Thinking of decorating your house for a unique and cosy home but you don’t want to burn a hole in your pocket? We have good news for you! Here are some easy and handy tips for you to transform your homes.

ONE: Revisit what you already have – refurbishing existing pieces

If you already have an existing home and are intending to give your house a makeover, do keep a close look on what you already have! You might find an old mirror in the storeroom, or that Lazy Susan that you bought last Christmas for a party. They can finally be put to good use as you redecorate your house.

Rearranging your furniture can give you a brand new look that gives your house a character. This could save up a lot of money by making do with what you already have.

With the existing furniture, you could get a new cover for your sofa, or even repaint old wooden furniture for a fresh look. This transformation could give your house a new look and make you feel fresh with the revamped furnishing at home.

TWO: Learn to sew

Sewing is really a good skill when it comes to making up your own curtains or cushion covers. All you need is a handy sewing machine. Moreover you can choose to customise everything by choosing your own materials and come up with a unique product.

For rooms that do not require black out curtains, you can purchase burlap to sew your own curtains. Using burlap can also give your house a rustic natural feels that is unique and most importantly, it is low cost! If you do not like burlap, any other cloths work as well too.

Check out how they are made here. (bold and hover over for link: http://www.fourgenerationsoneroof.com/2013/03/how-to-make-curtains-using-burlap.html)!

Apart from curtains, you can use cloths of different pattern to make cushion covers, floor rugs or even a nice patterned tablecloth! Having different textures and patterns can bring an interesting character to your house, as well as taking away the dull boring matching look.

THREE: New coat of paint

Most people would go with the safe colours such as having white walls, or any single solid colour of paint on the walls in your house. It is easy to maintain and does not take much effort.

However, having a fresh coat of paint is one of the effective ways in enhancing the look of an empty house! Instead of having plain walls, be bold and choose to add a pattern to your walls.

There are also certain types of paint rollers where there you could use to stamp some patterns on your walls. When you are bored of looking at the same pattern, you could just paint over and change the patterns. This is a lot more cost saving and flexible than having wallpapers!

FOUR: DIY your own decorations

DIY decorations are great decorations that you can make to enhance your homes on a budget! They could be really time consuming, but what beats the sense of accomplishment of making your own unique product that adds a special touch to your home, without burning a hole in your pocket. It could also be a family bonding activity when you involve everyone to help you in this project!

There are so many things that you could do with simple materials that are easily available. You could turn recycled glass jars into candleholders, make photo frames out of foam boards, make your own wooden wall, or even a wall organiser for your desk!

Here are some tutorials that you could try during your free time:
(put them in hover over links)

Glass jar candleholders:
http://www.sparkandchemistry.com/craft-it-blog/leaf-mason-jar-candle-holder

Foam photo frames:
http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/2014/01/diy-foam-frames-of-awesomeness.html

Wooden wall:
http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2013/10/diy-plank-wall.html

Wall organiser:
http://www.designsponge.com/2013/01/past-present-uten-silo-diy-wall-organizer.html

FIVE: visit thrift stores to get new decorations

You might be thinking if how often you find something you like in Cash Converters when you are looking at second hand items, but those are not the only thrift stores available in Singapore! You will be surprised how worthwhile it is to make a trip down to the Salvation Army’s Praisehaven brunch in Upper Bukit Timah.

They have two showrooms – one for apparels and another for larger furniture. It is especially worthwhile if you are looking for vintage tables, chairs or sofa sets!

Another place for second hand furniture would be Hock Siong & Co. at Kampong Ampat. It is one of Singapore’s leading second hand furniture stores with extremely high turnover rate of items! A lot of hospitality establishments sell old equipment to Hock Siong, so expect to find quality home-ware in great conditions.

We hope that these tips would be able to help you with decorating your homes to have a unique touch, without burning a hole in your pocket. Do share with us any good ideas you have in the comments section below!