Home Projects

These budget-friendly ideas deserve a place on your list this year.

See ya, crayon-patterned wallpaper border.

These furniture makeovers let natural wood have the spotlight.

This bedroom perfectly blends practicality and fun.

Can we move in?

Serious 2020 organizing inspiration straight ahead.

This fresh redo proves dining rooms don't have to feel like a Downton Abbey set piece.

A different kind of shower enclosure is picking up steam.

Give your old lamp the glow up it deserves.

This small change makes a huge difference.

This itty bitty powder room makes a big impression.

You'll be itching to refinish your own dresser once you see these beauties.

These types of IKEA "hacks" are the perfect combo of affordable and fast to do.

You're the expert on what kind of love your home really needs right now.

This entry is an explosion of pattern and color, in the best way.

Tiny space, big style—and a whole lot of inspiration.

These picks will make your mudroom just as stylish as it is organized.

A one-wall redo totally transforms the look of this living room.

You don't have to settle for covering them up with a rug.

It's all about the doorway bookcase.

The new black-and-wood color combo looks super chic.

Ring in the new decade with some IKEA hacks that will take your home organization to the next level.

These stunners will have you running to the paint store on the double.

You'll want to steal this clever idea for your home ASAP.

These six projects pack a lot of punch—and you can do each of them in an afternoon.

Spoiler: The word art decal doesn't make the cut.

Consider these drawbacks.

Spend less, and still absolutely love the result.

There's life in them yet.

Your salt shaker doesn’t have to stay strapped to the kitchen table. We’ve got 18 ways to put it to work all around your house.

The shakeup took the space from blah and bland to totally vibrant.

Murals are BACK, baby, and they're more stylish than ever.

Money-saving and seriously stylish? Sign us up.

Watch out! These are on the endangered species list.

Put these smart solutions to work next year to make life easier in 2020.

This renovation made the space way more usable year-round.

This was the year of statement-making tile, and these redos are the best of the best.

Add these easy tricks to your to-do list and reap the rewards.

This budget-friendly trick is timeless, and these stunning projects prove it.

These bedroom redos are snooze-worthy, in the best way possible.

Get this hero out of the pantry and into your tool kit.

It's time for your mirror to feel like the fairest of them all.

Here’s a fast and easy DIY on how to create fun, colorful friendship necklaces for you and your best friend(s). Give them as gifts for Galentine’s Day and tell your girls how much you love having them in your life! Sculpey Polymer Clay Small Eye Hooks Necklace or Ball Chain Heart-Shaped Cookie Cutter Small Rolling Pin or Wooden Dowel X-Acto Knife 1. Take off a section of clay and start rolling it with your wooden pin onto a clean, dry surface.

Depending on your personality, peeling a label off could be the best or worst possible way to spend a half hour. If it’s your worst nightmare, we’ve got a great tip for you that will have your vessel sticker-free in just a few short minutes! Turn your hairdryer to high heat and hold it over the sticker for about 45 seconds. After 45 seconds of direct heat, test a corner of the sticker and see if it peels away easily.

Project by: Stella and family Location: Quebec, Canada Do you ever dream of a simpler life? Living with your family somewhere quiet, close to nature, maybe next to a pond, with a farmers market close by to visit on the weekend? Here’s the story of one family who made that dream a reality, one DIY challenge at a time.

Renovation by: Kristyn Location: Pittsburgh There was nothing WRONG with the kitchen when I purchased my first home except that it wasn’t me. It didn’t fit the 1920s Tudor Revival style of the house or my preferred bright, colorful, organic modern look. Although I don’t love bead board, there was no reason to replace the clean and sturdy cabinets. So I embraced it, adding more to the side and back of the island that separates kitchen from dining room.

Renovation by: Patti Location: Phoenix, AZ We moved into our fixer-upper exactly one year ago and finally finished the last room – the kitchen. I think the previous owner must have fantasied about being a princess because every single room was painted pink (including ceilings and doors!) and had wall to wall purple carpeting.

Renovation by: Laura Location: Oak Park, Illinois My husband Michael and I just purchased this 1892 gothic Victorian home in outlying Chicago’s historic Oak Park. (land of Frank Lloyd Wright and Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace.) I own a jewelry boutique called Gem Jewelry Boutique and Michael is a general contractor. The home is perfect with its nearly 10 foot high ceilings and elegant moulding, original marble fireplace and gothic windows.

