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5 ways to accessorise your home by upcycling

November 1, 2013

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By Brianna O’Neil

Even in tough economic times, your home and office can still look great and be environmentally friendly with the use of recycled and upcycled materials. Melbourne property styling expert Brianna O’Neil says it’s not difficult to use recycled items to add personality and flair to your home whilst reducing your carbon footprint.

brianna 1
Wall hanging made from recycled wrapping paper, clock made from industrial letter P (formally Hoyts movie signage), telephone table and typewriter from eBay (secondhand), books from thrift shop, faux fur throw from Kmart.

“When styling a home, it may surprise you to hear that places like eBay and the Salvation Army are one of my first ports of call for artwork and decor,” she said. “Sometimes the most interesting items can be found where you least expect it and don’t cost an arm and a leg. Vintage items are not a new trend and many blogs and websites give ideas on how they can be best used.”

Helen Edwards, author of the Recycled Interiors blog, which focuses on sustainable decorating, says: “I love the way a windowframe, an old door, secondhand chair, a piece of lace or fabric, a lamp, cushion or an upcycled piece of furniture can connect us to human history and reduce our footprint at the same time. The aim is to show you how to make mindful and ethical choices in your interior decorating, without compromising on style.”

Wall hanging made from recycled tissue paper, clock from Temple & Webster, chair bought on eBay and restored Trolley, books and crockery from Savers Thrift Shop Rug from Kmart
Wall hanging made from recycled tissue paper, clock from Temple & Webster, chair bought on eBay and restored, trolley, books and crockery from Savers thrift shop and rug from Kmart

Brianna recommends using the following techniques to give an element of personality to your home via recycled and upcycled items:

Vintage books – Old books are one of my favourite ways to decorate a bedside table or shelving system. Stack them in interesting ways using bookends or use the pages to line drawers or make wall hangings. However, always check the value of the book before pulling it apart.

brianna books
Book from Savers thrift store (props for property styling job), clock from $2 store, letter Q from eBay

Restore furniture – If you are feeling thrifty, search eBay for used furniture. It can be brought back to life by a good restorer and a dash of wow can be added with designer upholstery fabric.

Photos – Too often our photography will never see the outside of a Facebook folder. Why not have some fun printing travel photos on canvas as a series or restore old family images to be framed?

Wall hangings can be made from just about anything – old tea towels can be hung using dowel rods and mirrors can be decorated with mosaics from old tiles.

Recycle fabrics to make cushions and purchase fabrics by the “fat quarter” (a quarter of a standard yard) to stretch over canvas from a discount or two dollar shop.

Recycled lampshade covered in Robert Kaufman fabric from eBay
Recycled lampshade covered in Robert Kaufman fabric from eBay

“One of the best things about upcycling is that it really is a lot of fun and can add a point of difference to your home and office. And it’s a guilt free way to decorate.”

Find more upcyling and recycled décor ideas at Brianna’s website www.styledbyhibernate.com.au

Jen is currently on honeymoon in Tokyo, Venice and the UK, and has opened up the blog to a series of fabulous guest posters to share their interiors-related expertise in her absence. She hopes you’ll enjoy them and look out for the odd honeymoon post from overseas! The new Mrs Francis (who will still be known as Bishop for work purposes) will be back at her desk on 11 November.

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Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than F Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than French onion?

I think not!

Grab the recipe on the blog this morning via link in bio.
Get to know me! I haven't done one of these in YE Get to know me!

I haven't done one of these in YEARS so there's possibly thousands of you who don't know my back story. Here's a few things you may not know about me!

✔️ I'm English 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and I moved here (just for one year) back in 2008😆 

✔️ I can't end the day without a bath, even if I get home really late or on a really hot day. It's a mental health thing and my happy place. 🛁 

✔️ Before becoming a blogger and running my own small business, I was a journalist from the age of 18. My favourite news gathering times were as a newspaper crime reporter (bit different to interiors!) 📓 

✔️ I once worked at New Scotland Yard in London 🚔 

✔️I had an interview at Oxford (didn't get in!) but chose not to go to uni at all after being offered a job on the local paper #universityoflife 😁

✔️ My mum died when I was 3, I have an excellent dad and one sister (younger) in the UK ❤️ 🇬🇧 

✔️ At school, my favourite subject was French 🇫🇷 and I was head girl 🤓🤓

✔️ I'm addicted to ☕️ , long hot baths and💄 (been wearing it since I was about 14!)

✔️ I'm not a phonecall person and will never ever pick up an unknown number. Ever. They can leave a message 😁

✔️ My favourite cuisine is Japanese 🍣 🍜 and Damian and I honeymooned in Tokyo and Venice 

✔️ I have zero design qualifications. I just started blogging about my passion, which is trying to persuade everyone to #heartyourhome That was 11 years ago...

