DIY Home Projects

In my many years of living in apartments and houses that tend to include windows (ok, they have all had windows), I’ve long found myself underwhelmed by curtain rods. If I do what’s practical and just buy something affordable, the materials yield an almost hilariously flimsy product.

One of the biggest hurdles in my own fitness journey is just making it to the gym. Then, when I’m there, there’s waiting around for equipment to open up. And did I mention the high membership fees? I’ve tried a few at-home workout apps, but many of those require some kind of equipment, which can get pretty pricey pretty fast. Thankfully, some handy bloggers have found their own solutions to creating their home gyms.

Before and After transformations just never get old, especially when the results are utterly unrecognizable. Case in point: Back in 2013, we posted a project about an empty stairwell space that was transformed into something unexpectedly wonderful. Cut to five years later and it’s been viewed almost four million times. We recently went back to see just what made the project resonate so much with our readers.

Even though your brain knows the clock is about to turn back, your body doesn’t always get the memo. Some of us will sail through the time change seamlessly, and others will feel out of sorts for days. Start this week so that, before you go to sleep next Monday night — and set your clock an hour earlier — you’re already caught up.

Project by: Shauna Location: Naples, Florida Our beach cottage in Naples, Florida was a dated 1960s, 2600 square foot home that was dying for an extreme makeover. In just under three months we gutted the kitchen, master bathroom, guest bathroom, guest bedroom and home exterior. The before and after photos are pretty incredible, especially the kitchen and master bathroom. This is our vacation “getaway” home so we kept that in mind with budget and design choices.

Project by: Erin Location: Atlanta, Georgia Even in her busy family home, Erin managed to carve out a space that is completely her own style, creating the perfect in home mini-retreat. From Erin: As a busy mom of 3 boys, I really craved a space that could just ooze femininity. I thought the closet was the perfect place to go totally glam with the decor.

It’s time to take advantage of those warmer weekends by spending time on your home’s exterior, and prepping your grill for the season is a great project to get you started. You could always start with cleaning your gutters —but grilled veggies and BBQ chicken just seem like a much better reward for completely the task.

I have to admit, I’ve never really thought of the ceiling as something you can DIY. Christina proves that you not only can, you can do it beautifully. And while this project may not be for the DIY-faint of heart, it can definitely provide some inspiration. Skill Level: Moderate Time Required: Weekend Cost: $100 2x4s Tongue and groove wood planks Wood stain Crown molding Saw Build a frame on the wall out of 2x4s. Stain the wood planks ahead of time.

Project by: Meghan Location: Charleston, South Carolina Our bathroom floor was disgusting. Like, ten year old faux-wood rental apartment sheet vinyl disgusting. Really, the picture does not do it justice AT ALL. I toyed with the idea of putting down vinyl tiles on top (like I did in our kitchen), but the floor is super uneven and I was worried that the humidity would cause the glue to unstick. So, we made peace with it for a year and a half.

Project by: Christina Location: Jackson, Mississippi We had a small leak in our guest bathroom that required a hole to be knocked in the wall in order to access the pipe. I had (at that time) a wonderful idea to just go ahead and redo the entire bathroom to something a little more fun and light.

Privacy screens are like folding sculptures, both visually interesting as well as functional. In an outside space, they are a buffer between you and the neighbors, or can block out the bright sun. Inside, they divide spaces, hide clutter, or even serve as a headboard. Making a custom screen is also (surprisingly!) a quick and easy DIY.

Project by: Phil and Bowha Location: Bakersfield, California This beautiful home is located in the Southern California community of Rosedale, which was historically a country town that was founded as a colony of English farmers back in 1891.

When you don’t have all your cleaners in one place, you wind up spending more time running around the house than you do actually scrubbing it. Save yourself time and headaches with an all-in-one housekeeping helmet that keeps supplies at your fingertips. When one bottle is empty, seamlessly transition to the bottle on the other side and keep on going! Hard Hat 2 Cup Holders Vinyl Tubing Vinyl Tubing Coupler Brass Fasteners (or chewing gum) Drill with drill bits Empty spray bottle 1.

