Best DIY Home Projects for Summer

We’re all stuck at home and feeling a little stir-crazy. So why not put that energy to good use and work on improving your home and making it a little more exciting and comfortable to be in?

We’ve pulled together a list of some of our favorite DIY home projects for this summer to keep you feeling a little saner and your house looking good.

DIY Projects for Organizers

If looking at hastily discarded shoes, piles of laundry, and strewn toys 24/7 is making you feel like ripping your hair out…we have some project for you! You’re going to breathe easier and feel much more in control of your environment after you’ve done a little organizing!

Declutter Your Pantry and Fridge

Cooking more than usual? We all are. And one thing we can’t help noticing is that we can NEVER find the baking soda when we need it! Admit it – if you’re like most of us, your usual kitchen organizational routine involves shoving groceries into the nearest clear space and hoping for the best. 

But now is the time to save yourself that frustration and get full minutes of your life back! And it’s actually really easy. Obviously you can go with a full-scale, Instagram-worthy organization complete with color coding and updatable inventory. Or you can follow these simple steps:

• Empty out everything in your pantry
• Categorize the food items
  • For example: chips, protein bars, pasta, juice boxes
• Throw out any expired food
• Write a list of anything you need to restock
• Use specific storage accordingly:
  • Use a lazy Susan for any items you need to access often and want easier access to
  • Use bins to keep the categorized items organized
  • Use a tiered shelving unit for soup cans
• Put categorized food groups back in the pantry
• Label all the categories

Make Your “Junk Drawer” an “Everyday Drawer”

The first thing you need to fix about your junk drawer is your attitude. Would you like to be called “junk”? Of course not! Instead, think about it as your “everyday necessities” drawer. 

Second, pull everything out of the drawer, throw away the trash, and group like items. Rubber bands with rubber bands, batteries with batteries, pens with pens – and so on. Anything that belongs in a different part of the house, restore to its proper home.

Then, pop in an organizer (or make some yourself out of cardboard cut to size!) and place everything you have left back in the drawer! Don’t you feel better? No more junk in your house!

DIY Home Projects for Crafters

So you’re all out of drawers to organize and you need something…bigger, huh? We’ve got you covered. The best thing about these crafting projects is that you can get the whole family involved (unless you need some alone crafting time – we get it)!

Upgrade Your Planters

If the kids have outgrown the wagon – turn it into a planter! Spray paint that sucker bronze (or gold, or purple, or rainbow!), fill it with dirt, and you have an adorable, nostalgic planter for your annuals. Let the kids pick your paint design, help paint, or pick and plant the flowers!

You can also just use regular old acrylic paint and go nuts on your plain, boring, terra-cotta pots! Paint it pink and attach googly eyes and a toilet paper roll snout for an adorable piggy planter! Or set down tape in geometric designs, paint over it, let it dry, strip off the tape and you’ve got a piece of modern art made with your own two hands! Use your imagination! The sky is the limit. 

Make Your Own Coasters

Need something to rest that quarantini on? All you need are some tiles, paint, and decoupage! Using plain bathroom tiles, you can create a design with paint, stencils, collage materials – whatever you want! Then cover them in decoupage, let them dry, and voila! Table protectors that make you feel like the Martha Stewart of shelter-in-place crafting. 

DIY Home Projects for Builders

Okay, now we’re getting to the big stuff. The stuff that involves measuring, cutting, hammers, and nails! The biggest risks come with the greatest rewards – and besides, what have you got to lose but another few hours staring at each other inside? 

Build a Fire Pit

Nothing says summer like gathering outdoors in the evening around a bonfire. Telling ghost stories, sipping iced tea, and laughing while the lightning bugs blink around you. Luckily it’s (pretty) easy to create your own luxe little firepit! There are dozens of styles and materials you can use but you’ll need stone, cinder blocks, or some other fireproof material and a hole in the ground to start.

Check out this gorgeous stacked stone project (difficulty level: high), and this casual little cinderblock number (much easier). Looking for something in the middle? Check out Pinterest for inspiration!

Transform Pallets into Patio Furniture

If money is tight, but you NEED to escape outdoors on these long summer nights, pallet patio furniture may be just what you need! You can find perfectly good pallets abandoned behind your local Walmart, Sams, Liquor Store – any place that has goods shipped to them in large quantities really. It’s best to go inside and ask first. You can also find perfectly good pallets at the recycling center or landfill if you’re not squeamish.

With 4×4 post legs and 2×4 picket backs for support, all you really need is the wood, a few metal fasteners, nails and a hammer (or screws and a screwdriver, actually) and you’ve got yourself a pallet sofa! Cover it with some fabulous outdoor cushions and you have yourself a perfect for summer patio.

If you’re looking for some DIY home projects for summer, just talk to the designers at Kaufman by Design West! We can help you make your home a comfortable, relaxing place while elevating its style. Contact us online!