How To Decorate With Everyday Items At Home

How To Decorate With Everyday Items

You don’t need new furniture or designer pieces to update your space. You can decorate with everyday items. It’s affordable. It’s fast. It reflects who you are.

If you’re buying a home, staging a home, or relocating to a new city like Toronto, you need smart, flexible design choices. Everyday items solve that.

Why Decorate With Everyday Items?

1. You Save Money

Home decor gets expensive. Throw pillows, framed art, shelving, and lighting can drain your budget.

Using what you already own makes your home feel personal without spending more. According to the Government of Canada’s Household Spending Report, Canadians spend an average of $2,500 a year on household furnishings and equipment. You can cut that cost in half by decorate with everyday items.

Reusing items makes sense, especially if you’re dealing with closing costs, moving expenses, or prepping your property for sale.

2. You Make It Personal

No one else owns your stuff. The bowl your grandmother used. Your travel mugs. The blanket you picked up in Montreal. You already have everything you need to build a room that feels like you in order to decorate with everyday items.

Buyers notice when a home has personal warmth. A thoughtfully decorated space can help sell your home faster.

3. You Reduce Waste

Using what you already own keeps items out of the landfill. You extend the life of everything in your home.

According to RecycleBC, household waste in Ontario rises after major life transitions—like moving. Decorating with what you own helps you waste less during those times.

Common Household Items You Can Use

Books

Use hardcover books to create height on coffee tables or sideboards. Stack three or four under a plant or candle.

Group books by color or theme. This adds texture without clutter.

Glass Jars

Turn empty jars into flower vases, utensil holders, or bathroom storage.

Try grouping three glass jars of different heights on a kitchen shelf.

Baskets

Place woven baskets in entryways to collect keys or mail. Use larger ones to store throws in your living room.

Baskets add warmth and structure.

Bowls and Plates

Use shallow bowls on counters or dining tables. Fill them with fresh fruit or seasonal items.

Hang decorative plates in a cluster to create instant wall art.

Scarves and Textiles

Drape scarves or small blankets over the back of a chair or at the end of a bed.

Fold fabric into drawer liners or frame a patterned scarf as art.

Quick Room-by-Room Guide

Living Room

Group three books, a candle, and a small plant on a tray
Hang framed postcards or kids’ art in a gallery grid
Fold throw blankets neatly on a ladder or bench

Kitchen

Use a bowl of lemons as a centerpiece
Line open shelving with matching mugs and plates
Store dry goods in reused jars

Bedroom

Place books or notebooks on your nightstand
Use a decorative plate to hold jewelry
Swap throw pillow covers using fabric you already own

Bathroom

Put cotton balls in an old candle jar
Roll hand towels into a basket
Use a ceramic mug for makeup brushes

Tips for Staging a Home

If you’re selling a home, you need it to look clean, bright, and neutral. But you still want it to feel alive try to decorate with everyday items.

Use everyday items to stage without spending on rentals.

Display neutral-toned books on nightstands
Add folded towels in bathrooms
Place three lemons in a white bowl on the counter
Light a single candle in the living room before a showing
Use matching dishes on the table to hint at lifestyle

Buyers want to see how a home works in real life. Decorate with everyday items to help them feel it.

Questions To Ask Before You Buy New Decor

Do I already own something that serves this purpose?
Can I repurpose something from another room?
Would this item help stage the home for sale?
Does this item add function or only take up space?
Would this item work in a smaller or larger home if I move?

These questions matter if you’re relocating, downsizing, or upgrading your space.

What Everyday Decor Says About Your Lifestyle

Real estate is personal. It’s about lifestyle, not square footage. A home filled with thoughtful decor shows intention.

When you decorate with everyday items, you highlight how the home supports your life—not just your belongings.

If you’re in the market to buy, pay attention to how a space feels when it’s lived in. If you’re selling, show how your home supports good habits and daily joy.

Planning a Move?

If you decorate with everyday items, it makes staging easier. They help you live more intentionally. They help you pack less and settle faster.

Looking for a home in the Greater Toronto Area with space for creative living?

Visit LifestyleVideos.com to stream short films, video tours, and real home stories from across the GTA. See inside homes that support your lifestyle—not just your square footage.