Easy DIY Kitchen Decorating

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Turn a sturdy vintage crate with an interesting shape into a rustic beverage station. Secure wineglass holders underneath before hanging with wall studs. Suspend a roll of kraft paper with spare rope to showcase your latest drink offerings.

Fashionable Floor Mat

Craft a high-style, high-functioning floor covering from paint and a sheet-vinyl flooring remnant (available at home centers). Simply cut the material to your desired size, prime, and paint.

Tray Chic

Pump up the style of an unfinished wood tray with a trendy herringbone pattern. Use a sponge and a stencil to apply a colorful water-based stain, which allows some wood grain to show. Seal with a clear finish, and serve snacks with style.

Picture Perfect

Use metallic painted frames to highlight dry-erase boards and corkboards on pantry doors. The photo finish creates functional artwork that keeps grocery lists, coupons, and your family's schedule right where you need them.

Tailored Window Treatment

Turn a plain dish towel into delicate cafe curtains. First, cut and hem a dish towel to fit your window and dye the fabric as desired. Then, slice a potato in half and make a design. Use a foam brush to apply white fabric paint to the potato, and stamp the pattern on your towel. Repeat as desired and hang the towels with curtain clips.

Natural Napkins

Use nature's amazing color palette to create beautiful dyes from plants. Tuck leaves between purchased dish towels and tap firmly with a hammer to make twin impressions. Repeat, leaf by leaf, until you've achieved your desired design. Finish your creation by ironing the towels on low to minimize fading.

Storage with Style

Convert a TV entertainment center into a handy depot for cooking and baking tools by removing the doors and finishing with a coat of crisp blue paint. Span an open space with a curtain tension rod to hang pretty patterned hand towels.

Shake It Up

Press and hold to unleash the power of spray paint. Make over a set of canisters from the thrift store with splashes of color on the lids and stand. Create labels on the glass sides with chalkboard paint.

• 17 Fun Chalkboard Paint Projects

Mealtime Motto

Unable to find affordable letters in the right size for your kitchen? Project letter stencils onto MDF (medium density fiberboard), cut them out with a jigsaw, and cover them with fabric, using spray adhesive. The simple solution for decorating above cabinets creates a family-friendly atmosphere.

Flower Power

Bring kitchen walls into bloom with homemade floral art. Find free botanical images online, and print them on old book pages before stitching to a piece of linen mat. Fray the edges by pulling out threads down to the stitched line, then hang using bulldog clips.

Custom Curtains

Add interest to an eat-in kitchen with homemade graffiti-style curtains. Using fabric recommended for spray paint, evenly paint a taped-off bottom border before painting free-style loops across the fabric.

Vintage Display

Look for cool castoff plates at local thrift stores and flea markets. Use paper templates and a pencil to mark the perfect arrangement above a kitchen counter or dining room buffet before adhering the heirloom dishes with wall hangers.

Front and Center

Reclaimed wood planks become a striking centerpiece when painted with checks and stripes. After painting, bind the wood pieces together with glue or screws and attach two rope pulls. Finish the table topper with fresh jars of flowers.

Put a Fork in It

Convert secondhand flatware into cheese markers. Place a silver-plated fork between two pieces of felt, then flatten with a vise. With the front side facing up and a metal vise underneath, use metal stamps and a hammer to identify your favorite cheeses. Shorten the handle with a hacksaw, or by bending the handle back and forth until it snaps, all while held steady in a vise.

Details Matter

A simple $43 lampshade gets big style with spray-painted wooden appliqués from the crafts store. Attach them with hot glue and hang the shade with a pendant-light kit for a quick and easy way to add flair to the eating area in your kitchen.

Simple Wall Decor

Use wooden letters and wine corks to create fun typographic wall art arrangements in your kitchen. To create these festive cork letters, start by purchasing flat wooden letters from your local crafts store. Then affix the wine corks to the letterform using hot glue. Adhere the letters to the wall using removable adhesive strips. Here, we spelled out "Cheers" and hung the letters on the wall above a colorful drink cart.

By the Numbers

Coordinate mismatched secondhand chairs with paint and fabric. Sand, prime, and paint the chairs, then add a number to the chair back using a stencil and contrasting paint. Finish the transformation by covering the seat in a printed fabric. Here, we used a numbered fabric to continue the theme.

On the Map

These colorful map coasters are a quick and easy DIY that's sure to add character to your kitchen. Simply purchase some plain ceramic coasters from your local crafts store, cut old maps to fit the coasters, and affix them to the surface using decoupage medium. Back the coasters with felt to prevent scratching your counter or tabletops.

In Good Taste

Create an artsy display in your kitchen and adjacent rooms with your own photos of culinary tools shot on a crisp white backdrop. Place the prints in white frames with black mats—both easily found at crafts stores.

Revive an Old Favorite

Stand-alone pieces of furniture are a great way to add additional storage to your kitchen. A fresh coat of paint and snazzy new hardware breathe new life into this old china cabinet. The blotched surface of the mirrored glass—created using a mixture of 1:1 water and vinegar—hints at the piece's age.