✔️ My favourite tipple is a good GnT or🍷 

✔️ Cheesy as it sounds, 💁‍♀️being a mum is my absolute biggest joy in life 🧒👦

✔️ I will never give up my old school paper diary! Has to be A5 and week to view 📖 

✔️ My official surname isn't Bishop. I kept my maiden name for work after I got married but changed it for everything else. Often confuse myself!

✔️ I didn't get my Ps until I was 37 and I'm still a terrible parker 😯 🅿️

Hope you feel like you know me a bit better 😘

📸 @vanlowvanlow
Blue, green or lilac? 🎨 @nood_co coloured con Blue, green or lilac? 🎨 

@nood_co coloured concrete basins is a great Aussie business success story. Although co founder Matt Di Costa first found fame as one half of Matt and Kim on The Block, he hasn't relied on this to build his brand.

“We are very honoured to have been a part of The Block, and all they have done for us. I am, however, a believer in letting the product take centre stage,” he says.

Read our interview with Matt via link in bio now.

🙏Share your favourite colour basin in the comments!

#colouredconcrete #noodco #colouredbasin #blockheads #the block #bathroomtrends2022

Pic 1 by @naibudesign_ and 2 by @twostyleinteriors
I'd love to see more colour in Aussie interiors! I'd love to see more colour in Aussie  interiors! 🎨 

At the end of the day though, it's a matter of personal taste. I love pops of colour but it's not for everyone. 

We couldn't resist featuring this Canadian house tour today. The amazing Kelly Green  hutch (swipe) was an upcycled $200 find 🤗

Head over to the blog via link in bio to see the rest including one of the best playrooms we've seen in ages!

Project by @in.house.design
📸 @philcrozier
Create an unexpected city oasis with an emphasis o Create an unexpected city oasis with an emphasis on light and nature.

That was the brief for the conversion of a corner shop and a warehouse bakery into a luxury family home in Sydney's Newtown. And how about the library?!

Take the tour of this very special @annacarindesign project on the blog now, via link in bio.

Pic: @justinalexanderphoto
The things that excite me as a 40 year old 🤭 N The things that excite me as a 40 year old 🤭

None of us enjoy laundry (OK, there are a few of you out there who do. Weird!) but we have to do it. And often. So if your laundry bin can be as good looking, functional and space saving as this, then why wouldn't you?!

I've lost track of how many baskets I've thrown out because they've gone soggy or mouldy. They look pretty, sure, but they're not fit for purpose and they're often messy and overflowing.

Here's what I love about his @brabantia_australia one:

✔️ ventilation holes
✔️ no need to remove the lid for small items plus it hides your dirty laundry from view
✔️ easily removable and washable inner laundry bag that velcros back on 
✔️ corrosion resistant so fine in bathroom or laundry 
✔️ Brabantia make things as sustainably as possible
✔️ compact, sleek, European design
✔️ 10 year warranty
✔️ tall and skinny so takes up less floor in my tiny laundry

The Rolls Royce of laundry bins? I think so 👌🏻

TOLD you this was going to be exciting!

Now I need to know, do you have your laundry basket in the bathroom, the laundry, every bedroom? We used to have one in each bedroom but moved to the laundry-only situation which I much prefer (one for colours and one for whites). My boys know to put their used clothes in the bin in the laundry each night and they're 7 and 3!  #raisingfuturehusbands

#gifted
"Living rooms are important spaces where our publi "Living rooms are important spaces where our public and private lives intersect."

So says stylist @nataliewalton in her gorgeous new book Style, the Art of Creating a Beautiful Home.

"They are where we gather to welcome guests and entertain. But they are also where we decompress and relax at the end of the day. Increasingly, they are open-plan spaces and need to work within a greater scheme. Bringing all the elements together cohesively requires care and consideration. And, if you want a space that lives up to its true potential, make it personal and create with conviction."

Read an extract, the chapter on elevating your living room, on the blog today via link in bio.

Published by @thamesandhudsonau Pix by @chriswarnes 

#livingroomdesigns #nataliewalton #coffeetablebooks #designbooks #interiorsbooks #livingroominteriors #elevateyourspace
Kids and husband messing with my vignettes again🤨

PS. The coaster was RIGHT THERE 🤪
#weatherforit 🥶 Need a new blanket? Look no fu #weatherforit 🥶

Need a new blanket? Look no further than these gorgeous South African blankets from @baobabcollective, sustainably sourced, ethically crafted and imported by a Southern Highlands couple.

On the blog now via link in bio.
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Visit Jen's profile on Pinterest.

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If you have high quality, original, relevant content to share, we might be interested in publishing your guest post on Interiors Addict. Please email [email protected] with your submissions.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarAgs says

    November 1, 2013 at 7:39 am

    New at your blog but love it already!

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