Whether you’re dreaming of beach decor or shabby chic worthy of a magazine, you can conquer a lot of home decor with some creativity and your own two hands.

Don’t believe it? Here are four home decor projects that are quick and easy (and look like you hired a professional designer).

1. Roman Shades

Roman shades are a fantastic and easy way to update your blinds. And the best part is that you don’t even need sewing skills to master this project.

To start, pick your fabric. You’re going to want a fabric that ages well in light and goes with your color scheme without attracting all the attention. A good choice is a solid color with a geometric pattern–it’s modern enough to work well with Roman shades but also visually interesting.

Cut your fabric two inches wider than your blinds in both width and length. You’ll end up folding all the edges over, so you’ll need the extra.

From there, use fabric glue to create hems with the folded edges. If you have a sewing machine, that will make a more tailored look.

Then, turn to your blinds. Open them fully and cut the top ladder part that holds the slats in place (NOT the cord that runs through each slat). Pop the button on the bottom that holds the thick cord. Remove the cord.

From there, remove the slats and cut-up ladder pieces. You should have the slats and cut-up ladder pieces, attached by the cords running vertically. Lay your fabric face down and lay the skeleton of the blinds over it.

Measure where you want the blinds to fall and place the slats at even intervals, running the vertical cord through the holes in the slates. Pick up your fabric glue again and glue the slats to the fabric, curved side down. DO NOT glue the cord or the blinds can’t move.

When all the slats and the top bar are attached, run the cord back into the top bar, tie it in a knot to hold it in place, and put the button back in.

Then, hang your blinds back on the wall!

2. Galvanized Pendant Lights

If the Roman blinds felt like quite a project, you’ll like these galvanized pendant lights.

To start, find a galvanized bucket or vase. The wider the pendant light, the wider the light will be. If you like narrow lights, you can go for a group of three at varied heights. Just make sure you pick something light enough to hang from the ceiling without issue.

You can adapt a repurposed bucket with either hard-wiring or plug-in. Hard-wiring is better suited to interior lights, but requires more commitment, while plug-ins allow you to move and remove a light as you please.

Once you’ve got the wiring right, drill a hole in the bottom of the bucket big enough for the wire to pass through.

If you’re using a plug-in, you’ll need to attach wires to the socket by exposing the positive and negative wires with wire strippers, wrap the wires around the screws and tighten with a screwdriver.

From there, thread the plug end of a pendant light cord through the drilled hole, secure it, and hang it from the ceiling.

3. Bar Tray

For this project, you’ll need:

• A large lacquer rectangular tray
• 8 mini decorative corners
• 2 campaign drawer pulls
• A tray stand
• A power drill
• A tape measure
• Painter’s tape
• A toothpick
• E6000

To start, use your tape measure to mark the middle point along the length and height of the tray. Mark it with painter’s tape so it’s easy to mark with a pen.

Then, measure the width of the campaign drawer pull from screw to screw, divide by two, and measure out that amount from left and right of the center point and mark it.

With a power drill, drill a clean hole on the marked points on the painter’s tape. Remove the tape and use a screwdriver to screw in the drawer pulls on each side.

With a toothpick, apply the E6000 glue onto the inside of the decorative corners and press each corner into the corner of the tray. Allow them to dry for at least two to three hours.

Once it’s dry, set it on the tray stand and you’ve got a bar tray.

4. Plywood Waterfall Countertop

Is your laundry room in dire need of an update? This plywood waterfall countertop is just what the doctor ordered.

You’ll need two 4×8 sheets of plywood (one premium, the other less so), wood glue, finishing nails, wood screws, feet, brackets, and polyurethane.

Measure the size you want your countertop to be. There should be at least an inch between the top of the washer/dryer and the countertop.

Start by gluing your sheets of plywood together. You’ll need wood clamps to hold them in place while they cure for 48 hours. You can use screws too, just make sure they aren’t where you’ll need to make cuts later.

Once everything is dry, you can use a table saw to cut it down. Make sure the side that waterfalls is cut at a 45-degree angle so it matches up with the counter (hint: set your saw blade to 45 degrees before making a cut).

You’ll need the feet if you have new tile that you don’t want your countertop attached to. Don’t attach the two pieces together until you’re ready to install them.

To help brace the countertop, install 2×4’s into studs on the wall one inch above the top of your washer/dryer. Make sure they’re level!

From there, you can install the countertop using brackets and wood screws. Attach brackets to the top piece and use them to secure the bottom piece. From there, give it a light sanding and a coat of polyurethane.

It’s almost like a whole new laundry room!

And if you’re looking for more updates to your laundry room, you should learn more about how the right door can make all the difference.

Want More Home Decor?

If you want more home decor ideas, you’ve come to the right place.

For more tips and tricks, check out our blog for posts like this one on 10 wall decor ideas that will make your home stand out. And if you’ve just moved into your first-ever family home, make sure to read this post for all the tips you need.