I Recreated $1000+ English Country Decor with $100 of Thrift Store Finds | Budget Home Decor

When most people think of English country style, they picture cozy Cotswold cottages with weathered stone walls and rooms that look like they've evolved over years. The decor feels collected, loved, and lived with. It's warm, timeless, and surprisingly achievable and affordable. The hard part isn't finding budget-friendly pieces, it's making them look like they belong in a centuries-old cottage. So today, I'll show you how to turn inexpensive thrift store finds into beautiful decor inspired by the timeless charm of a Cotswold cottage. For our first project, let's recreate a piece of vintage art in an ornate round gold frame. Round wall clocks are a really inexpensive way to get a round frame. This one is metal. It costs $7.99, which I think is pretty high, but the prices at My Goodwill have just really been going up lately. Most wall clocks have a back that's held on with screws, but this one had a few V-shaped wire clips that were a bit of a challenge to get out. Once everything was apart, I removed the clock mechanism from the back and the clock hands from the front. Then I removed as much of the paper clock face as I could. To make the clock frame look less like painted metal and more like an old brass find, I brushed on antique gold rub-n-buff, but I thought it looked too bright. So to achieve a softer, more time-worn appearance, I applied a coat of dark antiquing wax over the gold wax and then wiped it back so it mostly just remained in the recessed areas. To replace the clock face, I first created a pattern by pressing a scrap piece of paper along the inside edges of the circle. Then I just cut along the creased line. For the art, I'm using a print leftover from last week's video. I downloaded this vintage image from Wikimedia Commons for free and sent it to Office Depot. An 11 by 17 copy only cost $1.49. Because it's on lightweight copy paper, I used glue stick to adhere my print to a piece of cardboard that came in the Office Depot bag. The cardboard will keep the paper smooth and wrinkle free, even though the clock surface is not perfectly smooth. And since it fits snugly in the clock opening, I didn't need to glue the cardboard in place. I made sure the inside of the glass was clean before I started reassembling the clock because I didn't want to have to remove those wire clamps a second time. Thankfully, I was really happy with how the print looked inside the clock frame. I found a similar round frame with a bird print on Wayfair for $110, which is over 10 times what I paid for the clock and the Office Depot print. And my frame is even larger. English country decorating is all about creating an inviting, cozy atmosphere. And nothing says cozy like candlelight. I looked for a hurricane candle holder at the thrift store this week, but only found a glass shade. So I also thrifted a wood pedestal bowl to use with it. Since the bowl was pretty scratched up, I rubbed it down with Howard's Feed and Wax, which really brought it back to life. I hunted through my stash of random supplies and found a plastic base that came off something, and it was slightly smaller around than the opening in the glass shade. To attach it to the bowl, I first removed the paper from the bottom and I lightly sanded the center of the bowl. I also spray painted the plastic piece black. Then I used Maximum Strength Gorilla Glue to attach it in the center of the bowl. This will keep my glass shade from shifting around in the bowl, and it also creates a pedestal for my candle. I decided I wanted to use a taper candle, so I applied some additional Gorilla Glue to attach a small wood candle stick to the top of the plastic piece. And voila! The glass shade fits around it perfectly. Surprisingly, I did find a similar candle holder on World Market for only $30, which seems like a reasonable price, but it's still six times more than what mine cost. English country homes usually incorporate an abundance of greenery and garden-inspired florals, so let's create a simple fall wreath using not one but two thrift store wreaths. I found one simple leaf wreath for $3.99 and a second wreath with a variety of fall florals for $4.99. I decided to use the leaf wreath as the base, so I began removing everything from the second wreath. The leaf wreath is in good condition and fairly full, so I'll just embellish it with some of the pieces from the second wreath that I like best. I won't be replacing the faux pumpkins because I want it to look like it's made from things pulled from my yard and garden, like oak leaves, vines, and berries. Although the second wreath had several nice large pine cones, I didn't like that they had glitter glued to them, so instead I grabbed some plain pine cones from my yard to use instead. To attach them, just wrap a strand of florist wire around the pine cone and then wrap the wire around your wreath. I decided to add just one sunflower on the side of the wreath, then I ironed the gold velvet ribbon that I had previously removed and added it back on. Even though I thrifted two separate wreaths to create this one wreath, I still spent much less than I would have if I had bought something new. I always thought Michaels sold reasonably priced home decor, but I guess I was wrong, at least as far as wreaths are concerned, because this similar fall wreath sells for $175. English Country Decorating embraces the beauty of natural wood, so when I spotted these salvaged newel posts, I knew I would turn them into candlesticks, but I didn't just want to throw a candle on top. Somehow I wanted to make them seem a little extra special. I began sanding off the dark paint. I removed it completely from the block base, but I only lightly sanded off the spindle portion because I felt the brown paint helped to convey the age of these pieces. However, to help unite the two sections, I did brush dark antiquing wax over the entire piece. I really liked how you could still see the wear and tear on the base pieces. To create a spot for the candles, I'm going to use the candle plates from this $3 thrift store find. I used a cutting blade on my angle grinder to remove two of the candle plates and the rods