Home Decorating Ideas and Inspiration

Hanging planters are having a resurgence in popularity, and with their space saving design they are a perfect fit for square-foot-deficient plant hoarders (ahem, me) and 70’s aficionados alike. Here are a few great options to buy or DIY one for yourself. BUY: 1. Brass Himmeli Hanging Planter no. 2, $65 from Hruskaa on Etsy 2. Scribble Hanging Planter, $70 – $90 from Pigeon Toe Ceramics 3. 3 Tier Oval Porcelain and Cotton Rope Planter, $140 from Light and Ladder on Etsy 4.

My love affair with mudcloth is well documented. If you are unfamiliar with the stuff, mudcloth is a somewhat heavy fabric, sewn in strips, and dyed naturally with mud. It usually has a graphic pattern of geometric lines and dots, in high contrast black and white. Given the process of making it, it’s no surprise that the real deal is also somewhat expensive.

Yesterday we saw the reveal of Wash U freshman Laken’s spruced up new digs. Today, Laken is showing us how she created the custom bed canopy shown above. If you like the look, you can make one for yourself! Materials Large 24″ diameter embroidery hoop Two curtain panels (we used one package of IKEA Vivan, for $9.

Laken, the college freshman we introduced you to last week, is all moved in and set up, and ready to start classes this week. She took her college blah dorm and turned it into something personal and comfortable. Want to see what she did with her space? Let’s break it down, and see what Laken did to make it work: 1. Configured her furniture, i.e. raised the bed, to allow for more storage. As a result, the dresser, some storage bins and a hamper fit nicely underneath and stay out of sight.

Laken is an incoming freshman at Washington University in Saint Louis and, just this Sunday, moved into her new dorm on campus. She was greeted by a very typical sight: commercial grade carpeting, conspicuous vents, and standard issue furniture. The dorms are very nice by all accounts, but it’s always a challenge to transform an impersonal space into a comfortable home for the next nine months.Laken has less than a week to get her room ready before classes begin.

Freshly sharpened pencils. Crisp sheets of white-lined paper. Colorful paperclips at the ready. Do these things make you irrationally happy? Then you might like this easy DIY project for back-to-school (or for yourself of course) that celebrates clean slates and a new year of learning. Nerd alert! Scissors Bowl of Warm Water InstructionsIf you didn’t read my earlier post on transferring images onto wood, here’s a recap on my method using Lazertran.

Materials: Any deep photo frame smaller than 8.

Here’s a quick and easy project for parties of all types; whether for kids or adults, casual or formal. These tiered stands are inexpensive to make, and a great way to use old dishes destined for donation. They also look just fancy enough and add great height to a dessert table — all good things.

It doesn’t always take expensive and dramatic changes to refresh a room. Follow me after the jump to see how Andi used small details to pack a new punch in her attic guest room.Just by adding adding a bold blue and a few new accessories, Andi took this guest room from minimal and plain to cheery Mediterranean cottage. She painted in headboards, added a table, lamp, pillows, and a window treatment, and called it a day.

TargetCirca LightingAll in all, this version ran me about $34, including the lampshade. I didn’t have any of the materials (except the tin) to begin with, but you might find an old lamp to disassemble and re-use. I think it’s also possible to do this project with faux rivets. If you don’t want to invest in a rivet tool, glue down the metal instead, and insert some small 4mm brads to get a similar studded look.

The key to making a table lamp is finding the correct socket set-up and mount. Some readymade kits already exist but, otherwise, you have to figure out what works best for your chosen vessel-turned-lamp base. I myself had a random wooden vase/candleholder that perfectly accommodated a basic globe shade from the hardware store. It was screaming to become a lamp, and I was more than happy to oblige.

Recently I helped a lovely couple redesign their bedroom. They already loved the wall color and the abundance of natural light, but the placement of the windows left something to be desired.  They also wanted to upgrade from a queen size bed to a king, while enhancing the airy feel that they liked best about their bedroom.

Katja gives full instructions, along with photos of the process, over at her blog, Shift Ctrl ART Thanks so much Katja — both projects look great!

I came across this project from a comment left in my recent post Brags! What DIY Project Are You Most Proud Of? It came from Julia from the blog Chris Loves Julia. They were looking to change up their living room for a more sophisticated yet casual look and Julia fell in love with some dramatic wainscoting images and got the bug to re-create it at home.It took them just a few hours over two days to put it up and then one day to paint it.

I love it when kids’ rooms look like, well… a room fit for a kid! This is a great example of a clean, organized, yet creative space for a little one to flourish.Kara Rosenlund designed this room to be a cheerful, relaxed space perfect for a growing little boy. From the dramatic floor-to-ceiling chalkboard walls, to the sunny ceiling fan, to the “grass” rug on the floor, there’s no risk of mistaking this room for a serious grownup space.

If you’re looking for an easy, inexpensive way to add a little color and whimsy to your little one’s room, look no further. Washi tape is exploding in popularity, and with it a whole host of DIY ideas for kids’ decor. From wall murals and decorations to hopscotches and race tracks, the ideas are limitless. Here are a few of my favorites: Row One: 1. Washi Tape Tree: BoligLiv 2. Washi Tape Wall Art: Ninainvorm via Apartment Therapy 3. Washi Tape Bookshelf Art: Poppinette 4.

