You have a penchant for style, but dislike the consumerism that oftentimes comes in tow. Luckily, there are many ideas and techniques for curating beautiful, sustainable interior designs, a fashionable wardrobe, and fun decor on a dime. Repurpose items you already have or find for a great price to create a complete custom, unique look. Here are some ways to achieve environmentally friendly style without breaking the bank.
Interior design
Home design trends are constantly in flux, and it can be a strain on your wallet to try and keep your home up-to-date. Rather than replacing all your current furniture and fixtures, research ways to reuse and repurpose your existing home items.
One of the easiest ways to update your home is with paint. If your dining room is beginning to look a little drab, paint your chairs with an eye-catching color-blocked, or dip-dyed design. Painting your fabrics and ceramics with a simple design of stripes or dots will also give them an instantly-updated look.
Apartment Therapy offers lots of creative ideas on their website, where you can find some great DIY inspiration.
Landscape & patio
Outfitting your outdoor space can be surprisingly expensive. For example, quality patio couches and tables can cost upwards of $1,000. A sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to pre-made outdoor furniture is to create your own wooden pallet furniture. Wooden pallets can be found in any industrial area, around warehouses, or even at grocery stores. Find a place that is willing to part with some of their used pallets for a low cost.
Once you’ve located your pallets, review online pallet furniture tutorials—Pinterest has plenty to choose from—and find the right design for you. From tables and chairs, to unique planter boxes for your patio garden or summer herbs, pallets are terrific, inexpensive materials from which you can construct solid, unique furniture pieces to outfit your outdoor space.
Add a few splashes of color to your newly designed yard area by finding unused items around the house to repurpose into decorative planters, lanterns, or bird feeders. Brightly-colored coffee cans, empty wine bottles, and mason jars can all be reused for stylish form and function outdoors.
Fashion
If you’re trying to stay on-trend, the cost of new clothing and accessories can get pricey. Instead of heading to your local boutiques, look into a clothing trade program or resale retailer in your area. If there’s nothing nearby to suit your styling needs, check out ThredUp, which is a large online consignment shop specializing in high quality like-new clothes.
- Sunglasses can be the ultimate fashion accessory since they’re easy to take anywhere and they give you an instant look of cool. If your favorite pair is scratched, replace your lenses rather than investing in a new pair.
- Instead of tossing an old scarf or tie, repurpose it into a hair accessory, decorative purse, or camera strap.
- Have some old T-shirts ready for retirement? Cut the fabric into strips and use those strips to weave a braided headband or stylish belt.
It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to make a statement. Take advantage of items you already have lying around and discover ways to give them new, fashionable life.
Content provided by SocialMonsters. Feature image courtesy of Aditi Rao