This DIY project is totally impressive if you’re a fan of the Kubus candleholder that inspired it. It’s also pretty impressive even if you’ve never seen a Kubus. For under a day and under $20 you can have a totally gift-able, beautiful candle holder. Skill Level: Easy Time Required: 24 Hours Project Cost: Under $15 From Sara: The first time I saw this candleholder I felt instantly in love with it.

Laundry is one of those endless jobs with no real beginning or end. If you successfully go through the entire cycle of sorting, washing, folding, and putting things away, then you’re a well-oiled machine and unstoppable. But when there’s a break at any point in the chore chain, piles quickly build up and get away from you. This weekend, clear all the blockages and get things flowing again.

We’re card carrying members of the string light appreciation society and Therese’s fun and inventive DIY is a great way to add another whimsical light source to your home. Skill Level: Easy Time Required: 1 hour Project Cost: Around $10 LED Lighting Chain Metal Wire Hanger Pliers To get the frame for my cloud I bent a metal wire hanger in the cloud shape I wanted. You’ll need some strength and patience to finish this step.

I found a gorgeous mustardy yellow vintage suitcase, which I upcycled into a fabulous side table. Not only that, I added extra character to the case with some vintage luggage labels. You can download these vintage luggage labels on my blog for free. This vintage suitcase looks great either as a bedside table or a coffee table. It’s also really useful for storage of stuff like magazines.

Project by: Nada Location: Doha, Qatar I can finally bring to you a long overdue room tour, my own bedroom! I promised awhile back that I would share before and afters from my own home one room at a time, and I’ve already shared Farida’s nursery, my 15 month old daughter, and this is the second room tour that I want to share. My husband and I started looking at the design of the bedroom before our wedding, more than two years ago.

This lovely little tray can do double duty of both helping you organize your space while jazzing it up. It’s also totally customizable, so follow Cassie’s instructions to make it your own! Skill Level: Easy Time Required: 2 hours active time, 24 hours to cure Project Cost: $50 From Cassie: I am in the middle of redecorating my bedroom, and one of the major upgrades I will be adding is a vanity area.

It’s been two years since readers gave Laura advice about increasing the curb appeal of her rental property and she’s back with an update. Her plan was to make the lawn healthier and add some shrubs. She was also considering painting the shutters or siding and asked readers to help decide what color might go nicely with the yellow. So, let’s find out how this house looks now and which advice Laura ran with!

I have to admit, I’ve never once looked at my trashcan as a design opportunity. Now, thanks to Claire, I’m so ready to bring some pattern to my kitchen. Take it away Claire! From Claire: Over the last few years wallpaper has come back in fashion and there are tons of fantastic designs out there. Wallpaper is not just for walls, you can decorate loads of things with it. As many great design houses produce their own wallpapers it can be cheap way of getting that designer look.

An easy way to dress up any kitchen is to switch out the dated drawer and cabinet pulls. With so many options out there it can be hard to narrow down the search (and it can be easy to spend much more than initially planned). But have you ever thought of making them yourself? Sarah did just that! After painting her rental’s super basic kitchen cabinets a dark moody color (Behr’s Submarine Grey) she installed her DIY leather pulls and took her bland stock kitchen to a whole new level.

The Ikea Nolmyra has so much potential. Great lines, perfect scale, cool bent plywood legs. But with that stock gray mesh cover, it’s a like a sexy foot stuck in a dirty running shoe. You can easily upgrade it, though. Just toss a $12 Gurli throw into your Ikea cart, and we’ll show you how to give this cool little lounge chair a whole new look. Gurli throw (or 1.

