Don’t Get Stung By the Handmade Pricetag – Go Rogue with Creative Decoration Projects
admin | February 18, 2010
As fashions have diversified over the last five years, many people have begun to take a look at the designer version of the ‘home/handmade’ look, in both clothing and interiors, and have realized that they are paying a large amount of money for products easily created at home for a fraction of the price. Add that to a modern revival in popularity of knitting, sewing and other handicrafts, and it’s clear that people are starting to show a much higher demand for the true hand-made touch, both in the products they buy and in what they choose to make themselves.
Practically speaking, handmade design is all about having a wealth of materials to hand when you are working on a project. You might want to take a long time collecting just the right materials for your project; you may enjoy the spontaneity of placing incongruous items together to make something totally unique in your home. Either way, it’s good to have variety, and to start off with a bits box is a good way to pool these ideas and resources. So get yourself a printer to keep ideas you find online and a box or a file and start hoarding.
What often drives these projects is the tendency towards creative redecoration – the best projects come when you re-use and re-appropriate off-cuts and used items in your design. There’s a pleasing quality to the finish, and you’re getting a second life out of your own materials, and, hopefully, those of your neighbours and friends. With items such as cushions and rag-rugs, you can quickly and easily use tons of off-cuts to create a jumbled, quirky take on traditional furnishings.
When you’re thinking of throwing away tired wooden furniture, are you sure that you couldn’t redecorate the piece to give it another turn? With solid, structurally-sound tables, chairs, consoles and the like, it’s often a shame to throw away these good pieces of furniture; instead, add a touch of fresh country style with some stencilling in bright colours. Printing out stencils from home on layers of old paper is a great way to court the re-usable effort at every step all you need is a simple mono printer.
Home made gifts are a great way to keep things personal this Christmas. What about a kitsch, rugged pouch bag or satchel made from off-cuts of corduroy or khaki, with a handful of button badges that really tell the person you know their tastes? These take only a little bit of practice to get right, and the odd quirky button to top things off.
What’s essential to remember is that if it looks obviously handmade in the shops, it’s probably not; manufacturers often use a host of methods to achieve this look, but there’s a finite number of ways they bring them to you, along with the extortionate price tag, to boot. Break free and start collecting your own creative redecoration materials, and bring that unique touch to your home this new year.
