These 4 DIYs Will Reinvigorate Your Home This Summer (They’re Everywhere Right Now!)
Summer is a time to kick back, maybe work a little bit less, and spend more time in the great outdoors (even if that just means escaping to your back porch). For many owners and renters, it can also be a valuable time to tackle a home DIY project or two. Warm weather makes it easy to do outdoor projects (like repairing your deck) and indoor projects that require windows open for fresh air (like painting your walls).
If you’re itching to make a change to your home but not sure where you want to start, take a cue from what’s trending among DIYers. Here, find four of the most popular DIYs of summer 2025, according to trend reports — plus some ideas for how you can make them work in your own home.
Simple Yet Luxe Lighting Upgrades
Lighting isn’t always given its due attention — especially for renters. But adding or updating lighting to your apartment is not only simple (usually only involves a screwdriver!), but can also be an affordable change that makes a big impact. According to Thumbtack, 64% of their readers polled are upgrading their lighting fixtures this summer.
Upgrading your light fixtures not only helps modernize the rooms in your home, but changes how you operate day-to-day. Do you always leave the house with face makeup that’s a different color than your neck? New lighting can fix that (speaking from experience!). Check out how one lighting upgrade absolutely transformed an Apartment Therapy reader’s 1930s bathroom, shown above.
Functional Outdoor Space Maxing
The outdoor space you likely fought for when touring apartments shouldn’t just sit there because it’s too small to do anything with. Thumbtack also found that upgrading outdoor spaces to become functional was high on their readers’ summer to-do list, noting that “deck and porch remodels or additions, concrete patio installations and gazebo installations” were top of mind, “averaging $3,468, $3,251, and $704 respectively.”
For inspiration, see how one Apartment Therapy reader upgraded her previously unused outdoor space into a functional outdoor oasis that even features built-in outdoor storage.
Geometric Tiling Projects
Like lighting, tile can make a huge impact for minimal cost. According to Thumbtack, geometric tile installations average around $1,524, yet can transform a dated kitchen into a modern classic. It also helps to warm up any space without adding paint, though upgrading your paint color is never a bad idea, either. One Apartment Therapy reader upgraded their small kitchenette with peel-and-stick geometric tiles that were affordable and made for a striking before and after.
Dupe-It-Yourself Furniture Flipping
The DIY acronym may be known to represent “do it yourself,” but in the 2025 TikTok-informed day and age, a lot of people are calling it “dupe it yourself.” A 2025 Michaels report found that Google searches for furniture flipping went up 400%, inspired by the dupe culture that’s constantly present online.
This $300 furniture flip from an Apartment Therapy reader transformed an outdated credenza into a piece that looks like it’d be found at a designer furniture store.