If you come from a big family, you have probably inherited all kinds of items, many of which you probably have no idea what to do with. As a result, they just clutter your home or mostly function as door-stoppers or paperweights.

The problem with inherited items is that even if they serve no real purpose in your home, you find it difficult to get rid of them because they hold some kind of sentimental value. If this holds true for you, perhaps you should just come up with creative ways to convey a different value for them.

But before you get into a repurposing frenzy, it is best to create an inventory of all these odds and ends first. Afterwards, place them in a local storage facility (this is if you have too many in your home and they are taking up too much space). Lastly, do your research on the different ways you can use these items to beautify your abode.

Planning is key here because once you have created a plan, the odds and ends will cease to look like such. To help you jump-start this repurposing project, provided below are popular ways to decorate a home with a motley collection of odds and ends.

For mismatched china:

A china collection is a common family heirloom, but over time, people tend to lose some pieces. If you have just been left with a few pieces of elegant dinnerware that are not that ideal to use because they are heavy and are not microwave-safe, you can display them around the house instead.

One thing you can do is to choose the most colorful plates and display them on console tables, using picture frame holders or props.

Another project worth trying for porcelain cups and plates is a multi-tiered cupcake stand that you can use not just for a lovely tea party setting, but also as a jewelry holder.

Lifestyle magazines also recommend using cups and saucers to store cosmetics, perfume and jewelry, or to put a wick and paraffin wax pellets into the cups for charming candles for the home.

For old jewelry:

If you are not particularly fond of wearing jewellery but your Mum, aunts, and grandmas have gifted you a lot of vintage pieces whose only value is beauty, you can use them in several ways to decorate your home.

Old necklaces can make stylish curtain holders or vase accessories.

Rings can be used to decorate table napkins.

Brooches and pins, meanwhile, can add some bling to flower arrangements around the house or you can use them to jazz up picture frames.

As for earrings, you can use them as hanging ornaments for your door wreaths and a Christmas tree.

For sports equipment:

Rackets offer all kinds of possibilities. A lot of creative DIY-ers add a mirror to them and hang them up in boys’ rooms.

Boat paddles from Uncle John? Go country-style with them and use them as curtain rods.

Did you inherit a collection of shuttlecocks from a cousin who loved to play badminton? String them up as sporty bunting for the children’s room.

For figurines of all shapes and sizes:

Figurines are decorative pieces that often do not make sense if they did not come in a complete collection. It just wouldn’t do to group them together on a display table if they do not have the same theme.

However, there are ways that you can get new decorative use out of these mismatched figures – especially if they are small.

One of the popular decorating projects that a lot of young people get into using small toy figures and ceramic figures is a fairy garden. They mix plants and figures to create this whimsical real estate for tiny magical creatures.

Another decorating project you can try with small figures – especially of animals – is by painting them metallic colors and glueing them to the lid of containers for bathroom essentials. Making the figurines the same color is the best way to achieve visually pleasing uniformity.

Truly, you just need to plan and be creative with the things you own, because anything – even a collection of tacky and mismatched items cluttering your home – can become lovely and purposeful items.

So, if you have loved ones who insist on giving you an assortment of things they no longer use, just keep on receiving. If you enjoy decorating your dwelling, you can repurpose these items to make your home a stylish haven.

AUTHOR BIO

Craig Jones is the Managing Director at Aussiemove, Australia’s largest independent moving alliance. Craig is a respected member of the removalist network in Australia, having served in senior positions, including the President of the removal industries governing body, the Australian Furniture Removals Association (AFRA). With 23 years of experience at Aussiemove, he has the skills and the highly trained team to move families safely and reliably, in Adelaide, across Australia and around the world.