22 Weekend Home Decorating Projects

Want to give your home a mini makeover in a weekend? Check out these simple decorating projects for inspiration.



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Stencil a Wall
1/23
Stencil a Wall

    Give one wall in a room a dose of pattern with a stencil. It's less time-consuming than stenciling a whole room and you'll need less paint. For a subtle contrast, use a color for the pattern that is just a few shades lighter than the background.

2/23
Hutch Makeover

    Transform a tired hutch with paint and wallpaper. To start the makeover, remove all hardware and lightly sand the hutch to remove any flaking varnish and to give it a texture that will help the paint adhere. Remove all drawers and doors, and tape off exposed glass. Paint the inside and outside of the hutch. Next, clean the hardware and give it a few coats of high-gloss spray paint. Let dry and reattach. For a finishing touch, trim wallpaper to fit the back of the cabinet. Mount according to wallpaper packaging or use spray adhesive. After wallpapering, reinstall the doors.

3/23
From Mismatched to Unified

    Rescue thrift store frames with white paint and punchy paper. Paint the frames white and showcase pretty papers inside the frames. Choose coordinating patterns in different scales (small prints and large prints) to create a balanced look. Let the paper be the star or top it with a wooden letter, a photo, or any object you love.

4/23
DIY Pouf

    Add extra seating or a foot rest to any room with a pretty pouf. Sometimes pricey in stores, this DIY version can be made for about $50 with our step-by-step instructions and free pattern.

5/23
Create an Elegant Vignette

    Whether in an entryway or at the end of a hallway, a ledge table makes an graceful statement. Up the elegance by embellishing a table with embossed wallpaper (available at home centers). The paper on this table was given a DIY marble look by dipping crushed plastic wrap in gray paint, then gently daubing it on to the white-painted top. Draw the eye up with a trompe l'oeil ribbon. Paint a ribbon shape on the wall above the table, with a "bow" at the top. Hang a small mirror or series of frames inside the ribbon.

6/23
Sophisticated Shade

    Dress up a plain pendant or lamp shade with wooden appliques. These intricate accents are available at home centers in the lumber department. Paint the appliques in your desired shade. Let dry and attach to your shade with a hot-glue gun. This embellishment works best with a square shade since the appliques will not bend to the curve of a round shade.

7/23
Circular Sensation

    Kick up your walls with curvy circles. Arrange circular pieces on a wall, starting with the object you want to be in the middle. From there, build out your arrangement, ensuring that each piece touches an adjacent piece. This wall art installment features a mix of round mirrors and painted embroidery hoops, some of which have fabric stretched inside of them.

8/23
Pattern Play

    If you're going to hang wallpaper, look to see if the pattern has coordinating fabrics. Score a small portion of fabric to revamp a chair. Give the frame a few coats of glossy paint and cover the seat in the fabric.

9/23
Big Impact

    Give a favorite photo prime placement in a room. Enlarge the photo and place it in an oversize frame. Surrounded by a crisp white mat and striking black frame, this textural photo of peonies commands attention.

10/23
Double the Shine

    Give a lamp a one-two punch of shine with ribbon and spray paint. Coat the base in a metallic-finish spray paint and wrap shiny satin ribbon around the shade, securing in place with hot glue or pins.

11/23
Back to Basics

    Look at everyday items as potential masterpieces. Take photographs of a few interesting objects and adjust the exposure, saturation, and color with a photo editing program. Order large prints and frame them on black mats and in white frames. A black-and-white display like this looks sleek against a white wall but would also look chic hanging on a wall painted with a saturated hue.

12/23
Ottoman, Undercover

    Disguise an unattractive ottoman with a simple slipcover. Cut a piece of fabric the size of the top plus 1/2 inch on all sides. Cut four side panels half the size of each side plus 1/2-inch seam allowances. Cut four skirt pieces the same width as the side panels, adding 1 inch for seams (for the length, measure from the bottom of the side panel to the floor; double and add 1 inch). Cut four skirt-length, 9-inch-wide pieces of fabric to insert in each corner. Stitch covered piping to each edge of the top piece and along the lower edge of each side panel. Sew side panels together and to the piped edges of the top piece. Fold skirt pieces in half lengthwise with right sides facing, and add 1/2-inch side seams. Turn and press. Repeat for corner pieces. Sew skirt pieces to piped edge of side pieces. Pin corner pieces over the skirt panels with centers aligned. Stitch and press.

13/23
Privacy, Please

    Brighten a room without sacrificing privacy. Apply patterned window film to glass-front doors (or windows) to allow light from adjoining spaces to fill a dim room.

14/23
Fireplace Facelift

    Easily update a bland fireplace wall with a zippy color. Paint the surround in a contrasting color. Use colorful accessories on the mantel and decals or stenciled patterns on the wall. If you use a bold pattern, edit the number of accessories you place on the mantel so you don't end up with an overly busy fireplace.

15/23
Plate Panache

    Rethink how you use curtain rods and plates to create a pretty wall display. Mount a curtain rod on a wall and hang plates with ribbons woven through the pierced designs on the edges.

