More than just a place to live, your home is an extension of you. It reflects your personality and your style. Our home is where we express ourselves, create memories, feel safe and find comfort. By adding your own personal touch to your space, you can make it truly unique and reflect your individual personal style. One of the best ways to do this is through DIY home projects.
DIY home improvement projects can cover a wide range of different projects. On a big scale, we may be looking at room / home renovations, or building furniture, or major home repairs. When I think of simple home improvement ideas, my mind goes more towards…
- Mirrors
- Wall art
- Textured vases
- Shelves
- Accent walls
- Moulding/trim
- Sliding barn doors
- Painting countertops
- Flooring
The list of easy DIY projects are endless. But these are the ones we’re going to focus on today.
DIY Home Projects: 9 Simple Ways
Redecorating and remodeling can be costly and overwhelming. Finding that perfect accessory at the store, isn’t always an easy task. Elevating your space without breaking the bank, doesn’t have to be impossible. Maybe you’re a seasoned DIY-er or new to the craft all together, no worries! My tutorials are easy to follow, so much fun to create and sure to be a conversation starter when you’re finished.
#1: Creating a custom design mirror
After wrapping up the remodel of our master bedroom, I knew just the thing to fill a big empty corner of the room. A huge mirror.
But not just any mirror. I wanted this mirror to have that wow-chicka-wow-wow look to it! In other words, I wanted it to stand out.
My eye was on THE Anthropologie mirror that everyone was bragging about on Instagram. But my wallet was saying, “Uh no. Keep searching.”
So, as I do in so many of these situations, I went to the drawing board and came up with my own mirror design. In the end, I created a mirror that, in my opinion, rivals the Anthro mirror. One of my favorite DIY home projects.
My goal was to create the same finish as the Anthro mirror, but change up the design.
I absolutely love the way my floor to ceiling mirror turned out. It fits perfectly in my newly renovated, mid-century modern style master bedroom. Mirrors are expensive, but not when you make your own! Check out this post to see exactly how I did it!
The joy of creating, the fun of DIY, and the satisfaction of seeing it all come together – that’s what home improvement is all about. – Bob Vila
#2: Creating beautiful custom wall art
Another remodel, another DIY. My latest room renovation project was our theater room. (You can read all about it in this post–the before and after pics are something to see!)
With the entire room painted a dark moody black (including the ceilings-this room is stunning!), I added picture frame moulding to one of the very long walls. I went back and forth on whether to add a picture within the picture frame moulding.
(Not sure what picture frame moulding is? Check out this post) In the end, I landed on pictures, for sure! And I’m so glad I did! These textured wall art canvases turned out amazing!
They’re just the pop of color this room needed. This is one of the most fun DIY home projects to make. I offer up the recipe for the most creamy texture paste in this post. Go check it out to create your own textured wall art canvas. So good!!
Sometimes I design my pieces on my own. Other times, I see something I love and re-create it. Which is exactly what I did when I fell in love with a textured wall art from Crate and Barrel.
The wall art was beautiful, but the price–not so much! Nearly $700! I knew I could make one for a teeny tiny fraction of that cost. And so I did!
Another fun canvas to create! I’m convinced canvas wall art DIY’s are a form of therapy in and of themselves. So relaxing and so rewarding! Check out exactly how I recreated this masterpiece in this post.
#3: DIY home projects: Textured Vases
Textured vases would fall in that “form of therapy” category too. Turn on some music and let your creative juices take over.
The sky is the limit when it comes to the variety of textured vases. These 3 I created are super easy and rival the ones you’ll find in the luxury home stores.
Studio McGee Dupe
Once again, when an item I love is more than I want to spend, DIY is how I get what I want.
My Studio McGee dupe is no exception to this rule. Made with serving bowls from my local grocery store and coming in at less than $15, this vase is so good! Here’s how I did it!
Large DIY Textured Vase
Would you believe me if I told you, this huge vase is made of glass and used to be a turquoise color? Yep! It was way too much of a statement piece to get rid of it! And would have cost a fortune to replace.
So instead, I gave it an updated modern look. So easy to do! I love how it turned out!! Check out how I did it here!
A little bit of baking soda. A little bit of dirt.
After seeing how easy and amazing an old vase could look, I started grabbing all of my dated vases and giving them a makeover. Nothing was safe. Even this lamp with a glass bottom received an upgrade….
With these two vases, I got a little more creative and added some dirt. Here’s the post where I share the treatment I did to each of these vases….Ready to find a free afternoon and gather up all of your old vases? I promise, you’re going to love this fresh look DIY project.
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. – Franklin D. Roosevelt
#4: Building custom designed shelves
One of my favorite things to add to a living space are floating shelves. Creating your own DIY shelves can be a rewarding and easy project that allows you to customize the size, style and color of your shelves.
Whether you’re in the market for floating shelves or a bookshelf, why not DIY them? Once again, my posts are so easy to follow and give you all the steps you need…
Easy floating shelves DIY ideas
Adding a modern and sleek touch to my living room and dining room, to name a few, I have floating shelves all over my home. With the hardware securing the shelves to the wall hidden, they give the appearance of floating in the air.
I’ve added them to my butler’s pantry…
Each design and finish are a little different.
