One of the clever DIY hacks is to use what you already have on-hand to make something new. That’s why with some basic sewing skills, you could use an existing duvet cover and turn it into a curtain. Just keep in mind that this only works if you’re trying to decorate a room with one window, since you are most likely not going to have multiple matching duvets to create a lot of curtains with it. (via AutoGuide)
Rope always screams “nautical” when you use it in interior design. So if you use rope to hang up your curtains, keep that in mind. It can potentially be a good alternative to using hooks to hang your curtains on the rod. Check out your local craft store or hardware store to find the rope that works best for your design project. (via AutoGuide)
If you’re raiding your grandmother’s collection of costume jewelry, consider using some of those necklaces as glamorous curtain tie-backs. This looks beautiful, especially when you can layer multiple necklaces at once. If you don’t have something like this at your disposal, check out your local antique shop, for type in “statement necklace” on Amazon to see what’s out there. (via AutoGuide)
Planning to have an outdoor party with a ton of people? Instead of using those small Igloo coolers, consider transforming your wheelbarrow into a cooler instead. This helps you fit more drinks into the space, and it’s higher up off the ground to make it easier for your guests to reach in and get a drink. Some people even choose to do this on their wedding day. (via AutoGuide)
This next design hack might not work with modern ironing boards, since they’re typically made of metal. That might not look great as a side table, unless you’re going for an industrial look. But this antique wooden ironing board looks great as a side table. Look for one at your local antique store, flea market, or possibly find one online somewhere like eBay. (via AutoGuide)
A quick and easy design hack is to take a cute teapot and turn it into a vase. If you already have a teapot on hand, it’s probably not getting used every single day. For most people (in America, at least) teapots end up sitting as a decorative piece more than anything else. And if you don’t already have a teapot, it should be easy to find one at your local thrift store or antique mall. (via AutoGuide)
Looking to make a shoe rack? Consider repurposing an old wooden ladder with some extra pieces of wood in order to create multi-tiered shelving. This works well on the side of a room, or inside of your closet. It wouldn’t work very well if you were trying to create this with a metal ladder, however. Antique wooden ladders are also great for hanging blankets, especially if you have the Farmhouse look in your home. (via AutoGuide)
If you happen to have a big budget to rehab your house, consider this cute little home hack. It’s a small cabinet near the entryway of your house that hides away your keys. This way, you’ll never forget where you put them! Of course, you can still get this same result by just hanging a key hanger near your front door instead. This is a lot cheaper, and still serves exactly the same purpose. (via AutoGuide)
A quick and easy design hack for your home is to swap out the knobs on your dresser. This can make a huge difference sometimes when you are trying to add some more design to your home. In the image above, this is barely noticeable. But sometimes, when you change knobs somewhere like your kitchen cabinets, it could completely transform your look to another decade. (via AutoGuide)
If your toilet is having issues with flushing, you might not need to call out the plumber right away. Check the water valve underneath the toilet to see if it’s all the way open. Sometimes, if it’s not open all the way, it’s constricting the water flowing to your toilet. This can potentially be a quick and easy fix for you. If that doesn’t work, do some searching on YouTube for DIY solutions before you call the plumber over, because it could be equally as simple to fix. (via AutoGuide)
If you’re considering hanging a gallery wall, you may want to hang a template first. Use paper to trade out the shape of the picture frames you plan to hang. Once these are taped up on the wall, it’s easy for you to arrange them the way you like without putting holes in the wall. Here at Home Addict, we have an entire post about gallery walls called Gorgeous Gallery Wall Inspiration to Elevate Wall Space.
