love the egg cup idea. I have some that I NEVER EVER use, but they are so cute. Now I can put them to good use. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

It's interesting to see just how pervasive digital memory has become in our lives. It seems like everywhere I turn, I see something with a card slot or USB port, haha. I guess it makes sense though, considering how much cheaper memory has become lately...

Gahhhh, who am I to complain. I can't get through a day without my R4 / R4i!

(Submitted from Nintendo DS running [url=http://knol.google.com/k/anonymous/-/9v7ff0hnkzef/1]R4i[/url] Net5s)

Anonymous said...

Good fill someone in on and this post helped me alot in my college assignement. Gratefulness you on your information.

Anonymous said...

I love the desk idea... I wonder if it was a solid door or the easy to find and not terribly expensive hollow core door? I would love to do this for myself!

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