Project Ideas

Framing a garment can seem like an intimidating process, but it’s actually quite easy to do yourself. The framing pros have a lot of specialized tools and tricks (like using a tagging gun instead of hand stitching, for instance), but for us weekend warriors, it’s all about using simple tools and getting the job done so we can enjoy our completed gallery wall that much sooner. So grab your grandpa’s letter sweater or your granny’s floral girdle and get to framing!

I’ve been on a lighting kick lately. Maybe it’s because I just re-read The Little Book of Hygge. To me, light — whether it’s natural or created — is king when it comes to your home. Not all of us have floor-to-ceiling windows or an expansive budget for beautiful light fixtures. And many DIY lighting projects require at least a little bit of electrical wiring. Not in the case of this Paper & Stitch IKEA globe light hack, though.

Remember the good ole days of decorating your locker with neon magnets, stickers, and magazine cutouts of Will Smith, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and the like? Lockers were like our own little slice of personality-heaven in a world where we were told when to learn math, when to eat, and when to turn in our shoebox dioramas. I’m here to say those lockers days don’t have to be over just yet.

Ryan and Michelle are all about DIY projects in and around their Annapolis, Maryland home. Whether it’s propagating bamboo for privacy fencing, re-tiling bathrooms, or building custom furniture pieces, they love projects that allow them to save money while making their house more of a home. Ryan’s latest project – a DIY floor mirror – is no exception. Learn how to make your own by following his helpful tutorial.

Even as a self-proclaimed “maximalist,” I still find myself drawn to the clean lines and effortless simplicity of Scandinavian style. The soft, neutral color palette is very versatile in a variety of spaces without adding too much visual weight. If you’re down with hygge (and willing to try your hand at some amateur carpentry), then these nightstands are definitely for you.

The more you give, the cheaper it gets.

Soap is one of those DIYs I thought would be more complicated than it turned out to be. All the soaps on Pinterest are so beautiful — there was no way they could be easy as well! But with my rapidly growing essential oil collection, and need for some quick holiday gifts, I thought this would be a good way to use them. Before even preparing the soap base, mix your essential oils to preference in a non-reactive container (like glass).

There is so much beauty and elegance to gaze upon in this wonderfully minimal house tour, but our eye was drawn to one particular—and highly unlikely—element: that museum-worthy pedestal, which is secretly a giant Jenga set. Looking at this house tour on Emily Henderson’s site of designer Melanie Burstin’s home, one would never guess that such a chic, refined space would feature something as chaotic and, let’s face it, loud as a giant Jenga set.

Maybe you’ve had the same bed pillow for ten years and have your sights newly set on some memory foam. Or maybe you’ve got an extra five random pillows stuffed in your closet, just in case, and it’s time to KonMari. As with most things we toss or get rid of these days, old pillows can still be used long after they’ve left their prime days behind. Here are 10 ways this everyday basic can help you out around the house, no matter what condition they’re currently in.

Some single-use gadgets and home tools just take up space versus regularly make our lives easier. It’s hard to purchase an entire device that just de-pills sweaters, for example, when you know it will wind up languishing in your cabinet or drawer. Which is why it’s great to discover multiple handy uses for ordinary objects and materials you already have lying around the house. Today’s unsung household hero: sandpaper.

At this point, most of us can spot a BILLY bookcase, KALLAX cubby, or LACK table a mile away. Basic and affordable, they’ve been some of the most popular items at IKEA for years, and our first apartments would’ve been bare without them.

Try these tips on for size.

Vancouver-based Kristina Steinmetz knows her way around a good DIY. Her site, Ich Designer, is filled with clever and sophisticated home projects and IKEA hacks that have surprisingly humble origins and price tags. We recently featured her re-done mudroom, and her latest living room makeover might be even better. Here’s a wider shot, so you can get more of a sense of the whole room. It was in good shape but definitely needed an update.

Before Ashley put her guest house up on Airbnb, she wanted to give the bathroom a fun update. It was simple and sparse in comparison to the rest of the home, so, even though she was working on a tight budget, she was determined to use her DIY tricks and unique style to make it an exciting space for guests. Ashley carved as much time out of her schedule as she could—during nap times, evenings, and weekends—to work on the bathroom.

After living in her house for five long years, Kate felt a burning need to shake things up. She admits her style has a tendency to change and evolve, and periodically needs to explore a completely new aspect of her personality. This time, she scratched that itch in her home office. The home office had a lot going for it, with its soothing gray-green walls, comfy furniture, and plush shag rug.

And it only took four hours.

