DIY Home Projects

All the inspo you need to wallpaper your kitchen.

These stairs just leveled up—by a lot!

From junk storage to productivity haven.

So much of this redo uses things that were already in the room—the ultimate budget hack.

This DIY kitchen redo is full of smart savings.

You'll never pass up an old piece of furniture again after you see these makeovers.

When my husband and I moved into our renovated row home in 2011, this second-floor hallway was pretty much a blank slate. Almost two years later, we’ve made one major change and brought needed personality into the space.Neither of us liked the carpet; after living with it for a year and a half, we impulsively removed it in April. Our home is over a hundred years old, and we knew the original heart pine was mostly intact underneath.

You’ve gotta have some vision to see the potential for an old plastic fire truck to become a special piece of decor. And that’s exactly what Jasmine brought to this toy when when she turned it into a modern, artful lamp.Jasmine from Jasmine Orchard Styling was inspired on a recent trip to Amsterdam by a large industrial crane. When she found a large, well-loved old toy fire truck with a moving ladder, she saw its potential as the foundation for a unique table lamp.

Update the look of any chair in your home to make it look different and make the room the chair lives in look fresh and upgraded, too! Peruse this comprehensive list of nine ways you can make a chair look totally different. If your chair has any cushioning at all, chances are it has some sort of fabric material on it. Give it a new look by upholstering it!

Stencils are a fun and economic way to create a pattern or duplicate an image over and over again. They can be used on a vast array of items from rugs, and garden containers, to walls and ceilings. You can purchase them pre-made, but if you’re looking for something one-of-a-kind your best bet is to make it yourself. There are quite a few options when it comes to picking out the material for your plate.

What do you do with those treat vehicles, post-Easter? Transform the ubiquitous plastic eggs into geodes, jockeys, minions, monsters and so many other adorable creations and awesome critters. Here’s hoping the bunny brings me plenty! FIRST ROW: 1. Mini Bullet Planters by Apartment Therapy 2. Crystal Egg Geodes by Martha Stewart 3. Easter Egg Birdseed Ornaments by Redeem Your Ground 4. Easter Egg Maracas by Kiwi Crate 5. Skull Treat Boxes by Martha Stewart SECOND ROW: 6.

Gary and his wife inherited this piece and hated it. They wrote in to ask readers for advice on how two “unskilled and not creative” types could rehab this behemoth into something they’d be happy to have in their home. A contingent of readers liked it as it was, others said to sell it and many of you had suggestions for how to transform it with paint or stain. So, which readers did they listen to or did they forge their own path?

Sometimes I come across an adorable kid’s room on Pinterest and get the urge to spruce up my girls’ rooms a bit. Unfortunately money is tight these days and spending money on a new lamp or cute print is just not in the budget. That’s when I usually start getting creative and try to come up with projects that I can complete on the cheap.

Has this “O” on Beth’s grandma’s coffee table been haunting you, too? If you missed it the first time: Beth wrote in for advice on this hand-me-down table from her grandmother which, unfortunately, passed through a cousin first who emblazoned it with an Ohio State “O” in seemingly indestructible paint. She was desperate for ideas to remove it. Readers encouraged her to sand, sand and then sand some more.

One of the best ways to maximize storage in a small space is to go vertical with your storage. And what better way to accomplish that than with some stylish, handmade shelving? From gold and glam to rustic and industrial, here are ten stylish options to add some storage space to your home. TOP ROW: 1. Minty Gold Shelf Inspiration 2. Under $50: DIY Threaded Rope Shelves 3. How to Make a Modern Pegboard Shelving System 4. DIY Honeycomb Shelves from Reclaimed Wood 5.

The reclaimed wood wall has been popular for a while now, and I’ve been wanting to get the look in my garage. I love the earthy hues and honest feel of reclaimed wood, but after realizing the time it would take to scour Craigslist and salvage yards for enough material, I decided to forego that nightmare and instead pursue a DIY approach using a wood-charring method called Shou Sugi Ban.

Marble countertops have become part of the renovation/decor vernacular thanks to TV makeover shows (though a distant second to the ever-popular granite countertop). But despite marble’s beauty, it’s rarely mentioned as a material for DIY projects because of its weight and cost, which makes this custom made midcentury inspired home office project unique… Redditor yourpalthomps combined four materials into his very own handsome midcentury-inspired desk.

