Over the past decade we have seen a huge shift in where you can buy your home décor. Previously, there would be designated homeware retailers such as the likes of IKEA and Dunelm but now we have supermarkets, fast fashion brands and discount stores also offering a wide range of home décor too.
They have instantly entered the market at a very low price point and have become home décor’s answer to fast fashion. There is an upside to this (stick with us). As well as the impact of COVID-19 forcing millions of people to spend more time at home, the wider access to home décor has shifted how people feel towards how they spend on their home and what it looks like.
But this a downside (shock) and that is that slowly but surely, it is becoming harder and harder to introduce unique home décor into your home by shopping only at fast homeware retailers. Soon, your home begins to feel like everyone else’s and there is no evidence of your personality in your home.
In their 2021 Life at Home report, IKEA reported that 4 in 10 people felt a positive impact on their mental health when they felt positive about their home. There is proof that having a home which feels like you and makes you feel positive has a wider impact on your mental health.
We’re going to take you through 10 easy to implement unique home décor ideas to make your home feel more like you.
1. Consider Vintage Décor For Your Kitchen
Vintage kitchenware you’ll love: Vintage Novelty Lettuce and Tomato Drainer Plate Set
Source: Sunshine Thrift
We’ve been inspired by: Livingbrightinteriors.com
Source: Pinterest
Introducing true vintage home décor pieces is an interesting way to show off your personality in your home. True vintage pieces can be rare and are only available from specialist second hand and antique home décor retailers so finding that vintage gem that calls out to you is a wonderful feeling. Vintage pieces, no matter the size, can be introduced into any room in your home. In particular, vintage kitchenware is becoming more and more popular as people are inspired by unique and retro homes they see on social media.
2. Release the creativity in you
An upcycled piece you’ll love: Green Wooden Countertop Wine Rack
Source: Sunshine Thrift
We’ve been inspired by:
Source: TikTok
Upcycling small or large home décor pieces instantly shows off your personality in your home. It’s also the cost effective solution to wanting more unique décor. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a trained upholster or a skilled artist for this; you just need a little patience and some free time. We’ve been inspired by Tarah & Barry’s Tik Tok video showing how easy it is to take the most insignificant of pieces in your home and transform them into a unique, joyful items you will want to proudly display.
3. Don’t be afraid of bold colour schemes
Go bold: Pink Glass Bubble Candlestick Holder
Source: Sunshine Thrift
We’ve been inspired by:
Source: Instagram
Introducing a bold colour scheme, doesn’t mean you need to paint your walls and ceiling bright yellow. It’s about finding a visually appealing piece which can become a focal point in a particular part of your home. We’ve been inspired by Nikki Shore’s Victorian Home which is brimming with pink and green.
To achieve such an extravagant and alluring home takes time; but why not start with a couple of colourful home décor pieces. In a home made up of mostly neutral colours, one brightly coloured piece of décor can be impactful.
4. Practical décor doesn’t mean boring decor
A unique piece that has a function we think you’ll love: condiment caddy
Source: Sunshine Thrift
We’ve been inspired by:
Source: Etsy
It’s all well and good finding unique décor for your home, but once you’ve brought it home and found a place for it to live. Ask yourself, is this practical? And if the answer is no, it’s unlikely that piece will remain where you put it for the long term. This is especially the case in busy households with pets and children.
Remember, practical doesn’t mean boring, if anything, finding a unique home décor piece which is practical is more impressive because it is dual purpose; it looks beautiful and serves a functional purpose in your home. Surely this means you would love this piece even more. We think it would!
5. The hall of second hand frame
We think your gallery wall is missing: Gold Bead Floral 6x4 Picture Frame
Source: Sunshine Thrift
We've been inspired by:
Source: Sunshine Thrift
There’s no exact science to creating a gallery wall and that’s why they’re a popular method for introducing personality and fun into your home, there’s no rules!
However, creating a gallery wall from scratch using brand new frames and artwork can become expensive very quickly. Which is why we’re huge advocates for second hand picture frames; surprisingly, they’re one of the easier unique home décor pieces to get your hands on at car boot sales, second hand retailers such as Sunshine Thrift or online marketplaces like eBay.
