DIY Home Projects

Lindsay thought she found a “sturdy, but out-of-style wood coffee table” at her local thrift store—but when she got home, she realized she’d been fooled. The ugly veneer made this piece impossible to restore, paint, or reshape. “At that point, I wanted little to do with the table,” Lindsay says. But she’d already dropped $15, so she decided to figure out some solution.And it’s a good thing she kept trying.

Lindi wasn’t sure what to do with this awkward space on the side of her living room. “It didn’t really have a function and was largely unused,” she says. But soon she found her vision: Her home lacked a community work area where her kids could hunker down over homework and Lindi could edit images for her blog. Black vertical shiplap anchors the space, and floating wood shelves in a dark stain add depth—and match the desk.

Katherine‘s master bathroom was filled with wasted space, with a wall of closets and a separate room for the toilet and tub contributing to the cramped floor plan. In order to reveal this space’s true potential, “we pretty much had to start from scratch,” Katherine says. “It was in need of a major facelift.” They started by ripping out everything: unnecessary walls; the dark, gloomy builder-grade cabinetry; even the toilet.

Tassels are a great way to add color and texture to absolutely anything. Beautiful additions to gift wrap, home decor, and fashion —they are a project you should absolutely add to your DIY repertoire. Tassels can be made out of an array of materials, from silk and wool yarns to basic cotton embroidery threads. While there are a number of ways you can construct a tassel, we chose a basic method you can use on any material. Yarn or Thread Scissors 1.

The kitchen magician or grill master in your life will love this handmade, personalized BBQ mop from you! Pair this easy-to-make kitchen tool with a jar of homemade sauce 100% cotton twine 3/4″ x 12″ wood dowel (I found mine in a 3 pack at a hobby store, but you can always cut a longer dowel down to size.) 2 zip ties (use clear if you can find them!) Scissors 1. Wrap the cotton twine around a book or piece of cardboard that is 4″-6″ in length approximately 40-60 times. 2.

These rice and lavender hand warmers are a cozy winter treat. They may seem to lack a certain high powered, high priced, in-demand shiny Christmas present quality, but believe me, they are magical. Because nothing is more comforting when you just can’t get warm. Make them for your office mates, your aunt, your dog walker — everyone will love them. Guaranteed.

This simple little strap is just as useful as it is cute -and it takes just minutes to make. No sewing machine? No problemo! We constructed this beauty out of webbing found at the craft store and specialty fabric tape. So as long as you’ve got an iron and an embroidery needle, you can easily tackle this cheerful little stocking stuffer. Or combine it with a yoga mat for a more substantial gift.

Erin‘s small, square master bathroom was cramped and outdated, with brown tiles and a builder-grade sink that offered no inspiration. But a trip to Italy did: “I kept talking about how I envisioned a master bathroom that looked like it belonged in a boutique hotel in Italy, and my partner surprised me with a vacation to one of my favorite cities in the world! Rome!” Erin says.

Cat and her boyfriend, Brian, seriously lucked out: His family’s hunting lodge in southern Utah is the perfect weekend retreat. But over time, the cabin has transformed from a yearly hunting haven for the boys to a family vacation home. “Naturally, it was in need of some decor and interior design,” Cat says. Cat and Brian’s upstairs bedroom had an awkward slanted ceiling and standard white wall.

The end result is cheery and modern.

Innovative DIY projects are always inspiring, but even more so when they’re budget-conscious! All of these Before & After DIY projects can be done for under $50. So pick your favorite and get to it!

The power of paint can’t be denied – we all know how it can transform a room, but the effect is also powerful when it comes to projects that involve the application of paint to furniture and cabinetry. Here are ten examples from the archives (including one where the “furniture” didn’t even exist prior to the paintjob!); check out the befores in this gallery and then click through on each for the always-fun-to-see afters.

Perhaps Valentine’s Day isn’t your thing. Totally cool. Maybe Valentine’s Day chocolate (and only the chocolate) is your thing. I so hear you. But if you’re thinking of decorating your space for a romantic night in or looking for a fun activity for a Galentine’s Day party, Helena’s easy and adorable garland is a fast and fun way to get in the Valentine’s Day spirit.

Maybe it’s the capital letters, but LEGO and IKEA seem like a match made in DIY heaven. Thanks to Stéphanie you can hack your way to an adorable and inexpensive LEGO holder.

