Upcycle Your Interior!

Musty student houses often aren't the height of interior design, but nice decor doesn't have to cost the earth and is actually surprisingly easy to recreate and make with things you have lying around. Make your house a home with my top picks of the easiest upcycled and DIY home decor you can create with your housemates.

Wine bottle candlesticks

This is most likely the simplest idea on the list. It hardly takes any effort and I know you have some used wine bottles hanging around - or you will after your next night out. So why not repurpose them into some shabby chic candlestick holders. All you have to do is wash out your used wine bottle, you can take the label off if you fancy. Take a long candle and fit it into the top of the wine bottle! If the candle is too big for the bottle you can use a knife to carefully shave off little slithers from the base of the candle until it fits snugly without wobbling around. Wax will drip down the bottle so make sure it isn't on a surface that would be ruined and voila!

You can customise your new candlestick by using different coloured candles - a baby pink would look lovely! If you are using a clear wine bottle, try sticking flowers around the inside of it to give a floral flourish!

Twisted candles

Why not place this candle into your upcycled wine bottle candle holder! These candles are all over social media and they're so easy to recreate! Just put a tall candle into hot water for about 10 - 15 minutes and roll it out flat. Then twist to your heart's content! So easy and a great way to make cheap and boring candles look a bit more boujee.

Coasters

Get to The Works in the Vic Centre and buy yourself a small block of air-drying clay. This lump of grey will soon turn into gorgeous little coasters. Mould out the shape of your coaster and imprint it with whatever you fancy - swirls, flowers, leaves, stripes, spots - whatever you find around you can help. Once the clay has dried you can paint it with a dab of acrylic, nail polish or leave it as is. Easy!

There are so many ways to upcycle your own home decor that is much cheaper than buying it from Urban Outfitters. TikTok is a great source of inspiration, just typing in ‘DIY decor’ will start you off on a never ending path of ideas, it's a great way to take some time off from studying and bring out your creative side.

Happy Christmas,

Poppy xo