16/23
Artistic Furniture

    Dress a dresser with a large poster to give a plain piece punch. Prep the dresser front with a coat of primer. Let dry. Measure the width and height of the chest, including the legs. Trim the artwork to size, making sure the design falls where you want it to. Cut out the pieces that will go on the legs (you'll apply them separately). Remove drawers and adhere the artwork to the dresser front using spray adhesive. Press the artwork to the dresser, starting at one edge and working your way across the piece. Let dry. Trim the paper along the drawer openings. Spray the drawers with adhesive and apply the artwork to the drawer fronts. Trim and place the leg pieces onto the dresser. Use a nail to poke the knob holes through the paper and add decorative knobs.

17/23
Shimmer & Shine

    Put a little zing in your powder room with wall decals. Easy to apply and affordable, these pockets of pattern give this bathroom just the right amount of shimmer.

18/23
Concealed Storage

    Hide the contents of a console with pretty fabric panels. Cut pieces of fabric to fit the openings of your console, including seam allowances on all sides and enough fabric for a rod pocket. Hem the fabric on all sides and make a rod pocket on the top edge. Put a tension rod through the pocket and mount inside the console cubby.

19/23
Refreshed Roller Shades

    Accent plain roller shades with fabric. Have a retailer cut the shades to fit your windows. For each shade, remove the weight from the bottom pocket. Cut fusible web to fit the width of the shade and iron it onto the back of fabric. Cut out the fabric and iron into place on the shade. Spray-paint a cafe curtain rod and insert into the bottom pocket.

20/23
Take a Dip

    Skip painting an entire chair and employ a dip-dye effect instead. Paint just the base or the tips of the legs in a standout color. If you're painting the tips of chair legs, measure how far up the leg you want to paint. That way, each leg will be evenly painted.

21/23
Monogrammed Dresser

    Save a basic hand-me-down dresser with fresh paint. Remove the hardware. Sand and prime the piece. Take out the top drawers and coat them with semigloss paint in a chosen hue; cover the rest of the unit in white semigloss. Add a monogram using a stencil. When the dresser is completely dry, replace the drawers and swap the wooden knobs for porcelain versions.

22/23
Family Tree

    Add unique flair to a basic arrangement of photos with a tree motif. Achieve the silhouette with a wall decal, a stencil, or by freehand painting. Hang family pictures in the "branches" for a whimsical and fun look.

23/23
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Comments (16)
4709984052
lmoulton61 wrote:

Paint colors...they are different on everyone's computer screen. What you see is NOT what you'll get even if you knew the colors. I can understand why they don't want unhappy painters. Get something that's close to what you see.

5/23/2012 07:54:01 AM Report Abuse
englishelms wrote:

Yes, I would also like to know why you can't share the paint colors on anything that you have painted,wall ,chairs ,tables,just because you know what it is ,that dose'nt help us ,Why look if there no colors...........

5/19/2012 08:55:56 PM Report Abuse
rmclain1569104 wrote:

I wish this website was compatible with fire fox browser

5/16/2012 09:43:12 PM Report Abuse
heathermorriso3 wrote:

where can I get this wallpaper shown on the first picture of the 22 weekend home decorating projects? I love it!

5/16/2012 02:39:09 PM Report Abuse
brandilynturne wrote:

I am looking at the Shimmer & Shine Bathroom makeover - any ideas where to get those decals????

5/16/2012 01:47:39 PM Report Abuse
lmart35 wrote:

I love the draperies on the window! I have been looking for some like this. Where did they come from or where did the material come from?

5/16/2012 12:29:58 PM Report Abuse
gloria189 wrote:

Why is there no link to a photo that tells what paint was used and what the name of the color is on the walls....I love the green and yellow in the Fireplace Facelift photo but when I go looking I never get the right color!

5/16/2012 09:25:53 AM Report Abuse
abby.white87 wrote:

I have searched high and low for this wallpaper (slide 4). Has anyone found it? Suggestions?

3/27/2012 08:25:54 AM Report Abuse
pforeman7 wrote:

Does the wallpaper that is in this slide (#4) have a website?

3/7/2012 07:02:46 PM Report Abuse
galations326 wrote:

on slide #7 the "feet" of the cabinets should carry through...having feet on just one cabinet looks odd/unfinished/"heavy sided"...imho

10/19/2011 02:57:16 PM Report Abuse
karenjosephjohn wrote:

i bookmarked a page to show a photo to a contractor we want to hire for a kitchen, but now it's missing. has it been moved somewhere else, by chance? is there some way that i could see it again? the link was: http://www.kitchenbathideas.com/kitchen-design/decorating/country/country-kitchen-ideas/?page=8

2/9/2011 01:55:12 PM Report Abuse
denisehalvorson wrote:

You are all right on the age of the comments. I've been a subscriber to bhg for more than 20 years now... and online with them since they started the site. These ideas have been presented more than once already. Not sure why they have to rerun it...maybe to capture new audiences? But that doesn't help the rest of us.

8/5/2010 11:37:57 AM Report Abuse
Crafty_Cat wrote:

I loved these ideas--I'd only seen one before (and I liked it then). I think the bookcases in the living room will be where I start my one-day makeover.

1/21/2010 06:40:17 PM Report Abuse
bdimura1 wrote:

i really like the wallpaper featured on slide 4 of room makeover's, does anyone know where I can find it ?

1/19/2010 05:53:00 PM Report Abuse
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