Q: My husband and I have just purchased our first house, and we are very excited to finally have a space in our basement to dedicate to music. As a musician, he frequently brings guitars, amps, and other large equipment back and forth to gigs and rehearsals. In the past, he has rented practice spaces, which are always covered in gouges on the walls, corners, and doors—an inevitable cost of musicians constantly hauling large heavy things.

Brandon and Morgan, a couple who live in a sweet house in Asheville, North Carolina, decided to make their own curtain rods after discovering how limited the options were at their local hardware stores. They wanted an attractive, simple (and of course, cheap) curtain rod for each of the windows in their home so when Morgan came across copper plumber’s piping, she knew she had found a solution. The project can be done in an under an hour and for under $80 (that’s for 4-5 curtain rods!

Serena & Lily IKEA FJELLSE Bed (I only had space for a single, but go for the queen!) Molding of your choosing (I used two of these from Home Depot) Set of IKEA VÄSENTLIG Curtain Finials White Spray Paint Set of Table Legs (I used these from Lowe’s) 2 Tee Nuts (make sure the thread size matches your table legs) 24″ Open Cane Webbing Wood Glue Saw Hammer Clamps Staplegun 1. Spray paint all the pieces before you get started. 2.

Central air conditioning can be a lifesaver for keeping our homes cool in the summer months, but the look of the air conditioning units themselves leave much to be desired when it comes to backyard ambience. With our home being a duplex, my husband, Ken, and I had double-trouble air conditioner units located next to our backyard patio, and we needed to find a solution for hiding them in plain sight without interfering with their efficiency.

Everyone loves the look of a vintage refrigerator — especially a colorful model. If you’re really lucky, you bring home a brand new Smeg, or Big Chill for your kitchen. But if you’re a purist, or on a slimmer budget, you make your dream of a colorful vintage refrigerator come true for much, much less by rolling up your sleeves and doin’ it yourself.

With so many amazing outdoor activities during the warm seasons, this all-purpose fabric towel is a handy (and handsome) accessory to keep stashed away in your car or scooter bucket. Impromptu cliff diving excursion? No prob, you’ve got a great towel/cover up. Picnic in the park over your lunch break? Bust out the blanket!

Project by: Ashlea Location: Red Deer — Alberta, Canada We purchased a 1940s farmhouse complete with just about original everything. While our little home was big on charm, it was also big on orange, lacquered wood trim, doors, floors and cabinets. Our dated kitchen cabinets were cute, but the swan and fruit basket decals weren’t quite our thing.

IKEA’s MELODI pendant lamp is a really great blank slate — there are a million ways to tweak and hack one to make it yours. Weave the plastic shade with natural round reed get a contrasting mix of materials that’s both organic and modern. IKEA MELODI Pendant Lamp Natural Round Reed Scotch Tape Spray Paint (optional) Tools Drill & Bits X-Acto Knife Measuring Tape Pen 1. Wrap the tape measure around the diameter of the lamp and put an odd number of pen marks on the shade.

Bottles covered in macramé, or knotted rope, are an old school craft — the result reads either nautical or Bohemian. The netting’s an easy way to add texture and decorative pattern to a surface, and it works particularly well with glass bottles and tall vases. Learn how to do it here, and then start knotting! IKEA 365+ Glass Carafe Twine Scissors 1. Tie a circle of twine around the top of the glass bottle.

making a comeback 9″ x 11″ frame that has an interior depth of at least ¾” and spring-loaded backing clips on the back of the frame. I used this picture frame. 36″ x 12″ piece of black felt 1″ White plastic letters Pencil Scissors Ruler or T-Square Hot glue gun Mitre or circular saw Qty 18 – 3/16″ thick square balsa wood dowels, 24″ long 1.

Here we have a perfectly ordinary drop leaf dining table. You’ve seen its ilk at thrift stores, and maybe one is in your home right now. This particular one, however, has been totally transformed by a talented Game of Thrones fan into something you might see in The Red Keep. Get the look: How amazing does that look?? It could basically be used by Daenerys to take the Iron Throne. The step-by-step was posted to Imgur yesterday by smife0, whose brother updated the table.

