Your home is your castle, but maybe it doesn’t always seem like one. If your home décor is out of date, showing wear and tear, or simply needs a refresh, there are hundreds of DIY projects that can breathe new life into every part of your home.
These DIY home décor projects won’t just make your home more beautiful, but also include ideas that will give your more options for storage and organization.
Here are some of the best DIY home décor ideas for any budget
DIY Home Wall Decor
1. DIY Scalloped Accent Wall
Wood scallops transform this wall into a work of art, and it’s a beginner-friendly DIY project. For this project, it is best to make a template of your wall scallops out of a scrap of cardboard, tracing the design onto your wall before you begin. That way you can solve any issues with size, scale, or layout before beginning the design.
Then use your cardboard template to cut plywood scallops, or cut scallops from aluminum flashing for a shimmering, metallic effect. Stick every scallop into your traced design using mounting tape, for a simple but stunning accent wall.
2. DIY Reading Nook
This easy DIY lets you make an adorable reading nook in any corner or niche in your home. All you need is a curved curtain rod, and sheer curtain panels or mosquito netting. For a magical touch, add curtain and cozy seating.
3. DIY Stenciled Accent Wall
Stencils are a beautiful way to accent a wall, adding texture, interest, and refinement to any room. Because they are so trendy, wall stencils can be fairly expensive, but it’s easy to make your own.
Simply choose a design or motif, print it out, tape it to a vinyl file folder or place mat, and cut the shape out with a heavy-duty utility knife. For a consistent design, use painter’s tape or a laser level to grid your wall so your design repeats perfectly.
DIY Home Decor Furniture Upcycles
4. DIY Dresser Upgrade into Apothecary Cabinet
Apothecary cabinets are incredibly stylish right now, but they can be expensive and hard to find. This DIY project lets you transform any ordinary wooden dresser into a trendy apothecary cabinet.
For this project, you will need an old wooden dresser, a router, wood stain, and a set of apothecary drawer pulls.
- Strip the paint from your dresser, and remove the existing drawer knobs or pulls.
- Lay out lines that will divide the drawer fronts into smaller sections, to create the appearance of multiple smaller drawers.
- Use a router to create grooves along your layout lines, emphasizing the sub-dividing of the drawer front.
- Fill in the screw holes for the old pulls with wood filler, then use stain and sandpaper to age the dresser.
- Apply the new drawer pulls in the center of each sub-divided section, completing the illusion of many small drawers instead of one.
5. DIY Storage Table from a Vintage Suitcase
This wonderful DIY project is both chic and functional, since you can use the inside of the suitcase for storage, while using the surface as a table.
If you don’t have vintage suitcases, or can’t find them at a second-hand store, you can choose decorative boxes that mimic the appearance of suitcases. Then attach table legs painted to match your suitcases.
6. DIY Upholstered Closet Doors
Covering your closet doors in fabric is a great way to make a room feel warmer and more luxurious, while also improving sound separation and stepping up your style.
This is a great project for beginners and renters, since it can easily be reversed.
For this project, choose a few yards of upholstery fabric that matches your décor, a few yards of cotton batting, and you may as well upgrade your closet door knobs at the same time.
- Take your closet doors off the hinges, and remove all the hardware.
- Lay a layer of quilt padding over the front surface of the door, avoiding the sides, and securing it with staples or double-stick tape.
- Then wrap the front of the door in your upholstery fabric, folding the corners neatly and attaching the fabric to the back of the door with staples or tacks.
- To upgrade this project, consider adding an accent row of upholstery tacks around the front of the door, or add other decorative trim. Then replace the hardware, re-hang the door, and you’re done.
7. DIY Fabric Headboard
This fabric headboard is a fast and simple way to add warmth, luxury, and height to a bedroom. It’s a great project for renters or for guest rooms, since it takes just minutes to put up or take down, without taking up space or requiring any lifting.
If you choose sound absorbing curtains, it can even make a room quieter and more restful. To make this project, you will need curtains or fabric, and it looks even better if you add a scarf or valence in a contrasting color.
Hang a curtain rod over the bed, as close to the ceiling as possible.
A decorative curtain rod is a great choice for this project, since it adds visual interest. Then hang fabric down behind the bed, and add optional contrasting drapery.
8. DIY Chair Upholstery
It’s easier than you may think to update an old chair and add your own upholstery. It’s a great way to refresh your accent chairs, saving money and reducing your environmental impact by upcycling something you already have in your home.
For this project, you need upholstered chairs that have removable seats, so turn your chairs upside down and see how the seat is attached. You will also need a few feet of your favorite new upholstery fabric, and some cotton batting if you want to add extra padding.
You will also need a flat screwdriver, and a stapler. Investing in a heavy duty upholstery stapler is a good idea if you have lots of upholstery to redo. These staplers are affordable and useful for a wide range of home improvement and DIY projects.