This garden-level space was the home’s entrance, office, guest room, and living room all in one, and though it was full of intriguing art, fantastic patterns, and great furniture, it needed a little something to make it as welcoming and cozy as possible. Removable wallpaper to the rescue!

Make your whole project that much easier.

For years, I’ve wanted to get my hands on a vintage vanity and re-work it into a really functional workspace. So when my mom texted me a photo of this little beauty from a yard sale, I knew the time had come! One of the reasons it has taken me so long to pull the trigger on this project was because all the vanities I was coming across were in really beautiful condition.

The ubiquitous white cube shelf unit is affordable, attractively minimalist, and endlessly useful, but occasionally it needs a bit of a twist to fit in with the rest of a home’s decor. This particular unit—similar to this one from Target or this one from IKEA—needed some real TLC: I had this six-cube shelving unit in the playroom. It has several scratches on top and stickers on the sides but it was still in good shape.

This is how this living room looked when it was listed by a realtor: a cozy mix of cool aqua and warm brown tones and the ubiquitous builder-grade ceiling fan. The room was bright and inviting, but its new owners were ready for a fresh look. Alison Elefante of @rubyandpeach and @rubyandpeachphoto cleverly created a black-and-white base on which to layer colors and textures.

A talented DIYer bought this old desk for $11.25 and managed to transform it into a dead-on knockoff of a $1,299 Pottery Barn desk while adding a clever upgrade in the process. Our intrepid DIYer needed a new desk, but wanted to spend less than $100: I picked up this desk for $11.25 at my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

Murphy beds are the ultimate space-savers. They neatly store themselves when not in use and can quickly turn your office or bonus room into a complete guest retreat. Finding an attractive Murphy bed within your budget just got easier, because we’ve rounded up our favorite DIY and pre-built options.

Do you love 2019 already? It’s okay, we’re still on the fence about it, too. What about your kitchen? If you’re not totally enamored of the space, we’ve got some ideas to help you heart it some more this upcoming year. Each idea is seriously easy and inexpensive (especially compared to a renovation) to pull off. And you don’t have to do all 19, either—pick and choose from this list and your kitchen will be more lovable and up-to-date in no time.

These spaces now burst with life and good vibes.

Here's what you should know, before you pick up that paint roller.

This dining room had so much going for it—moody accent wall, nice wood table, gorgeous chairs and credenza, plenty of daylight, enviably high ceilings—but after a light makeover, it’s quite a bit brighter and fresher. Christina Marie Amundson—The Inherited Home on Instagram—achieved a dramatic makeover by making just a few smart changes.

Thanks to a blush of color and a clever installation job, the ubiquitous blank-slate PAX wardrobe from IKEA gets a major upgrade in a graphic designer’s Copenhagen apartment. Four IKEA PAX wardrobes are now painted the same pink as the surrounding walls, giving them the appearance of a built-in closet. Michella Laura has turned pink into a sophisticated neutral that sets off the white bedding and trim to great effect and allows the stunning white-and-blue vintage Murano light to pop.

What other decorating rules are just begging to be broken? Here, the experts weigh in.

Colder, winter months often means dealing with windows that are old or weren’t installed correctly—ones that let cold air seep into your home. If you’re a renter, or don’t want to shell out the cash to replace them entirely, there’s a simple and cost effective solution: Hang some thermal curtains. A thermal curtain has several thick layers of fabric, in addition to an added layer of foam or insulation.

If you've ever struggled to put together their flat-pack furniture, this is one big reason why.

This entryway had a spot for coats, a large landing strip, a mirror for last looks, personality, and beauty, but it was lacking in storage for shoes and other odds-and-ends. A DIYer who enjoys “trying to figure out how to make things with no experience” solved the issue with a few ordinary IKEA drawers and some very special wood.

The last thing anyone wants to deal with after a long day of adulting is a clingy garbage can that staunchly refuses to release its grip on a full-to-bursting trash bag. No matter how many times you tug on the bag, it refuses to come out, even after you’ve removed some of the (smelly) contents. Instead of contemplating precisely what you did wrong in a former life to deserve this karmic kitchen payback, avoid future frustrations by drilling a hole in your trash can.

While a master bedroom with an adjacent sunroom is a glorious thing to have, this particular one was “dreary and dated”—and not very sunny. It was overwhelmed by comfy but massive furniture and ready for a fresh look. Here’s the sunroom first. Nothing fresher than lush greenery, bright blooms, and a happy bird on a newly bright white wall. Avery Michaels of Holland Avenue Home boldly hand-painted this mural—inspired by Rifle Paper Co.

