As green DIY projects and upcycling grow in popularity across the GTA, our design consultants can’t help but think of all the ways you can reuse your old window treatments after you purchase a new set. Instead of sending them off to occupy precious space in our landfills, you can creatively transform them into new useful objects. By breathing new life into your old blinds, you can lower your waste and reduce the consumption of new materials when creating new products. All it takes is a little time and some creativity, and you can easily lower your ecological footprint – with the added bonus of some new stuff!
For Roman Blinds – Roman blinds are incredibly easy to upcycle, as their signature folds need little reworking in order to be reused in different parts of your house. Whether your old shade is of a hobble or flat design, their panels can stand in place of doors and conceal clutter. By keeping their mechanism in place, you can install old Roman blinds in unusual cubby spaces, cupboards, or even closets (if they used to cover larger windows). Extend them to hide away what you keep stored in these spaces; and when you’re ready to access them, simply retract them and enjoy the textural interests its pleats afford your space.
For Vertical Blinds – Let’s face it, fabric vertical blinds are not quite in fashion anymore, so it’s little wonder you’ve taken them off of your windows; but just because they’re outdated in their current formation doesn’t mean they’re ready to be thrown out. Once uninstalled, you can easily cut weave the fabric slats into a variety of different household items. Our favourite is the placemat.
For Aluminum Blinds – If you’ve got a green thumb, then you’ll love how an upcycled aluminum blind can help you in the garden. The slats can be cut and decorated to create plant markers for your flower and veggie gardens. Simply cut you’re the slats into 5 inch pieces, cutting at a 45° angle every other cut. The angled cut will make it easy to pierce the garden marker into the earth without bending or creasing it; but before you put them next to your green beans, be sure to write on its surface the name of the plant it’s meant to demarcate. We recommend using a Sharpie because it needs to be able to withstand the elements. If you’re feeling particularly inspired, you can even paint your slats with interesting colours and designs. For indoor plants, a good idea is to use chalkboard paint on the slats and write the labels in colourful chalk.
With these helpful hints, you’ll never have to wonder what to do with your old window coverings again. What once would have been trash is now a creative way to spend your weekend, and the end result is an upcycled piece of treasure that helps to lower your ecological footprint. So keep this in mind the next time you think of updating your window treatments. Come to see our impressive selection of sophisticated blinds. Before installing the news ones, we’ll help to uninstall your old ones so you can re-work them into something new. Our only condition is you have to let us know how your project goes!