Renovation by: Katie Location: Canada For Christmas this year, I decided to update my grandfather’s living room as my present to him. My grandmother passed away last February, and he needed a change – something that he could see everyday that would make him happy to remember his life with her. They had kept their 1960s furniture in near perfect condition, so I knew I would just need to update the styling of the room with fabrics and some interesting wall art.

Renovation by: Heather and Mike Location: Phoenix, Arizona We are Phoenix, Arizona natives that have never left our little neighborhood of Arcadia. Born and raised in such a gorgeous and historical area of the city, we decided to buy the perfect ranch-style home (in serious need of some TLC!) in our citrus-filled area of town 8 years ago. We’ve had some serious adventures in renovations, and the master suite was the last piece of the puzzle!

We recently moved into a charming 1913 American Foursquare home in Joplin, Missouri. Our first major remodel was the upstairs bathroom. It was replete with plumbing issues (missing a sink), sporting stick on floor tile and press board wall “tile.” Our desire was to make things functional and restore it what it may have originally looked like, while adding our own sense of flair. From start to finish, the project took about a year and cost $2500.

Sometimes a little unexpected “trouble” can go a long way toward creating a beautiful room. You start out with the plan of simply changing up a few decorative elements and find yourself in the middle of a full-on makeover. It happened to Renato, and he not only lived to tell the tale, he’s got a great looking room to show for it. Take it away, Renato… Tired of living with a bathroom falling apart, one day I woke up with design school ended, no jobs and nothing to do.

Project by: Holly Location: Portland, Oregon Holly had the perfectly nice fireplace shown above in her new place, but she had a vision of how the room could be really something special and decided to make it a reality. It involved a bit of demo and the building of a bunch of built-ins but it was worth it – the “after” looks great.

Makeover by: Jennifer Location: San Diego Moving into a new place means lots of little unfinished spots that need solutions, which means spending both time and money. Jennifer dressed up this window corner quickly, stylishly and for less that you would think possible. Check it out… Jennifer added triangle vinyl decals to a plain rolling shade that she picked up at Home Depot.

Becky sent in before and after shots of her master bath makeover. She writes: Our house was beautifully renovated about 15 years ago, long before it was ours. All the important stuff was done perfectly, but a few aesthetics left something to be desired. Like our master bathroom. BOOOR-ING. Square tile on the walls, pinkish-peach square tiles on the floor, builder grade sink top and vanity. Cheap, boring fixtures. And GIANT wall-encompassing mirror.

Renovation by: Takbir Fatima from DesignAware Location: Hyderabad, India This kitchen had been through a lot of wear: the original construction was faulty, causing leakage in the floor, the original design allowed for almost no natural light to enter the kitchen, and previous tenants’ lack of maintenance had made an entire wall stubbornly greasy. Before moving in, I brought down the wall separating the kitchen and dining areas, opening up the space.

Renovation by: Carissa Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma My husband and I renovated our R.V. to make it more livable and cozy before taking it on a cross country trip to Yellowstone. We did the entire project in 6 days, which was crazy, but fun! We changed the dated woodwork by painting it a “modern greige” color then ripped out the old seating and replaced it with a couch from IKEA. We also replaced the dining room chairs with some more modern chairs from IKEA.

This DIY project is a great use for older box springs, and an affordable way to have a “brand new” bed. It only requires about four yards of upholstery fabric, and can be done in just a couple of hours… Katy from The Clever Bunny had a hand-me-down mattress which was relegated to her guest room. In lieu of a bed frame she chose to cover the box spring with fabric and add legs.

My favorite Before & Afters are when talented people buy tired old houses and breathe new life into them. This 100-year-old house in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood of Seattle shows that a thoughtful approach to design can be modern and sustainable while still fitting in with the surrounding neighborhood.Todd Smith, of Syndicate Smith, along with his wife Julie bought their 1911 fixer-upper in 2004 and have recently completed an extensive exterior renovation.

When Andi, Dean and their building neighbors decided to re-paint the faded exterior of their Victorian home, it quickly became apparent that the process was not for amateurs. Located in the Alamo Square neighborhood of San Francisco, not far from the famous painted ladies, their building is over a century old.

