Decor & Accessories

Think you don’t have room for a bar, dining nook, or food prep station in your small outdoor space? Think again. These DIY tables, bars, and carts fold flush to the wall, wheel inside, and make use of plain ole’ efficient design—turning the dream of al fresco dining into a reality for small space dwellers. When open, this Murphy bar offers plenty of shelf space for cutting boards, bottles, and glasses, plus, a dining table for two.

While preparing for their first baby, Kelsey and Matt found themselves getting creative with their closet space. One armoire, a few DIY projects and four months later, they have an adorable and cozy nursery all set for their daughter. From Kelsey: With the upcoming arrival of our first baby, my husband Matt and I wanted to create a special nursery in our one bedroom rental home in Topanga Canyon, California.

When it comes to taming my ever-growing collection of stuff, there’s really nothing simpler or more useful than a wire basket. To be honest, I have five (is that too many??) in my bedroom alone. And while I love how functional they are for stashing everything from notebooks to ribbons, they can start to feel a little utilitarian.

There should be a medical or scientific term for that visceral aversion to seeing cords and ugly electronic boxes (something on par with trypophobia for example). Getting rid of them is an endless quest as fraught with difficulty as getting tickets to see Hamilton with Lin-Manual Miranda in the lead role. Figure out how to cover up those unattractive bits— and improve the look of your home in the meantime —and you’ve truly mastered the art of organization and storage.

Round of applause for Chelsea and her terrific eye! While taking her Mom out for her birthday (awww) Chelsea picked up this diamond in the rough and took it home for a little TLC, and boy did it pay off! From Chelsea: This piece was sitting outside in the muddy lawn of an antique shop this past Spring when I took my Mom out for her birthday. I had no intention of making a purchase of my own but couldn’t pass this soggy piece by without wondering what it could be if it were restored.

Ashley’s sleek little cushion adds serious style to her already impressive dining room chairs, all while making them a little more welcoming. From Ashley: We have a set of four metal chairs and I like them other than the fact that they are not the most comfortable. I got to thinking that they could be comfortable with a cushion. To stay consistent with my decor, I knew that a slim, modern cushion would look best. I couldn’t find anything that I liked so I decided to try to make some.

An old pro at the vintage rocking chair game, Ashley spotted this gem and knew that with a little TLC it could become something truly special. From Ashley: Over the past two years we have hunted and found vintage rocking chairs for friends (including ourselves!) at least six times. Our friend group has definitely hit the parenting band-wagon. There are a lot of new options out there, but we wanted rocking chairs that could add some character and history to our nurseries.

April turned this beige, catch-all “pool house” space into such a crisp and gorgeous home office it is almost unrecognizable! From April: Hi all! I’m April from Uncookie Cutter. A while back we moved halfway across the country into this crazy house in which every room needs a makeover. One of the reasons we bought this house is that we knew this junky “pool house” would make a great office for my husband, who does the majority of his work from home.

Chalk paint may be the undisputed champ of aged, vintage-style furniture, but this matte medium is actually incredibly versatile, and can be used to revamp pieces in a wide range of styles. From mid-century modern apartments to artsy bohemian interiors, this easy-to-use, environmentally-friendly paint is showing up everywhere. Find inspiration in the projects that follow, then learn everything you’ll need to know about mixing up homemade chalk paint.

These closet makeovers look expensive and difficult to pull off, but are actually extremely easy. In addition to being gorgeous, most are also affordable, and super renter-friendly. Here are nine ways to get your storage style in line with the rest of your decor…. Above, this closet is a major improvement, both inside and out. Room for Tuesday both did a massive purge and re-organization effort, and then finished the space off with newly framed doors and agate pulls for added style.

Our Surrealist take on witches’ claws, these Venus flytrap nails are every bit as dangerous, but thanks to sparkle polish and rhinestones, are 10 times prettier. These designs were dreamed up by extraordinary nail artist Mei Kawajiri (don’t miss her Instagram for even more OTT styles), but don’t worry nail art novices, our video tutorial and step-by-step instructions put this look totally within your grasp.

When I stumbled across Molly’s cabinet project on her blog Almost Makes Perfect, I was smitten. This is the sort of random, kind of odd design feature that I would complain about but probably just live with, so I was totally inspired by Molly’s gumption in tackling this project. From Molly: For some reason the owner before us had installed this big built in cabinet right in the entryway of the house.

“Wait…that looks familiar.” Is what you may be thinking at this exact moment and hey, you’re right! This cute lil’ cabinet was the after photo in Molly’s cabinet upgrade. She DIYd her way to a subtle, yet impactful aesthetic upgrade to give her cabinets a cohesive look. From Molly: While I love the storage the multiple built-in cabinets our house came with, I hated the cathedral cabinet doors.