We see a fun, fresh bathroom in your future.

This tutorial is inexpensive, easy, and best of all: low-risk. I was in need of some art for our bathroom, and it needed to be rather large and until I can afford what I’ve really got my heart set on — rather cheap.I decided to take a poster that I liked (picked up at a craft store for around $10) and skip the large expensive frame. Instead, I made it look like a wrapped canvas, using a cheap old thrift store canvas I had lying around.

Samna flew out to New York from her home in Seattle to help her sister set up her studio apartment. With only five days and $500, here’s how she transformed the rental into a chic hangout.From Samna: Here’s what I had to work with: My sister’s apartment in a post-war building, 248 square feet of bedroom/living area and kitchen, $500 budget and five days to get it all done. This project is for all of the people who claim “I don’t have time.

Brooke, from the home décor blog Inside-Out Design, started with this run-of-the-mill old coffee table, and with some ingenuity and a lot of handiwork, she and her husband transformed it into a one-of-a-kind hand-tufted ottoman.Brooke used West Elm’s Ikat Print by the Yard fabric as inspiration for completely transforming the coffee table.

If you read the January Cure diaries, you probably saw my window seats, both bare and then with cushions. If you’re interested, here’s how I made the cushions in about an hour. FoamUpholstery fabricPlywood SheetsThin Batting (Optional) Measuring TapeScissorsHammer or Rubber MalletStaple Gun (with staples of course)Foam CutterKnife, electric or otherwise1. Measure your space and cut foam to the same dimensions.

Interior designer Lauren Liess had clients with a brand-new dining room looking for a stylish and personal upgrade. The family had a bold, cheerful style (and some budding Picassos!), so she came up with the perfect solution: a kids’ art wall!She added some new curtains, a new overhead fixture, and some sconces in the middle of the gallery wall — but the focus is the kids’ art, which adds a lot of color and fun to the room!

Yeah, okay, this bedroom is fine. It’s got some beds, so it’s functional. It’s got walls, you know, because you need those. But it lacked pretty much everything else. Until now…What a transition! Out of nothing, Kelly created this super stylish playroom/studio for her to share with son Aston.

We’ve been showcasing a lot of Before and Afters here this month, and perhaps it’s inspired you to do a few of your own. You may, however, still have doubts, and may find that you ask yourself “can I really do that?” Well, here are some simple beginner DIY’s that you most definitely can do. Time to make your own Before & After.1. Paint a Globe.Take a globe you already have (preferably one of those 3D topographic ones), or acquire one.

This bathroom isn’t terribly awful — but it isn’t terribly interesting, either. Come see what some new lighting, a framed-out mirror, and some board and batten walls can do for a rather ho-hum bathroom.Jenny from Project Maddox was determined to tackle her kids’ bathroom and make it just a little less “just moved in” and give it a more custom look.

This relatively plain bathroom got a major face lift with something that looks as good as wallpaper, but is actually impeccably painted, DIYed stencil handiwork. While that has a huge impact on the space, there are a few other east improvements that A Pumpkin and a Princess implemented that helped transform the room — can you spot them?Crystal from A Pumpkin and a Priness set out to makeover her guest bathroom, all on her own.

Michele’s son had outgrown his room’s decor, and everyone was sick of the orange, purple and red color scheme. It took a couple of weeks to re-do it completely, using a lot of what they already owned, plus adding a few new things to the mix. The goal was to keep it affordable and simple.This room might win the award for the most handmade things in one space.

Invest in a simple mat cutter and the world of framing is at your fingertips. Cutting mats is easy, inexpensive, and takes your artwork to a new level. It looks custom, even if you buy a readymade frame from a store.What You Need:Materials:Mat boardArtwork Tools:Sharp straight blade, such a X-Acto knife or box cutterMat cutter, like this Logan 4000 Pull-Style CutterStraight edge rulerPencilProtective cutting surfaceStore bought frame Instructions:1. Make sure your cutting surface is clean.

I can’t tell you how easy this project is. Seriously, my bloodhound could do it. This is also one of those things you can do to make yourself happy as a renter, but that won’t piss your landlord off. After removing it, just keep the old light and put it back up before you move out.

When people find out I work at a flower shop but I don’t like the smell of (most) flowers, they either laugh at what a funny place the world is….or they shove some peonies in my face, saying “But have you smelled these?!? Smell them!!!” While peonies, jasmine, lilies, and narcissus may smell like heaven to you lucky ones, to some of us they merely bring on headaches. Thank goodness, then, for these understated blooms, no less lovely for their lack of scent.

Some days are meant to be spent outside, and today was one of them for me and my daughter. As we took a walk down our road, admiring the forsythia in bloom, I had a thought about trying to recreate a forsythia wreath I saw hanging on someone’s door the other day. I grabbed my pruners and some twine and clipped some branches. Usually this is the point where I go online and search for the perfect tutorial. Not today.

Quite a few years ago, my sister showed me an article in a gardening magazine about how to make your own plant markers out of polymer clay. It was a much cheaper alternative than buying pre-made labels, not to mention I liked that you had the option of personalizing them to your specific plants. I bought the clay but, like many of my other projects, it sat around waiting for that rainy day.