7 Beginner-Friendly DIYs to Make Your Home Feel Extra Cozy, Starting at Just $10

Ready for warmer weather? Longer days with more sunlight? I hear you. Until then, I’ll continue to hunker under a blanket at home, celebrating all things warm and cozy — drinking hot chocolate, doing a crossword, dreaming of having a fireplace in my bedroom, etc. Of course, for maximum cozy vibes, it helps to surround yourself with fitting decor. That’s where these warm-and-fuzzy DIYs come in. All seven are easy to do — and you can pull most of them off without a single power tool. Read on for major hygge inspiration.

This first DIY is an under 10-minute, under-$10 project. Find a thrift store vessel (a small vase or vintage glassware will do), or take one you already own, and turn it into a match cloche, like Emily Sermons of Shoebox Designs did. “I bought striker stickers from Amazon and used matches I already had in the house,” Sermons explains. Her crystal glass toothpick holder is vintage — a gift from her mom and sister — but you can find similar on Etsy, she says. As Apartment Therapy’s Associate Lifestyle Editor Sofia Rivera points out, this is also a super easy housewarming gift.

Dreaming of sitting in a dim room with a warm glow in the evening, but lacking a fireplace or table lamps to achieve that look? Check out this clever $35 DIY that makes smart use of under-utilized space. Influencer Abhishek Dekate created a golden glow under his channel-tufted leather sofa thanks to adhesive strips and a $35 MYRVARV light strip from IKEA. The light strip is DIY-friendly because it can be cut to size with scissors, and it can also sync up with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, or Google Home, thanks to IKEA’s TRÅDFRI.

As far as coziest wardrobe items go, flannel pajamas are definitely near the top of the list. DIYer Schona Kessler, @mycraftymama on TikTok, took her family’s outgrown flannel PJs (washed, of course), and made them into re-usable cloths for kitchen cleanup. Kessler cut the pieces to size and finished the edges with her sewing machine and a bit of fabric glue. She keeps them rolled around a tube like a paper towel roll, but when folded or laid flat, they look like something out of an LL Bean or Pottery Barn cabin-inspired collection. Plus, she’ll never have to buy paper towels again. Why buy when you can DIY (and recycle something you already own in the process)?

If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can still turn garments into home goods. Take inspo from this coffee mug cozy project that reuses old socks, courtesy of Heather of The Mommypotamus. (Finally, a use for all those lonely socks that have lost their mates!)

Long socks work best for this, Heather writes on her blog. All you have to do is cut off the toe — and maybe the entire foot section depending on the size of sock you’re using— turn the sock inside out, and fold down one inch of the cut edge. Complete the unfinished (cut) edge by folding it down and gluing it with fabric glue. Choose a fair isle, wool, or cable knit sock for extra hygge vibes.

You may not have a real fireplace, but you can certainly fake one. Whether your fireplace is electric, faux, no longer functioning, or the real deal, you can up its warm-and-cozy factor with a faux log cover like DIYer Alex DeRaye’s. She used a conveniently-sized IKEA frame, wood from Michaels, and wood glue to create this look. DeRaye’s trick to making this look extra realistic and freshly chopped? Varying up her wood size, shape, and type — and adding a bit of faux greenery in the gaps. Not only is this DIY super wintery and chic, it’s also practical. “My fireplace had a crazy draft coming through , so I made a fireplace cover, and I’m in love with how it turned out!” DeRaye writes on Instagram.

Your cozy blankets need equally cozy storage. Wicker baskets with poms, tassels, and other textured details can come at a high price — usually between $20 and $40 — but you can definitely DIY the look for less by adding your own pom poms or your own tassels. Here’s a guide on how to make poms, and here’s a guide on how to make tassels; once you have a handful of them, attach to your favorite basket like DIYer Mandy Robertson did here.

Boucle and sherpa are ultra-snuggly materials for chairs, headboards, benches, and other furniture items. Here’s how you can get the look for a fraction of the cost: Wrap your furniture piece in a fuzzy blanket, a la Cerrissa Fitz of Piranha Design. Cerrissa bought a Facebook Marketplace bench that she liked the shape of and used a $20 Target blanket and a staple gun to create a cozy, comfy new bench to complete this bedroom. For best results, choose a furniture item that has a basic shape with not too many different pieces — benches, headboards, and stools make great first-time upholstery projects.