I Did a $5 Project in My Living Room, and Now the Whole Room Looks Better

published Oct 21, 2024
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Sometimes, updating one thing in your home causes a chain reaction of projects or decor swaps. For instance, our living room has gone through quite a few color changes over the past few years. I’d added a fun statement chair that was red, and then I felt like the existing red mirror was just too much for the room.

In my house, we use the mirror often. It’s the place we all do a “last look” before heading out the door, so instead of moving or replacing it, I decided to transform it by hand. 

Credit: Ashley Poskin
Credit: Ashley Poskin

I upgraded the mirror using cocktail napkins and Mod Podge. 

I’m always looking for small ways to add pattern to a room, and I love the look of furniture pieces with bone inlay but do not love the price tag! So when I happened upon a pack of blue and white cocktail napkins at HomeGoods that sort of looked like a bone inlay pattern, my wheels started turning. 

I’ve been very into decoupaging with cocktail napkins lately — you can see a lamp I made using a similar technique here — and had the wild idea to try covering my mirror with cocktail napkins, too, to give it a bone inlay look for less! My goal was to update it in a way that wouldn’t compete with the red Moustache chair, and I feel like I did just that!

Credit: Ashley Poskin

The project cost under $5.

The process was extremely easy. Matching up each napkin so the pattern aligned took less work than I originally thought it would. I was able to cover the entire mirror and even had napkins left over. (Tea party, anyone?)

I’m thrilled that instead of buying a bone inlay mirror for hundreds of dollars, I was able to update the one I had using supplies I (mostly) already had. As such, I got the look for less than $5!