DIY Home Projects

Nancy from Marcus Design took the Rast dresser from IKEA and DIY’d it into a Dorothy Draper-inspired Hollywood Regency accent piece for her bedroom. Check out her step-by-step instructions and try this at home! Nancy’s first step was to prime the surface of the dresser and spray it with two coats of black lacquer spray paint from RustOleum.

Grab some Modge Podge and food coloring.

A homeowner with virtually no construction experience redoes her kitchen to suit her tastes.

Activated charcoal and aloe are the two darlings of the beauty world right now, showing up in drugstore products, high-end cleansers and DIY recipes alike. This homemade face mask recipe combines the two star ingredients into the simplest skin detox around. Remember those blackhead-removing strips that were so fun as a teen? Consider this their trendy, grown-up cousin. So, what is activated charcoal, anyway?

Old becomes new with these inspiring design tweaks.

Anthropologie’s Ordinal Dresser is one popular piece of furniture — so much that this is the second dresser makeover we’ve seen based off of it. The first one was a low, six-drawer version, but this one will have you thinking twice about which dresser is the original, and which is the knock-off. It’s hard to believe, but the above dresser was made to look nearly identical to the Ordinal, all for only $30!

Almost two years ago, I wrote about reducing the visual noise of this glass-door bookcase I use for DVD storage. Though not ideal for this purpose, the piece has sentimental value because it belonged to a neighbor/surrogate grandmother who has since passed away. My original effort to reduce the visual noise using paper I had in the house was successful, but never really made my heart sing.Skip ahead to last month when I found this beautiful inspiration image from Elle Decor.

Here at Apartment Therapy, we love a good before & after. Although many of our before & afters feature down-on-their-luck furniture pieces rescued by enterprising DIYers, some of my favorites are the projects in which a whole room is transformed. Check out some of the best makeovers of 2013. TOP ROW: 1. Before and After: Bri Emery’s Living Room Makeover 2. Before After: From Boring Bedroom to Chic Shared Space 3. Before After: A Blank Wall Gets Shelved 4.

Finally, you can go camping with your bed.

For $600!

B&W Nautilus speakers are legendary, both for their audio performance and their iconic cabinet shape. No surprise, audiophile loudspeakers like this are for rare and expensive, probably the reason IKEA Hacker, Damir Paco of Denmark, dreamt up a much more affordable DIY version using a trio of IKEA wood salad bowls and some BAREN clothes hooks…The inspiration? The Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus are fashioned after the beautiful marine creature with the logarithmic spiral shell.

Renovations often produce dramatic results, but that doesn’t mean you need to rip out floors and knock out walls to make a statement. Let’s look at some of our favorite big, bold, and beautiful Big Reveal transformations, using just the power of paint and decor. Re-edited from a post originally published 9.27.

Do you have a piece of furniture in your home you love, but it’s just a little too “heavy?” We don’t mean weight-wise (though certainly, it could be heavy that way, too). We mean, visually heavy. A piece that feels like it takes up too much room. Like it knocks off the visual balance of a space. Here are five of the best tricks to visually lighten up a heavy furniture piece and still make it look great.

TikTok saves the day again with this DIY art hack.

You can also hang it up on the wall.

Long time readers may remember father and small space problem solver Jason who built his daughter Annabelle a stylish crib (above) to fit into a nook that was a few inches too small for a traditional crib. He took charge of his home and made it work for his family. As they all do, Annabelle grew up and was ready for a big girl bed. Here’s how Jason converted the crib into a toddler bed…and then back again when brother William joined the family!

Apple green plush or tweed linen? Each one gives a different lookIt’s true that even a simple change of fabric can change the look of a piece. Take this sofa, the Chet from CB2, which we’ve blogged before. In apple green velvet, the sofa reads nouveau 80s, modern and sleek. In linen, the look is softer and would easily fit in amongst the simple wood pieces we’ve been seeing a lot of.A good upholsterer can: change a straight arm to a rounded or flared arm.

This homeowner calls her kitchen reno's style "modern eclectic." Her tile, color, counter, and floor choices work great together.

Welcome to “The A Line”! In every episode of this new video series, we visit two homes that have an identical floorplan – and see how its inhabitants use the same space in different ways. Today we travel to Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, where two growing families struggle to adapt their space and make room for their changing lifestyles. Ana and her husband have two kids and have chosen to live in their space for a while before they decide what renovations to make.

This is a pearl of wisdom that I received years ago and wanted to bring back right now. When in need of a really simple, nice, natural material desk, use IKEA butcherblock countertop (which is cuttable, sandable, stainable and paintable) and some cool legs (like the Vika Inge style seen here, which has been replaced with Vika Runtorp).

Get your floors Halloween ready.