If you’re struggling to organize your cleaning supplies underneath the sink, a good hack might be to use file holders. By adding adhesives to the back of the file holders, you can stick them to the side of the cabinets to create an instant pocket. This gives you a lot more room to store twice the amount of cleaning supplies as you did before. And id you label each of the containers, it will be easier for you to find what you’re looking for at a moment’s notice. (via AutoGuide)
Metal drawer organizers that you find at the dollar store can be used for so much more than going inside of your desk. They are also great as spice racks. Just attach them to the interior of a cabinet door, and you instantly have more space inside of your pantry to hold your spice collection. This also makes it easier to find the spice you need compared to having them all cluttered together in one cabinet or drawer in your kitchen. (via AutoGuide)
Have you ever gone to a friend’s house, and their rugs just feel so comfortable and bouncy? That’s most likely because they have carpet padding underneath. If you have wall-to-wall carpeting, it would be a big expense to get this installed. But if you have an area rug, it isn’t too expensive to get padding placed underneath. (via AutoGuide)
Many of you out there will have seen those collections of wine corks in a glass container. These are great decor pieces, and it shows off just how much wine you drink in your house. But if you want to have something like this filled up faster, place an empty bottle of wine inside of the vase first. This fills up the majority of the space. Now, hide the bottle by placing the wine corks inside. Your guests will be none the wiser. (via AutoGuide)
A clever kitchen hack is to hang your foil and plastic wrap boxes up on a rod to make it easy to pull and go whenever you need it. Compared to putting this in your drawer and taking it out manually, this way cuts down time when you’re cleaning up in the kitchen. (via AutoGuide)
When you’re painting the walls of your house, you need to wait for them to dry and go in for a second or third coat afterwards. A nifty hack is to put the paint brush in a plastic bag and keep it in the refrigerator. This will help to preserve the quality of the paint brush and prevent it from drying out. (via AutoGuide)
If you want your bathroom to look a bit more luxurious, consider doubling up on the shower curtains. With one on each side of the bathtub, you can open it when the shower is over to greet the day like the king or queen that you truly are. (via AutoGuide)
One of the best design hacks out there is to hang your curtains above the window, rather than on the window ledge itself. Also make sure the windows are wider, because it will give the illusion that the room is larger than it actually is. It can make your standard ceiling look like it’s ten feet high and open up a room that once felt small and cramped. (via AutoGuide)
When you first moved into your home, you probably went with some of the cheapest standard lighting that you could find. But as time went on, it became important to jazz things up just a little bit to make it interesting. Add a drum lampshade, and voila- you’re hiding the fact that the light itself it sort of ugly underneath. (via AutoGuide)
If you’re looking for more privacy in your bathroom, consider installing tinted paper on the windows. You just need some glue adhesive, and to carefully cut out the paper with a box cutter to fit the size of your window panes. This can be found at your local hardware store, or find it online in various designs. If you pick a white one, you can still get the light shining through the window without sacrificing your need for privacy. (via AutoGuide)
Many of us wish we could have mirrored closet doors, but that’s not always an option (especially if you’re renting.) So the next best thing would be to hang two long mirrors on each of your closet doors. This gives the illusion that you have mirrored doors, and it helps to get ready in the morning when you can see your entire body in the mirror. (via AutoGuide)
Sometimes, hiding cords can be difficult, especially when they’re dangling on a nice furniture piece like a console table in the hallway. You can find adhesive cords at the hardware store to hold down the cords to the back of the furniture to hide any excess wires. (via AutoGuide)
Do you have dangling cords hanging underneath your TV? This is easy to clean up with a shower curtain rod. It can contain all of your wires in one space so that they’re not dangling all over the place. Bonus points if you paint the rod to match the color of your walls, because you will barely notice it’s there. (via AutoGuide)
If your sink comes with a soap pump, an easy hack is to install an automatic refilling system. Just run the tube inside of a jumbo-sized bottle of dish soap from somewhere like Costco, and voila- you can go months without buying another bottle of dish soap, and you have it at your finger tips. (via AutoGuide)
Most people only use their ceiling fans in the summertime to help cool down the room. But heat rises no matter what time of year it is. Did you know that if you flip a switch on your fan, you can have it go the opposite way? This will help to spread warm air downwards in the winter time, and it can potentially help you save money on your heat bills. (via AutoGuide)
