How To Decorate Your Home With What You May Already Have - Part 2

I’m back with some more ideas about how to decorate with what you may already have.

You can hit up Part 1 of these decorating ideas here. :-)

I have five more suggestions and examples today so I’m just going to plunge right in.

1. Check your dinnerware in your kitchen cabinets.

Kitchen cabinets are sometimes holding all kinds of goodies that you just forget about on a day to day basis. Even a plain white plate, propped up in the back of a cabinet, can provide a nice backdrop for some mementoes or accents in a bookshelf.

Platters work the same way and I have been known to put one on a plate stand on a top shelf of a bookcase to brighten up a dull setting.

This white dinner plate, propped up on a plate stand in a bookcase, brightens up a dark area and brings attention to the objects in front of it. carlaaston.com

I used this homeowner’s dark blue Fiestaware plates in her bookcase to fill the space and add some contrast. carlaaston.com

Plain or patterned plates and platters work well as backdrops for other accessories.

Bowls are also good for accessorizing here and there. They can hold small objects like little shells, seaglass, or stones.

This medium sized bowl, below, holds a few shells and a quartz on the side table in my guest bedroom.

A small turquoise bowl from my kitchen holds some shells and a piece of quartz on the bedside table of my guest bedroom. Photographer: Tori Aston

This larger, oval bowl holds a collection of antique billiard type balls, seen at High Point Market.

This large bowl holds antique billiard type balls on a coffee table at High Point Market.

2. The odd natural found item can be a perfect styling object.

A pretty shell, some curvy driftwood, pine cones, sea glass, unique dried pods…. just about anything unusual found in nature that doesn't make you sneeze or has insects crawling out of it can make an interesting item to display.

Use them on top of a stack of books, in front of a pretty plate, and voila! The perfectly styled bookshelf!

See how these antlers were used on the dining table below.

The antlers add a natural, sculptural touch to the dining table in this bachelor’s home. Designer: Carla Aston | Photographer: Miro Dvorscak

These pieces of curly wood add texture and warmth on the coffee tables, shown below, at High Point Market.

Curvy branch adds texture and a natural element in this furnishings vignette, seen at High Point Market.

I use shells, coral, pinecones, gourds, dried branches and many other natural items to add texture to my decor. See some topping a stack of books, below.

Coral and driftwood top this stack of books in my own bookcase. carlaaston.com

Decorating with shells found on a few beach vacations adds texture and warmth to a room. carlaaston.com

I saw this at Round Top on a recent trip, hornet’s nests! They were actually selling them as decor! Don’t know if I could do that. :-)

3. Picture frames in small doses and small frames.

Sometimes I go to homes that might not have many accessories, but have tons of big picture frames with family photos. The frame almost overpowers the image and becomes a decorative object all in itself.

While these can be meaningful, I prefer to keep photos and frames that sit out on tabletops or bookshelves, small-ish and clustered together. So, a grouping of three or five in tailored frames or even small singles are nice tucked into a bookcase.

A small single picture frame with a family photo is worked into this bookshelf styling. It doesn’t overwhelm the bookshelf with a mass of photos if you keep them small and in small groups or as singles. Photographer: Tori Aston

A few big 8 x 10 images in a large, heavy decorative frame can just take over a tabletop or bookshelf. They can dwarf a lamp or any artwork or anything nearby.

Of course, we all love photos of family and friends. I tend to favor large, well selected images displayed in a graphic manner on hallway walls in more private areas of the home as one option. I also like single photos or a small grouping on a bookshelf or tabletop. :-)

Here’s another small single photo in frame in the corner of the bookshelf. Photo by Tori Aston

4. Anything old or vintage can become a styling accessory!

Do you have anything handed down to you from your grandmother or even tossed aside by your parents? Everything old is new again and can be given an air of importance and distinction if featured in a styled manner.

Check out the binoculars used as a styling accessory in this gallery wall at a High Point Market showroom. An old pair that someone in your family might have had would be really cool, right?

As you can see on my Pinterest board here, people collect everything!

A funky old camera, a wooden tennis racket (okay, I had one of those), even....a set of encyclopedias....are becoming popular items to decorate and stock those empty bookshelves with.

Actually, my kids grew up with encyclopedias on the shelves that they occasionally used and people are now collecting them!

Some of these things don't have to be that old. The idea is that this object or collection is unique, interesting, and something that represents you, your interests, your family, whatever you like and enjoy.

And well, it might just be in your attic or stored up in a closet somewhere. Maybe even at your mother’s! :-)

I can see these as wall decor, can’t you? Perfect for a bunk room in a northern, cold climate.

These rolling pins made for a cool wall display at the SKS Appliances showroom / kitchen in Napa.

These vintage globes seen at Round Top would make an interesting group of objects in a study or maybe the kids’ tv room.

Fun wall decor seen at Highpoint Market 2024!

I remember I had a comment on my blog once, in my post on artfully framing anything to make it feel more special. Someone said she had old handmade Barbie clothes that her grandmother had made her when she was young. How sweet is that!

I actually had some of those too. My grandmother sewed and made my sister and I all these little dresses with mini-rick rack trim from all her fabric scraps.

Imagine them all lined up and spaced out, maybe 5 or 10 little Barbie dresses (cause Barbie always wore dresses back then), mounted on a mat board and framed with a shallow shadow box look.

So cute! It would be adorable in a child’s room.

5. A few candles go a long way.

Sometimes on a photo shoot, I’ll get to a job and whoa….I forgot the candles.

I love to have some kind of candles on a coffee table, dining table, mantel or somewhere. Inevitably, homeowners will pull some out of their drawers somewhere and we make do.

These short creamy white pillar candles on the table here go with me to just about every job’s photoshoot. I put them in to all kinds of candleholders. Designer: Carla Aston | Photographer: Colleen Scott

Even if you DON’T have candleholders, then a small saucer with a stubby candle on top can work. A cluster of votives are nice too. And if you know me, you know I love some taper candles.

Taper candles grouped as a mass, create an interesting display on my mantel. These have been collected over time, some inherited from family members.

A candle on a coffee table just sets the mood. If it is there and ready to use, you will use it often. carlaaston.com

So, dig through your drawers and if there are none there, well, candles aren’t that big of an investment. Next time you’re out shopping, grab a few, or just order online. (Those battery operated ones are good too if you don’t want real flames in the house.)

Besides, they might come in handy during your next power outage, so you’re really stocking up for an emergency, right? :-)

---

So, have you done what you can with what you have and now want to go spend some money online for some pretty things?

I can help you there too. Check out these two posts that share some spring-like items to help you freshen up your home’s interiors. :-)

Budget Decorating Tips - How To Decorate With Things You Already Have | carlaaston.com