Ashley Crites, one half of the team of Relative Renovations, described her master bedroom as “bland, gray, and the dumping ground for old furniture”—not exactly an ideal place to spend a third of your life. So when she had the opportunity to take part in the One Room Challenge, she knew exactly which room to choose. Inspired by Brady Tolbert’s gorgeous tufted headboard, Ashley chose a deep green velvet to upholster headboard panels that span the width of the room.

At this point, most of us can spot a BILLY bookcase, KALLAX cubby, or LACK table a mile away. Basic and affordable, they’ve been some of the most popular items at IKEA for years, and our first apartments would’ve been bare without them.

I come across so many beautiful baskets in stores that I forget these items are often handmade. With a little bit of practice and patience, it’s not so hard… as long as you start small. After all, they don’t joke about bird courses as ‘basket weaving’ courses for nothing! I recommend preparing your materials (find local materials, then dry and soak them), then weaving them into small shapes or flat mats.

This north-facing, low-floor unit lacked natural light, but Paige replaced blinds, ripped out a built-in bookshelf, and painted the walls a bright, fresh white.

There are only so many changes you can make to a kitchen you do not own. Jess Bunge, Senior Market Editor for Emily Henderson, faced many of the classic challenges of a rental—dated floors, lackluster countertops, an oddly shaped floor plan—but brilliantly worked around them to make the space one to sigh over. The real star of this new kitchen is the countertop cover. With help from her dad, Jess cleverly cut plywood to fit over the gray granite, and built a matching backsplash.

This garden-level space was the home’s entrance, office, guest room, and living room all in one, and though it was full of intriguing art, fantastic patterns, and great furniture, it needed a little something to make it as welcoming and cozy as possible. Removable wallpaper to the rescue!

This adorable little brass tubing planter has been making its way around Pinterest lately —and for good reason. It’s just as fun as it is affordable and stands about 18″ tall so it’s a perfect addition to any small space! If you’ve yet to work with brass tubing, this is a fantastic intro project to get your feet wet.

For years, I’ve wanted to get my hands on a vintage vanity and re-work it into a really functional workspace. So when my mom texted me a photo of this little beauty from a yard sale, I knew the time had come! One of the reasons it has taken me so long to pull the trigger on this project was because all the vanities I was coming across were in really beautiful condition.

The ubiquitous white cube shelf unit is affordable, attractively minimalist, and endlessly useful, but occasionally it needs a bit of a twist to fit in with the rest of a home’s decor. This particular unit—similar to this one from Target or this one from IKEA—needed some real TLC: I had this six-cube shelving unit in the playroom. It has several scratches on top and stickers on the sides but it was still in good shape.

Fancy an outdoor rolling bar cart? Or a succulent scrap wood table? How about a shade sail or some wine crate planter boxes? Make the most of the outdoors this summer with one (or more!) of these 15 DIY projects.

A talented DIYer bought this old desk for $11.25 and managed to transform it into a dead-on knockoff of a $1,299 Pottery Barn desk while adding a clever upgrade in the process. Our intrepid DIYer needed a new desk, but wanted to spend less than $100: I picked up this desk for $11.25 at my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

Murphy beds are the ultimate space-savers. They neatly store themselves when not in use and can quickly turn your office or bonus room into a complete guest retreat. Finding an attractive Murphy bed within your budget just got easier, because we’ve rounded up our favorite DIY and pre-built options.

These spaces now burst with life and good vibes.

These stairs were intensely carpeted, too small to be very useful or accessible, and generally less-than-ideal. Rather than simply removing the carpet, which would have been a nice upgrade on its own, the stairs were reimagined completely—and moved. When asked to describe the stairway pre-renovation, the homeowner sums up its character in just two chilling words: Death Trap. Honestly, there is no other way to describe it.

Thanks to a blush of color and a clever installation job, the ubiquitous blank-slate PAX wardrobe from IKEA gets a major upgrade in a graphic designer’s Copenhagen apartment. Four IKEA PAX wardrobes are now painted the same pink as the surrounding walls, giving them the appearance of a built-in closet. Michella Laura has turned pink into a sophisticated neutral that sets off the white bedding and trim to great effect and allows the stunning white-and-blue vintage Murano light to pop.

