Monday, 4 May 2015

Buying New v Using Old

Moving house is expensive! Most people can't afford to buy all new everything to decorate the new place. We've recently moved and can't (and wouldn't want to) buy all new for the new house straight away so I'm looking at ways to adapt things we already have.
gold spray paint bedroom accessories
A step by step tutorial to make this little gold heart pot can be found here
I've been mostly working on our bedroom in the last few weeks. In the old house it was natural colours (cream/beige/brown) with quite a lot of splashes of turquoise picked out from the wallpaper as an accent colour.
In the new house we have inherited cream painted walls with one wall a gold strip wallpaper and white woodwork, included built in wardrobe doors. We also have these beautiful glass light fittings left by the previous owners. 

A little while ago we visited Dubai and on that trip went to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque at Abu Dhabi. It's VERY beautiful and I loved the white and gold colour scheme.

So in a spirit of using what we have and not redecorating a perfectly nicely decorated room (that's SO not going to happen around here) We're adapting some things to fit our new classy cream/white/gold look. Luckily a lot of our stuff already goes as the colours are not that different to what we had before, I've just been doing a little tweaking.

Remember how I made this earring holder with the pom pom trim. This was one of my first ever blog posts!
I pulled the pom pom trim off and left a bit off a mess.
Also, remember this trim I added to a little cardi to make it fancy for evenings out? I had a little bit left over.
I super glued the trim on to cover the damage and gave it all another spray of gold paint. 
I think I like it better than ever (though I do still love pom poms - I haven't completely lost my mind!)
DIY gold earring holder

We had a complete absence of drawer space in the new bedroom so I have splashed out and bought this IKEA Hemnes chest of drawers and matching bedside tables.
 
 
They are a great size with masses of storage but those black handles are not right with our new look, I like them but it just doesn't fit with the rest of the room. I can't decide if they give it a country look or an industrial look, maybe both? Industrial country chic?
It was so quick and easy to switch the handles for these pretty amber glass ones from Trinca-Ferro which they were kind enough to send me to review.
I love how a simple change like switching the handles can make a piece of furniture look so different.
changing in the knobs on a bedside table
I just unscrewed the black IKEA ones and the new ones screwed right in the same holes. They were a perfect fit and I didn't need to drill anything or make any other changes.
They are very pretty, classy (which is what I am aiming for here!) and really catch the light.
Trinca-Ferro have a website chockablock with beautiful cabinet and door knobs of all shapes, colours, materials and sizes and they ship internationally. Mine arrived in just a couple of days and were well packed so no chips or breaks even though they are glass.
gold accessories nightstand
On my bedside table I have an amber coloured bud vase that I inherited from my mum, it matches the new glass knobs perfectly. Flower arranging is not really my thing (though I do have a pinterest board where I collect advice and tips) but the white flower is pretty! 
I made the little ring dish from ThermoMorph, see the tutorial here and used to use the turquoise version - now I'm glad I tried a gold version too.
And such a cute photo of us all from about 13 years ago that used to be in the living room, now acquired for the bedroom.
new glass knobs on dresser
My wooden jewellery box is staying as it is - for now. It has little gold handles and key so it kind of goes, I may revisit this decision one day, who knows? 

I've got quite a few more things to share where I've just tweaked our old things for this room, but I'll share them in a part 2 another day as I think this post is quite long enough!

Do you like to use things you already have or do you prefer to buy new when you decorate or move? Or a mixture? Would you consider a simple knob or handle switch on a cupboard or drawers to give it a new look?
Disclosure: I received the glass knobs from Trinca-Ferro for free to review here on Sum of their Stories

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I'll be linking up to all these great link parties, why not go and have a look!
Sum of their Stories
Sum of their Stories

Hello, I'm Julie. I love making things and this is where I share my enthusiasm.

17 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, it all looks stunning - Such perfect examples of classy upcycling! I am also rather jealous of your photography skills! Josie xx

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    1. Ooo Josie, you've just made my day! I stressed about these photos and had 2 attempts before I was happy, either it was just too sunny (and therefore bright patches and deep shadows) or too grey a day to get the shots I wanted!

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  2. I love the new knobs that you used, they make the world of difference

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  3. What a simple but very effective makeover for the chest of drawers. I love the colour scheme you have been 'forced' to adopt. I like the idea of working with what you have and it often turns out far better than if you had started from scratch. It will be a lovely room when it's finished :)

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  4. I really enjoy "shopping" my home for pieces that I could use in a different room or switch up a bit. Way to keep it budget friendly! Love how your room is coming together :)

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  5. i have very expensive taste, i cant afford to buy new! luv what you've done. i would add mirror to the drawer fronts...not too pricey if you do one chest at a time

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    1. Ooo, nice idea, that would look very high end and classy. Thanks for the suggestion.

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  6. I love buying old used items and fixing them up. Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty

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  7. Upcycling and old upcycled container. How awesome! Would that be Upupcycling? It looks brilliant with the new fringe and repaint. I do really like those amber knobs as well. The great thing about Ikea is the endless possibilities to hack their furniture!

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    1. Oh I like that, upupcycling - or is it just called, can't make up your mind!
      And you are so right, there are loads of great ikea furniture hacks about, some completely transforming things, mine is more of a small tweak!

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  8. The new handle make such a difference and yes have done that with handles etc myself. Upcycling is fun and often produces unique pieces that cannot be bought.

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  9. Such beautiful ideas and your drawers look stunning with the new knobs.

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  10. Great ideas and everything looks so pretty!!
    Thanks so much for stopping by!

    Hugs,
    Deb

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  11. Wow you made that look so easy! I want to redecorate now! Thanks for linking up to Snickerdoodle Sunday!

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  12. super lovely! what a huge difference the swap in knobs makes! The ones you used sure added a touch of elegance!

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  13. This space is beautiful! I love the revamp of the earring holder. I have a thing for gold spray paint too. ;) Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday, hope to see you again next week!

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  14. Lovely. I love the new knobs. We just moved into a house and I'm trying to re-use what we have as well. Except for the paint. Lots of paint. Thanks for linking up to Tips and Tricks. Kathleen @ Fearlessly Creative Mammas

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