Old leather suitcases or briefcases from decades ago are commonly found in varying states at garage sales, thrift shops, and vintage stores across the nation, popular DIY fodder for an array of upcycle projects like this and this.

I’m not quite ready to go off the grid but I try to be eco in small ways, like turning off the faucet when washing dishes, keeping lights off in rooms I’m not using, and not using paper towels. Using cloth napkins is just one of those things that I’m hooked on. A few stats from Earth911 help put things into perspective: 13 billion pounds of paper towels are used in the U.S. every year.

Last week I posted about Joy Cho’s photo album of her daughter Ruby’s first year. Today I’m sharing another project that captures memories in a completely different way. Click to see how this chair was transformed into a cherished memorial to family.Brittan grew up loving her mom’s photo albums.

If you love looking at pictures of interiors like we do, you’ll probably see a few of the same pieces crop up over and over, design classics like the Eames lounge or Harry Bertoia’s wire chairs. But one of the most ubiquitous pieces has a humbler pedigree (and a much lower price point). It’s the IKEA Expedit, and it’s taking the world of storage by storm.

Jenny Komenda of Little Green Notebook consistently executes beautiful DIY projects with precision and flair. Most recently, she and her family used Ikea’s Billy bookshelves in combination with lumber, mouldings, and spray paint to create a custom look at a non-custom cost.Jenny has slowly been revealing updates to her New York home, and these shelves give the living room a sophisticated feel that’s still young and fun. It looks so good!

We’ve all seen them and probably sat in them — the ubiquitous (and rather dull) standard-issue office chair. It’s hard to imagine even tackling a makeover of such a lackluster piece of furniture! But Kendra did — she added lots of color and as she says, “now it looks like a party is happening at my desk!

Light switch plates aren’t something I give much thought to. Until I see a really cute one. Mari, who blogs at Crab + Fish, used washi tape (the craft material du jour) to transform plain light switch plates in her home. It’s simple, cheap and super renter-friendly.As you can see, she didn’t just do one or two switch plates, she liked the look so much that she kind of just kept on going.

The before is fine, but the after will give you heart-eyes.

It was a little over a year ago that this little file box came home with me and received its first makeover, going from a dull gray to a vibrant yellow. A lot of things have changed in my apartment over the past year, so it’s time for the file box to get another makeover…When I painted this file box last year, yellow was the perfect color. It suited the room where it lived, and I’ve always been partial to the color of the sun.

The challenge (and fun!) of small space living is finding the best use for every inch. Even though tiny apartments are usually short on closet space, a place to stash your suitcases is less useful if what you really need is an office. Melissa put her closet to work for her — for only $130!Melissa Massello is the Stealfinder in Chief of Shoestring Magazine, and with a title like that, you know she’s looking to save a buck.

As part of my ongoing quest to add some color to my grey living room, I picked up one of these inexpensive tv tray tables at Target and decided to give it the before and after treatment. Yes, there is spray paint involved. And lamp finials. And rope. Intrigued? Click on through to see my nautically-inspired end result.The goal was to transform this $9 table from ‘college girl watching sitcom reruns and eating popcorn’ to something a little more yacht chic.

Got an outdated white Apple MacBook? Here’s a surprising customization project utilizing RIT fabric dye to give the MacBook’s polycarbonate case a whole new colorful life. Considering how expensive professional custom paint jobs cost and the outdated state of these models, we’re pretty impressed with the project’s results… Get a pan (An inch or so deep, if possible.), and fill it with water (4 cups of water per packet, 8 cups.

As a kid who used to retreat to my closet floor to read in peace, I have a soft spot in my heart for reading nooks. Looking to carve out a little space, Ashley took the completely unused and unaccessible space under her stairs and transformed it into a delightful reading nook/playspace for her kids. Ashey’s “little monsters” are lucky; I confess, if this were my house, I would likely be claiming this space for my very own!

