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Your home should be a space that’s peaceful, functional, and most of all, personal. We’ve rounded up plenty of DIY decor ideas for personality in your home, from sophisticated adult crafts to renter-friendly projects you can do in a day. Get ready for all your friends and family to say “wait, you made this?” when they catch a glimpse of your latest project.
Is your bedroom feeling blah? We’ve got creative ideas for stylish bedroom wall decor. Want a showstopper at your next dinner party? Check out our ideas for DIY vases, candle holders, and other cute centerpieces. Looking for a way to display your favorite vacation photos? We’ve got ideas that are way more creative than a stack of picture frames.
Keep reading for our favorite DIY decor ideas for adding personality and charm to your home.
Live Edge Shelf
With a simple shelf, turn an unused corner into a breakfast bar — this one is made with live-edge wood and a DIY floating shelf kit. “The extra surface adds more eating space to the kitchen without feeling cramped,” says Jenni Yolo of I Spy DIY, who designed the space and installed the shelf.
Get the tutorial at I Spy DIY »
Painted Headboard
Consider a renter-friendly way to create visual impact in the bedroom, such as a wall-to-wall painted headboard. Here, a thin black line ¼” thick separates two wall colors: a cheerful green (Farrow & Ball’s Breakfast Room Green) and creamy white. “Since my bedroom was on the smaller side with a standard ceiling height, painting 1/3 of the way up helps trick the eye to make the space feel bigger,” says designer Julie Rose.
Cubby Cabinet
With nine spacious cubbies, this sleek case inspired by vintage apothecary cabinets provides storage space for everything from seasonal treasures to school and office supplies. You’ll only need a few things — about $15 worth of supplies — to recreate the look.
Get the tutorial at A Piece of Rainbow »
Floral Candlesticks
Turn average taper candles into unique home decor, ideal if you’re planning to host a dinner party. Apply alcohol to wipe any dust and debris from the candlesticks, then use paint markers or acrylic paint to add floral designs of your choosing. Our advice? Decorate one side at a time to avoid smudging your work.
Banquette Backrest
Cozy up a neutral corner by adding backrests to a seating area. Here, designer Ali Henrie suspended cushions from brass metal drapery rods — a relatively simple project, since most curtain rods are adjustable.
Teak Wall Tiles
You don’t have to renovate to transform your bathroom into a zen-like escape. Not only does Amy Leferink of Interior Impressions add a bench and eucalyptus inside the shower, she applies teak panels to the wall using tile adhesive then adds hooks to hang fluffy towels.
Egg Carton Flowers
Spruce up your space with an upcycling idea, like these pretty flowers made from old egg cartons. No worries if you’re not an expert crafter — these instructions are easy to follow. Start by gathering your supplies, which include natural egg cartons. floral wire, paint brushes and acrylic paint.
DIY Wood Plant Stand
From snake plants to ZZ plants, this raised plant stand is a great way to showcase your favorite indoor houseplants. According to these bloggers, this woodworking project only takes 45 minutes!
Colorful Glassware
Colored glasses are everywhere right now — in the form of wine glasses, drinking glasses, bud vases and decorative items. Did you know it was possible to turn old clear jars into colorful glassware to give them a charming vintage look?
Get the tutorial at Most Lovely Things »
Hanging Photo Collage
Enjoy the liberty of rotating photos regularly with a DIY collage made with a two-by-four, nails, string and clothespins. For added style, photographer Lumalia Armstrong of Celebrate Again suggests paining or staining the wood.
Hand-Painted Floors
Give your house a truly customized feel by painting a checkerboard design onto hardwood floors. “Hand-painted floors have a fresh, bespoke farmhouse feeling for today’s interiors,” says interior designer Julia Chasman.
Striped Bathroom Wall
To create this adorable striped bathroom for her daughter, designer Audrey Scheck used 1-inch-thick painters’ tape to add the white lines, then caulked around it to prevent bleeding.
Hanging Bows
Tackle mess in every room while elevating your home style with simple DIY projects. Here, designer Marie Cloud of Indigo Pruitt uses tension rods and curtain rings to hang bows and declutter her daughter’s dresser top.
Straw Hat Display
Let a stylish straw hat collection double as decor for a warm-weather entryway upgrade. To create this overlapping wall arrangement, designer Kate Lester simply used Command hooks — which also means the hats are easy to grab as you head out.
Gilded Candle Holders
Breathe new life into old or thrifted glass jars by turning them into elegant candle holders. Simply apply gold leaf sheets around the base after lightly brushing the area with adhesive. You can keep adding sheets until you love the look.