Last April, Emily Henderson needed a privacy solution for her rental studio space and wound up covering individual panes with a variety of window films — which not only added fun pattern and color to the space — but also added a helpful and modern-looking window treatment. We followed up with her to hear how it’s doing months later, and whether she thought it was worth doing in the first place.

The new year is finally here and so are the latest trends. And while it’s fun to embrace all of the new cold-weather clothes, it can still be tough to set yourself apart from the rest of the fashion-savvy pack. That’s why it pays to find ways to personalize your wardrobe without sacrificing your style (or budget). With a little time and creativity, you can turn your basic apparel into an exclusive wardrobe that’s unique to you.

Many of us love watching television but hate seeing that giant black rectangle become the visual centerpiece of a room. Creative couple Nicole and Dave put a lot of thought and effort into their beautiful, industrial live/work loft in South Baltimore, so naturally they didn’t want a big, ugly TV getting in the way of their style. So they came up with a pretty fantastic, artful solution for hiding their TV, and they’ve shared with us how they did it!

On a peaceful, sidewalk-free street, lined with trees and near a lake, is Matt and Amanda’s 1947 bungalow in the San Rafael hills of Pasadena. It’s not hard to see what attracted the couple to this house, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t need a lot of work. The house had a lot of potential (and light), but not a lot of personality. Matt and Amanda wanted to create a rich, unique Craftsman feel.

With low ceilings, white walls and track lighting, Matt and Amanda’s post-war den in their California Craftsman didn’t exactly inspire the soul. As two people working in a hectic and creative field (they’re both actors), they wanted to add loads of personality to their small den, while also creating a retreat. In short, they wanted to banish the boring. Their plan? Transform the blank canvas above into a room with English pub vibes.

At first glance, this space above the bathroom in Brett’s apartment looked like an unfortunate eye sore. But Brett saw this area as more than wasted space. He had a vision, and very specific goals for the small space. And his DIY solution is both attractive and functional. Using 1/2 inch PVC piping from Home Depot and some standard wooden slats, Brett transformed this otherwise useless space into his bedroom!

There’s nothing like photos to give your home a warm, personal feel, and remind you of the people and the memories most important to you. That’s why we’ve rounded up these twelves ideas for creating photo collages at home. They’re all easy and affordable ways to display (lots and lots of) pictures with style. Love this project, but prefer to buy your own instead?

Like the ongoing pumpkin spice latte craze, the ugly sweater trend isn’t going anywhere. Chances are, you will get invited to an ironic Christmas sweater party, and you will be socially shamed if you don’t wear something appropriately ugly. If the thought of spending money on an item you’ll only wear once makes your wallet cry, here are 13 DIY ways to ugly-up an inexpensive thrift store sweater. Leave it to Studio DIY to craft the cutest ugly sweater ever.

It’s a fact of life that things tend to get dry and crackly in the winter: your skin, your lips, even your wooden furniture. And if you think your apartment feels like a dry, cold, relatively inhospitable place at this time of year, chances are your furniture agrees.

If you think you can’t fit Christmas decorations into your small space—we’re here to show you that you absolutely can. To prove it, we transformed designer Akhira Ismail’s 288-square-foot Brooklyn apartment into a Scandinavian-inspired winter wonderland using ten design tricks for small spaces. Yes, you can have a merry little Christmas, even in the tiniest of apartments. 1. Style a holiday shelfie.

The Apartment Therapy Sofa Squad shopping guide has me dreaming about green velvet chesterfields and tailored mid-century modern sofas—prompting me to give my basic white IKEA couch some serious side-eye. Before tossing any couches to the curb, I set out to find affordable DIY fixes. As it turns out, even if you’re not ready to make the splurge on a brand new sofa, there are several inexpensive solutions that allow your good taste and your wallet to compromise.

There’s no question, many people are beginning to rethink their consumption, and have been transitioning to more natural ingredients when it comes to food, skincare, and even medicine. If you’ve ever been curious about some of the positive not-so-known properties of some of these common natural items, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a little 101 to get you started on your path to a more natural and holistic lifestyle in the new year.

Interior designer and stylist Brett and her husband Brandon bought a 1900s Craftsman house in Oakland, California in March of last year, but they couldn’t move in right away. The architectural charm was immediately obvious, but it also needed a lot of work. A renovation was definitely in the cards.