I’ve had this old quirky elephant lamp from Target for several years, and although I loved its silly charm, I felt like it was in need of an update. Using some fabric, and new shade, and some spray paint, I managed to change the look of my old friend.As for the shade, I used an old Urban Outfitters lampshade that I had from another lamp and covered it with sheets of brocade fabric. Read more about that process in this earlier post.

2011 was packed with wonderful before and after projects! Readers and editors both shared some amazing furniture re-do’s. From the old made modern to the broken turned fixed, here are just a few of the incredible before and after furniture posts of the year.

Even if your little Wonder Woman spins into her costume, she still needs somewhere to hang it every night. Jennifer saw the potential in this old tallboy dresser and transformed it into a darling kid-sized costume closet for her daughter Chloe.Jennifer was inspired by a similar project she saw on Pinterest and took this on as part of the Earth Day Canada Upcycling Challenge.

Thinking about the new year might be the time for home improvement resolutions, or at least some serious list-making. From a formerly dingy little caravan, to kitchens, gardens, dining rooms and a few entire homes, we have run the entire gamut of before and after projects this year. The following selections represent the most dramatic and inspiring of 2011 to help ring in any 2012 renovation plans.

Brooklyn to West‘s Ariele has done it again. In my opinion, she’s the junkyard, dumpster diving, demo-ed house DIY Queen. This gal finds discarded household materials throughout Brooklyn and transforms them into artistic, thoughtful, and beautiful everyday objects. Most recently, she’s taken floorboards and changed them into cheese boards. Genius? YES!Ariele never ceases to amaze me.

I’ve seen play kitchens made from everything under the sun and it’s become almost hard to impress me. But a play kitchen made from a chair? Okay, I’ll bite.After!This is one of the most clever handmade play kitchens I’ve seen and is an awesome display of ingenuity. Kata started with an IVAR chair from Ikea ($20), added a counter, a bowl sink, top of a walking cane for a faucet and hung a curtain for an oven.

Before and afters are some of our most popular posts. And for good reason! Who doesn’t love to see the evidence of a makeover, often performed on a tight budget? Gathered together for your weekend viewing pleasure, here are 20 of September’s best makeovers …• Before & After: Connie’s Ugly to Unbelievable Dresser• Before & After: An Eames Lounge Knockoff, Transformed• Before & After: Free Vanity Mirror Totally Transformed!

Closet envy usually involves admiring another woman’s shoe collection, but I’ve never been into shoes. I am, however, into clever uses for small spaces and it’s been on my mind lately as I look to create a spot at home for my my bedroom-less, playroom-less son to call his own.

This DIY is so easy—and super high-impact.

If you live in a tiny apartment where a single space serves multiple purposes (your bedroom is your living room is your dining room, right?), the best thing you can do for your furniture is to make it mobile. Adding a fresh set of wheels to tables, bar carts and kitchen islands lets them slide from one side of the apartment to another, filling in wherever they’re needed most. Here’s how to turn those pinch-hitting pieces into veritable MVPs.

This budget bedroom has some super smart ideas.

The wallpaper will make you gasp.

Cubbies! Hooks! Baskets! This entryway's small, but it's got it all.

You won't recognize the after.

This black-and-white redo is totally DIYable.

This IKEA hack has the look of custom woodwork—but costs a lot less.

First up: Turning a blah brown doormat into a cheery welcome.

The hodgepodge craft space got a major glow up that made it way more functional, too.

All month long, we’ll be exploring ways to make over what you have at home. Think: little upgrades (like my door), as well as some bigger projects.

The before stunk—literally. But the after is a dream!

Paint gets another point in the "W" column.

Brb, bookmarking.

The faux daybed is VERY smart.

Make yourself a little happier with your home, without throwing money down the drain when you move out.

You won't see the after coming!

"It's a low-cost project that can change the look and vibe of a room completely," says the homeowner.

It's pretty convincing.

The "new" counters will wow you.

The "after" is bringing max coziness.

You'll never buy an off-the-shelf desk again.

It's a hybrid between Pinterest and Instagram mixed with short video sensations TikTok, Byte, and the now-defunct Vine.

The wallpaper will give you serious heart-eyes.

Sometimes your favorites from an old space just don't translate to the new one—furniture looks out of place, or colors have a different feel in the different lighting.

From architectural interest to custom shades, these projects have high-end style.