DIY Home Décor for your Tiny House

Yep! That’s a tiny house made out of pallets!

Fans of tiny home living need no convincing: one of the main goals of living in a tiny house is to live as inexpensively as possible! So when you consider the potential expense of a non-essential like home décor (that provides no “real” benefit since you don’t usually eat or wear your home’s accessories), trimming the fat from a decorating budget seems like a no brainer to help you reach your low-cost living goals.

But you shouldn’t have to sacrifice every creature comfort (like the worthy endeavor of having something pretty to look at) on your quest for free living. Indeed, just because something has value doesn’t mean it comes at a cost!

Here are some DIY decorating suggestions for your tiny house that have similarly tiny price tags: many can be had for next to nothing and even free!

Pallet Projects

When it comes to the world of DIY home décor made from reclaimed lumber, few sources can compete with a discarded pallet: not only do you get many pieces of pre-cut wood in one fell swoop, but you also receive limitless options for what you can turn them into! Consider these ingenious reinventions of discarded pallets:

Shelving: Simply remove some of the internal dividers and some of the top slats to create shelving compartments inside of the pallet. Turn it on its side or upright and lean it up against the wall for books or hang it as a kitchen cupboard, spice rack, etc.!
Frames: Take 4 pallet pieces and attach them together to create frames for mirrors or pictures – nail two horizontal pieces onto two vertical pieces where they overlap in the corners or use a mitre saw to cut angles that will correspond for gluing together perfectly aligned edges!
Flooring: As we’ve seen, pallets can be used to create sides for tiny houses but they can also be converted into custom “hardwood” floors! Decide on a layout by arranging the pieces of lumber in various patterns and when you’ve decided on your design, attach the lumber slats together permanently with nails or screws.
Art Installations: If you are lucky enough to come across painted pallets, you can break them up and mix them together to create elaborate mosaics and abstract art installations. You can hang them on the walls alone or as accent pieces adjacent to other décor projects, like the ones below!

Old and Broken Furniture

The same item can be “old” to one person but “antique” or “vintage” to another. And some of the most amazing “repurposed” items began when they became “broken.” Here are a couple of ideas for your old and broken furniture pieces that are merely one step away from being tiny custom creations!

Drawers: Design Open Wall Cupboards

Whether you use matching drawers from your own previously enjoyed chest or cabinet or random drawers that you have treasure-hunted, you can create elaborate hanging cabinets that are as functional as they are fashionable.

Turn empty drawers upside down and attach these (flat-side) to the wall with the open side facing out. From here, you can store your china, crockery or other knickknacks inside!

You can hang them either in a set design or randomly – the main thing to remember is to hang them with the hardware side on the bottom, serving as the base, as these sides tend to be the sturdiest and the most able to support the weight of your various items (as opposed to the flimsy rear of the drawer that is neither seen nor heavily utilized when the drawer is closed).

Chairs: Create a shelf/towel rack combo

If you can find a wooden chair with a back that has horizontal slats, and assuming you’re not in love with any painting or designs on the chair, you can create a tiny shelf/towel rack combo.

Simply saw off any arms and/or legs and cut into the seat of the chair approximately 4-6″ from the back edge. When completed, you should have a few inches of seat and slatted chair back. Turn it upside down and nail it to the wall as your new shelf for toiletries or kitchen soaps and multi-leveled towel rack!

No matter what you find or what you make, the goal is to stay true to your personal style and your tiny house mission: making the most of the world around you and living as inexpensively as possible!

What tiny home décor items have you constructed from found treasures?

This guest post was written by Chris Long, a long-time store associate at a Home Depot in Illinois, writes for the Home Depot blog. He enjoys writing on home improvement topics ranging from lumber to outdoor decks.