I am sitting on my sofa right now, writing this, wearing a wool sweater, swaddled in a blanket, and I’m still freezing. My fingers, toes, and nose feel particularly arctic, and I dread leaving the house later to walk my dog. Yep, I’m one of those people: always cold. Like a heat-seeking missile, I will shamelessly and relentlessly navigate towards warmth, wherever and whenever I can. Here’s a neat hack I use to get through winter.

We’ve all lived in that unfortunate dark apartment that is both on the first floor and faces a brick wall. And sure you made the best of it, but maybe now you’re living in a place that has, wait for it, multiple windows! (You’re truly on your way to the top!) But even with more windows, there’s still one thing you can do to eke out as much natural light as possible.

While we all need a little more #selfcare in our lives, not all of us are lucky enough to have a tub to soak in with a glass of wine and a good book. But just because you’re in a shower-only home or apartment doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in a little luxury every time you step in. It’s really simple to upgrade even the most practical of bathroom set-ups.

You’ve probably seen a post or two on social media at some point praising the ability of eggshells to add to calcium to soil. It’s true that eggshells are mostly made of calcium, and calcium plays a big role in determining the soil’s pH— a measure of a soil’s acidity or alkalinity—and an important factor in plants’ overall health. Here’s the thing: While eggshells can be beneficial for soil, it’s a slow burn.

While this entryway looks pretty organized and well-wrangled in this photo, the entryway’s owner assures us that it was actually “cluttered and disastrous” on a daily basis. IKEA to the rescue! Reader Kate Sheehan explains the issues this hallway was causing: I had tried to make the entryway nice with two industrial shoe racks, but my husband and I have so many shoes that the hallway always looked cluttered and disastrous which is not a particularly great first impression.

This is a near-perfect cozy corner—imagine curling up by that fireplace in that chair, warmed both by the fire and the radiator—but its new owner believed it could be totally perfect. And, indeed, perfection was achieved, thanks to about $150 and a summer of hard work. Here’s a little backstory on this house and its dated floor: Our house was built in 1910 and this particular floor was the only one replaced since.

IKEA hacks are always fun, but this one resulted in a piece that looks more like a high-end mid-century modern credenza that would cost at least 10 times more than it actually did. This BESTÅ is about to truly live its best life. First, a little bit about how Alex Mcclain, the mastermind behind this hack, was inspired by: I really liked a mid-century style credenza I saw from a company called Rove Concepts but couldn’t justify spending the $1,000+ dollars so I had to get creative.

You're not stuck with what you've got.

I’m a lazy holiday decorator. I’m completely fine with throwing a pumpkin or gourd on the table, and calling it a day. If said decorations work for multiple holidays, all the better. Which is why I love walking into Trader Joe’s. Groceries aside, there’s always some new, seasonal item found right inside their front door—pumpkins, eucalyptus, and alstroemerias to name a few— that I can buy and keep around for months.

For every item IKEA brings into this world, there’s at least 10 ways to improve upon it, or make it your own. Some hacks are laboriously complicated and too involved for most humans, other projects are easy for just about anyone to pull off. If you’re looking for some super simple ways to tweak, alter, improve, or upgrade your shelving, here are nine ways to hack those BILLYs, EKBYs, EVETs, and LACKs.

What can you turn a headboard into? Here’s a hint: this decadent blush velvet, channel-seam headboard is leaving the boudoir for the cuisine… I love everything about this: the fantastic floor, the black-and-white base palette, the luscious green, mustard, and blush accents, the enviable bistro vibe, the elegant storage in the benches, and the visionary decision to use a headboard to create a comfy yet glam breakfast nook.

We’ve seen a few IKEA KALLAX hacks before— the room divider, the terrarium, the amazing craft credenza—and they’re all inspiring, and this one is no exception. The secret, magical ingredient? Plywood. Reddit user thehomestud scored some free IKEA KALLAX units with drawers and decided to make the most of this windfall.

This is a quick and satisfying project.

An $8 roll of contact paper can do wonders for your home. You can use it to upgrade old furniture, modernize shelves, elevate countertops, or even forge a backsplash. For the budget-conscious, it’s almost too good to be true. And, as it turns out, some people say it just might be. Why? Apparently cockroaches love contact paper. “Cockroaches will eat almost anything, far beyond what we think of as food sources,” says Howard Bright, the owner of Anti-Pesto Bug Killers.

The first whiff of colder weather makes you dream excitedly about boots and cozy sweater outfits. As you run to the closet to dig out your sweaters, you find… moth holes? Don’t throw out those old sweaters though. Sweaters make perfect upcycle material and can be transformed into a myriad of useful (and cute) DIYs. Check out our favorites below. Teapot cozies keep your tea of choice warm as you settle in for a snug night.

