Do you love every room in your home? Or do you have rooms that seem dark and outdated, or furniture that doesn’t reflect your style anymore? Do you dream of creating a home that feels exactly like you, but don’t have the budget, the time, or even a clue where to start? This book will help you stop dreaming, and start doing.
Here you’ll find 75 of the very easiest, most affordable, most high-impact projects—all of which can be completed with $50 or less. These simple projects will help you squeeze every last drop of style out of every cent, so that you get big improvements, but not a big bill.
This isn’t a book about how to style your grand piano or pick out granite for your butler’s pantry. It’s a book for the real world, where you’re stuck with a hideous chartreuse wall your landlord won’t let you paint over, or you’ve spent your last penny on a home to call your own… but that straight-out-of-’80s kitchen is now also yours. It’s about working with what you have to make your dream home a reality today.
If you’re anything like me, you don’t have the time or energy to hand-make every piece of decor for your home. These are the projects that are really worth the time and expense, so that you can create the home of your dreams without putting your life on hold. You won’t find weekend warrior demolitions or magazine-worthy room makeovers here, but you’ll be inspired to tackle easy tasks that can instantly infuse personality into your home.
This guide is filled with affordable, quick afternoon projects—everything from semi-handmade wreaths to painted furniture makeovers to simple builds, like our Pallet Wall Clock. Hate your outdated builder-grade cabinets? Turn to the Painted Builder-Grade Cabinets project in Chapter 1, and you’ll find an easy $30 makeover to make them look brand new and beautiful again. If you’re coveting an expensive, dramatic chandelier, you’ll find a simple Lantern Chandelier tutorial in Chapter 4 for creating your own stunning light fixture—for just $10! Or if you’re stuck with a laminate countertop you don’t love but can’t afford to replace, try the two-hour, high-impact Painted Laminate Countertops project in Chapter 1. Have half an hour to spare? Create beautiful, magazine-worthy Gold Leaf Botanical Prints to brighten your walls with the step-by-step instructions in Chapter 3.
You’ll also find beautiful photographs of every single project, and many with step-by-step photographs. Each project is simply labeled with icons for cost, difficulty, and time, and the project sidebars are full of extra tips and inspiration. Sprinkled throughout are several amazing projects from other top home design bloggers—we could not be more excited about sharing their creativity with you.
This is a tool for the everyday homeowner, and the everyday home. Get ready to be inspired to pick up a paintbrush, tackle that intimidating space, and to create the home you want, one project at a time. Let’s get started!