DIY

Decorating & Design

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…

Decorating & Design

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…

Decorating & Design

DIY: Ornate Door Moldings

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

Decorating & Design

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…

Bedrooms

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…

Decorating & Design

DIY: Striped Wax Candles

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

Decorating & Design

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:…

Decorating & Design

DIY: Mini Display Bowls

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

Decorating & Design

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.

Decorating & Design

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…

Decorating & Design

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…

Decorating & Design

DIY: Patterned Tile Coffee Table

This porcelain beauty has all the patina of an encaustic tile but stands up to spills and steals the spotlight when featured center stage on a living room coffee table. To make the tiled top, cut a piece of plywood to the size of your tile arrangement, attach the tiles…

Decorating & Design

Easy DIY: Feather Lampshade

Transform a plain white lampshade into an objet d’art with light-as-air feathers. Here’s how: Using a basic white paper shade, cut all but the top 1 1⁄2″ or 2″ from the shade, then glue the quills of white craft-store feathers to the inside of the remaining band. Traditionally, feathered accessories are…

Decorating & Design

DIY: Personalized Picture Chair

Turn a basic chair into a personalized memento.