Apartment Improvement Projects: Do It Yourself

Making your own home-improvement projects yourself instead of hiring someone or purchasing expensive furniture and housewares not only saves on cost, but is fun and instills a sense of gratification from your own accomplishments. Here are some ideas for at-home DIY projects to spruce up your apartment.

Use rugs – Does it feel like something is missing in your apartment? Is there a room that just seems too bland that needs something extra to spice it up and pull it together? The answer might be as easy as a floor rug, and they come in many different shapes, sizes and patterns for virtually every room in your apartment. Check out these ways to use rugs in your apartment for that finishing touch.

Felt and fabric coasters – Instead of buying overpriced clunky coasters, enjoy the accomplishment of making them your own with soft fabrics! You can buy new fabric or use leftover scraps you may have in storage. What you’ll need to make six coasters is ¼ yard of patterned fabric, one 18”x18” square of white wool felt and one 18”x18” square of gray woof felt, or whatever contrast color you would like. Use these tips from Apartment Therapy on how to construct your fabric coasters.

Painted pillow cases – Tired of your boring, solid color pillow cases or can’t ever find a design or pattern that you love? Create your own by simply creating designs on one of your old pillowcases or a new one by applying paint with a sponge in whatever shape you like. Get creative – you could make crescent moon, heart or star shapes or just abstract shapes.

Milk paint – If you have an old piece of wooden furniture that maybe you found at a yard sale that needs a makeover, consider making your own milk paint for a low-cost solution with charming rustic results. If you’re not sure what milk paint is, it’s a very easy wood finish you can make using a powder found at a hardware or home improvement store, mixed with equal parts warm water. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, then apply to your piece of sanded wood and let sit for at least one hour. To experiment with a weathered look, sand again once the paint is dry, and reapply another coat if necessary, until you’re happy with the look.

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