10 Crafty DIY Projects You Can Do For The Home
When you are feeling a bit creative and not sure where to focus your crafty DIY skills, here are a few DIY projects you can do for the home.
25/02/2021
For anyone with basic DIY skills when it comes to using power tools, there are hundreds of projects you could make to add to your home. We take a look at 10 home DIY projects that won't take you long and will add appeal or functionality to any room in a home. Pick your favourite, grab your tools and materials and get started...
1. MAKE A RECLAIMED WOOD STANDING MIRROR
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Framed mirrors don't come cheap and yet making your own is a simple project that won't cost you too much. What you do need is some reclaimed timber or salvaged wood beams or flooring planks. You don't have to use reclaimed wood for the mirror frame, but you must admit that it adds something unique to a room. Just make sure that any wood you use is not harbouring woodworm or other insect infestation.
Make the frame for your mirror using the wood you have sourced and then add a couple of glass corners at the back of the frame to hold your mirror firmly in place. You can have a mirror cut to size at most glass suppliers. If you need more instructions on how to make a framed mirror, find more details in our article on making a framed mirror for a bathroom.
2. SET UP A COFFEE CENTRE
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When a hot cup of joe is your first priority in the morning, or even if you just love to have friends round for coffee and a chat, a coffee station is what you need. It doesn't take much DIY savvy to start this project, just a cupboard you can use to store supplies, some chalkboard paint for the backdrop and a couple of wall-mounted shelves for all your coffee essentials.
Browse secondhand shops for bargains or search online auction sites to find the perfect cupboard for your coffee station. If you want to keep the work to a minimum, look for one that is in good nick and just needs a few loving touches to make it good enough for the space.
3. MAKE A HEADBOARD
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Whether it's for the main bedroom, guest bedroom or kiddies bedroom, a wooden headboard is a basic project you can make over a spare weekend. For this one, you can use reclaimed pallet wood or buy PAR pine at your local Builders store or timber merchant. Before you rush out and buy the wood you need for the project, draw up a rough sketch of how you want the headboard to look, determine what materials and supplies you need, and then you are ready to get started.
Having all the wood cut to size when you buy it means that you spend less time cutting everything beforehand and more time having DIY fun. Check out more headboard ideas and projects in our Bedroom Crafts section.
4. GET CRAFTY WITH KITCHEN STORAGE
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After attending a DIY-Divas workshop and wanting to unleash your new DIY skills, one room in the home that most often needs a bit of crafty DIY is the kitchen. Now that you know how to use a drill/driver, jigsaw and sander, and discovering how best to join and assemble your projects, the next step is to find the right project. Take a look at your kitchen and see how you can improve on storage. It might be adding pullout drawers under the sink for all your cleaning products, organising a pantry to be able to find everything easier, or finding better ways to store everything you have with ease.
And don't forget that with a little DIY savvy and some creative ideas, you can design rustic lighting features for a kitchen, make custom window treatments, and even build and install banquette seating if this is what you need.
5. DECORATE WALLS WITH FAUX WALLPAPER
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If you love the idea of having wallpaper designs on a wall or walls but can't afford the price tag of expensive wallpaper... fake it! There are plenty of ways to use paint, stamps, stencils and freehand designs to create your own custom wallpaper - and it will cost you far less than even a single roll of wallpaper. Plus, when you get tired and want a new look, you don't have to spend hours peeling off old wallpaper.
See Decorating Techniques for information, advice and help and painting walls with different techniques.
6. BOTANICAL HIGHLIGHTS
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The past few years have been all about bringing the outdoors indoors, and what better way to do this than by making some hanging planter frames for your houseplants that enjoy a sunny spot. There are all types of shapes and sizes you can choose from to make your hanging planters, and you can mount them into a ceiling beam or in front of a window where they can catch the light.
Plywood is a great affordable material for making planters, especially if you leave it in its natural state (unstained) and apply a clear sealer or varnish.
7. FEATURE PLANTS ON PLANT STANDS
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Plants deserve to be a feature in any home and making a plant stand - low or tall - will let your beautiful plants take centre stage and be an interesting feature in a room. Pine is the most affordable wood to use for this project, but you can always splurge a bit on an exotic hardwood if you want to take this project to the next level.
If you don't already have plants in the home, choose ones according to the light and location in the room. Some houseplants prefer low light while others bask in a sunny spot. If you are not sure, ask for advice at your local Garden Centre.
8. STANDS, SERVERS AND TRAYS
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Put your DIY skills to good use by making assorted cake stands, cupcake towers and serving trays. Most can be made using scrap pieces of wood that you have leftover and will make life so much easier when you are having people around for meals, special celebrations or just friends and family gathered together.
Find more ideas for serving plates and platters here.
9. ILLUMINATING CRAFTY DIY LIGHTING
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When you are out shopping or shopping online, keep an eye out for unique or unusual items that can be turned into eye-catching pendant lights. Something as simple as a pretty patterned set of bowls can quickly by turned into a feature light. Think outside the box when looking at items and try to see how they can be used as custom features for a home - things you couldn't buy at a store and that give your home personality and character.
10. FACELIFT FOR A FIREPLACE
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Anyone lucky enough to have a built-in fireplace should make sure it's a standout feature in a room. Don't let a fireplace be a ho-hum feature when it's so easy to use tiles to give it a facelift. Make a fireplace stand out even more by adding shelves on either side that can be used for display purposes.
If you don't want to go to the trouble of replacing or adding tiles around the fireplace, there are plenty of ways to use paint to transform a bland fireplace into a beautiful feature.