If you love a good backsplash and want to bring some DIY flair to your kitchen but are a little tile averse, Claire has a fun solution for you! Skill Level: Moderate Time Required: 2-3 Hours Project Cost: $150-$200 Harlequin Wallpaper – Palmetto Demoiselle about 1/3 roll Wallpaper adhesive 5.5mm thick hardwood ply cut to size of backsplash (can be done in store) 4mm toughened low iron glass which we got cut to size at the store.

We all know that the kitchen tool drawer can get messy fast. Housing everything from uni-tasking gadgets to everyday workhorses like cooking spoons, it’s easy for them to become a tangled jumble. And since we all have different items and drawers, there’s no one organizational solution that will work for everyone. Or is there? The answer is to build your own drawer inserts. You can customize them to fit both your exact drawer dimensions and your specific needs.

This gorgeous wreath perfectly straddles summer and fall, and is super easy to make. Set aside one hour and you can have earthy and welcoming door decor! Skill Level: Easy Time Required: 1 hour Project Cost: $25-30 (if you already have a glue gun) From Caitlin: An inspiring DIY wreath project you can enjoy anytime of year from the photographer and stylist, Caitlin Atkinson, and author of Plant Craft: 30 Projects that Add Natural Style to your Home.

Who here wants a less crazy Thanksgiving? One where you feel happiness instead of panic, and calm instead of chaotic? A Thanksgiving “plan of attack” doesn’t exactly sound festive right now, but it does help eliminate a lot of hectic elements that sneak up on you when you’re not prepared. Take some action now and don’t get stressy or stabby around your friends and family the day of the big meal.

While you may be grateful for it in the middle of a cold winter, an ugly heater can be an eyesore that you get tired of having to decorate around. Peeling or chipping paint, the wrong color or shape, or an awkward location can all make a radiator your least favorite piece of your home. Even if you don’t have a problem with how it looks, it may just be taking up valuable real estate that could be put to better use. But, don’t despair!

Looking to add a festive vibe to your home, without all the glitter and lights? Orange pomander balls are quite possibly the quickest and best all-natural, great smelling, non-gaudy decoration you can make this holiday season. And according to our ancestors of yore, they ward off bad spirits and bring strength and fortune —a holiday bonus. Make them around Thanksgiving and, if dried correctly, they’ll last through the entire holiday season, and maybe even longer.

Project by: Dona Location: Shelter Island, New York My husband’s hoarding habit paid off. Once I learned that the bed of a truck is the same size as a queen mattress we took his rusting 1965 Chevrolet truck and turned it into a guest bed! We worked on this project together, it required sawing the cab (now it’s the headboard) in half; sawing the tailgate off the truck body; wire brushing the rust off , etc. We carried the pieces into the house where we put the truck together again.

By the time Thanksgiving dinner is over, I’m already spent. Which makes the quick pivot into Christmas a particularly tiresome prospect —especially because that holiday is, in turn, followed closely by New Year’s Eve and our huge annual party. Being wedged in between those two other major holidays means that poor Christmas gets a little neglected in our household — which is why these quick, easy decorating ideas are really appealing.

There’s a particularly gorgeous $329 accent table at CB2 right now that I can’t buy because I should really pay the mortgage this month, so I made a super easy DIY version. Sure, it doesn’t come close to the cast aluminum bamboo-shaped legs of the original, but did I mention it was cheap and easy? The top is inspired by blue agate, and if you sit far enough across the room while you drink your gin and tonic, the legs resemble something like bamboo.

If your home is feeling a bit stale, here’s a way to freshen it up and move forward with positive intentions. Burning herbs and flowers is a customizable twist on the incense you might remember from college. Choose your favorite blend of organic materials—based on their individual scents and properties—and create your own unique aromatherapy.

