Blogs | Makeover Tool | Share Slow-Cooker Recipes | Subscribe
Links We Love
  • Oatmeal with blueberries
    Kitchen Daily: 7 Hot, Homemade Breakfast Cereals
  • Woman sleeping in bed
    Stylelist Home: 7 Helpful Tips for Buying a Mattress
  • Winter gear
    ThirdAge: 5 Ways to Make the Most of the Winter
|
Real Simple | Life Made Easier, Every Day
       
make us your homepage
  • Food & Recipes
    • Browse All
    • Enhanced Recipe Search
    • Recipe Collections & Favorites
    • Cooking Tips & Techniques
    • Shopping & Storing
    • Tools & Products
    • New Uses For Old Things
    • Guide to Ingredients
    • Share Your Slow-Cooker Recipes
  • Home & Organizing
    • Browse All
    • Organizing
    • Cleaning
    • Decorating
    • Home Improvement
    • Gardening
    • Green Living
    • New Uses For Old Things
    • Decorating With Color
  • Beauty & Fashion
    • Browse All
    • Clothing
    • Shoes & Accessories
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Makeovers & Tips
    • Clothing Care
    • New! Beauty Makeover Tool
  • Holidays & Entertaining
    • Browse All
    • Holidays
    • Weddings
    • Birthdays
    • Entertaining
    • Gifts
    • 50+ Creative Valentine’s Day Gifts
    • Digital Holiday Cards
  • Health
    • Browse All
    • Nutrition & Diet
    • Fitness & Exercise
    • Mind & Mood
    • First Aid & Health Basics
    • Preventative Health
    • Stay Healthy on the Go
  • Work & Life
    • Browse All
    • Money
    • Family
    • Life Strategies
    • Technology
    • Travel
    • Etiquette
    • Entertainment
    • Saving and Budgeting Basics
  • Magazine & More
    • Browse All
    • Inside the Magazine
    • Inside the Website
    • Newsletters
    • Real Simple Products
    • Real Simple Rewards
    • Books & Back Issues
    • Simply Stated Blogs
    • Subscribe
    • Give a Gift Subscription
    • Enjoy Real Simple on Your Tablet

Low-Cost Home Upgrades

  • PRINT
  • SAVE
  • COMMENT
  • SHARE:
  •      
  • Pin It
Table settingDavid PrincePage 1 of 12

Instant Decorating Upgrades With Old Linens

By Joyce Bautista

Ten fuss-free projects add stylish touches to your home.

Recycle Pillow Shams Into Place Mats

What you need: Boudoir-size pillow shams (usually 12 by 16 inches).
 
What you do: Nothing―the simplest project ever. Boudoir shams will cover much of the table when used this way, so you can skip a tablecloth.
 
Also works with: Napkins and dish towels. For a French-bistro effect, use a king-size sham draped across the table, with place settings at opposite ends of the sham.

Next: Recycle a Tablecloth Into a Seat Cover
Skip to Daily Finds slides.
Table setting
Chair with seat cover
Decorated headboard
Woman wearing a dish towel apron near a mixing bowl
Beach towel as shower curtain
A dog bowl and toy
Child wearing pillowcase smock and painting
Coverlet as slipcover
Photo album
Cocktail on linen napkin coaster

Most Popular Galleries

  • Boo-Boo Cover-Up

      6 Items to Simplify Your Life

  • Ketchup bottle as batter dispenser

      50 All-Time Favorite New Uses for Old Things

  • Heart to Heart Bow Tie

      Unique Valentine’s Day Gifts for Him

  • Real Simple March 2002

      16 Before-and-After Room Makeovers

  • Baking soda, lemon and cream of tartar by a bathtub

      12 Quick Fixes for Your Household Things

Hot Topic

Do you have a creative way to repurpose old linens?

View Earlier Comments
Advertisement

What's Hot

Halibut With Citrusy Tomatoes and Capers

5 Cool-Weather Dinners

Warm up with these quick, healthy, delicious dinner ideas.

  • How to Host a Swap Party
  • Stylelist Home: 10 Smart Organizing Ideas
Computer deskNew on the Web
Cookbooks We Love: The Newlywed Cookbook
...
from Kitchen Daily on Huffingtonpost
7 things that can ruin your smile
Your smile is one of your best assets, so, of course, you want to keep it spark...
from FOXNews.com
Ben Bernanke Says Weak Housing Prices Have Hurt Spending
  Ben Bernanke says declines in home prices have forced many American...
from ThirdAge
This Bare Dining Room Gets A Simple And Elegant Makeover
The Dilemma: A formal dining room is often an overlooked and underused space in ...
from Stylelist Home
Wise Words: MLK Sums Up the Definition of Faith
To celebrate Black History Month, we're featuring a series of inspiring quo...
from SavvySugar
Linsanity: Manhattan Pad or Westchester House? (3 photos)
You may have to be living under a rock not to have heard anything about Jeremy ...
from Houzz
Real Simple Newsletters To receive any of these free e-mails, check the boxes below and enter the required information.
  • Weekly Tips Newsletter
  • Daily Finds
  • Daily Thought
  • Wedding Newsletter
  • Daily Recipe Newsletter
  • Ask Real Simple
  • Keep It Together Checklist
Home & Organizing:
  • Organizing | 
  • Cleaning | 
  • Decorating | 
  • Home Improvement | 
  • Gardening | 
  • Green Living | 
  • New Uses For Old things | 
  • Clever Organizing Solutions | 
  • Speed-Cleaning Tips & Tricks | 
  • New Uses for Everyday Items | 
  • DIY Decorating Ideas | 
  • Unexpected Natural Cleaners | 
  • Top Cleaning Checklists | 
  • Go Green | 
  • Painting Tips | 
  • Home Gardening Tips | 
  • 40 Decorating Tips for Your Living Room | 
  • Quick Weekend Projects | 
  • Simply Stated: Decorating & Organizing Blog


More from RealSimple.com:
  • Food & Recipes | 
  • Beauty & Fashion | 
  • Holidays & Entertaining | 
  • Health | 
  • Work & Life | 
  • Magazine & More
  • Real Simple Magazine:
  • Subscribe | 
  • Give a Gift Subscription | 
  • Tablet Edition
  • On The Go: 
  • Get Ideas Daily | 
  • Become a Fan on Facebook | 
  • Follow Real Simple on Twitter | 
  • Real Simple Mobile Apps
  • Contact Us | 
  • Customer Service | 
  • Privacy Policy | 
  • Terms of Service | 
  • Print Media Kit | 
  • Digital Media Kit | 
  • Real Simple Rewards | 
  • Site Map
  • Ad Choices
Copyright © 2012 Time Inc. Lifestyle Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Real Simple Home and Lifestyle Network