Personalized home decor is a great way to show off your style. They say that your home is an extension of yourself. Every paint color, a piece of furniture, and little knick-knack in each room—they all play a part in telling an intricate and multifaceted story about you and your life.

Now, with that in mind, would you still want to go for the same boring, mass-produced home furnishings—wall paintings, furniture, lamps, and other home fixtures—that can probably be found in every other home in the country? Probably not.

How to Make Your Own Personalized Home Decor

Image Source: Flickr (Photo by Stacie / CC BY-SA 2.0 )

If you want every item in your home to be a reflection of your personality, then you can’t just buy something from the store—you need to make your own!

Home Decor Ideas: Make something from scratch

Are you handy with tools? Can you sew or work a glue gun? If you’re the crafty type, DIY is one of the best ways to create interesting and one-of-a-kind home decor. Browse popular interior design Pinterest boards or check your favorite DIY blogs for some ideas and inspiration on what kind of decorative items you can make!

Depending on the size of your chosen project, going the DIY route is a relatively inexpensive (and more enjoyable) alternative to buying something ready-made. Is there a cute vintage lamp or a beautiful, handmade chair that you’ve been dying to purchase but don’t have the funds for? Just make it yourself! It may take a bit more time and effort, but the beauty of the DIY option (apart from costing significantly less) is that you get to control what the final product looks like. You get to put your own personal spin on it, and no one will have anything quite like it!

Real Simple gives 10 Simple DIY Home Decorating ideas to try out.

Image Source: Flickr (Photo by Emily May / CC BY 2.0)

Turn your own family photos into wall decor:

Personalized home decor can also be made from your own photos. Do you have digital artwork, family photos or images you want to display in your home? What’s more personalized than printing your own face (or your family’s faces) onto random decorative items in your home?

Many companies out there offer unique photo printing services that allow you to have your family photos printed on anything, and these services provide you with a wide variety of options for making some truly personalized decor for your home. You can have your chosen photo printed on quilts or pillowcases, or even as a large custom mural that you can stick on one of your walls for a really bold statement.

Take a look at this bedroom with custom mural

Another idea is to have your photos printed on metal. Unlike other photo printing methods, metal printing renders your photo prints extremely durable, which allows for a wide variety of decorative applications.

We love these wall art ideas from Buzzfeed for more creative home decor.

Take a cue from home decorators – give old furniture a new look

If you already have furniture and just want to give them an updated look to reflect your preferred aesthetic, that is perfectly fine, too! Ratty old items can look new and trendy again with the help of the right tools, some creativity, and a little elbow grease. Personalized home decor in the form of furniture rehab is a great option too! A little DIY reupholstering, slapping on a new coat of paint, and adding some creative accents here and there will help breathe new life into your furniture and make them truly unique.

Image Source: Flickr (Photo by Crazy House Capers / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Home Design Ideas: Upcycle!

Never heard of upcycling before? It’s the process of taking something that would have otherwise gone in the trash and repurposing it so that it can be used again in a creative (and eco-friendly) way. If you have some old, broken-down items lying around in your home, don’t throw them in the garbage—turn them into something else!

Upcycling is a great way to kill two birds with one stone. When you upcycle your belongings, you “get rid” of an old item that has become useless to you, and at the same time you get a brand new piece of furniture or home decoration without having to spend an arm and a leg.

Look at this old bike repurposed into a planter

Need some cool upcycling ideas? Once again, Pinterest is your best friend.

So what are you waiting for? Get cracking on those decorating projects and be the envy of all your friends when they see your special, custom-made home decor!

For more home decorating ideas on Stagetecture, visit our home decor category.