Decorating & Design

DIY Projects

DIY: Faux-Clay Half Wall

Bring color and character to plain white walls with this simple paint project. You’ll need: two paint colors in a matte finish (we used Red Earth (64) by Farrow & Ball for the wainscotting and Nancy’s Blushes (278) by Farrow & Ball for the accent stripe) painter’s tape, drop cloth, brushes, rollers.

DIY Projects

DIY: Decorative Wall Panel

A decorative wall panel makes a dramatic focal point in an entryway. Cut a 1⁄2″ sheet of foam insulation into an elongated octagon shape and trim your fabric to fit, making sure to leave a little overhang on all sides. Apply spray adhesive to the front of the board, then carefully…

DIY Projects

DIY: Fabric Catchalls

These trays are a stylish place to stash keys or change. You’ll need a 1′ x 2′ sheet of leather or felt to make both fabric catchalls. Attach a sheet of iron-on adhesive to the unfinished side of the leather or felt. Peel off the backing, apply your fabric (print side…

DIY Projects

DIY: Ornate Door Moldings

Assistant design editor Jennifer Koper upgrades bifold doors with foam ceiling medallions and trim.

DIY Projects

DIY: Patterned Dresser

Covering the drawer fronts of a dresser is a chic way to add impact and looks even more dramatic than painting them. Choose a fabric with a large-scale print that runs across all of the drawers for a sophisticated statement. Remove the drawers from the dresser and take off the knobs.

DIY Projects

Easy DIY: Colorful Glass Vases

Inexpensive glass paint in vibrant hues turns simple vessels into pretty vases — especially when displayed against a stained-glass window. Add playful hits of bright color using this simple DIY. 1. Brush paint onto bottle exteriors, using long, even strokes. We stopped at one coat for a translucent effect. 2. For more…

Decorating Advice

9 Dorm Room Decorating Hacks

Consider the dorm room as a perfect blank canvas for test-driving a fledgling decor sensibility. It’s pretty democratic since everyone is given the same raw materials, and it can be freeing to convey personality without permanence. Here are quick, inexpensive ways to customize a space and carve out a signature look…

DIY Projects

DIY: Striped Wax Candles

Design editor Lauren Petroff transforms basic white candles into a playful decorating element using wax dye.

DIY Projects

Design Hack: Plywood Plank Flooring

Wide plank flooring is a hot look, and luckily it’s possible to fake it with inexpensive plywood planks (a sheet of plywood can yield 12 planks of “hardwood”), glued to a wood subfloor. Have a sheet of plywood cut into 8″-wide planks, and then halve them to make 12 8″-wide planks:…

DIY Projects

DIY: Mini Display Bowls

Interiors Director Meg Crossley creates mini display bowls using cotton rope and colorful thread.

DIY Projects

Design Hack: Baseboard Molding Boost

Skip the cost of extra-deep baseboards (and the labor to install them) with a clever paint fake out. Space a bevelled base cap about 1″ or 2″ above your existing quarter round and base and then paint the wall space between to get the appearance of a single tall baseboard.

DIY Projects

Easy DIY: Tasseled Bench

Elaborate trim is an easy way to add a flourish to a plain upholstered bench. Choose trim in the same colors as the bench’s fabric. While details like tassels and embroidery might look over-the-top on another piece, the linen and brown palette here keeps the look toned-down. Attach the trim…

DIY Projects

Design Hack: Faux Windowsill

An easy and effective way to create the illusion of a beefed-up window frame is to paint a trompe l-oeil sill. Search online for a style and profile that suits your space, then blow up the image to the appropriate size and print it. Make a stencil by tracing the printout…

DIY Projects

DIY: Wallpaper Art

Many high-end wallpapers can be ordered in painting-size pieces and then mounted under Plexiglas for a straight-from-the-gallery look. This pattern juxtaposes moody oceanic shapes with soft, sunny colors and acts as a dramatic focal point at a fraction of the cost of papering an entire living room. Create the frame…

DIY Projects

Design Hack: Tree Stump Dining Table

Are you the woodsy type? If you have access to a felled birch tree, make like art director Carmen Dunjko and fashion four stumps into legs for an inexpensive, rustic dining table. Carmen used a wooden plank wrapped in artist’s canvas as the top and intended the table to be…