10 Best Hardware Store Decorating Scores

The hardware store can be a DIY one-stop-shop for unexpectedly beautiful home décor projects. Materials like rope, acrylic glass, tile, and even plumbing hardware can be used to create unique and beautiful home décor items. Plus, for a fraction of the craft-store cost, finishing touches like decorative nail heads, river stones, and chain sold by the yard abound. We dedicated a whole chapter of our book, Pretty Prudent Home, to hardware store decorating. Find our 10 Best Hardware Store Décor Finds after the jump…

1. Pipe fittings Pipe fittings of various colors, shapes, and sizes are good for about ten million things. They make perfect candleholders. or, with proper planning, you can build the arms of our famous DIY Pallet Daybed with them. Or you can make a pipe fitting curtain rod (detailed, illustrated step-by-step instructions on page 71 of Pretty Prudent Home.
2. Chain Links
Chain links make for cool industrial accents. We used them to make these curtain tie-backs (one of our round up of easy tie-bac ideas in Pretty Prudent Home) but they have about a million and one uses.
3. Parachute Cord
Paracord is sturdy enough to dive out of a plane with, so you can rely on it for some home decor projects. It can also be found in about a million different color, and used like yarn. We made this Granny Square Crochet rug out of it. This is basically crocheting a giant granny square, the actual pattern and step-by-step DIY instructions can be found on page 88 of Pretty Prudent Home.
4. Rope, rope, rope There are so many things you can do with a big old roll of rope! Our favorite is this $10 amazon luggage stand turned into a decor item (from page 76 of Pretty Prudent Home) We also think that making a nautical rope rug, as we show you how to do on page 87 of Pretty Prudent Home, is an efficient way to make a traditionally expensive item (a rug) on the cheap. This one is in my house. Those are also my boots. I love those boots.
5. Twine
Twine just comes in handy. You can roast a turkey with it, or wrap a gift, or basically give anything a rustic feel. Our favorite twine projects are floral, like these Crepe Paper Flower Corsages These DIY Woven Coasters or even to make this super cute toy, a DIY Spin Drum.

6. Canvas Tarps
Canvas tarps are crazy cheap as far as fabric is concerned, and they are virtually weather proof. They are so so so useful for covering up outdoor furniture when weather hits (I actually recovered the pallet daybed above in army green canvas tarp a few years later), or you can have some fun with them in home decor. I did, along with our next item…

7. Letter Stencils Yes in this day and age, you can cut vinyl letters from your silhouette or order them online, but there’s something very specifically retro about actually stenciling with old-fashioned hardware store letter stencils. I made this headboard using a canvas tarp and hardware store stencils. My daughter always sings a song she wrote in which the only lyrics are “Day come true, day come true, every single day come true!” so my husband and I put it on our bed as a headboard.
8. Sample-size Paint
I don’t need to explain this to you. Purchasing cool paint colors in small sizes is convenient when you like to make crafts.
9. Furniture Legs
Turn anything flat into a a table by adding some pre-fab hardware store legs. Turn a vintage letterpress tray into a table, like we show you how to do on page 49 of Pretty Prudent Home. Jacinda found two vintage letterpress trays at (the amazing and mind blowing)Canton Flea, and turned them into nightstands for her guest room, which is where I get to stay when I am in Texas at her house. They are amazing! Look at all the cool stuff you can display inside…
10. Hardware Store Hot Dog
You know you want one, and we are here to tell you that you deserve it. nom nom nom

by Jaime