Some of us hear the term “DIY” and immediately think, “That’s not me.” We imagine people with large toolboxes, pickup trucks, and all kinds of skills we never learned, cranking out modern DIY home décor every weekend.

But don’t count yourself out too quickly! There are many easy, at-home projects we can do to improve the space we live in, whether it’s a sprawling house in the suburbs or an efficiency apartment with no outdoors but a fire escape.

DIY Home Projects Build Confidence

When we make our spaces look better, we feel better. When we’re successful at a little job, we’re more confident to handle a big home project. Enjoying where we live gives us more energy for the rest of life—so consider giving one of the suggestions below a try:

DIY Mirror Frame Ideas

Modern DIY projects are easier than they used to be with products anyone can use, like MirrorMate’s DIY framing kits. If you have a plain piece of glass, or a standard plate glass mirror already on your wall, a MirrorMate frame instantly elevates the look.

Order a MirrorMate frame that suits your taste and complements the surrounding décor. It’s delivered to your door and ready to install.

Use these custom MirrorMate frames on a mirror over the mantle, above your bathroom sink, or on any wall to give it your personal touch. For a farmhouse look, try the Cherokee Rustic Frames. If you want a modern, streamlined room, consider the Highline Slim Series.

Add a Pop of Color

Paint is a winning project for transforming a space. No other single change makes more of an impact, and if you mess it up, it’s not hard or expensive to redo. If you’re a beginner at painting, pick one of these small, manageable tasks:

• Paint an Accent Wall. Pick a room that needs a little more drama, and paint one wall in an accent color. With a desk facing an accent wall, inspiration boards, and wall décor above it, any room can transform from ordinary to vibrant and inspiring. For a touch of extravagance, combine emerald green with blush pink or a shade of blue.
• Try Chalk Paint. This is a great way to give new life to an old piece of furniture. Chalk paint makes projects easy because you can paint over wood without having to strip off its varnish. Give a neutral room personality by choosing one or two accent colors, and painting a nightstand, console, or desk in one of those colors. Repeat the color a few times with rugs, pillows, or décor, and your room is renewed.
• Paint the Inside of Your Front Door. The inside doesn't have to match the outside. If you want to accent an interior color in the area at the front of the house, your door can add the biggest pop of color.
• Paint Mirror and Picture Frames. This is another way to add accent colors to your room's scheme. Consider paintable picture frames or MirrorMate paintable frames. Current color combinations trending for rooms include pale blue with beige, olive green with taupe and light gray, and mustard yellow with dark gray.

Plant a Kitchen Garden

Whether it’s in your kitchen, in the back yard, on a sunny windowsill, or lining the front porch—growing food is fun and satisfying. If your space is small, start with herbs. In a line of little pots, or in one big planter, try basil, rosemary, mint, parsley, thyme, or whatever you like the taste of. Many herbs look and smell good as well as add flavor to your cooking.

Vegetable gardens need more space, but you could grow peppers and small tomatoes in pots on a sunny patio. These crops are easy to grow and colorful to look at. Surround them with some marigolds to add even more color and ward off pests at the same time.

Turn a Closet Into a Workspace

Even if you don’t work a desk job from home, everyone can use a dedicated space to pay bills and keep their personal lives in order. If you don’t want to use a whole room, try converting a closet or some other enclave into a workstation.

If you have a conventional closet, all you need to do is remove the doors and the hanging bar and find a desk or table that fits the space.

Personalize it by painting the back wall your favorite color, or using blackboard paint to give you more writing space! Having your goals and to-do lists visible on a blackboard, dry erase board, or pinned on a corkboard helps you remember what you want and need to get done. If you’re a person who loves a view, put a landscape photo or painting front and center.

An overhead shelf is a great place to store files and supplies in boxes or baskets.

Wallpaper the Backs of Furniture, Cabinets, or Stairs

There are so many beautiful wallpapers available. Some of them have peel-and-stick options, making them a great starting place for DIY home décor. If a room, or even one wall, is too intimidating, start with the back of an armoire, a china cabinet, or a bookcase. The wallpaper will add interest and depth to the furniture, and to whatever is on its shelves.

Certain patterns of wallpaper can look stunning on painted stair risers. Make sure the size of the pattern and the depth of your stair risers match up in a way that looks good.

DIY Spring Cleaning for a New Start

Sometimes, deep cleaning improves the look of our homes so much that we’re inspired to do more DIY projects. Here are some ways to get going:

• Begin Outside. Start with raking unwanted sticks and leaves from lawns and garden beds. Straighten out any garden furniture or ornaments that shifting ground may have tipped over during the winter. Sweep porches, patios, and walkways and wash off anything you’ll sit on.
• Dust Indoors. Dust from ceiling to floor, going under items, not just around. Gently vacuum curtains and upholstery. Bravely dust where no one has dusted before!
• Rent or Buy a Steam Carpet Cleaner. Nothing like steam cleaning refreshes your carpets and rugs.
• Edit Unwanted Items. This is never fun, but it leaves space for what you really need and love. You can either tackle one zone at a time or fully commit and do the whole-house method.
• Define the Purpose of Each Room. Know what each of your rooms is used for, and make sure it contains what’s needed for those uses. Sounds obvious, but we often do crazy things like leaving a kitchen cabinet full of china we never use, then trekking down to the basement for appliances we need every week.

Take the First Step

Whether it’s a week-long project like deep cleaning an entire house, or something little and easy like framing a mirror with a MirrorMate kit, taking the first step to improving our spaces with DIY home décor projects will definitely pay off in satisfaction.