No-Sew Window Seat Cushion
Rather than breaking out the needle and thread, this blogger wraps a window seat cushion with fabric (she uses an old curtain panel). She wraps it just as you would a present and fabric velcro holds everything together!
Get the tutorial at Domestically Blissful »
DIY Wallpaper
Use a kitchen sponge and a little paint to transform a plain white wall. Just dip the straight edge of the sponge into paint, then press it against the wall. Here, bloggers Niña Williams and Cecilia Moyer group the lines in threes, using a level to ensure straightness.
Reclaimed Space
Use pages of your favorite book to add a touch of whimsy to any space. This alcove in a modern farmhouse also features a Dr. Seuss quote, cut out of vinyl, up the stairs. “It invites you to give yourself over to the world of imagination found in a good book,” says designer Emily Clark of Clark & Co. Homes.
Frame-Filled Accent Wall
Create a statement accent wall by hanging frames of different shapes and sizes, then cover everything with a fresh coat of paint — preferably something bold. Tip: keep it affordable by gathering your frames from antique and thrift stores.
Get the tutorial at A Beautiful Mess »
Ladder Clothing Rack
Put your wardrobe on display by turning two ladders into a chic clothing rack. You’ll also need two wooden planks for the shoe platforms, as well as a wooden rod for the top.
Hidden Television
Mask a TV with a bold roll-out tapestry, whether you go for florals, an abstract print or something neutral.
Faux Wood Dresser
About one hour of effort and $30 worth of contact paper later, this chic dresser was completely transformed. Upgrade the hardware, and you’ve got a whole new piece of furniture.
Get the tutorial at Bless’er House »
Decorative Pinboard
Gather your favorite cards, photos or even your child’s artwork for a seasonal display that’ll add a personal touch to any room. Go for a store-bought frame or make your own. Start by hot-glueing small clips or string to a wooden frame, then place it in a spot that’s easy to access so you can update the arrangement as often as you’d like.
Hanging Succulent Planter
Create a beautiful display for your succulents. Start by covering an unfinished wooden crate in a coat of bright white paint — or another color of your choice. Use leather strands to secure a mini succulent in place.
Get the tutorial at Cherished Bliss »
Cabinet Made From Shutters
Reimagine a set of old shutters into a chic piece of furniture, like this decorative cabinet used for storing board games and extra throw blankets. Paint the finished product in a sleek shade.
Colorful Bench
Bring a tufted bench back to life with a fresh coat of paint and a cushion upholstered in playful floral fabric. Finish the look with a few coordinating throw pillows.
Boat Oar Headboard
Go for a custom headboard, like this coastal-inspired one that brings the beauty of the beach inside. Use planks of driftwood or recycled oars to recreate this look.
Painted Arch
Atlanta-based DIY enthusiast Xin Lu painted an arch in her trendy guest room using Behr’s Green Balsam. “Most of my house is gray, so I used the arch wall as an opportunity to go for a bold color,” she says. “It’s a fun feature whenever our guests see it.”
Painted Console Table
That plain old console table that’s been collecting dust in your attic? Yes, it can easily be turned into a conversation starter. Cover it in a new paint color for a design-forward look.
Wallpapered Cabinet Doors
If you’re looking for a fun way to “paint” with wallpaper, revamping old cabinet doors with graphic wallpaper is the perfect project. Don’t forget to switch out the hardware, too!
RELATED: Removable Wallpapers That’ll Temporarily Transform Your Space
Coffee Nook
Bring a dose of elegance to your morning routine by setting up your very own coffee nook. Designer Ashley Gilbreath dreamed up this coffee station, complete with built-in shelves for things like mugs and stirrers and whimsical wallpaper for a touch of drama. But the best part is behind the curtain, where machines and cords are kept out of sight.
RELATED: Creative Coffee Bar Ideas to Start Your Morning Off Right
Autumn-Themed Gallery Wall
Embrace the beauty of the fall season with an unexpected gallery wall showcasing colorful leaves of all sizes and shapes. For a cohesive look, stick to one frame style.
Tiled Fireplace
Get inspired by designer Carissa Miller of CC + Mike Creative and let a geometric tiled fireplace steal the show in your living room. Patterns in varied sizes and similar colors, including a framed print of bold lines and argyle-style pillows, can add to the look.
Console Nightstand
Tired of traditional nightstands? Take a cue from designer Alison Giese and put a low-profile console table to work. Style it with accents like mirrors and art of different scales to make it a focal point in your bedroom.
Floating Shelves
Make room for natural light and an assortment of your best decor finds by installing wall-to-wall floating shelves, like Pure Salt Interiors’ Leigh Lincoln did in this Los Angeles home. When styling objects, consider introducing a variety of materials, heights and shapes to create interest.
