Giving the shutter areas of your home some life doesn’t have to be complicated or extravagant.
Why not add some little highlights in bright areas? You can decorate your home with these window remedies without the typical cost.
Tie-backs
Frequently neglected but a very easy way to personalize your window designs, the tie backs that curtains usually come with tend to be somewhat boring. So why not substitute them with:
- Old-fashioned doorknobs. Only basic DIY skills needed here. Add some boutique doorknobs to pull your blinds back behind. Fashionable, and free.
- Gold or silver bracelets. But without the cost of the real valuable metals certainly! Buy some heavy chains to use as ties, and sprinkle them the color of your choice.
- Leather bands. Use some traditional leather belts – as long as they’re not too tattered around the buckle. Or in fact, even if they are! It all depends on what look you’re going for.
- Neckties. Got a whole collection of gentleman’s ties knocking around? Here’s a potential use for them. This can be an exceptional option because there are lots of designs promptly available.
Valance
If you’re not down with your curtain-related vocabulary, “valance” is the design that hangs along the top of your frame. It often assists to hide the curtain rail or any other device that you’ve got up there. They’re also seldom known as “swag.” Instead of fancy shop-bought valances, you can try:
- Pennants or miniature flags. This is especially easy in the US, where most sports teams, camps, and societies seem to do their own little bunting banners. There’s no need to sew these together to make a valance. You can solely tie them up in a row, perhaps with a little bit of fabric if they don’t come with accessories of their own. Great for kids’ rooms.
- DIY with treat fabric. This will need some basic DIY skills again. All you actually need to do is make a long and flat U-frame to shape the valance. Polystyrene is a good choice for a lightweight element to use for this – you can get it in the form of ‘lining panels’ from most DIY stores. You can pick up some delightful fabric (you won’t need very much after all!) for surprisingly limited too. Then all you need to do is encase your fabric around your carefully measured A-frame and pin it in place. Make sure the design is straight.
Curtains
New blinds can be horribly costly – particularly if you’re trying to match existing décor. So why not make your own matching sets for a portion of the cost of buying them new? How about:
- Re-purposing old bedsheets. You’re going to need some fundamental sewing skills for this one, but the world is then your oyster when it comes to braids and fringes.
- Printing patterns on plain linen curtains. Saving you the expense of pricey patterns is this fun solution. The most effortless way to do this is with stencils and spray paint. But you could also make a stamp out of a sponge for easy repeat designs.