Colder, winter months often means dealing with windows that are old or weren’t installed correctly—ones that let cold air seep into your home. If you’re a renter, or don’t want to shell out the cash to replace them entirely, there’s a simple and cost effective solution: Hang some thermal curtains. A thermal curtain has several thick layers of fabric, in addition to an added layer of foam or insulation.

If you've ever struggled to put together their flat-pack furniture, this is one big reason why.

I am sitting on my sofa right now, writing this, wearing a wool sweater, swaddled in a blanket, and I’m still freezing. My fingers, toes, and nose feel particularly arctic, and I dread leaving the house later to walk my dog. Yep, I’m one of those people: always cold. Like a heat-seeking missile, I will shamelessly and relentlessly navigate towards warmth, wherever and whenever I can. Here’s a neat hack I use to get through winter.

We’ve all lived in that unfortunate dark apartment that is both on the first floor and faces a brick wall. And sure you made the best of it, but maybe now you’re living in a place that has, wait for it, multiple windows! (You’re truly on your way to the top!) But even with more windows, there’s still one thing you can do to eke out as much natural light as possible.

One of the Dr. Oz Show’s backstage dressing rooms was neglected and nearly empty, but it needed to become camera-ready in a very short amount of time, for a fairly small amount of money. All it took was a style guide, Amazon two-day shipping, and some major glam, and this room is ready for its closeup. The space before is not very inspiring, but it turns out the room was even worse in person: Bland, boring, and plain UGLY!

When one clever crafter gained a larger bed but lost a headboard, a humble roll of washi tape came to the rescue, completing the look without destroying the budget. Here was the issue. Georgina recently replaced her old bed with a much larger super-king, which didn’t come with a headboard. As a result, the plain wall above her bed suddenly looked very bare. She came up with a smart way to elegantly and affordably demarcate the sleeping space.

IKEA hacks are always fun, but this one resulted in a piece that looks more like a high-end mid-century modern credenza that would cost at least 10 times more than it actually did. This BESTÅ is about to truly live its best life. First, a little bit about how Alex Mcclain, the mastermind behind this hack, was inspired by: I really liked a mid-century style credenza I saw from a company called Rove Concepts but couldn’t justify spending the $1,000+ dollars so I had to get creative.

If you feel like your room is missing a certain artistic touch, then it’s time to bring out the sculptures. But rather than getting actual busts or little figurines, help bring in that missing creative flair with end tables. Swap out your simple wooden pieces for geometric side tables that look like they belong in an art installation or museum.

I’m a lazy holiday decorator. I’m completely fine with throwing a pumpkin or gourd on the table, and calling it a day. If said decorations work for multiple holidays, all the better. Which is why I love walking into Trader Joe’s. Groceries aside, there’s always some new, seasonal item found right inside their front door—pumpkins, eucalyptus, and alstroemerias to name a few— that I can buy and keep around for months.

The owner of this space described it as “a very scary sunroom,” and the presence of asbestos alone earns it that designation. After six weeks of hardcore work, it’s now anything but scary. Here’s a bit more insight about what our intrepid DIYer was facing: The before of my sunroom was symbolic of the entire house—unloved, a little broken, but with a lot of potential.

What can you turn a headboard into? Here’s a hint: this decadent blush velvet, channel-seam headboard is leaving the boudoir for the cuisine… I love everything about this: the fantastic floor, the black-and-white base palette, the luscious green, mustard, and blush accents, the enviable bistro vibe, the elegant storage in the benches, and the visionary decision to use a headboard to create a comfy yet glam breakfast nook.

We’ve seen a few IKEA KALLAX hacks before— the room divider, the terrarium, the amazing craft credenza—and they’re all inspiring, and this one is no exception. The secret, magical ingredient? Plywood. Reddit user thehomestud scored some free IKEA KALLAX units with drawers and decided to make the most of this windfall.

This is a quick and satisfying project.

We have a lot of love for terracotta pots. They are a no-brainer choice for your plants: They’re cheap, blend in anywhere, but they are also easy to customize and make your own. We recently came up with a whole new way to use them at home, and we’re pretty chuffed about it. Carving pumpkins is messy, requires tools, and then they just turn around and rot on you. Here’s another suggestion: Forgo the jack-o-lantern and decorate your plants and planters instead.

Toilet paper is a fact of life, as are all the tubes that pile up as you go through it. Sure you can recycle those used rolls, but there’s a much better use for all that cardboard. Here are a bunch of ways to stretch out their humble little lives a little further. If you have a ton of gift wrap in your closet, take a break from buying more and find other ways to package presents. These fruit-themed ones are adorable.