Q: I live on the sixth floor of an eight floor apartment building. My bedroom is sandwiched between two pipe locations – on one wall, the bathroom pipes for the two units directly above mine. On the other wall, the pipes for the neighboring unit, and their two upstairs neighbors. The way the room is set up with doors, windows and a radiator, the only places for my bed are on those pipe walls – and the best place is by the neighbor-wall.

Q: I Have just moved in to a new home and would love to change the kitchen but do not have the budget for it just now. I have been reading lots about contact paper and self adhesive vinyls but I’m not sure whether this would work on my cupboards because of their uneven surface? Also, has anybody used it on their work surface to great success? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I feel fairly confidant in my ability to spot an IKEA hack, but this project had me doing a double take. Christina’s project is not a casual, pick up and craft DIY, but it’s so perfectly executed that we had to share!

Eric’s Eames chairs were sitting stylishly in his dinning room for years, complimenting a blue cloth on his old table. After picking up a Saarinen style table and ditching the cloth, he found himself missing the pop of color. Rather than cover up that lovely marble table top, he found a fresh and inexpensive solution. From Eric: Sometimes, buying a new piece a furniture can make other pieces in the room feel mismatched.

Framing a garment can seem like an intimidating process, but it’s actually quite easy to do yourself. The framing pros have a lot of specialized tools and tricks (like using a tagging gun instead of hand stitching, for instance), but for us weekend warriors, it’s all about using simple tools and getting the job done so we can enjoy our completed gallery wall that much sooner. So grab your grandpa’s letter sweater or your granny’s floral girdle and get to framing!

If you’re the kind of person who loves the look of embroidery, but “can’t even“ with the time it takes to tediously work every single stitch into a project, punch needle might just be for you. Lazy crafter? Punch needle. Can’t ever seem to color inside the lines? Punch needle. Enjoys crafting while sipping a bottle of wine? Pick up a punch needle. Punch needle has been around for a very, very long time.

I’ve been on a lighting kick lately. Maybe it’s because I just re-read The Little Book of Hygge. To me, light — whether it’s natural or created — is king when it comes to your home. Not all of us have floor-to-ceiling windows or an expansive budget for beautiful light fixtures. And many DIY lighting projects require at least a little bit of electrical wiring. Not in the case of this Paper & Stitch IKEA globe light hack, though.

Remember the good ole days of decorating your locker with neon magnets, stickers, and magazine cutouts of Will Smith, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and the like? Lockers were like our own little slice of personality-heaven in a world where we were told when to learn math, when to eat, and when to turn in our shoebox dioramas. I’m here to say those lockers days don’t have to be over just yet.

Melissa and James are just renting this cozy Cape Town apartment, but as avid entertainers (and Melissa a soy candle maker), updating the kitchen was a necessity. Old, dark wood cabinetry was given a crisp coat of white paint. And an eye-catching cut vinyl piece above the stove adds pattern and drama to the room. But while the whole kitchen features lovely elements, there’s one item that stood out the most to me: the hanging copper pipe rack.

Ryan and Michelle are all about DIY projects in and around their Annapolis, Maryland home. Whether it’s propagating bamboo for privacy fencing, re-tiling bathrooms, or building custom furniture pieces, they love projects that allow them to save money while making their house more of a home. Ryan’s latest project – a DIY floor mirror – is no exception. Learn how to make your own by following his helpful tutorial.

Textured spray paints have come and gone over the years and for the most part, I’ve been happy to see them go. But I think I finally found one product that I’d like to have stick around for a while — Rust-Oleum’s Stone Creations Spray. I used it to transform this cheap metal IKEA table into a granite and brass look-a-like. Here’s what I started with, the GLADOM tray table in green which costs $29.99.

Spice up your entryway, bedroom, or hallway with a bold statement piece that’s sure to mesmerize and beautify. The blush pink fringe is the perfect pop of color, and the sleek shape has “chic” written all over it. See how to make your own, from cutting your own custom mirror to dip-dyeing the perfect fringe, with this helpful tutorial.

