Repurposed + Reimagined.
The sun has emerged and the snow is slowly melting…is Spring on the horizon? Or is this fools Spring? *insert pondering thought emoji face* In the Midwest, it’s hard to tell, and quite frankly most of us don’t want to get our hopes up. Regardless, this time of year is often filled with optimism, newfound energy, lifted spirits, and ultimately an anticipation of change. Whether that change is the nasty Winter habits we created or how we spend our time (more time being outside now), or even how we look at the interior of our house.
There’s usually new decor displayed in stores and fresh Spring colors are being used everywhere. These exciting changes we see in a magazine, on social media, and inside stores are what nudge most of us to rethink what we have displayed in our homes. It’s marketed to make us believe we need to get rid of what we have and purchase the new shiny (or matte nowadays haha) objects to achieve a fresh look in our home. AND IT WORKS!
Screenshot from Target.com. Check out how they word their new line,
they are using the perfect marketing language to draw you into buy their new line.
There’s a reason companies invest in having fully loaded marketing teams working to win over the everyday consumer. We become captivated with the new items and see the immediate potential in how it could elevate our space. So what do we do? We buy the new decor of course! But once we get it home we all-too-often feel disappointed that it doesn’t give the same effect it did in the store display or in the Studio McGee picture. So what do we do now? We go out again and usually buy more! More is better, right? More new items will for sure help bring the fresh look together, right? WRONG (usually). I mean sure, you can most definitely go out and buy all new items every new season to stay on-trend and give your space a fresh feel, but let’s be realistic, most people don’t have the budget to do this and it’s wasteful!
Find some amazing inspiration from the Studio McGee and Magnolia lines.
While reading this blog, you’re probably thinking, “Well, what should I do if I want my space to feel fresh going into a new season?” And this is where my expertise comes in: it’s time to Repurpose + Reimagine!
Check out Pinterest to see what trends are on the rise for 2021, that’s what this screenshot is from.
Odds are you already have many great items in your house that have become stale. No, I’m not referencing the 2-week old bread in your cupboard. Instead, I’m referring to the frames, candlesticks, and books displayed on your shelf in the living room (or wherever you have decor staged). You know which areas I’m talking about! They are the objects you at one point in time strategically placed and thought looked aesthetically pleasing. Don’t get me wrong, they are most likely still aesthetically pleasing, but they have grown stale and boring where they are living. There’s no longer visual interest in how they are styled and in return, this doesn’t spark any creativity, joy, or fresh vibes when you enter your space anymore. This is what usually leads us to go shopping and buying new items to achieve a change. But by changing your mindset instead to Repurposing + Reimagining you can begin to breathe new life into your space with stuff you already own and ultimately you end up saving money and waste.
This sounds great, but how do I do this you may ask?
Easy, just follow my 5 step process to get started.
STEP 1: Find your inspiration. This is when you head to Pinterest, Instagram, or even walk through stores in-person to see what’s being displayed now. Gather all those ideas and keep them in one place or even print them off so you have visuals of what you’d love to achieve. This is also a great way to discover what you might be drawn to now and what themes are reoccurring in your pins.
Here’s a screenshot of what’s online at Target right now.
STEP 2: Remove all decor from your surfaces and even some from the walls if they aren’t permanent features. Put the items on the floor and gather them by similarities such as frames by frames and vases by vessels etc. By removing all the decor and laying them out you will start to forget how these objects were previously displayed. Many items might begin to look different since you aren’t seeing them next to what they were staged by before. This step is also great for inventory! This is the time to notice what you already have and what you might be missing.
Note: If there were a few things you loved about how you decorated something, make sure you take pictures of what it looked like before you remove everything. This way you can reference it later if needed.
STEP 3: Step inside other rooms in your house. Don’t feel limited to just removing the decor in one room. I actually encourage you to remove the decor in a few other rooms too and set it out with the other stuff. Most of the time decor ends up being compartmentalized, which in return leads it to become boring over time. But if you begin to move items around in your house you will start to see they have many different purposes depending on what room they exist in.
Note: Be realistic here though, don’t move items that are clearly bathroom or kitchen items into your bedroom or living room. There are some obvious exceptions to this rule.)
STEP 4: This is the fun step, begin decorating! Don’t be afraid to mess up or have countless trials before getting it right. I do this all the time. I’ll begin styling a shelf and realize I don’t like the clusters I’ve created, this is when I swap out different items until it feels right. It’s important to try different pairings of objects. Don’t fall into decorating the exact same way you had it previously. Remember that it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t nail it immediately, be willing to take risks and experiment. The simple act of moving items you once had on a bedroom shelf into the living room can make a huge difference. All of a sudden it’s something you see more often or your guests see and they think it’s brand new.
Here are 4 different ways that I styled this console table in the living room. These are 4 completely different looks using items I already owned that were displayed in other rooms of our house. By changing up how you have items displayed you can achieve a fresh mood-boosting look!
STEP 5: Go shopping! After rearranging items you already owned now is the time to evaluate what you were missing and what items you still can’t stop thinking about having. Finding this clarity is crucial because A) it will make you happier with the new piece B) it will ensure you aren’t mindlessly buying new things C) it will bring the perfect amount of freshness into the space paired with your rearranged items. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on something that is new and trendy I would encourage you to pinpoint what it is you’re loving and then go hunting at thrift stores for objects that could replicate it. This is a great way to reduce waste in our world and give new life to something that someone didn’t see the potential in.
These 5 SIMPLE STEPS are what I do A LOT in our house. My mom even jokes every time she comes over that I’ve changed something or moved decor/furniture around. More often than not, I haven’t purchased anything new (unless it was some small thrifted pieces), I just rearranged where our decor lives and gave it a new purpose. I am constantly amazed at how different a room can look when you just rearrange your decor. I would relate it to when you decorate for the holidays, you fill your space with cozy items to make it feel warm and inviting. Once the holidays are over you take the Christmas tree + all other decorations down and the space feels empty and clean. Every time you walk into your room after that you feel a wave of energy all created by having a change of scenery. This is exactly what it feels like when you make simple changes in a room.
I’d love to know if you practice this already and enjoy swapping out decor or if this was a new concept for you and you’re eager to try it out? Leave me a comment below regarding how you handle decorations in your house.
Lastly, if you want to know more about how to style and what tips + tricks I have for making sure it’s balanced and aesthetically pleasing, subscribe to my email list so you don’t miss the blog post I do in the near future regarding all of that!
