If you are an imaginative person, or simply want more selection when looking for items to decorate your home, you may not be satisfied with the standard fare. Maybe you're having trouble finding something to reflect a personality, or an item that can fit into an awkward nook.

One way to give your rooms a unique new look is to create your own home décor. By using a 3-D printer, you can produce a variety of eye-catching designs in everything from sculptures to doorknobs.

3-D printers are becoming an increasingly popular way to add to a home. Eva Zimmermann, writing for the home design site Houzz, says efforts are even underway to build entire houses—or their construction materials—using 3-D printing.

Once a design has been finalized on a computer, a 3-D printer can bring it to life. Many printers use plastic or resin to create the object, building it up layer by layer. Some 3-D printers can also use materials such as steel or concrete.

Although the technology for 3-D printing was first patented in 1986, it has gotten more popular in recent years. Leigh Kamping-Carder, writing for the Wall Street Journal, says the printers are now more readily available and in a more affordable price range.

If you are adept at computer design, a 3-D printer allows you to create any object you have in mind. There are also online communities where you can browse and download designs that other people have developed.

Thousands of items are available at Thingiverse, a site overseen by the 3-D printer manufacturer Makerbot. Their "Daily Use" category includes objects such as soap dishes, toilet paper holders, storage containers, and garden hose gaskets.

Some of the more popular items add a decidedly unusual touch to the home. One user designed a pen holder that resembles a deep sea tube worm, allowing pens and pencils to jut out at odd angles. Another person made a showerhead located within the mouth of a Tyrannosaurus rex skull.

Several beautiful designs have been created for light fixtures. David Glenn, writing for Dwell, says 3-D printing allows for a number of intricate and creative designs, which can be printed with a variety of materials.

Standalone sculptures can help fill an empty hall table or create a discussion item in the living room. You might choose an abstract piece, or go with a highly detailed model of a famous structure.

You'll be able to create interesting cabinet knobs, drawer handles, and fixtures if you can get a 3-D printer that uses metal. Kamping-Carder says one stunning faucet design uses a metal latticework to give the illusion that the faucet is hollow.

Naturally, larger and more detailed items take a longer time to make than smaller and simpler ones. The T-Rex showerhead takes about 16 hours to print out.

Before you run out and start looking for items to print, a homeowner should be aware of some drawbacks in the process. The most obvious obstacle is cost.

Many 3-D printers will cost more than $1,000, and the more sophisticated models can run into the tens or even the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Other 3-D printers are more inexpensive, although they may be limited in the dimensions of the object they can print.

You'll also have to be prepared for the cost of the materials you'll use to create an object. The spools of plastic filament used by most 3-D printers typically cost between $25 and $50 apiece, and larger objects will run through them more quickly.

The cost can be even more prohibitive for 3-D printers that use other materials. American Standard, the company that produces the intricate 3-D printed faucet, says its retail price is expected to be between $12,000 and $20,000.

Homeowners should also research the materials they will be using for 3-D printing, since they might prove to be toxic in some applications. The process of melting plastic gives off volatile organic compounds as well as nanoparticles, which can have hazardous effects on your health when inhaled. Zimmermann says anyone using a 3-D printer should only do so in a well-ventilated area.