that were attached to them. Then I drilled holes in the top center of each post, filled the holes with Gorilla Glue, and pushed the candle plate rods into the holes. I brushed over the rods and plates with gold rub and buff to give them a brass-like appearance that would stand out against the dark brown wood. To finish them off, I tore apart a bush of faux bittersweet stems and regrouped them into two separate arrangements. I used some brown florist tape to hold the stems together, and I twisted the stems around the metal rod beneath the candle plates. These are truly one-of-a-kind candle holders. Antique Farmhouse sells a much shorter pair of wood candle holders for over a hundred dollars, but I think mine look much more like something you might find in a Cotswold cottage. Whether polished or beautifully tarnished, brass and copper add warmth and character to cottage decor. Although brass is much harder to thrift than in the past, if you keep your eye out, you can still find some pieces. Unfortunately, these brass candlesticks had been painted, so I wanted to see if I could remove it with paint stripper. I covered both sides with the stripper and then put them in a Ziploc bag for 15 minutes. I was afraid if I left it any longer, it might damage the brass. The green paint brushed off easily, but when I was wiping the stripper off one of the candlesticks, it broke at the spot where the stand had been welded to the base. To make sure I had removed all of the paint stripper from the candlesticks, I scrubbed them under running water and then dried them off. To repair the broken candlestick, I first used super glue to join the two pieces back together. Then I mixed up a two-part epoxy and applied it all around the joint. The epoxy is what is really going to hold it together, but I needed to use the super glue first because the epoxy takes six minutes to set up. Once it was dry, I brushed a little gold Rub and Bop over the joint to disguise the epoxy. And now, honestly, you can't tell which candlestick was broken. Originally with the green paint, I didn't care for these, but now I adore them and you can't beat a pair of real brass candlesticks for only four dollars. Animal motifs inspired by the English countryside are common in cottage decor, but since I couldn't find any animal figurines at the thrift store this week, I bought this two dollar wood toolbox instead. I planned to add a horse image, but I first needed to clean the box and remove the tape residue with some Goo Gone. There's not much storage space inside, but it can act as a riser because it's made from some very pretty wood. I had previously thrifted some vintage Courier and Ives calendar illustrations for a dollar each, and I still had this one with grazing horses, which seemed very English country to me. After trimming the edges, I brushed an even coat of Mod Podge over the lid of the box and on the back of the illustration. Then I situated the paper in place and rolled over it with a brayer to remove any air bubbles or wrinkles and to make sure that it was firmly adhered. I let the Mod Podge dry for a few hours and then I used an X-Acto knife to cut off the extra paper around the edges. To make the paper edges appear even more natural, I smoothed over them with a sanding block. To seal and protect the paper, I brushed a very light coat of Mod Podge over the top of the paper. Don't put it on too thick or the paper can still bubble. It's better to apply two or three separate thin coats. This is such a cheap and easy project to replicate, so please don't waste your money on a $90 horse box. Classic patterns like plaid, stripes, and florals create that rich layered Cotswold aesthetic. For this project, I'm going to share an easy idea for incorporating pattern that doesn't involve fabric. I thrifted a vintage gold frame for just a dollar and found an old picture mat in my stash. Then I pulled out a roll of plaid wrapping paper leftover from Christmas. I thoroughly covered the mat with glue stick and then pressed a piece of the gift wrap over it. I carefully smoothed and pressed it in place and then I flipped it over and cut off the excess paper with an exacto knife. Make sure your blade is sharp so you get crisp clean lines. For the artwork, I printed out a fox image that I found in the public domain. Wikimedia Commons and the Graphics Fairy are two great sites for public domain art. The little fox print is adorable on its own, but I think the plaid mat is what really makes it look like something you'd find in an English country home. Lila and Finch sells a fox print in a similar gold frame for $85. It's a little larger than mine, but it doesn't come with a cute plaid mat. If you've been around my channel for a while, then you already know that I have a thing for foxes. So it shouldn't be a surprise that when I decided to write a children's book that I made the main characters a family of foxes. And I've been telling you about my children's book, but I'm so excited because it's actually going to print this week. And the publishers sent me the final copy to look over, and so I decided to print out some of the illustrations to show you because they are just so cute. These are smaller than the actual book, but this will give you an idea. Here is the fox family in their little burrow, and then here is Grandma Fox, and she is dressed in an outfit that I might choose for myself. A floral skirt and a pink cardigan. And then I think my favorite illustration is actually the front inside cover of the book. Look how cute that is. And they put a little place to leave a message if you wanted to gift this to your child or to your grandchild. Even though the book is going to the printer this week, it is not too late to pre-order. You can also pre-order the cute little stuffed fox that goes with it. So I'll leave the link in the description box and in the pinned comment below. So I hope you'll check it out, and those of you that have ordered the book, thank you so much. I hope you love it as much as I do. Wicker baskets can be found in almost every decor style, but they're essential to that cozy, lived-in feel of an English cottage. Sometimes you can thrift baskets that are perfect as is, but sometimes they need