Reasons To Upcycle Your Home With #WayfairDIY

Not only is upcycling pretty trendy right now – it’s also a sensible choice for both your pocket and your environment when considering a home refresh. Last week, Extinction Rebellion were protesting across the city of Manchester and so it really did spark a lot of conversation with friends and in the office about considerations for recycling (and upcycling!) instead of buying things new.

To celebrate upcylcing and champion a more sustainable way of refreshing your home, my favourite homeware brand Wayfair has introduced their new Do It Yourself series, kicking off with their DIY Room Divider tutorial; an easy and super affordable way to create a small slice of heaven right at home. Perfect for anyone in shared living, co-living, or even siblings in a shared bedroom, this tutorial shares just a few simple steps for how to upcycle your old clothes rack into a beautiful DIY room divider.

Or, if this tutorial doesn’t tickle your fancy, there are many other ways or reasons for you to upcycle homeware items to give your home a refresh. Here are simply some of the reasons you should consider indulging in a little upcycling for your home…

It’s good for the environment

There’s no doubt about it, upcycling is good for the environment. Instead of simply chucking out your old items and buying new ones, giving them a new lease of life will reduce the amount of home furnishings waste that goes to landfill. As I eluded to at the start of this post, climate change really is a huge news story at the moment – and rightfully so – which means that doing your bit to reduce waste can help to keep your conscience clear.

It’s greener than recycling

When disposing of old home furnishings or appliances, there are sections at the tip to recycle them at. For instance, there’s a dedicated section for electrical appliances, another for wood, another for metal. Whilst it’s good to recycle if you do need to throw something away, upcycling items is even greener as it means they don’t need to go to the tip at all!

It’s more affordable

Giving old items a refresh instead of chucking them away in favour of new ones is not only better for the environment, it’s also better for your purse strings too! If something in your home is looking a little worn (or simply not in fashion anymore), there are ways to give it a little refresh instead of simply buying a like for like replacement at full price.

For instance, if your cushions no longer go with your colour palette, consider just replacing the cushion covers instead of the whole thing. If there’s a side unit you no longer like the look of, why not buy some wood paint and give it a little makeover to suit your style, instead of buying something else brand new? The cost of paint or covers compared to a full item really is a fraction of the cost of a full like for like replacement.

It allows you to be imaginative

There’s something about DIY that I just find so therapeutic. In school, I was a sucker for art classes (even though I am not naturally a blessed artist), so whenever I find myself getting bored of a room in my home, I like to use my imagination to get creative in upcycling elements of it, instead of chucking it all out and starting again.

Truly, upcycling used or older items helps me to see the potential in items I had otherwise dismissed and to be imaginative and creative in finding new and better ways to utilise them. It’s actually quite rewarding.

It allows you to celebrate the memories in your home

One of the reasons I love upcycling otherwise old homeware items is that it really allows me to breathe new life into items that you may have thought were past their best. This actually really helps me to celebrate the history of the items and celebrate the lovely memories that I have surrounding them in my home.

For instance, after my Grandma sadly passed away this August, I reclaimed a super old 1920’s trunk suitcase that was hiding away in a back bedroom. Sure, it’s obviously not fit for use as luggage anymore, but I plan to add a glass top to this and turn it into a vintage style coffee table for my bar area. I’m really excited to start this project, as not only is it making use of an otherwise useless item but it’s going to give me lovely memories of my Grandma every time I see it!

It helps you feel good about yourself

Combining all of the reasons to upcycle above, it really is no surprise that upcycling helps you feel good about yourself!

By making more conscious homeware decisions, breathing new life into older items is a really great way to utilise what you already have, indulge in your memories and creativity and save money in the process. Happy DIY’ing!