RELATED: Open Kitchen Shelving Ideas to Revamp Your Cooking Space
Vertical Garden Wall
Of course, potted plants look great on an outdoor table, but there’s room for an unexpected display as well. Simply dress up a wooden slat with small potted plants to boost your deck’s visual appeal.
RELATED: Best Places to Buy Healthy Plants Online
Rope Shelf
Hang gritty rope, like jute, from a Shaker rail with round pegs to create a shelf that fills a wall with style and function.
Upgraded Blinds
Rather than settling for basic horizontal blinds, take things up a notch. Strips of colored fabric tape can give your blinds a custom look.
Faux Concrete Wall
Bring different textures into your space by painting a concrete-inspired wall. Once you gather your gray paint, dry paintbrush and lint-free cloth, follow a forgiving buffing technique until you nail your desired look.
RELATED: How to Paint a Room in One Day
Half-Painted Art
Go halfsies on paint in a variety of coordinating paint colors to turn garage-sale art into a bold colorblock display.
RELATED: Creative Upcycling Ideas That Are Also Budget-Friendly
Rope Banister
Trade a standard wooden banister for jute or Pro-Manila rope to match your home’s nautical aesthetic. After anchoring brackets to the wall or individual posts, secure the rope from the top to the bottom of the stairs. Then unravel both ends to create a more relaxed look.
Secret Shoe Storage
Keep your entryway clutter-free by covering shoe cubbies with a fabric table skirt. Dress the top of the table with flowers, trinkets and other stylish decorative accents.
Star Rope Mirror
This stunning star mirror looks intricate, but it’s surprisingly easy to DIY if you follow the step-by-step guide. An added bonus: It costs less than $25 to make.
Nautical Vase
Jute rope turns a cheap vase into a statement piece. It’s as easy as it looks: Simply, hot-glue jute rope around a vessel for a beach-ready look.
Wall-Mounted Easel
Here, your kid’s habit of writing on the wall isn’t a bad thing. This easel can be attached to any blank wall, doubling it as a place to put your kid’s art on display or your grocery list in plain sight.
Get the tutorial at Arin Solange at Home »
Book Side Table
Put your dusty encyclopedias to good use with this side table. To assemble, cut trim to form a box frame that fits snugly around one book, nail it to the tabletop’s underside and paint the top. Drill a hole the size of dowel through each book’s center and glue the dowel to the center of the table’s underside. Stack encyclopedias, lining up holes and twisting (as shown). Skewer the dowel through the holes to secure them to the tabletop.
Pom-Pom Trim
Existing curtains, throw pillows or lampshades get a fun makeover with pom-pom or fringe trim. Pick a trim color that pops against the other shades in your space for maximum impact.
Tissue Box Cover
Create a stylish tissue box cover that’ll last beyond the cold season: To make, coat a wooden tissue box cover with polyurethane three times. Cut four 2″ wide strips of veneer, one to fit each side of the box. Glue on strips and coat both sides of each strip with glue, as well as the entire box and let dry.
Spill-Proof Placemats
Instead of settling for kid-friendly placements that don’t align with your decor, craft your own with the fabric of your choice. Cut fabric into 12″ x 17″ rectangles and iron. For each mat, cut two rectangles of the same size from a sheet of vinyl. Iron a piece of vinyl on each side of the placemat and trim the edges with pinking shears.
Pillow Pocket
Some call it a remote, others call it a clicker. No matter what you call it, store it in this no-sew pillow pocket. Start by cutting a pocket from an old pair of jeans. Then sandwich fusible fleece between the jean pocket and pillow cover, and iron the two layers together. Put the cover back on the pillow and cozy up for game day.
Shutter Side Table
Skip painting and embrace a weathered finish when making this side table, made out of old farmhouse shutters. Gather four shutters of the same size and a piece of glass to serve as the top.
Print-Out Art
Dress up bare walls with one of the photos on your camera roll. Get a favorite shot digitally enlarged and then add strips of wood along the top and bottom as a quick frame.
Instant Bench
Just think how accomplished you’ll feel sitting on a bench you made with your own hands. Attach hairpin legs to a piece of laminated shelf pine for a simple shoe-tying spot.
Dip-Dyed Napkins
Bring bursts of color to your dining table by sticking plates and utensils on colorful ombre linens — napkins, place mats, table runners and more.
Laundry Bag
This patterned laundry bag, made with fabric, ribbon and an embroidery hoop, will keep your delicates in one spot. To make, clamp the pillowcase into the hoop, tie on a loop of ribbon to the hoop’s clamp and hang near your hamper.
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