a little love, like this white basket. It was a great size and shape, but the bright white paint felt too modern for the time-worn look of English country. So to get a more natural color, I sprayed the basket with a medium brown spray paint called Down to Earth. I saw Cory at Desert DIY use this color, and it is a great shade of brown. To make it slightly darker and give it some dimension, I brushed dark antiquing wax over the entire basket, really trying to get in the cracks and crevices. And I think this final color is fantastic. And I almost left this great basket on the thrift store shelf because I disliked the white paint so much. Pottery and stoneware help to create the collected look that English country kitchens are known for. I occasionally find modern pottery pieces at the thrift store, like this two-handled jug, that just need a few small updates. I personally think the painted French logo and rooster are a dead giveaway that this is a new piece trying to look old. So I wanted to see if I could remove it. I rubbed over it with some goof off, which was working, but to speed up the process, I applied goof off and then scrubbed those areas with a piece of sandpaper, and it came right off. But it also removed some of the white paint. At first, I was only planning to remove the lettering, but the strange texture molded into the half of the jug just looked too fake. So I decided to disguise it. I'd been saving the sawdust from my orbital sander because I wanted to experiment with making my own textured paint. I mixed the sawdust into some beige chalk paint and brushed it over the lower half of the jug. It took two coats for complete coverage, but the added texture gave it a much more natural pottery-like finish. I actually think the sawdust texture creates a harder, more durable finish than the baking soda technique I've used before. I probably didn't need to seal it at all, but I did brush on a coat of white wax over the painted areas to add a little more depth and dimension. Even though the spot where the old lettering had been looked like an age mark, I decided to turn that side to the back. When I spotted this round wood footstool at the thrift store, I thought it had the perfect shape for an English country style makeover. Before tackling the upholstery, I gave the legs two coats of a merlot colored chalk paint. Now, purple isn't usually a color I use, but I thought it would pair nicely with the fabric I'd picked out. Once the paint was dry, I finished the legs with a coat of dark antiquing wax, which gave them the warm, aged look I was after. Next, I wanted to add some padding to the top of the footstool. I found a scrap piece of foam in my stash. I traced the shape of the footstool and cut it out. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite large enough to cover the entire top, so I traced and cut a small second piece to fill in the gap. To keep both pieces from shifting around while I upholstered the stool, I took it outside and gave it a light coat of spray adhesive. After covering the foam with a layer of batting, I trimmed it so it hung a couple of inches over the edge. And then it was time for my favorite part, the upholstery. This gorgeous needlepoint was a five dollar thrift store find. You can tell it had a previous life because the corners had been cut off, which makes me think it was originally upholstered onto something like a dining chair. I used an electric stapler to attach the needlepoint to the underside of the stool, working my way around the edge and carefully folding the fabric under around each leg. But I did run into one small problem. Because this stool is slightly larger than a typical dining chair seat, there were two sections along the sides where the decorative needlepoint didn't completely cover the edge. But I knew that was going to happen, so I'd already planned to finish the edge with a wide decorative trim. I simply hot glued it all the way around the stool, which not only covered those gaps, but also gave it a more polished look. And better yet, the trim was a thrift store find too. Apparently it was leftover from somebody else's DIY project, and it only cost three dollars. There was definitely a little luck involved in this project. It's not every day that you come across a beautiful piece of vintage needlework for just five dollars, and finding the footstool for only $2.50 paid this makeover even better. I thrifted this classic brass stick lamp for just $4.99. It didn't come with the shade, but I had this old burlap one that had faded and was starting to come apart. So I decided to give it a new look by re-covering it with toile fabric, a timeless pattern that's been a staple in both French and English country homes for centuries. I pulled away as much of the old burlap as I could, but I didn't want to remove any more because I was afraid the lining would come off with it. Then I cut my toile valance just slightly longer than I needed, and began hot gluing the top edge along the top of the lampshade. Once I made it all the way around, I repeated the process along the bottom edge, tucking the extra fabric to the inside. Where the two ends of the fabric met along the side of the lampshade, I folded the fabric under and hot glued it in place to create a clean seam. Then I went back to clean up the underside of the lamp. First I trimmed away most of the excess fabric, then I hot glued a strip of white ribbon around the inside edge to cover the raw fabric and give it a more finished look. To finish it off, I added some green braided trim that I had left over from another project. It might seem like an odd choice since there's no green in the toile, but English country style isn't about everything matching. It's about mixing colors, patterns, and pieces collected over time. I actually think that little pop of green makes it even more interesting. Considering the lamp was only $4.99, I'd say this makeover was well worth it. I found a similar toile lampshade on Wayfair for $56, and that price doesn't include a lamp. I hope today's video inspired you to bring a little English country into your own home. And if you want even more ideas for creating this aesthetic, here's another video you may find helpful.