Poor Man’s Linen

A while ago I was honored to be a guest over at Melanie’s Pretties and Posies blog.  If you’ve never visited Melanie, please do!  You’re in for a treat.   If you missed my guest post there, I decided to repost it here today.  I’m taking a bit of a bloggy break to catch up on some things, but I promise to be back!  I’ll be working on some much needed changes to our second bathroom.  Currently, it looks like something out of an episode of The Jetsons.  If you don’t believe me, stay tuned and you’ll see! 

 

Today’s topic is using drop cloths in decorating.  My love affair with drop cloths began when I was a young newlywed. I needed a cheap way to make our apartment into a home.  With its dingy, old linoleum tile floors and dark paneled walls, the place needed all the help it could get. 
 
House Beautiful magazine came to the rescue and provided the inspiration I needed.  I had saved an article about a designer lining the inside of his entire bedroom with white drop cloths.  The drop cloths even continued over the window, allowing the light to filter through the fabric.   I ended up duplicating the look for our apartment bedroom, and every night it was like sleeping inside a dreamy tent.  We loved it!

In our current home I’ve used drop cloths in several place.  Here, for the curtain under our laundry sink.  I simply topped it with a piece of old curtain trim for a little flair…



The curtain under our kitchen sink is also made with drop cloth fabric…



As well as the inside-out liner of our bedroom chandelier…

 

I cut some of the ready-made hem from the drop cloth edge to make the ties.  Easy!



If you’ve been reading home décor blogs for long, you have probably noticed canvas drop cloths making their rounds.  There’s a good reason for their popularity. With their nubby natural texture, drop cloths give the look of linen without the hefty price tag.  That’s why I like to call it poor man’s linen.  It makes a great substitute!