Meet Benny the Boler, a 1974 vintage fiberglass trailer built in Peace River, Alberta. Reader Ali and her husband Bryce transformed this 44-year-old cutie camper into a happy little home. Here’s how Ali describes the project: We bought him in 2017 and the plan was to renovate him with a light and bright attitude, for the love of taking something destined for a scrap yard and making it usable and beautiful. We have a real passion for working together and restoring something so functional.

This estate sale sectional had its issues, but what it lacked in legs it made up for in mice. Don’t let the beautiful backdrop distract you: This sofa needed some serious (read: professional) TLC to go from threadbare and disintegrating to refined and rodent-free. Here’s how this sofa was acquired: The day before I moved 1,000 miles to my current home, I spotted a mid-century sectional sofa at an estate sale and bought it for my new place.

Jenny McClary and Allie Leepson never originally intended to purchase a cabin in the woods of Vermont… they first looked to buy a home in Joshua Tree. But, after losing out on offers on homes to cash buyers, they decided to change course and take a look in Vermont to see if anything sparked their interest like those in California. Three of them actually did… and they put an offer on this three-bedroom rustic cabin immediately!

This Redditor’s pantry was impressive, both in terms of its size, but also in the amount of food, kitchen supplies, and cookbooks he had stuffed in there. For $250 and some DIY power, he completely revamped the space and made it so much more functional and appealing. I think we can all relate to what this pantry looked like before: Standard wire shelving, jumbled up goods, the works.

This dining room is so graceful and elegant—that delicate molding and beautiful hardwood floor, but its new owner found it lackluster and hollow. IKEA’s BILLY bookcase to the rescue! Well, more like eight BILLYs to the rescue… Reader Oriane Szekelyhidi-Williams kindly shares a wealth of details about the inspiration behind this project and the challenges faced: We purchased our condo knowing we would be doing a BIG overhaul on the space.

This sad chair—IKEA’s ubiquitous POANG—was languishing on a curb, doomed to rot away, dreaming of those good old days when it was useful. Fortunately, someone with a vision (and 20 meters of rope) happened to walk by and oops-a-daisy! Britt Winter of Regroovinator on Etsy describes happening upon this chair, and the makeover time crunch: This sorry-looking IKEA POANG was a curbside find: bare bones and a ripped-up seat. However, those bones were good.

IKEA’s KALLAX is perfect for holding boxes, bins, baskets, and books, but one DIYer saw its potential as an understated entertainment unit—and the results are inspiring. This looks so great. Nicole Witney of Meraki came up with and completed this smart hack, which has so much going for it. Its central position means it is viewable from the kitchen—essential for tedious food prep/cleaning tasks—and yet it doesn’t dominate the space.

While dealing with a tiny apartment can be trying, there’s something that’s possibly even more frustrating: dealing with a dark apartment. I’m lucky enough that my little studio apartment has two big, glorious windows (and two smaller ones, which I am also grateful for), but I’m still very aware that, particularly in a space this size, it’s important to maximize the light you have.

Most homes have random, awkward areas that aren’t serving much purpose—either they’re a weird shape or size, or just too small for most furniture. Enter IKEA hacks: The cheap way to bend furniture to your will and make it work for your particular home. Here are six times clever people not only filled a space, but filled it with useful storage made from IKEA products. Sherry and John of Young House Love used a MALM dresser at the top of their stairwell.

Here we have a perfectly nice entryway console, adaptable to nearly any style with the right knobs. But its owner had something a bit more special and a lot more specific in mind… This is absolutely delightful and I wish it were available in a dress, or perhaps a dress/shoe combo. Pink and green go so well together, and they both pair wonderfully with gold, so the trio is totally fabulous.

Kai and Julie are the kind of adventurous couple to take a risk. While walking to get coffee in their Berlin neighborhood, they came across this bus for sale—and bought it the next day. According to Kai, these sorts of buses aren’t commonly found in their area. Not to mention the couple didn’t know anything about converting a bus when they made the purchase.

When Laura Gibson—who runs the blog Sophisticated Rust—and her husband moved into this rental house, she didn’t see a lot to love. It was small, hadn’t been taken care of, and just wasn’t what she wanted in a home. But her husband fell in love with the property and persuaded her to consider purchasing it. She was finally sold on the idea, but only if they put a lot of work into the house.

