There’s the big stuff—renovations, major appliances, new suites of furniture—any of which can make an obvious impact in your home. But don’t overlook the little features as well, like cabinet pulls, light switches, and unexpectedly, closet doors.
I mean, simply having closet doors shut has to look better than the evil that lurks behind, but with so many easy and inexpensive makeover ideas out there (most of these cost less than $35), why not take a couple minutes to explore how other DIYers have transformed their closet doors?
Photo: roomzaar.com
Mirrored closet doors, so popular during the 70s and 80s, are the bane of renters everywhere. These doors may make your room look bigger, but they will never make it look better. That is, unless you add geometric frost to the glass for a whole ‘nother vibe altogether.
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5 “Make in a Weekend” Bookshelf Projects (No Fancy Woodworking Required)
Groucho Marx’s famous quote, “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read,” has been printed on many a tote bag, day planner, coffee mug and journal cover. And yet… still hilarious!
For both practical and aesthetic reasons, readers love to surround themselves with their books. But where to store your collection? That’s easy. On a bookshelf, of course—one that you made yourself in a weekend.
Photo: Apartment Therapy
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5 Favorite Picture Hanging Tricks
Hanging a framed picture is about as DIY as many homeowners get. But although it may seem easy, hanging art properly is much more than a haphazard task. Here are five favorite tips for taking a one-hole approach to placing art on the wall.
Photo: Young House Love
1. Don’t eyeball it! If you’re hanging multiple pieces of artwork, you need to figure out how they’ll work together before you start making holes. My recommendation is to make a template. Use newsprint or butcher paper to create true-scale templates of your frames, then use painter’s tape to figure out the best arrangement. Young House Love has a great walkthrough of the technique.
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5 Things to Do with… Cinder Blocks
Cinder blocks: They are inexpensive, reliable, and strong but are light enough to be easily used in DIY projects. The hollow center reduces blocks’ overall weight and, in construction projects, allows room for insulation. DIYers can take advantage of cinder blocks’ design, leveraging it to build strong yet easy-to-assemble structures at home or in the yard. Here are five favorites:
1. MAKE A PLANTER
Photo: Annette Guttierez
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5 Easy DIY Wine Racks You Can Make in an Afternoon
Real oenophiles are true collectors, dedicating entire rooms to storing and aging prized bottles of wine. You can search the internet for all kinds of built-in, large-scale wine storage options.
But what about the rest of us? If you’re like me, you may snag a bottle or two of a special vintage while it’s on sale. Or after enjoying a glass of red or white at a restaurant, you might buy a few bottles of the same wine to keep around for special occasions in the future. ‘Casual’ oenophiles like us need wine racks, too!
And so, here are five DIY wine racks. Each takes up just a bit of space, is built from easy-to-find materials, and can be completed in a day or less.
Photo: Camille Styles
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Eco-Friendly Flooring: 5 Ways to Go Green from the Bottom Up
60 to 70% of the homes in the U.S. contain carpeting made from nylon, polyester, or vinyl—materials dependent on non-renewable fossil fuels. So when upgrading your flooring or finishing new space, consider one of the following five alternatives:
Photo: DexKnows.com
Bamboo is the king of green building and design materials. Though bearing physical similarities to hardwoods, it is actually a tropical grass. And while hardwoods can take 25 to 125 years to fully mature, bamboo only takes 3 to 5. Usually, bamboo receives a 1350 rating on the Janka hardness test, a rating similar to red or white oak, but some manufacturing techniques can weave bamboo to a rating of nearly 3000—more than rock maple, hickory, or Brazilian cherry. Conveniently, bamboo can take a wide range of low-VOC stains and sealers, which makes it easy to integrate into any decor.
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5 DIY Wood Wall Treatment Ideas
Wood. It makes up so much of our homes, from the framing to the flooring we walk on. And it appears in all kinds of furnishings, too. But despite its prevalence, the wood in our homes is mostly covered by drywall or plaster, and then paint or wallpaper on top of that.
This is a real shame. Wood brings so much character, warmth, and natural beauty to interiors that it should be the finished wall treatment. The effect is part cabin and part library, and it’s all DIY-doable.
Here are five of my favorite wooden wall treatments, any of which you can accomplish in a weekend—in any room of your house:
Photo: Mom and Her Drill
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5 Things to Do with… Beadboard
Beadboard is a classic wall paneling commonly associated with New England and Cape Cod-style houses and country decor. While its standard use is as wainscoting (e.g., below a chair rail), its availability in tongue-and-groove sections, or as a sheet good material, makes it perfect for a variety of DIY-friendly projects. Here are five favorites!
1. MAKE A WALL SHELF
Photo: PBTeen.com
Studio C came up with a DIY hack to recreate this beadboard peg shelf from Pottery Barn Teen using less than $20 in materials. Discover how they did it here.
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