DIY Decor: Cheap, Fun and Easier Than You’d Think

When it comes to decorating our homes we all want our guests and visitors to behold something that is stylish, welcoming and a reflection of our personality. The quandary we face is… How can that be possible when we fill our homes with mass manufactured items purchased from places that both we and our visitors probably visit regularly?

The key to truly unique and personal home decor can only be… The Do It Yourself approach.

If the thought of DIY makes you break out in a cold sweat then don’t panic! Not only are DIY home decor projects inexpensive and fun to put together, you’ll be surprised at just how easy they can be. If you’re used to buying everything from your cushions to your curtains ready made you’ll be astonished by what you can put together yourself at a fraction of the cost.

Here you’ll find some fun projects that you can work on by yourself or with the kids that will add a truly personal flourish to your home.

Book Hangers

Whether you need somewhere neat and tidy to put magazines or you’re tired of finding the floor littered with your children’s slim books and comics then these are a beautiful and easy storage solution that are as unique as your tastes.

Wooden dowelling, string, buttons and whatever fabric you choose to use is all you’ll need to create this pretty and elegant storage hack.

Key holders

Nobody likes losing their keys, but generic store-bought key holders are a less than satisfactory solution to this age old problem. A slender piece of live edge wood and a few screw-in hooks are all you need to create something that is far more stylish and unique.

Treating the wood with polyurethane is a good way to prime it before applying whatever stencils, paints or embellishments you wish.

Blinds

The mechanism of a Roman-style blind is so simple that all it takes is some dowelling, string and (of course) your choice of fabric to replicate it. The beauty of it is that you can use whatever fabric you choose to make a truly unique blind. You can even repurpose old tea towels or bedding.

Stair tread shelves

Book shelves can be pricey and are almost always tediously bland. If you’ve recently had a staircase installed then any unused wooden shelves can be repurposed to create beautiful and unique shelves. With a lick of paint and the right bracket they can be transformed fairly easy. The difficulty is in measuring the dimensions perfectly to ensure that your shelves are completely straight.

Live edge coffee tables

These are a wonderfully eye catching way to make a statement that’s as unique as the exact piece of wood you use. The organic edges and patterns of the wood make for a piece that’s not only unique but can be tailored to any purpose and space you desire. It’s all just a case of finding the right wood. When you’ve found a piece that suits your purposes, all that remains is to plane it down so that it’s completely flat (don’t want any nasty splinters), varnish it and find the right hairpin legs to suit your tastes.