The no-cost way to refresh your decor

The weekly micro-decorating newsletter * Issue 9 of 13, W26 * Subscribe free *

If you're confident in your taste, you're probably good at selecting items for your home that remain appealing over time. That said, taste evolves. You might wake up one day and find that a beloved object no longer delights you. Sometimes the solution is to put it away in storage and bring it out when it's no longer as familiar. But other times, you'll be certain that you're ready to let it go.

Fortunately, you can make dramatic revisions without spending a dime. Let me show you how, through the story of two objects in my apartment.

A cloud print by Aaron Draplin has been the anchor of my living room for a long time. Early on I was enchanted with its graphic simplicity. It was like having an extra window looking into a cartoony world:

Over time, it began to overstay its welcome. I put it for sale online and after several weeks I still didn't have an offer. Meanwhile, on a stroll down Ossington, I spotted a framed print of a neon pink heart:

It was the same shop, Telegramme, where I'd bought the cloud print. This piece was almost exactly the same price. It occurred to me that a trade might be possible.

So, I emailed the shop and made the proposal. The store owner Ian admitted that he didn't think they'd ever done such a thing, but he was okay with it as long as the condition was sellable. So, I brought the cloud print by this past Saturday and after it passed a close inspection, I left happily with the heart. It's now a fresh addition on the top acrylic wall ledge:

The piece is by Sarah Edmonds of the Vancouver-based Banquet Atelier & Workshop. I think it's going to be a long-lasting shot of colour in my living room.

A parallel episode unfolded with a vase I'd owned for eons, a Polish number made of etched glass:

I'd been planning to try selling it to a vintage dealer but somehow never got around to it. The idea of the Draplin trade was already in my head, and I'd long admired a compact wooden sculpture at one of my favourite vintage shops, Atomic Design:

So, I proposed a trade to Lawrence, the owner of Atomic. Based on the image on my phone he was intrigued, but an in-person inspection was also the deal-clincher. As Telegramme and Atomic are around the corner from one another, I brought the vase by the same afternoon. Like the framed print, it passed, and the sculpture is now a lively presence next to my armchair:

It's called "The Dancer" and it's a 2012 work by Ron Stuart, about whom Lawrence couldn't find any information. The mystery is part of the appeal; I won't be parting with it any time soon.

Two cashless swaps in one Saturday have me seeing my apartment differently. Every object is a potential gateway to its substitute. Some friendly banter with a shopkeeper might be all it takes to bring in something new. I encourage you to try this no-budget method of making stagnant areas of your home more dynamic.

One caveat: This will work best with smaller retailers where face-to-face transactions are the norm. Think indie design shops, vintage dealers, flea markets and the like. The personal connection is part of the fun, because you're taking part in the hand-to-hand exchange of goods, in a global procession of things moving to where they most belong.

Thank you for reading.