Being a DIY weekend warrior is a bit easier when you have fresh ventilation, room to spread out, and a place to put all that sawdust. But if you don’t have a garage, workshop, backyard, or driveway at home, don’t say goodbye to DIY. It’s possible to get crafty, even if you’re a renter living in a multi-unit building. Need proof? Jess Goodwin filled her stylish small apartment in the middle of Chicago with hand-made projects — no garage, no problem.

Certain tools and equipment are expensive. Like, really expensive. I think it’s safe to say that absolutely no one on the planet wants to actually buy an industrial carpet cleaner for thousands of dollars, for example, let alone find a place to store it when they’re done. Unless you use these types of things all the time, it doesn’t make any sense to own them outright, which is why we’re thankful for temporary rentals.

One of the most difficult (not to mention, most expensive) decorating tasks you have to face when designing a new apartment is how to fill those big, blank walls. While store-bought statement pieces can work room-altering magic, they also come at a cost. To decorate that spot over the couch or dining room table on the cheap, turn to supplies you may already have lying around: fabric, wrapping paper and wallpaper.

This past fall, I went on a quest for a simple frame for a long 14-by-50-inch map. After quickly realizing there was no way a store-bought frame would fit these odd dimensions, I emailed a local NYC framing company for a quote. A couple days later, there it was in my inbox: a whopping $782.09 cost estimate. As much as I value supporting local businesses, there was no way I could do it. So then how do you make a big statement without completely destroying your budget?

These small-space projects really pop.

... And turn jars into glassware, with hot water and baking soda.

If you have an old basement or other unused space in your home, you might dream about remodeling that space into something beautiful and useful. For Suzanne and Peter, that dreaming started the moment they bought their San Francisco home three years ago. The dark and dank basement room that came with the house no longer exists and has been replaced with a bright, open and welcoming space.

If you’ve never seen a kokedama—a Japanese moss ball—let me introduce you to the ultimate small-space garden. Floating in midair, these plants don’t take up surface space, or even wall space. Plus, you don’t have to shell out money for a pretty container, as each plant is contained in its own moss-covered pod and is suspended from the ceiling using inexpensive twine.

Meet Liz Corkery, a Sacramento-based artist who founded and runs Print Club Ltd., an online source for fine art silkscreen prints. Through Print Club, Liz works with other artists to create and sell limited edition works on paper, but she also has a deep love for cooking and entertaining so has combined those interests in this beautiful set of hand-printed napkins.

Sasha Duerr has been dyeing her textiles with compost for over 20 years. The author of two books on natural dyeing and an instructor at the California College of the Arts, Duerr fell in love with natural colors while searching for alternatives to the art school oils and acrylics that made her sick.

I wanted to change up the look of my bookshelves as well as add a third shelf. With the help of a friend and a trip to the hardware store, this project took an afternoon to pull off and can be accomplished by someone with minimal experience. And, to help you out, I documented the process to walk you through each step. In my head, this project was super elementary. I’m not afraid of using a saw, so I wasn’t worried in the last bit.

Amy fell in love with this sofa’s good bones and excellent cushions, even though the fabric was a little drab. After inspecting the piece to make sure it wasn’t too good to be true, she took it home and got to work and giving it a super easy and affordable refresh. From Amy: This is one of those sofas built with an incredibly sound construction, it’s something that is hard to find these days for an affordable price.

Stephen and Amy bought their first home together in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood in 2013. Their home is adorable inside and out, with many of the elements crafted by the couple. There is one small element that I think has a big impact on their home’s curb appeal — and it’s an easy and affordable DIY! “When we bought the house, there were ugly numbers nailed to the door.

I have a confession: Sometimes using power tools scares me. I know – that’s embarrassing for a DIY-er to admit. But I also know, deep down, I can’t be the only one who feels this way. So, what if I told you that you could make this bench with minimal tools and minimal upholstery skills? Seriously, there is no sewing involved.

We’ve shown you some stylish DIYs for your pooch, but let’s not forget about the cat lovers. Sure our cats may not give us their undivided attention, or the tail-wagging welcome of a dog, but it’s important to give them a home that feels like home. Whether it’s a cozy crochet cat cave, a handmade toy, or a realistic climbing tree in the living room, our kitties need (and deserve) to be spoiled.

Pilling on fabric is no good. It makes clothing and furniture look worn and tired, like it needs to be replaced. I certainly felt that way about this yellow chair before the most epic fabric de-fuzzer showed up on my doorstep. Friends, here me when I say this: This is the most satisfying $12.99 you’ll ever spend on a home-care appliance. I knew this type of tool existed, but I didn’t know how amazing the results would be when used on upholstery fabric.