Not knowing where to start can be one of the main reasons why people never start a gallery wall, but our advice to you would be to just start it. Use picture hanging strips to make it easier to try different frames in different locations on your wall before settling on the final layout.
6. Don’t sweep this one under the rug
We think your floor needs: Handmade Jute Braided Round Rug
Source: Sunshine Thrift
We've been inspired by:
https://www.dorisleslieblau.com/5-ways-modern-rug-can-transform-room/
Source: Doris Leslie Blau
Any interior designer will tell you that a rug can serve multiple purposes in your home. In large spaces, rugs can be used to define areas within a space. Just as we have discussed above for boldly coloured home décor, brightly coloured rugs can become the focal point in a neutral or monochrome space.
We’ve been inspired by Doris Leslie Blau’s use of an emerald green Scandinavian rug in a monochrome space to bring colour and focus into the room. Our top tip for finding a unique rug that reflects your personality would be to choose one which can be used in multiple colour schemes should you ever decide to decorate; your presence of personality will remain whilst the room around you changes.
7. It’s all the little home accessories
We think you'll love: Funky Gold Mushroom Ornament
Source: Sunshine Thrift
We've been inspired by:
Source: Tik Tok
You don’t need to think big when considering a piece of unique home décor, scale is irrelevant and you should bring your focus back to you and showing off your personality in your home. Cute, little home accessories that are small in scale, even miniature, can have a huge impact.
We’ve been inspired by Helen’s very beautifully decorated pink home on Tik Tok. Now, Helen’s home is bursting with funky home accessories big and small. But focus in on the smaller details of her home and soon you will see that it’s the smaller touches, the little ornaments, the cute accessories, which make up the vast majority of the space.
8. Your personality can shine in every room
We think your bathroom will love: Vintage Gold Plated Dolphin Soap Dish
Source: Sunshine Thrift
We've been inspired by:
Source: Tik Tok
Don’t forget about those rooms in your home which you may look at from a purely practical viewpoint such as the bathroom or your utility room. In fact, if you’re slightly apprehensive about introducing unique home décor we would recommend trialling out smaller yet practical pieces in these rooms first.
Don’t forget what we said about practicality! Especially in rooms that have a functional use all day every day, it would be a waste of money to add in any décor which is impractical and does not function in your home. Take our dolphin shaped vintage soap dish as a prime example of a small piece of practical home décor which you can trial in a room you are less precious about.
9. Handmade with love
We can see you in this: Recycled Newspaper Square Mirror
Source: Sunshine Thrift
We've been inspired by:
Source: Tik Tok
A bit like upcycling, handmade home décor pieces are the epitome of personality pieces. It is simply impossible to hand make a home décor piece and not let your personality shine through. However, we can’t deny that making something from scratch can be time consuming and a certain level of creativity is definitely required.
But fear not, marketplaces such as Etsy are teaming with sellers who produce beautiful handmade, one-off-a-kind home décor so you can enjoy all the aesthetic benefits of a handmade item with no work whatsoever.
10. Leave the lights on for this one
Light up your home with: Handmade Black Polka Dot and Pink Pom Pom Candle Lampshade
Source: Sunshine Thrift
We've been inspired by:
Source: Etsy
Statement lighting can have you and your guests needing to book a chiropractor appointment. When reflecting your personality through your lighting choices, you should still consider the following: room proportions, ceiling height and desired ambience. Just as we have mentioned before, practicality should also be considered here. Statement lighting is expensive, even when bought second hand, so you want to invest in lighting which can be impactful that continues to serve the function of a light.
We’ve been inspired by this flower chandelier available on Etsy. A lighting piece such as this will draw your eyes upwards and then out towards the room as the light shines evenly.
Final Thoughts
Making your home feel more like you is simple; you just need to discover unique home décor pieces that reflect who you are as a person and not what is trendy right now and easily available on supermarket shelves.
The temptation to take the easy option and buy what is most accessible and most in your face is strong, we get it. But the mental and emotional reward when you find that one unique home décor piece you have been looking for, is incomparable.
Throughout our top 10 unique home décor ideas there are crossovers and links between different ideas. We encourage you to trial and error the different ideas which feel most accessible to you and remember, there is no right or wrong answer on how to incorporate unique home décor into your home because it is yours.