We have a lot of love for terracotta pots. They are a no-brainer choice for your plants: They’re cheap, blend in anywhere, but they are also easy to customize and make your own. We recently came up with a whole new way to use them at home, and we’re pretty chuffed about it. Carving pumpkins is messy, requires tools, and then they just turn around and rot on you. Here’s another suggestion: Forgo the jack-o-lantern and decorate your plants and planters instead.

There’s nothing like coming home and plopping on the couch at the end of a long day—unless you happen to be less than thrilled with your space. Scientific research has proven over and over again that the way your house looks, including the colors it’s painted, the amount of light it gets, how cluttered it is, and even its ceiling height can affect your stress levels and overall feeling of contentment.

Toilet paper is a fact of life, as are all the tubes that pile up as you go through it. Sure you can recycle those used rolls, but there’s a much better use for all that cardboard. Here are a bunch of ways to stretch out their humble little lives a little further. If you have a ton of gift wrap in your closet, take a break from buying more and find other ways to package presents. These fruit-themed ones are adorable.

Meet Benny the Boler, a 1974 vintage fiberglass trailer built in Peace River, Alberta. Reader Ali and her husband Bryce transformed this 44-year-old cutie camper into a happy little home. Here’s how Ali describes the project: We bought him in 2017 and the plan was to renovate him with a light and bright attitude, for the love of taking something destined for a scrap yard and making it usable and beautiful. We have a real passion for working together and restoring something so functional.

Investing major money into one measly item always hurts. Some items, though, are more painful than others. My painful everyday expenditure: floor rugs. For an item that endures near-constant contact by the likes of dirty feet, pets and mucky shoes, $600 to $1,200 seems disproportionate. And if you have kids, toss in the very real possibility that within weeks of purchase, it could be irreparably ruined by a pool of ketchup.

This dining room had a lot going for it—natural light, wood trim, soothing palette, the fact that it exists—but its owner couldn’t get past how “boring and beige” it felt. Paint to the rescue, and no, it’s not all white. Here’s a bit more about the before: This house was as beige and boring as you could get, from brown carpet, brown trim, beige walls, and builder-grade light fixtures.

This entryway is so incredibly relatable: purse, recycling, tote bag, Roomba, grocery cart—all necessary and conveniently accessible, but perhaps a bit too visible. One impressive DIYer took $200 and totally revamped this space, making it a lot more attractive and practical. Here’s a description of the pre-makeover entryway, plus how it affected the rest of the home: My entryway was a complete disaster.

This Redditor’s pantry was impressive, both in terms of its size, but also in the amount of food, kitchen supplies, and cookbooks he had stuffed in there. For $250 and some DIY power, he completely revamped the space and made it so much more functional and appealing. I think we can all relate to what this pantry looked like before: Standard wire shelving, jumbled up goods, the works.

This dining room is so graceful and elegant—that delicate molding and beautiful hardwood floor, but its new owner found it lackluster and hollow. IKEA’s BILLY bookcase to the rescue! Well, more like eight BILLYs to the rescue… Reader Oriane Szekelyhidi-Williams kindly shares a wealth of details about the inspiration behind this project and the challenges faced: We purchased our condo knowing we would be doing a BIG overhaul on the space.

We love a good multi-use product. Household putty (aka Sticky Tack, Blu Tack, mounting putty, museum putty) is one of those products that can solve a slew of household predicaments in a matter of seconds. From eradicating matted messes of electronics cables to stabilizing your new gypsy caravan, we’ve got 14 useful ideas to get you started on your lifelong love affair with putty. As an interior photographer, cords are my mortal enemy.

It's the perfect weekend project.

When your kitchen is as small as mine, every bit of countertop space counts, no matter how small. You want to have as few things occupying those precious few square feet as possible, to maximize the space for actual food prep. Allow me to introduce you to one of my favorite space-saving kitchen solutions: the cabinet-mounted paper towel holder.

Another way to personalize your kitchen.

This sad chair—IKEA’s ubiquitous POANG—was languishing on a curb, doomed to rot away, dreaming of those good old days when it was useful. Fortunately, someone with a vision (and 20 meters of rope) happened to walk by and oops-a-daisy! Britt Winter of Regroovinator on Etsy describes happening upon this chair, and the makeover time crunch: This sorry-looking IKEA POANG was a curbside find: bare bones and a ripped-up seat. However, those bones were good.