10 Upcycled Home Decor Ideas

Check out these upcycled home decor ideas and learn how to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces for your home!

I love taking old (sometimes worn-out) items and using them to make something new and amazing. It’s not only environmentally friendly to repurpose but it can also be a super inexpensive way to furnish your house, make a little money on the side, and create unique gifts for others!

The DIYs shown below have different skill ranges. Some require drilling and cutting with a chop saw but most are easy upcycles with a little glue and paint. I cover it all, so let’s get right to the trash to treasure home decor ideas.

1. Wood Picture Frame Tray

Old wood picture frames are everywhere at thrift stores and garage sales. You may even have a few that you’re not using around the house.

I love turning old frames into serving trays and it’s really easy to do. Just drill holes into the sides to add handles, paint, and decorative paper to the frame if you have a glass insert.

If your frame doesn’t have a glass insert or you’d like to remove it altogether, you can cut and nail wood craft board to the back and use a stencil to decorate your tray as I did here.

I also made a picture frame tray using broken ceramic plate pieces. It was a bit more work and required a few more supplies from the hardware store but it came out beautiful! If you’re interested, you can check out the full tutorial & video here –> DIY Mosaic Picture Frame Tray.

2. Bedpost Turned Into Candle Holders

If you run across chunky spindles or in this case an old weathered bedpost, consider cutting it down to make candle holders.

I found an old bedpost and small saucers at the flea market and thought they would make pretty spring candle holders.

To make them, I used a chop saw to cut the bedpost down to size and glued the saucers to the top with a 2-part Epoxy. Last, I dry-brushed white chalk paint onto the wood for a more weathered look.

3. Thrifted Containers As Planters

I rarely buy flower pots or planters from the store because there are so many free and nearly free items you can use as planters to add character to your home.

Keep an eye out for old tins, teapots, mugs, colorful bowls, and even old cookware. Click here to check out the old frying pan that I turned into a planter.

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4. Wall Hooks

Be on the lookout for wood salvage pieces like cabinet or drawer fronts that you can upcycle into wall hooks for extra storage.

I was given this old dresser drawer on one of my flea market trips but I really had no idea what to do with it. Since it was free, I took it home thinking I would turn it into an under-bed storage drawer with wheels.

Unfortunately, the bottom had water damage but I was able to salvage the curved front to make this fun wall hook sign to sell in my antique store booth.

To hang it, we added a French cleat to the back. If you don’t know what a French cleat is, it’s simply a way to mount something to a wall that can bear a good amount of weight.

You can buy a premade French cleat here on Amazon or if you have a table saw you can make one out of scrap wood. Learn how to make one in this video from Popular Woodworking.

5. Wood Hanger Made Into A Jewelry Organizer

I found an old wood hanger in the back of my closet and decided to add a few hooks to it to organize my chains and necklaces! You can find wood vintage hangers at garage sales, antique stores, and here on Etsy. Or, buy a few new ones on Amazon.

To turn this hanger into a jewelry organizer, I first added small hooks to the bottom of the hanger. I was able to screw five hooks into the bottom of the hanger by hand but you could also use plyers and a vice.

To pretty it up, I painted it white and used wood glue to glue this beautifully wood scroll accent to the front. You can find onlays and decorative wood pieces at most hardware stores. I bought this one here on Amazon.

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6. Upcycled Furniture

Consider upcycling furniture or making unique one-of-a-kind furniture pieces for your home!

Update an existing piece of furniture to give it new life or pick up a piece for a few dollars at a thrift store or garage sale to update. Sometimes you can even find amazing wood furniture on the side of the road for free!

I have a whole post with furniture pieces that I’ve upcycled. Some I used pieces and parts to make and others were nearly free like the table below that just needed a fresh coat of paint. Check out the full post here –> 12 Clever Repurposed Furniture & Small Furniture Refresh Ideas.

7. Old Drawer Turned Tall Table Riser

Old drawers can easily be turned into beautiful tall table risers like this one.

I pulled this drawer out of a wall shelf that I picked up at Goodwill. It was just a plain rectangular drawer that I added feet and embellishments to.

I’m using this riser in my dining room but you can make one using any small drawer you find to create pretty storage organizers anywhere in your home. Check out the full tutorial here –> Repurposed Drawer Upcycled into a Vintage-Style Table Riser.

8. Thrifted Book Stack Bundle

Decorate your home with color-coordinating book stacks! I love using pretty stacks of books to decorate with. You can find books like these with matching color covers at most thrift stores for just a few dollars.

Another option is to make book stacks out of Dollar Tree paperback books. If you’d like to learn how to distress paperback books, check out this tutorial –> How to Distress Dollar Store Books with Chalk Paint.

9. Glass Jar Candle Votives

Wide-mouth glass jars from the recycle bin can be used to make pretty candle votive holders. If you have a few glass gems left over from upcycle #8, use them to make these beautiful candle holders.

These sparkly candle holders make great gifts or make them as table decorations for your next wedding or party. Get the full tutorial with easy how-to’s here –> Glass Gem Votive Candle Holders.

10. Hand-Painted Bud Vases

There’s no shortage of clear glass bud vases like these at thrift stores and garage sales. And, you can usually get them for just a few cents. Why not paint a few to decorate your home and to give as gifts?

To make them, pick up a few small paintbrushes (small angled brushes too) and paint made for glass. Here’s a link to a set of enamel glass paint on Amazon that I love.

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RELATED PROJECTS AND FREE PRINTABLES:

• DIY Stairs Makeover – How to Paint an Interior Staircase
• Frying Pan Planter Upcycle With A Patina Finish
• Free Pumpkin Spice Art Prints
• DIY Farmhouse Wood Signs – Free SVG Files

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