The Parsons table is one where the square legs have the same width as the tabletop, regardless of its other dimensions. Its history is characterized by contradiction: created to be a simple canvas for exceptional materials, its design is simultaneously credited to the famous designer Jean-Michel Frank and to anonymous design students. But is the real story even more muddled?

During Meredith Svoboda's final walk-through of her Nashville home, she photographed the dining room, "dreaming of the life I could bring to this room," she writes.

Streamline your home’s energy usage wherever you can? It’s a no brainer, for both your personal finances and for the common good. Simply unplug the vampire appliances sucking you dry, make little tweaks to your mindset, and get your home up to snuff. Just a few little improvements can really bring your numbers down and increase savings over time. Assess Your Home’s Situation: Get a handle on your home’s energy use, and identify what’s needlessly using up resources.

Insects get antsy this season, bugging out over the warmer weather, and emerge from their winter hideouts eager for spring. You’re more apt to share space as they move around and seek out new homes for the season. Instead of warily eyeing them (bracing yourself for a sting or bite), stake your claim and prevent creepy crawlies from winning your turf war.

Spring cleaning is just around the corner. Rather than rallying the mental and physical energy to gather tools and make cleaners right before you start the actual cleaning, get everything ready to go beforehand and stored in the smart and sensible place. Having your supplies organized feels great and makes one less hurdle for you to climb before getting started.

"There's nothing like that instant gratification feeling of completing a project like this over a weekend," this YouTuber and DIYer says of her two-day project.

Create your own autumnal-inspired centerpiece now that fall is finally in full swing.

Personalize your planner to work uniquely for you.

Revamping the exposed brick and the fireplace rescued this living room from its dark motel room roots.

These five spaces embrace eye-catching murals to give you just the inspiration you need. 

Painting a large-scale indoor mural doesn't have to be so daunting. After all, it's only paint!

A Los Angeles couple concealed an eyesore using a clever find from IKEA.

Working with the big stuff that was already in place helped this savvy homeowner create her dream bathroom for a lot less.

You can build your own decorations using a little DIY spirit.

The before was nice, but the after? It's a real stunner.

"We were in the process of renovating our whole bathroom and really wanted a wooden vanity, but the ones we liked were all out of our budget," this homeowner says. IKEA hack to the rescue!

Make your home Halloween chic.

Here's an easy project renters and non-renters can do to spruce up a fireplace for fall.

The builder-grade espresso-shade is long gone from this now-cheery and cozy kitchen.

"I love the classic look and the added closed storage," this DIYer says of her innovative railing swap.

Casual Halloween fans need not apply.

The "after" is perfect for an imaginative, color-loving kid — but adults will find inspo here, too.

This spooky, large-scale DIY can be done for under $120.

The after is cute and clutter-free thanks to a few DIYS. "In terms of design, think about two or three small changes that will make such a difference," this DIYer advises.

From chair rail moulding to a custom headboard, this dreamy bedroom redo has tons of DIY projects to copy.

A dresser in the kitchen?! This DIYer proves it's absolutely a good idea.

Soaking in a nice hot tub of bubbles at the end of the day is a small luxury that can make a big difference. If you make your own, you can choose what scents you want to soak in, and you have the advantage of knowing exactly what’s going on your skin. Also, it can a lot cheaper and just as luxurious as the fancy kinds. The key to a successful homemade bubble bath is to get a good mix of essential oils and the right amount of bubbles.

The end result looks like a much more expensive piece of furniture that would fit in with a ton of different home styles, from traditional to modern farmhouse.

The new scalloped shelving is a must-see!

Space-defining DIYs and savvy secondhand shopping went a long way in this redo.

"When guests walk in, they're usually like ... 'woah,'" this homeowner says of the after.

This bathroom went from bright red to more serene and Mediterranean-inspired.

All under $100.

What was old is new again.

Back in 2020, a handful of TikTokers began showing their followers how to make DIY cloud walls and ceilings using LED light strips, poster board, and a whole bunch of polyester fiberfill. The trend went viral and it’s perfect for the upcoming Halloween season. TikTok user Aurélie Bouti (@aureliestoryy) has been posting videos of her media center cloud wall, and the ambiance it’s creating is just right for spooky season.

"I love how a couple cans of paint transformed a stark, cold bedroom into a welcoming and joyful oasis," this homeowner says.

2022 has been the year of the built-in, and these 11 are the most impressive we've seen.

Making a statement with mirrors has never been easier.

One clever fix: a wall-mounted drying rack.

Don't you just love when form meets function?

This primary bedroom has luxe-looking details for less, thanks to some ambitious but well-executed DIY projects.

These homeowners saved thousands on their vanity by DIYing it.

Hilary Farr has to decide whether she loves it or lists it.