Decorating & Design
20+ Easy DIY Projects To Do While You’re Staying Home
Author: Victoria Christie
Updated on March 30, 2020
There’s only so many design updates you can do from the confines of your home. If you’re itching to upgrade your living room or give your bedroom a spring refresh , might we suggest getting crafty? We rounded up 24 easy DIY projects using things you might already have lying around the house. Scroll down and get inspired to create!
Two-Tone Chair
A crafty way to use leftover paint? Transform a basic chair into a fun style statement!
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Kim Jeffery
Source: House & Home Decorating With Color 2015
Designer: Cameron MacNeil
Whimsical Blind & Drapes
Spruce up a standard roller blind by covering it with extra fabric you’ve got in your arsenal, and echo the pattern on your drapes.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Valerie Wilcox
Source: House & Home June 2016
Designer: Kai Ethier & Lauren Petroff
Vintage Message Board
Liven up a dresser or desk with this gilt accessory (made from that flea market find that’s been sitting in the back of your cupboard) that beautifully displays to-do lists, postcards and other mementos.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Felix Wedgwood
Source: House & Home Decorating With Color 2015
Designer: Hilary Smyth
Fringe Shower Curtain
Instead of throwing out scraps of fabric, turn them into pretty dressmaker details for your shower curtain.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: House & Home Kitchens & Baths 2013
Designer: Sally Armstrong
Painted Lampshade
Give a basic lampshade a spring refresh with dreamy watercolors from a kids’ craft kit.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Donna Griffith
Source: House & Home May 2015
Designer: Stacey Smithers
Colorful Canvas Storage Bins
These savvy storage solutions can be customized to almost any size or style.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Valerie Wilcox
Source: House & Home July 2017
Designer: Sally Armstrong
Budget-Friendly Wallpaper Headboard
Create a handsome headboard using only hollow-core doors (find them at any big-box hardware store) and textured grasscloth wallpaper.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: House & Home December 2017
Designer: Joel Bray
Dyed Tip Towels
Transform antique-shop napkins (that you’ve been saving for a special occasion, perhaps?) into lovely little bathroom accents.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: House & Home April 2013
Designer: Meg Crossley
Bookshelf Redux
Dress up a bookshelf with decorative backing made from your favorite fabric. It’s as easy as wrapping a present or re-covering a seat cushion!
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Valerie Wilcox
Source: House & Home April 2014
Designer: Morgan Michener
Woven Bench
Give a luxe look to an affordable Ikea bench with woven leather strips.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Kim Jeffery
Source: House & Home September 2017
Designer: Lauren Petroff
Alphabet Art
Paint expert Annie Sloan shares how to turn an old blind (don’t throw it out!) into a whimsical, decorative piece for a kid’s bedroom.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Christopher Drake © CICO Books
Source: Annie Sloan Paints Everything, published by CICO Books
Tasseled Bench
If you’ve got extra tassels and trim lying around from a past DIY project, turn them into elaborate trim, which will add flourish to a plain upholstered bench.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: House & Home February 2015
Designer: Margot Austin & Kai Ethier
Colorful Glass Vases
Inexpensive glass paint in vibrant hues turns simple vessels you found at the flea market into pretty vases — especially when displayed against a stained-glass window.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Valerie Wilcox
Source: House & Home March 2016
Vintage Velvet Mirror
Give a shapely mirror a luxe velvet look (no fabric required) in six easy steps.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Valerie Wilcox
Source: House & Home November 2015
Designer: Joel Bray
Feather Lampshade
Bedroom or living room needing a pick-me-up? Transform a plain white lampshade into an objet d’art with light-as-air feathers.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: House & Home March 2014
Designer: Joel Bray
Ornate Door Mouldings
Upgrade bifold doors with foam ceiling medallions and trim. Bonus: it’s renter-friendly!
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: House & Home June 2016
Designer: Jennifer Koper
Hemp Rug Headboard
No room for your rug on the floor? It works beautifully as a headboard, especially if it has an organic woven texture, which helps create a focal point above a bed.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Luc Rémond
Source: House & Home October 2014
Designer: SJB Interiors
Striped Wax Candles
Elevate basic white candles with a playful decorating element using wax dye.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Valerie Wilcox
Source: House & Home March 2016
Designer: Lauren Petroff
No-Sew Canopy Bed
Learn how to build a dreamy canopy bed with curtain rods and fabric — no sewing kit required.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: House & Home July 2016
Designer: Stacey Smithers
Fabric Catchalls
These trays are a stylish place to stash keys or change, using fabric you have lying around your home.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Valerie Wilcox
Source: House & Home June 2016
Designer: Kai Ethier & Lauren Petroff
Spring Mural Template
Celebrate the new season with this floral decal, which will instantly liven up an entryway, hallway or nook. Print out the decal on our website! See below.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Virginia Macdonald
Source: House & Home May 2017
Designer: Morgan Michener & Stacey Smithers
Patterned Step Stool
A simple wooden step stool becomes an eye-catching accessory with leftover fabric.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: House & Home Kitchens & Baths 2013
Designer: Morgan Michener
Bookshelf Hack
Dress up plain bookshelves with rolls of wood-veneer trim.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Kim Jeffery
Source: House & Home October 2016
Designer: Sally Armstrong
Wall-Mounted Plate Rack
Have extra wood collecting dust in your garage? This clean-lined storage unit will help declutter counters, free up cabinet storage and fill an unused wall with display.
Get the DIY instructions here .
Photographer: Kim Jeffery
Source: House & Home February 2017
Designer: Morgan Michener