Cheap Dupes to Achieve That Cute Pinterest Room Aesthetic
There are plenty of cute room ideas on Pinterest. If you want to copy them but don’t have the budget to splurge on decor, you can make a cheaper version for yourself. It is all about creativity and resourcefulness.
Here are a few ways you can do expensive room decors on a budget:
Sintra Board Frames
Photo tiles set side by side are fantastic. Those minimalist photo squares can cost up to a hundred dollars, depending on the number of frames you want. And that 8″×11″ framed decors with quotes on them are also expensive if you buy them from home decor stores. You can copy this if you have a printer at home.
A perfect dupe that won’t hurt your wallet are frames made of Sintra boards. You can get 10 sheets of 10″×10″ Sintra board that will only cost $20. Other than these, you will need printable vinyl sticker papers. You can buy a pack of 25 sheets for only $12.
You can cut up the boards depending on the size you want. The stickers are usually 8.5″×11″. You can follow that, or you can go for squares if you want to. Next, you need to print the picture or the quotes. The vinyl sticker papers are transparent, so you can opt for a colored design unless you want a white background. You can use a smaller-sized specialty cardstock as a background for the procedure. You paste it on the board first before you put the sticker on top.
The next part is the only tricky step in the whole process. You will peel off the sticker paper and carefully align it onto the board. Once you have that, cut 1-inch wide strips of Sintra board to put on the sides of the board to give it a 3D frame effect. You can stick it on with any adhesive or shoe glue if you have some at home.
After that, you’re pretty much done. You can repeat the process for as many designs as you want. You can use a string to hang it or use a hook to achieve a floating effect.
Line Art Hologram Lamps
Acrylic is a fun material with which to experiment. And one of the projects you can create with this is an acrylic lamp with line art that gives the illusion of a hologram. The best part is, you can do this for under $10.
All you need is an acrylic sheet which you can buy for around 3 dollars. That is a 5″×6″ acrylic sheet. You can also choose different sizes and custom shapes which will cost you a bit more. The LED lamp base will cost you around $6. Some lamp bases available on the market change colors and have a remote control. There are lamps with a single color if you want a more classy look.
You already have a lamp once you have the two materials. You need to add a line of art made of vinyl stickers, for which you will need a cutting machine. Don’t worry if you don’t have a cutting machine. There are craft stores that can cut the design for you. To create the line art, you can use Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop. There are tons of tutorials on YouTube.
Once you have the design on the vinyl sticker, you need to stick it on the acrylic sheet, and you are done.
Wooden Shelves
Wooden shelves seem to be a staple in every room picture on Pinterest. If you don’t want to work on making your shelves, you can buy them online. They cost around 30 dollars for a pair of small shelves. It will cost if you want more than two and longer ones.
If there is a wood workshop near your place, maybe they have some wood planks they will not use anymore. If they do, all you need is a little varnish, some sandpaper, and shelf brackets.
Sand the planks down until they don’t have sharp edges anymore. Then coat them with some wood varnish. When they dry up, get ready for drilling. All you need is to screw the brackets onto the wall and install the shelves.
You need to be creative with the placement. Whether you want symmetrical or opposite shelves, it’s up to you. And just like that, you have the Pinterest signature wooden shelves. Just add some plants and frames to complete the look.
These DIY projects are just proof that you don’t have to spend so much on aesthetics. This is especially true if you are willing to sit a bit and put in some work.
