4 Easy Ways To Give Your Home An Instant Makeover

After years of staring at the same bed, dresser, couch, and chairs, it's easy to become bored with your living space, and yearn for a complete home makeover. But what if I told you that instead of spending thousands of dollars on new furniture, you could just as easily breathe new life into your living space by simply repurposing odds and ends throughout your home? You can, and all it takes is a little creative inspiration.

Enter Matthew Cane, interior designer at Homepolish. Cane recently teamed up with HomeGoods to help design fashion blogger Helena Glazer aka Brooklyn Blonde's gorgeous new brownstone in south Brooklyn. Not only did Cane transform the home's relatively blank canvas with mindfully curated prints, patterns, and textures, he also managed to salvage seemingly throwaway pieces, repurposing them throughout the house, and creating unique accents in just about every corner. Cane tells Bustle, "When styling, I like to focus on one small area of a room at a time, and many times, I realize that a specific area needs to 'have a moment.' I try to brainstorm what can be done to give this area a wow factor." Cane explains that these brainstorming sessions often lead to repurposing realizations — like flipping a trash can over and using it as a chic plant stand, or placing an old mirror behind a bookshelf to open up a living room.

For a little more creative inspiration, read on to see the many ways Cane was able to repurpose odds and ends throughout Brooklyn Blonde's brownstone, so you too can breathe new life into your living space, creating your own "moments" with the unique pieces you already own.

1. Flip a trash can over to create a chic plant stand

"With this corner of the bedroom, I wanted to highlight this particular cactus, which is so meaningful to the owners," Cane tells Bustle. "With the cactus on the ground, it looked a bit too low next to the antique peacock chair. I realized that the trash can was the same size as the planter, so instead of placing it on top of a side table (which would have looked weird), I thought, let me try and flip this trash can over and use it as a pedestal to highlight the cactus as a piece of art. And voilà, trash can chic!"

2. Place an old mirror behind a bookshelf to open up a room

Instead of tossing an old mirror you no longer have wall space for, Cane recommends placing it behind an open-back shelving unit like he did here. Not only does the mirror add an interesting new dimension to the top shelves, it also immediately opens up the room, adding the illusion of more space — a luxury that can be rather hard to come by in Brooklyn.

3. Use an old mirror as a vanity tray

This small antique mirror can easily be repurposed as a vanity tray — a simple way to add a timeless feminine touch to any bedroom.

4. Stack vintage luggage, which can be used as both extra storage and an end table

Vintage luggage can be repurposed to serve double duty. Just fill them with books, blankets, or keepsakes, lock them up, stack them up, then utilize the top surface as a living room or bedroom end table.

For more repurposing ideas, head on over to HomeGoods’ Pinterest boards where you can find many different looks and styles based on simple keyword searches.

Images: HomeGoods (4)