Sometimes when you’re decorating your house or just itching for a new project it’s time to think about a new DIY option. Doing something for yourself not only gives you a cool way to decorate your home, but it also gives you a sense of satisfaction when the project is finished. When you’re thinking about a new DIY project it might be time to consider a woodworking option.
You don’t have to be an expert in carpentry to get some simple woodworking projects done for your home. There are some great ideas out there that won’t require much beyond a few basic skills like hammering or cutting a piece of wood accurately. It just takes a little research to find some simple beginner-friendly ideas.
If you aren’t sure where to start that’s okay. There are great tips and tricks, and project ideas from professional carpenters to interior design specialists to help you out. You don’t need to take on remodeling a kitchen to satisfy your DIY woodworking curiosity. Here are five simple woodworking projects you can use to decorate your home.
1. A Closet Organizer
Everyone needs a little closet remodel once in a while. You can build an organizer for your closet with relatively little woodworking skill, even if it sounds complicated right now. With some basic skills like hammering, measuring, and cutting, you’ll be able to make an organizer for your closet.
You can create an organizer that will have several levels for shoes and even a space to hang longer dresses as well as shirts above pants. Depending on how much room you have and how many rails or shelves you decide to place on the organizer you will be able to completely transform your closet.
You can also use this idea to build a wardrobe for another area of your bedroom if your closet is too small. The same general ideas apply but you’ll have a chance to add doors if you want to. You don’t have to add doors, and keeping the wardrobe or organizer as simple as possible is always going to be more beginner-friendly than adding on extra steps.
2. Floating Box Shelves
These are super simple to build and they’ll look amazing on your walls. You can make a simple box design with very few supplies and virtually zero carpentry style skills. Nail a few boards together and you have yourself a box that you can hang on your wall. Place several clustered together for a “gallery wall” look. Decorate with pictures, books, or even plants.
The floating look of the shelves will give you a chance to have a shabby chic design in your home without having to pay an arm and a leg. Depending on how you decorate them you can make the shelves blend in or stand out. You can paint them the same color as your walls for a more blended design or stain them a dark color to make them pop.
If you’re planning to fill the floating box shelves with books you’ll want to make sure they’re anchored to the wall as securely as possible. Putting anything that heavy on the shelves is likely to pull them down more easily otherwise. Even with this small extra step the shelves are still going to be easy to make and will look great in your home.
3. “Phi” Wall Art
Wall art that sounds complicated but isn’t can be some of the best art you’ll make for a DIY project. Phi wall art is based on the golden ratio, often also referred to as “Phi.” Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a mathematician to get this one right. Just a lot of small pieces of wood you can assemble with some nails and easily hang. It will look amazing and it shouldn’t take long to make.
The strips of wood nailed together in a strategic design will give your walls some intrigue and warmth. Incorporating outdoor elements in your home (like wood) is a great way to make things a little softer and more inviting. Try using this idea on a plain wall to see how much warmer your room feels after you’ve finished this project.
4. A Full Wall Wine Rack
If you have a space in your kitchen that looks a little empty this would be a great idea, especially if you’re an avid wine lover/collector. You’ll need to be able to measure accurately so your piece of wood takes up the full amount of the wall in the space you’re using, but that’s not so complicated that a beginner wouldn’t be able to figure things out with ease.
Fill the wood with evenly spaced holes sized to hold a bottle of wine. Some tutorials will show you how to make angled cuts into the length of the wood you’re using to hold the wine bottles a little more securely than just regular holes. When you finish this project you’ll have a wall decoration and extra wine storage all in one.
5. A Pallet Shelf
What if you could make cute rustic looking shelves for your kitchen, bathroom or basement with just a pallet, nails, and a saw? With a pallet shelf that’s completely possible. A pallet is easy to obtain and work with. It’s not going to require a lot of extra work and if you don’t cut it perfectly it’s pretty easy to hide since the overall aesthetic is rather rustic in general.
You can paint the pallet to match your decor or leave it plain to encourage the rustic look. Fill the shelf with whatever goes with the room. It would make a great spice holder for the kitchen, for example, if that’s where you want to put the shelf you make.
Keep in mind that if you leave the pallet plain you may want to stain it to protect the wood. Depending on what you put in the shelves they may be touched often which means they need a little extra love and care before you put them up. But, paint or stain, either way, you’ll have a new shelf that looks great and your friends will want to know where you got it.
Conclusion:
Woodworking projects don’t have to be overwhelming and impossible to do. While some of these ideas are a little more complicated (like the closet organizer) they are all still very beginner-friendly. Find a few tutorials online and you’ll be good to go. Keep in mind the ideas you’ve read here and use them to decorate your home. You’ll love the results and you’ll gain bragging rights for anything you make yourself. Enjoy!
