In the interior design world, many home improvement enthusiasts want to be trend setters. How amazing is it when guests compliment you on your choice of décor and enquire as to where you got those gorgeous accessories from? But when you reply with a huge chain store you secretly know that you’re probably one of thousands of homeowners to display that particular accessory. There’s something more exciting about being the only one to have a certain accessory, receiving compliments makes you feel more of a trend-setter than a sheep!

So how do you go about accessorizing your home to ensure its unique? A spark of creativity can help you on your way to having that dream home that turns others green with envy!

Start by Making your Own Accessories

The only way to ensure your accessories are entirely unique to your home is to make them yourself! Knowing your away around a sewing machine is certainly a step in the right direction; think of the cushion covers and pillow cases you could make! The best part is; you can tailor the tablecloths, cushion covers and pillow cases, and even sofa throws, personally to your colour scheme.

Making your own accessories doesn’t have to stop at sewing fabrics however, if you’re interested in photography or painting you can frame your own work. This not only saves money on splashing out on other people’s artwork, but when people compliment your framed paintings/photographs you’ll get a huge confidence boost! Pottery classes can also lead to great accessories for your home; plant pots, tea pots and even small animal sculptures can make elegant head-turning accessories!

Get Social – Network with other Interior Enthusiasts

There’s a huge online interior design community; there are so many home décor bloggers out there eager to share their work with the rest of the world. Even small-scale designers who just like to get creative in their own homes enjoy blogging – so join in! By starting a blog and networking with others, you could share ideas and even swap hand-made accessories.

If you’re a wiz with a sewing needle and a fellow blogger makes beautiful pottery accessories why not trade them? You both get something new for the home and the confidence boost of knowing someone else has your hand-made product featured in their home! Once you’ve both received each other’s handmade gifts, do a blog post about it – it can be great for increasing both of your reader numbers and networking! Pinterest is also an excellent social platform for sharing interior design ideas with others and looking at other interior designer’s boards and pictures for inspiration.

Customise Generic Accessories

Shopping for interiors at incredibly popular stores can be convenient and affordable, so you don’t have to stop doing it! If you see accessories you like you can always customise them to make them your own, so even the most popular accessories can be displayed in your home with a unique personal twist.

If you’re looking to save money, buy a generic chair and customise it with an embroidered throw (hand-made of course) to add character and make it different from the hundreds of other homeowners who have purchased the product.

So you see, there’s plenty of ways you can make your home quite like no other. What’s more, creating your own accessories or even trading them with others can save you tons of money. Generally, handmade products have high price-tags due to the effort that goes into products; so making your own is far more cost-effective. Who knows, you may even open your own handmade accessory store some day?

This guest post was written by Stephanie Staszko. She writes for DIY site www.howitsmade.co.uk which takes a look at how some of the most everyday items are manufactured, as well as providing crafty hints, tips and how-to guides for creative minds!