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  5. 11 DIY Projects for Your Living Room

11 DIY Projects for Your Living Room

Caitlin Sole headshot
By Caitlin Sole
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100839805
Take a look at the clever projects that make this living room personal and photo-worthy, then update your living room with budget-friendly color accents, a little bookcase rehab, and easy furniture fixes.
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Laying the Groundwork

100839805

The brown, gray, and aqua color scheme makes a gender-neutral space filled with great ideas you can do.

How to Do It

-- Choose a neutral color for the wall (a creamy latte color works in this living room).

-- Paint all your trim white for a crisp foundation for the pattern and color to come alive.

-- Choose your favorite colors for accents and start shopping around for pillows and fabric you like.

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Bookcase Facelift

100839810

Revamp built-ins for display over storage space.

How to Do It

-- Remove any shelves from the built-ins.

-- Coat the back of the shelves with a three-step Kelly green strie treatment.

-- Install floating ledges and top with display pieces.

  • Get the how-to for the strie paint treatment

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Ouch-Free Ottoman

100839817

This ottoman doubles as a coffee table and the pillows can be pulled off the base and used as floor cushions. Make it yourself out of high-density foam and durable fabrics.

  • Get the how-to for this ottoman

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No-Sew Valance

100839803

A tailored window treatment without dragging out the sewing machine? Yes, you can do it, and here's how.

How to Make It

-- Cut a 1-x-6-inch board a few inches wider than the bank of windows and cut two 6-inch-long pieces for the returns. Screw the returns to the board.

-- Cut fabric to a height of 10 inches and to the desired width (leaving allowances for hems, the returns, and at least 8 inches for each box pleat) and hem all edges using fusible webbing.

-- Position the board under the fabric, 3 inches from the top hem. Staple the fabric to the board, folding in pleats every 12 to 15 inches and wrapping around the returns.

-- Hide the staples with glued on ribbon and buttons.

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Curtain Detail

100839807

Adding fabric bands -- such as this check and solid -- to curtains (especially inexpensive store-bought solid panels) is a sure way to boost style. Sew the fabric band to existing curtains, or use fusible webbing for a quick fix.

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Fireplace Makeover

A new surround and gas insert can make a once-unsightly fireplace a functional heating source and focal point. The granite is a custom stone kit from an online shop that cuts stone based on measurements you send. To install, adhere to a flat surface with construction adhesive.

  • Get the how-to for this fireplace surround

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6-in-1 Photo Cubes

100839816

These custom photo cubes have six images to share. It's easy to rearrange the cubes to show a new image, or rotate the cubes for a fun collage.

  • Get the how-to for this photo cube

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Ready-to-Finish Furniture

dining room overall

For affordable new furniture, paint unfinished dining chairs and a table with black semigloss paint. For durability, add three coats of polyurethane.

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Plate Art

100839823

Here's the dish: Glue contrasting colors and sizes of plates together with epoxy or all-purpose glue (clamp them with a belt or bungee cord while the glue dries) and hang with plate hooks in columns on the wall.

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Window Seat

100839821

A window seat adds seating and storage without adding more furniture. The center section features a lift-up top with storage inside. The strie paint treatment around the bay window makes the dining area feel like a separate room from the living room it's attached to. For playful pillows, embellish with inexpensive belts and buckles.

  • 3-Step Strie Paint Treatment

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Silhouette Art

100839814_071307

Can you spot the TV in this picture? It's creatively camouflaged by a wall of silhouette artwork.

How to Make It

-- Choose frames, then photocopy images to size.

-- Tape each image to heavy black art paper and use a crafts knife to cut through both layers, protecting your work surface with a crafts mat.

-- Use spray adhesive to adhere the silhouette to white mat board.

  • Get PDF pattern for a Bird Silhouette
  • Get PDF pattern for a Coral Silhouette
  • Get PDF pattern for an Elephant Silhouette
  • Get PDF pattern for a Fleur de Lis Silhouette
  • Get PDF pattern for a Knight Silhouette

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    1 of 11 Laying the Groundwork
    2 of 11 Bookcase Facelift
    3 of 11 Ouch-Free Ottoman
    4 of 11 No-Sew Valance
    5 of 11 Curtain Detail
    6 of 11 Fireplace Makeover
    7 of 11 6-in-1 Photo Cubes
    8 of 11 Ready-to-Finish Furniture
    9 of 11 Plate Art
    10 of 11 Window Seat
    11 of 11 Silhouette Art

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    11 DIY Projects for Your Living Room
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