Even as a self-proclaimed “maximalist,” I still find myself drawn to the clean lines and effortless simplicity of Scandinavian style. The soft, neutral color palette is very versatile in a variety of spaces without adding too much visual weight. If you’re down with hygge (and willing to try your hand at some amateur carpentry), then these nightstands are definitely for you.

Lumbar pillows get a lot of love on Apartment Therapy, and for good reason. They’re the easiest way to pull together your bedroom. One long statement piece in front of your standard shams and bam! Instant style. But if you can’t find exactly what you want or just wish that one Anthropologie pillow was several shades turned down (and many dollars less), we have the DIY to make your own.

What do you get when you mix Edgar Allen Poe and a bit of glam? A bewitching style that’s all about rich blacks, candles, and skulls. And if you’re into skulls, you’ll be into this quick and easy DIY. Using silicon skull molds and plaster, you can add the perfect garland accent to your Halloween spread, or leave it up and keep your glam goth game strong all year long. Plaster of Paris Silicon skull ice mold Eye hooks String Bucket Paint stirrer or similar 1.

When I was little, I always imagined building forts out of sticks or rafts with ropes to float down the river like the Boxcar Children or Huck Finn – completely not realizing that probably wouldn’t happen in suburban Florida. But I was always drawn to how people could create things with minimal supplies and loads of inventiveness.

Keep the cold out (and the heat in) with these simple tricks!

Growing up in the South, I had never heard of such things like radiant flooring, heated towel racks, or steam rooms for bathrooms. But as a current resident of the North, I’ve learned that a life without warm towels and heat lamps is a life I don’t want to be a part of.

The more you give, the cheaper it gets.

There are two house tours in which the renters decided their apartments’ plain, boring kitchen cabinets weren’t cutting it. Renovating wasn’t an option, but these clever renters found a way to add color and pattern anyway: with washi tape! Both examples are vibrant and unique, but how much does it cost to cover your kitchen cabinets in tape? And how long does it take to do it? We got the lowdown.

Soap is one of those DIYs I thought would be more complicated than it turned out to be. All the soaps on Pinterest are so beautiful — there was no way they could be easy as well! But with my rapidly growing essential oil collection, and need for some quick holiday gifts, I thought this would be a good way to use them. Before even preparing the soap base, mix your essential oils to preference in a non-reactive container (like glass).

There is so much beauty and elegance to gaze upon in this wonderfully minimal house tour, but our eye was drawn to one particular—and highly unlikely—element: that museum-worthy pedestal, which is secretly a giant Jenga set. Looking at this house tour on Emily Henderson’s site of designer Melanie Burstin’s home, one would never guess that such a chic, refined space would feature something as chaotic and, let’s face it, loud as a giant Jenga set.

Maybe you’ve had the same bed pillow for ten years and have your sights newly set on some memory foam. Or maybe you’ve got an extra five random pillows stuffed in your closet, just in case, and it’s time to KonMari. As with most things we toss or get rid of these days, old pillows can still be used long after they’ve left their prime days behind. Here are 10 ways this everyday basic can help you out around the house, no matter what condition they’re currently in.

From mid-century-inspired styles to sleek end tables, here are nine finds that won't break your bank account.

Deep down, we all want to lead more thoughtful lives—and who can blame us for believing organizational nirvana will get us there? So we're turning to the place where all good hacks start: IKEA.

Don't break the bank just because you can technically afford "necessities" your grown-up salary.

This homeowner took her inspiration from the past, including '70s and '80s-style touches.

Apartment Therapy and Chairloom will be together again this Saturday April 27th to jumpstart old reupholstery projects or begin new ones. It’s a Happening: a chance to get together and get inspired. Come meet Chairloom’s Molly Andrews Burke as well as over 20 textile artists for the 2nd annual tent revival.