Flea Market Decorating
- Old frames can be used for all sorts of things. Install a mirror, a piece of fabric, wallpaper, or a photograph and hang it on the wall. A collection of vintage frames can also look great hung on the wall with nothing inside them. It creates depth and visual interest to walls.
- Frames can also be repurposed and made into trays. Simply cover the image with fabric or wallpaper and secure hardware on the two shorter sides for handles. If the original glass from the frame is long gone consider having a new piece cut and placed inside for a more finished look. Check out this wonderful example with instructions from Lemon Tree Creations.
- Old apothecary jars are great for storing bathrooms items like cotton balls and Q-tips.
- Refinish an old dresser with paint, gilt or polish.
- Use decorative ladders to display jewelry in a bedroom or hang extra blankets in a family room or living room. They can also be used to hang towels in a small bathroom where there isn't much storage space.
- Arrange cut crystal perfume bottles on mirrored trays in a bathroom for a glamorous, old Hollywood look.
- Old candle sconces can be wired for electricity and turned into functioning wall sconces. If they look a little rundown give them a fresh coat of paint before rewiring. The opposite can also be done. Old electrified sconces can have the wires taken out and be turned into candle sconces. Try using them outdoors for an elegant addition to your patio or balcony.
- An old wooden chair that looks beat up and cracked can be painted and used as a bedside table or end table.
- Decorative boxes are wonderful for storing remote controls and other unsightly but necessary items like cell phone chargers.
- Old, chipped teacups can be given new life as candles. Tie a small piece of string to a pencil and rest it across the top of the cup so the string hangs down in the center. Fill the cup with wax all the way to the top but stop before it hits the pencil. Allow the wax to dry and voila!
- An old door makes a great custom headboard.
- Wicker baskets are great for so many things. Use them as storage boxes in children's rooms or laundry rooms. Use them to hold magazines or extra blankets in the living room. They're also great in mudrooms and foyers for holding scarves, mittens, handbags and umbrellas. If they're large and solid enough you can also flip them upside down and use them as side tables.
- Just about anything can be turned into a lamp. Use candlesticks, old seltzer bottles, or even old riding boots! Take them to a lighting store and have them properly mounted and wired. Unusual items can be placed on a base and then attached to a pole that will hide the wire and hold the hardware and lampshade.