I am always having a “play“ and repurposing the items that we own in our home. I love moving pieces of furniture around and or creating new vignettes on a coffee table or on a side board.
I have 2 designated cupboards, where I store candles, vases or other decor items, that I tend to reach for seasonally or simply because I like to have them to hand, to switch things up around my home. Some of the bigger items, like pictures, lamps etc. I keep in our loft. I have accumulated some of these items over the years, when decorating previous homes.
I completely understand, that for some, decor purchased or even gifted many years ago, may not fit the aesthetic of their current home because of a number of varying factors; such as a moving to a period property, and or because tastes have simply evolved over time. However, I always recommend to my clients, that by selecting your favourite pieces and incorporating them into your current scheme, not only will bring you happiness but also will bring life and personality into your home.
Recently, we retrieved from our loft a glass side table which had been hibernating up there for 8 years! We had purchased it many years ago. The reason for fetching it down, was to fill a newly empty spot in our living room. In this room, we had a beautiful large palm, that had gotten so big that I had decided to relocate it to another area in our home. So in its place, went our M&S tall floor lamp, which had originally lived next to the fireplace. We had toyed with the idea of investing in a bar cart, but we chose to be sustainable by using a lovely and simplistic glass side table that had been waiting patiently to be repurposed again! Please see the ‘before’ photo below of the space in question:
Before: Tall lamp in the corner of our living room
The beautiful painting, we bought a few years ago, for that specific wall space and it has been living in that spot happily ever since. However, I needed my husband to use his excellent DIY skills to rehang it, so that the glass table would be centred between the fireplace and the wall – yes I am that pedantic! I follow the museum approach; I measure 145cm from the floor, this is the ideal height for the middle of your painting. However, all rooms are different and the museum approach may not the best option for your decor. If you are confident, you can use your ‘eye’ to judge where to hang your painting. This will allow you to balance your furniture, doors and windows. The tip is to make sure it is at a comfortable eye level.
After: The new styled set up with our “repurposed” glass table
Again, I used items that we already possessed to decorate it. A table lamp, that we purchased over 15 years ago for our first home, we updated it with a new lamp shade from M&S, which we bought last year. I used 2 picture frames, one with a lovely family photo taken this summer on one of our many adventures in Norfolk, and a glass sculpture, to style out the space. I am so happy with how it looks.
Do you repurpose items in your home and relocate them to other areas to style and bring them back to life?
If you do need any assistance in styling your home, please contact me for a confidential chat. I look forward to hearing from you, Elizabeth.
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