To reupholster a chair:
- Remove the seat from the existing chair and turn it upside down.
- Use a flat screwdriver to remove the staples holding the existing upholstery in place, and remove the old fabric.
- Use the old fabric as a template for cutting your new fabric, making sure to leave an extra inch on all sides.
- Lay the new fabric out, bottom side up, then place the seat over the new upholstery, top side down.
- If you like, sandwich a new layer of batting or padding between the fabric and the seat.
- Pull the center of the top side of the seat toward you, and staple it to the bottom of the seat.
- Then pull the center of the bottom side up, and staple it in place.
- Then do the left center, then the right.
- Staple the fabric tightly to the seat, working from the center toward the edges, and pulling the fabric tight before every staple.
- When you get to the corners, fold them from the tip inward so they lay flat, and then staple them in place, working across from opposite corner to opposite corner.
- Then trim away your excess fabric, and re-attach the seat to the chair.
DIY Home Decor Kitchen Upgrades
9. DIY Appliance Upgrade
Using simple stainless steel peel and stick paper, you can upgrade your appliances to give them the clean look of stainless steel. Or choose an adhesive paper with a pretty pattern for a customized look to make your kitchen stand out.
10. DIY Updated Countertops
Using a countertop resurfacing kit can be a time-consuming project, but it gives your kitchen the look of gleaming, natural stone countertops at a fraction of the price.
Even better, these epoxy kits are easier to clean and care for than natural stone, so they are a fantastic upgrade for renters, busy families, and renovations on a budget.
11. DIY Kitchen Rug
Making your own floor mat is a fantastic project that will brighten up your kitchen and help to keep it clean. For this project, you will need fabric, spray adhesive, heavy-duty double stick tape, shelf liner, and a protective spray.
To make your own kitchen rug:
- Trim the fabric and shelf liner to the size you want your rug to be, leaving about an inch of excess fabric on all sides.
- Then use spray adhesive to attach the fabric to the shelf liner.
- Fold the fabric neatly down over the edges, and secure the edges in place with mounting tape.
- Finish it with a protective, water-resistant spray.
DIY Home Decor Storage and Organization
12. DIY Floating Book Shelves
This popular DIY couldn’t be simpler. Simply take a pair of L-brackets and attach double-stick mounting tape to the bottom of the brackets. Screw the tops of the brackets into the walls, and then press the bottom inside cover of a book against the tape on the brackets.
These floating shelves can be used to hold your favorite books, and make a great statement in your home.
13. DIY Floating Shelf Upgrade
This fun DIY converts an ordinary floating shelf into the illusion of a cute table. To make this DIY, hang a floating shelf at table height, in your desired location. Use cardboard to create the shape of table legs, and trace a pair of table legs on the wall beneath the shelf.
If you want, you can add other decorative elements to your two-dimensional “table.” Paint the legs beneath the shelf, to create the illusion of a table.
Tip: adding a grey shadow to one side of your faux leg painting creates greater depth and makes the illusion more realistic.
Try to add a grey shadow that mimics the color and placement of the actual shadow the shelf casts on the wall.
14. DIY Hanging Shelf
This hanging shelf is an incredible way to display plants and help them catch the light in front of your windows. It’s also a fast and easy DIY that can be done in minutes.
To make this shelf, you will need a piece of board to be your shelf. Make sure that the board isn’t larger or heavier than you will be able to hang from the wall.
- Drill holes in the four corners of the board.
- Cut two lengths of cord at approximately double the height you want your shelves to hang, leaving excess for knotting. Macrame cord is a good choice for this project, but any sturdy cord or rope will do.
- Tie both lengths of rope together in the center, leaving a loop for hanging, or tie them around a macrame ring for a more sophisticated hanger.
- Thread all four ends of the rope through the holes in the board, tying knots beneath the board to secure them in place.
- For a better effect, make several of these shelves and hang them at different heights to make a collection.
15. DIY Hanging Hallway Signs
This project helps your home evoke the feeling of a small European village, or a vintage train station. It’s not only a fun and unique way to decorate your hallways, but it can be helpful when you have company and guests are navigating your home.
For this fun project, you will need brackets, oval wooden sign plaques, and eye hooks for hanging. Simply hand-letter your signs, or print and cut them out for a more refined look, and decoupage over them.
Consider using wood stain, paint, or even instant coffee or strong tea to add some weathering to the signs, creating a more authentic, vintage look. Hang them over the doors in a hallway, creating a beautiful old-world feel in your own home.
Conclusion
These DIY home décor projects will help you refresh, update, and embellish every part of your home, making it more beautiful, more functional, and more expressive of your unique style.
These beginner-friendly projects are simple and affordable, so start updating your home décor today.