Do you admire homes that look beautifully put together, with a clear colour palette, or theme to the decor?
Do you sigh over the room reveals on shows like “The Block”?
Maybe you get inspired by Ikea or Pinterest or home decor magazines.
But then … you look at the mish-mash of stuff in your own home and despair?!
Well, here’s how you can give your home a makeover for under $5.
I’m serious!
What Can You Do with a Tube of Paint
The secret? Buy a tube of acrylic paint from your local discount store – mine cost $3.99.
When we moved into our home nearly nine years ago, it was practically brand new. We fell in love with the leafy outlook, and with neutral colours throughout – off white walls, white subway tiles, beige kitchen – it was a blank canvas. Even our furnishings were mostly white or light timber. It desperately needed a pop of colour!
I found a gorgeous shag rug for the princely sum of $30 on Gumtree (I do love me a bargain!) and suddenly I had my colour scheme. Teal with the cream, beige and brown.
Once I’d decided on a colour it was easy to add accents like cushions and curtains, and a collection of glass jars on top of my kitchen cupboards.
But what about the things I already had that WEREN’T teal? Or were just plain white or something else boring?
So one day I picked up a tube of bright aqua acrylic paint from the junk shop – and I went a little crazy.
I brushed some on picture frames (below). Admiring my handiwork, I knew I couldn’t stop there.
Next – I added some to a painting we had on the wall. It had all the neutrals and a bit of blue in it. But I just knew it would look so much better with some aqua and teal added – so I did! Now if you looked at it you would never know it hadn’t started out life that way.
Then I painted all the inspiring words scattered throughout our living areas;
and I even transformed some ornaments and other bits and pieces that I’d mostly picked up from the op shop previously, like this bird.
Such a simple tip, yet it transformed our kitchen, dining and family room space. And all with a $3.99 tube of acrylic paint!
Have I inspired you to try this very affordable decorating tip in your home?!
Great idea, Janet. I’ve been collecting lots of tips on Pinterest to do with upcycling, but haven’t had time to put them into practice yet. Our house is certainly a mishmash of colours, so I’m not sure one tube of paint would do the trick. Some walls are white, others pale yellow or pale mauve. But that’s a great tip to get some accents happening.
Sounds colourful! 😉
Love this upcycling idea. I didn’t know where you were going to go with the $5 tip at the beginning of this post but by the end I was hooked, line and sinker 🙂
LOL good to know I ‘caught’ your attention using a click ‘bait’ title!
Clever cookie. great result 🙂
Thanks Jan, I’m pretty happy with it!
What a great idea. I was intrigued by what you were going to tell us. I couldn’t think how on Earth less than $5 could do anything.
This is fabulous Janet. I was wondering what the hack was going to be. Love that colour you’ve chosen too. You sure are very clever!
Nah, just on a budget … necessity is the mother of invention as they say!!!