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Make a quirky piece of decor.
Meg Baker, a DIYer who specializes in colorful, eclectic home design, recommends two of her own beginner-friendly projects to instantly upgrade your living room space. The first: a DIY snake mirror, which she made using rubber snakes, super glue, and gold spray paint. For those who get the creeps even from faux snakes, try Baker’s DIY plant hanger instead, which she made using an extra curtain rod. It’s great for plants that need lots of light and keeps them off the floor and other surfaces.
Build a storage-packed bookcase.
Dagenais says even if you don’t have an arsenal of tools, you can still build furniture.
“With hardware stores cutting the wood you purchase for you (for free), all you need is your dimensions of the wood that needs to be cut and you can do the rest with pretty much just a drill,” he explains. “Once you have what you need for your project, it’s as simple as screwing the boards together.”
Check out his how-to video on YouTube on building a sleek mid-century bookcase from scratch that breaks down how to make it with very minimal tools. Or, for a refresh of your existing furniture, consider painting it to make it feel new.
Add picture frame molding to the walls.
Using decorative trim to add detail and dimension to the walls of the room is a timeless project that instantly adds a touch of elegance and sophistication to the space, Jensen says.
Farwa Moledina, a U.K.-based artist and member of Apartment Therapy’s DIY Collective, agrees. “This is my favorite project to do in a living room,” she says. “It really adds character.”
Swap out your rug and throw pillows.
You can keep your DIYs simple by skipping the builds and instead focusing on accessories. Dagenais recommends swapping out your old rug and throw pillows for a whole new vibe. “This is the easiest way to feel a change with minimal effort,” he says. For throw pillows, you have tons of affordable DIY-friendly options. Shop your closet to make a no-sew scarf pillow cover like this one, or try one of these DIY makeovers for a plain white pillowcase.
Create a DIY picture ledge.
If you have an empty wall behind your living room sectional or sofa, you can make a DIY custom picture ledge over a weekend, says Vivianne Chow of Viv and Tim Home.
“We had trouble finding a long picture ledge that would fit in one piece above our sectional, so we decided to make one ourselves,” she explains. “The project just involves cutting the wood to length, drilling in screws, and staining it (we chose a walnut color for ours). Now we have a beautiful picture ledge with curated wall art and frames creating a cozy and inviting space!”
For an intermediate-level DIY, Baker recommends creating a plant wall shelf with grow lights to create a fun, space-saving display for plant-lovers.
