Home improvement and DIY is something that can give you a lot of joy – and there is a real thrill to be found from making a place your own. However for most of us the act of redecorating and improving our homes is unfortunately still rather limited. For the majority of us that is to say it’s limited to just moving things around our home and choosing where to put them – as opposed to actually making things or having any input in their design. To truly make a property your own it would be much better to actually be able to design your own property how you wanted it and that means leaning to design and create your own furniture and your own ornaments.
And there’s no reason you can’t either – as there are actually many ways that even someone with no experience in DIY can start making their own decorations and fittings. Here we will look at some of those methods…
3D Printing: 3D printing services are services that allow you to submit a blueprint (such as an STL file using 3D modelling software like Blender) and then to have that desiring printed out from a variety of materials ranging from china, to hard plastic, to glass to steel. This way you can make solid objects with no need to be ‘practical’ and they can look however you want them to (then just spray paint the items to add the color at the end). It can take a while to learn 3D modelling which can be a little complex for beginners, but there are plenty of tutorials to be found on YouTube that can help you with this. You can even make your own furniture be those plastic chairs or stools – but note that it can be costly to print out the materials.
Classes: Alternatively you can make things by going to a class. Most classes and courses in carpentry, ceramics, pottery etc. will take you through the process of designing something of your own as you learn and any of these things can then be displayed in your home. What’s great about a class too is that you don’t need to have the supplies or the tools yourself, and that you will learn a skill that you can then use to design more things yourself in future.
Upscaling: Upscaling is something that savvy store owners do – it means buying something or even just obtaining something free that’s a bit worn out and tatty, and then converting those items into things that will look much better and be far more unique. You can do this for instance with re-upholstering (adding your own material), with antiquing (making the item look older) or by attaching things together or carving into the wood. Look around a tip or a car boot sale and use your creative lenses to find that diamond in the rough.
Friends: Of course if you can’t do the job yourself then you probably know someone who can – whether they are experts at DIY or professional carpenters. The idea then is that you can simply ask them to create your designs and give them the plans – and if they’re a good friend you should find you get mate’s rates too.
Ashton Jones is an expert home renovator and civil engineer who has worked in key restoration projects like Repave liquid limestone perth