Just because you can improvise something, doesn’t mean that you should. Case in point: this Subreddit thread with quite possibly the most cringe-worthy DIY fails ever—seriously, Pinterest ain’t got nothing on these hacks gone horribly wrong.

They aren't just for closets.

This poor old dresser was dated and unwanted, until one intrepid crafter, armed with only a vision and an impressive drawer pull collection, took it in and made it over. The results are fantastically impressive. I actually squealed a bit when I saw this—and I don’t even really like purple! This is a piece that is 100% practical (storage), while somehow also being 100% fun (tassels!).

The project is super easy to complete.

After 20 years, this living room was ready for an update. It didn’t need a gut job, just a refresh, a lightening, and perhaps even a brightening. Now the room still has all of its best elements, plus a few new ones that suit the space—and the times—perfectly. This is so streamlined and sophisticated now. It’s a clear evolution of the aesthetic seen in the image before, which is fascinating to see.

Every home has its trouble spots, and clothing piles are a big one in many bedrooms.

This 34-square-meter (366-square-foot) Moscow apartment might not look like too much right now, but its owner saw potential and had it transformed into a rather roomy—bigger than at least two of my apartments anyway—Airbnb rental apartment. Unsurprisingly, the kitchen is the heart of this (temporary) home. This renovation was created by Anna Kovalchenko of Essenziale, who wisely stuck to a limited palette—black, white, and wood—throughout the small space.

There’s no shortage of places to purchase art prints that you love, but sometimes you’re on the hunt for something a little more unique—and maybe a little more affordable. If so, this may be the incredibly easy art hack for you. While this art hack is a great way to upgrade a wall in your home, it also solves another common problem: What to do with your favorite tea towels you don’t want to use because you don’t want them getting ruined with food stains.

This guest room closet was due for an update—it was originally dark brown—but its owner didn’t want to drop a ton of cash on it. After spending a few weeks and $76.69, this closet is now practical and super cute. The makeover by Jessica and Brett of The Mountain and Moon is darling. The new shelves add a ton of valuable storage, the accordion rack is as pretty as it is helpful, and that dotted wall is eye-catching!

Some IKEA hacks are small. A little paint here, some new hardware there—they get the job done. And then there are the IKEA hacks that are so big and so dramatic, they make the room. If you have a wall to fill, or a problem to solve, check out some of these genius solutions. This movable art display wall from Sinnen Rausch has so much going for it, starting with that dusty rose paint job.

Does spring cleaning fever also have you itching to update every space in your home, inside and out? Before you jump into that lighting or landscaping project, Weekend Warrior, make sure to take the proper safety precautions: a new study showed that — no matter the skill level — these are the most common DIY injuries, plus tips and precautions for how to avoid them. By analyzing data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), the team at InsuranceQuotes.

Name: Nikki Norberg and Bryan Frank Location: Minneapolis, MN Size: 1200 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned I work at Blu Dot doing a mixture of photo and design, and Bryan is a web developer. Ceramics is something we both find passion in because it is a way to escape the computer screen and create with our hands. Here was our very sad, dingy, asbestos-tile filled basement just a few months ago. We wanted to convert the basement into a usable studio where we felt relaxed and inspired.

A 175-square-foot apartment is a small apartment, but one of our readers has transformed a challenging space overwhelmed by bulky furniture into a serene, seemingly spacious oasis, all for $1,700. Before we move on to the studio as it is now, here’s how reader Emily Barry described it before: The space had a more utilitarian feel before I moved in; it was basically being used only for sleeping, and didn’t feature much more than a bed and a TV.

Hanging up some wall shelves is one of the best things you can do for a room, and even a shelf you don’t adore is a good thing to have. However, if you can take an ordinary, affordable shelving unit and transform it into something remarkable for just $5, why not?

Blame it on HGTV or Pinterest, but millennials seem to think they’re pretty handy — even when they’re not. Nearly seven in 10 millennials (69%) consider themselves handy around the house, according to a new survey by Porch — including 79% of millennial men. By comparison, only 61% of baby boomers and 62% of Gen Xers said the same. And to some extent, millennials are walking the walk: Home Depot said that DIY-minded young homeowners are helping to boost sales.

A daring and dramatic 30-day transformation.