a man potting house plants in a living room

7 More DIY Decorating Ideas

Written by Jonas Bordo

Does your rental apartment feel a bit drab? Looking for decorative inspiration? Look no further. Check out these seven ideas for adding a bit of personality to your home.

1. Plant Care

In times when you can’t get out that much, plants are a necessity. For apartment dwellers, the good news is that you do not need a backyard garden. There are millions of ways to make plants thrive indoors. Apartment Therapy offers you 29 “practically for free” ways to start greening up your thumb. The photos are great too.

2. Mason Jar Herb Garden

Going right along with decorative plants, you can also make an herb garden with nothing but mason jars, a handful of rocks, a little soil, plus seeds and water. Learn how by reading all about it here, or watching this short YouTube video here.

3. Add Mirrors

Often mirrors in apartments can be either ugly or almost non-existent. All the better as an opportunity for creativity! There are six ways to take a super cheap thrift store mirror (or an existing apartment mirror) and dress it up to look like something special while giving you a place on the wall to see if your hair is combed and you look presentable. Decorating doesn't get much easier than that.

4. Therapy For Sad Lamps

Yes, lamps have feelings too. They can sometimes be like Debbie Downer on Saturday Night Live. But, unlike poor Debbie, there is hope for the lamps. On Apartment Therapy, you can feast your eyes on nine lamp makeovers that are pretty amazing. They all had the hardware in place, but needed a lamp therapist to start to shine. 

5. Magnetic Spice Rack With Mason Jars

Mason jars can be used for almost anything. It is a bit of a DIY project, but if you are into cooking and spices, this is an effort you might find rewarding. The idea is simple: Herbs in jars, with lids, stuck to a metal surface by little neodymium magnets, which are available on Amazon at a very cheap price. The links for buying material on this website are out of date, but the idea is a good one.

6. Peel and Stick Wallpaper

Hanging wallpaper the old-fashioned way is...not advisable. If you don’t know how that is done, never mind. However, peel-and-stick wallpaper is another thing altogether. Did you mess it up? Just realign it. Did you decide you don’t like it after all? Peel it off! Want a change of scenery after a year or two. Off with the old, on with the new! Pretty easy, but still, watch this video to see some folks planning and executing a wall makeover. Then you can go online to get a taste of the many, many choices you have in peel-and-stick wallpaper.

7. Stencil a Wall To Give It Pizazz

Not everyone is the same. Some may find the peel-and-stick wallpaper too...ordinary. These artists may want to indulge their creative flair. If that is you, wall stencils might be the ticket to decorating your home. Check out this video to show how it is done, and then go to Houzz for a wonderland of stencil choices.

Wrriten by Elia Van Tuyl

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