Floor to ceiling bookshelves DIY
Another awesome build I added to my theater room. Bookshelves are one of those builds that are just so easy. I might even go so far as to say, they’re the easiest furniture piece to build.
Not only beautiful but also functional, check out how I built these gorgeous bookshelves in this post!
#5: DIY home projects: Adding an accent wall
Of all the DIY home projects, adding an accent wall is probably my all time favorite.
Accent walls really add a punch to any room. They become the focal point.
An accent wall is taking one or more walls and giving them a different color or texture, or both. I don’t think I have one room in my entire house that doesn’t have an accent wall…except my storage room 🙂 .
There are so many kinds of accent walls to choose from. In my home, I have really found a variety….
Of all of these, if I had to choose one as my favorite, I would have to choose the classic board and batten.
Classic board and batten is just that “classic”. It’s not going anywhere. It is truly a timeless wall treatment that will always be in style. So, if you’re looking for something that will never be “out”, classic board and batten would be my recommendation.
#6: Upgrading your moulding/trim
Want to update your home in an easy, fast and inexpensive way? Change out all of your moulding/trim. Baseboards. Window trim. Door trim.
Upgrading these three areas with craftsman style trim will transform a dated home to a modern home immediately. And it’s so easy to do. My step-by-step tutorial shows exactly how to:
- Rip out all of your builder’s grade trim
- What materials you’ll need for the craftsman style trim
- How to install the new trim (windows, doors and baseboards)
While this may seem like a daunting and expensive project, that truly is not the case.
I decided a number of years ago, I was going to slowly switch out my trim. With each room renovation I have done, I’ve also changed out my trim too.
I’m always amazed at how bad a room can look, but adding the new upgraded trim is a game changer. Here’s my easy to follow tutorial on how I do it and how easy it is.
I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. — Thomas Edison
#7: DIY home projects: Sliding barn doors
Some may say, sliding barn doors are out. And to an extent, I would agree with them. The rustic, distressed barn doors have come and gone.
But the modern, solidly painted or stained doors are holding on. And I believe, are here to stay. They are such a great way to add visual interest to a room, while also serving a purpose.
This is another DIY home project that I have in practically every room of my house. While I have updated older doors that I built a while back, I have also built new ones too….
All of these have their own unique look. Want to build your own? I’ve linked each one above.
Hanging them can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Here’s an easy to follow tutorial on how to hang your sliding barn door.
This is my favorite hardware and door handles to use for all of my sliding door installations.
#8: How to upgrade your countertops
As I shared in last week’s room renovations post, my kitchen remodel was my biggest project ever!
As I’m sure you’re aware, kitchen makeovers are very expensive. I worked hard to keep my expenses down and make this project as affordable as possible.
Making the decision to paint my countertops instead of replacing all of them, saved me a lot of money! Not having to accrue this additional cost, freed up resources for other areas.
Starting off with white paint as step one, I share all the details of how I transformed my old ugly countertops into beautiful new marble countertops–in this post. The before and afters are stunning. I love how it all flows so perfectly with my new kitchen cabinets fresh coat of paint too.
But even more amazing, is that I added a mismatched countertop onto my existing countertop before doing the marble treatment.
You would never know that 1.) They’re not real marble and 2.) There’s a seam where the original countertop ends and the new one begins. It’s a post worth checking out!
#9: DIY home projects: Flooring
Hiring someone to lay hardwood floors for you, can be very expensive. Or at least an expense that can easily be avoided. I recently put down my own LVP flooring in my kitchen. It was so easy to do!
I couldn’t help but wonder throughout the process, why would anyone hire this out? We chose this gorgeous flooring by Flooret. Here’s a full tutorial on how easy it was to lay this super durable flooring!
My parent’s put down the same flooring throughout their entire main level and lower level. Isn’t my mom’s kitchen stunning!?
Aside from putting down LVP (luxury vinyl plank) flooring, I have also laid tile floors before. While I’ve only done this once in my DIY ventures, I’m always looking for the perfect place to do it again. (I’m eyeing you, old dated ceramic tile in my front door entryway).
It was so much fun and so easy to do. I don’t know why I was so intimidated by this project. It proved to be a very simple way to update my master bathroom. Here’s how I did it; along with the before and afters.
Don’t wait for opportunity, create it. – George Bernard Shaw
DIY home projects-Wrap it up
As I’ve emphasized throughout this entire post, home DIY projects are the best way to add personality and style to any large or small space without breaking the bank.
Whether you’re looking to add some visual appeal to your walls through DIY textured wall art or create additional storage space through DIY floating shelves, let each of my blog post be your guide.
If you’re interested in adding a pop of color and depth to your room, try your hand at one of my DIY accent wall simple projects. From creating a geometric accent wall with painter’s tape to adding texture with wood slats, these tutorials are a fun and easy way to turn a blank wall into a big impact statement.
From vases, to mirrors, to countertops, to flooring we’ve covered it all. No matter your DIY skill level, with a little creativity and imagination you can make your home a unique and personalized reflection of your style and personality. Not to mention, boost your home’s curb appeal. And you might even increase the value of your home.
Let’s go beyond the design to build something beautiful together!
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