Is it possible to struggle with the crippling cost of living while trying to be more sustainable AND have a stylish home?
Step forward interiors guru and champion of low-cost, conscious living, Patricia Rodi, who is cleaning humble food jars and bottles and transforming them into beautiful budget-friendly homewares.
‘Glass is highly durable and very much in vogue in interiors right now,’ says Patricia.
‘It’s the perfect material to help us ditch single-use plastics – then reuse and upcycle the things we already have to create super-stylish and affordable accessories for our homes.’
Here are Patricia’s top glass hacks…
‘This Is Glass’ is a British Glass campaign to celebrate the UN’s Year Of Glass.
Make your own candlesticks
Taper candles are huge in interiors right now but don’t fork out on often expensive glass candlesticks when you can make your own cool centrepiece.
‘There are some beautiful gin bottles in the supermarkets that are way too pretty for the recycling bin,’ says Patricia, pictured. ‘The thick glass bottoms create a cool illusion when lit with a flickering candle.’
She continues: ‘Search charity shops and car boot sales for vintage candlesticks – remove the silver or brass candle holder part and pop it into the neck of the bottle.
‘The combination of metal and glass looks very cool – plus a room full of candlelight is romantic and can cut your energy bills.’
Customise your coffee jar
Impress your guests with a customised, super-stylish coffee jar.
Patricia says: ‘I found an old French coffee grinder at an antiques fair and literally glued it on to the lid of a recycled storage jar. It’s so cute and looks great on the shelf in my kitchen, as well as keeping my coffee fresh.
‘As it’s more aesthetic than practical, the grinder doesn’t have to fit perfectly (or work!) so use any jar of roughly the same size. Check eBay, Facebook Marketplace, car boot sales and charity shops for old coffee grinders.’
Home-made festoons
Create home-made festoons for your garden party or summer wedding.
‘Make some magic by stringing solar-powered fairy lights around a washing line,’ explains Patricia.
‘At regular intervals bunch a handful of the lights into small glass food jars or bottles and screw the lid back on (not too tightly). This will also work down the centre of a table to add some sparkle.’
Use old jars for spices
Want to add a sophisticated spin to your larder cupboard?
‘Dried goods like rice, nuts, pasta, herbs and colourful spices look fabulous in glass jars,’ Patricia says.
‘For a more rustic look, the jars don’t have to match – labels will give mismatched jars a unified look (I use brown tags tied with string.)
‘For matching jars, find a shape and size you like and shop the range until you have enough for all your dried goods.’
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