Do you know what kind of looks you get when you go to the hardware store and tell the clerk you want to DIY a sliding door? When they point in the direction of “Doors & Windows,” you know it’s time to take matters into your own hands. I needed a door for a lofted space above our living room, and wanted the sliding effect. However, since it was a temporary solution, its construction needed to be simple and easy to do.

Hanging traditional wallpaper is daunting, but you can breathe a lot easier when you’ve got the removable and repositionable kind. The fear that you’ll screw up is minimal. Still, it’s helpful to know what you are getting yourself into before you get started. And tips and tricks are always handy! For this project, we used wallpaper tiles from Hygge & West designed by Laundry called Andalusia in Blush.

Whether Easter’s on its way or you’re just looking to decorate with eggs to add a touch of organic beauty around your home, blown eggs are a great way to utilize both the package, and the contents of the package with little to no waste at all. Raw eggs Thumbtack Toothpick or bamboo skewer Small bowl Straw (narrower the better) or syringe 1. Balance the egg vertically on the table and start by pressing a thumb tack into the very top point and bottom point of your egg.

A shoe rack is a great way to keep high traffic areas from getting cluttered with piles of shoes. To make one for the fancy footwear in your household, all you need is a free afternoon, power tools, and a can-DIY attitude! Personalize your rack by scaling up the length of the dowels for big shoes and boots, or scale down for those little pitter patters.

In Brittany & Jordan’s newly renovated camper, a lot of DIY went a long way. To take the living space from floral to fabulous, Brittany proudly designed and built this storage futon herself. When she couldn’t find the right futon/couch/storage solution for the camper, she used her knowledge from years of working in her dad’s shop to come up with the design, cut all the pieces, assemble, rework and reassemble the structure.

The first time I visited Thomas’ home, he told me not to focus on the light hanging in his dining room—he had plans to make a custom fixture. After it was completed, I came back to take a look and was so impressed by how he was able to implement his vision while waiting patiently for all the pieces to fall into place. I often have an idea of something I want, in my mind. An end table, a dresser, a piece of serving ware, etc.

Who says Valentines Day has to be all about flowers and perfume, and delicate things? Sure, those are nice, but if your snookums fancies craft projects and lovely artwork instead — well, this project is for them! 3′ wood dowel rods (I used 2 3/4″ diameter rods) String or twine Wood, styrofoam, or clay beads in all sizes Craft paint Power drill Saw Drill bits Scissors Sandpaper Small level (optional) Wood clamp (optional) Packing tape (optional) Craft needle (optional) 1.

Sheepskin and flokati rugs are everywhere these days — they add texture to a room, and instantly add comfort to a hard plastic or wood chair. But if you’re looking to make your sheepskin stand out from the run of the mill, or just need a little change, fabric dye is the ticket. Fabric dye 1 cup salt Rubber gloves or stir stick Soaking bucket or bathtub Water 1.

We’ve featured Amanda’s DIY projects before and she’s a bit of a DIY master. Skill Level: Moderate Time Required: 2-3 Hours Project Cost: Varies depending on mirror size Plate glass mirror Flat wooden boards, 1 inch thick by 3-4 inches wide Wooden boards, 1 inch thick by 1-2 inches wide Sheet of OSB or plywood, four inches wider and taller than the mirror size Tools Table saw Nail gun and nails Set OSB on a large flat surface, lay mirror on top, centering to fit.

When my wife was pregnant I started looking for inspiration for the nursery. I found some nice designs for a cradle, but really fell in love when I found images of a moon shaped cradle. This cradle was made by someone in France and also featured on Apartment Therapy. I decided to try and make this myself based on the images I could find online.

There’s definitely no shortage of holiday ornaments out there to buy, but there’s something so satisfying about making a few. It’s always nice to give/receive something handmade—and one-of-a-kind—and by making a few for yourself, you get to create a little memory that you can revisit every year when you pull them out to decorate the tree. These ornaments are fairly easy, adorable, and—bonus!—you’re recycling.

Stars are a major theme at Christmastime. Crafted after the Star of Bethlehem, the star-shaped, ornamental parol is said to encourage hope and goodwill during the season. Hope and goodwill? We can totally get behind that theme, so we decided to make ours in the most colorful papers and maybe even keep it up in the house throughout the new year.