Decorating your apartment on a budget doesn’t mean sacrificing style and personality. Whether you live in an apartment in Anaheim, California or in Naples, Florida, with a little creativity and some DIY flair, you can transform your space into a reflection of your unique taste and style. From wall décor to upcycled treasures, this ApartmentGuide article unveils some budget-friendly DIY décor ideas to personalize your apartment from creative experts. Now, let’s get started.
Your walls are like a blank canvas waiting to be adorned with your personal touch. Here are a few DIY ideas to spruce up your walls without breaking the bank.
Macrame wall tapestry
Macrame wall tapestries are not only trendy but also relatively easy to make. All you need is some macrame cord and a basic understanding of a few knotting techniques. You can find plenty of tutorials online to guide you through the process. Hang your finished tapestry above your bed or couch for a boho-chic vibe.
The team at Patchwork, a craft workshop in San Diego, California shares how by “Using the square knot, you can make curtain ties, plant hangers, hat racks, and even curtains!”
Woven wall pieces
Channel your inner artisan by creating your own woven wall pieces. You can use yarn, fabric scraps, or even natural materials like twigs and branches. Experiment with different colors and textures to add depth and visual interest to your walls. These handmade creations will add warmth and character to any room.
Mary Miller with Make Creative Studio in Richmond, Virginia shares how you can create a woven wall hanging by utilizing “three medium skeins of yarn, a branch, a 20” or so long piece of cardboard, scissors, and a small nail and hammer.” In the following order, Mary explains how to create the piece:
- Take a skein of yarn and loop it around your 20” cardboard ten times.
- Trim the end of the yarn from the skein and cut across all the strands of yarn. Repeat with the remaining colored skeins until you have enough pieces to fill the length of the branch.
- Secure the clusters to the branch by looping them through themselves and pulling each cluster tight so they fit snugly on the branch.
- Hang by using three strands of your yarn (either the same or varying colors) and tie to each end of the stick.
- Hang from the nail onto the wall and then trim your wall hanging either straight across or in a ‘V’ shape to finish.
You don’t have to be a professional artist to create stunning canvas paintings for your apartment. Grab some inexpensive canvases, acrylic paints, and brushes, and let your imagination run wild. Whether you opt for abstract designs, landscapes, or inspirational quotes, your paintings will add a personal touch to your space and serve as conversation starters for guests.
Eli Winkelman with Austin, TX-based studio, CRAFT, shares that “you can paint on an official canvas, or you can repaint a thrifted canvas, or even better, cardboard! Even a painting of one color can be fun or a gallery wall with cardboard pieces of different sizes and different colors.”
Books aren’t just for reading — they can also double as stylish décor elements. Here are a couple of ways to incorporate books into your apartment décor:
Framing book pages
Audrey Paice with Flickering Candle Co shares how you can choose pages from your favorite books or vintage novels and frame them to create unique wall art and “thought-provoking charm.” You can pick passages that hold special meaning to you or simply select pages with beautiful typography. Arrange the framed pages in a gallery wall or display them individually for a literary-inspired aesthetic.
Redesigning books into decorative objects
Get crafty with old books by repurposing them into decorative objects. You can transform them into book planters, book sculptures, or even book clocks. The possibilities are endless! Not only will these upcycled creations add charm to your apartment, but they’ll also give new life to forgotten books.
With Dragonfly Craft Studio, Cindy Johnson shares how you can use thrifted books for “vintage-inspired home décor.” She recommends starting by “stripping the covers off books or similar sizes and then sanding the spine and edges.” After this, “Use coffee to stain the paper and bundle them together with ribbon or twine.”
Give new life to thrift store finds and outdated décor items by decoupaging them with decorative paper or fabric. Whether it’s a plain vase, a wooden tray, or a ceramic dish, decoupage can instantly elevate its appearance and tie it into your apartment’s aesthetic. Plus, it’s a fun and budget-friendly way to unleash your creativity.
To create a decoupaged jar, Kim Mowers and Barbara Alteri with The Burncoat Center for Arts and Wellness share how you’ll need “an upcycled mason jar, one large and one medium paintbrush, Mod Podge, tissue paper, scraps of decorative paper, or pressed flowers.” In the following order, Kim and Barbara explain how to create the piece:
- Clean your vessel to be decoupaged.
- Start tearing or cutting your decorative paper.
- Coat surface, working a small area at a time with Mod Podge.
- Add decorative paper, then “glue” down with another layer of Mod Podge. Repeat until you’re done.
- Let it dry overnight, then place a votive candle inside and light it.
Shelves are not just for storage — they’re also an opportunity to showcase your personality and interests. Mix and match books, photos, souvenirs, and trinkets to curate a display that tells your story. Add personal touches like framed family photos, travel mementos, or DIY crafts to make your shelves truly one-of-a-kind.
Shauna Coit from Redeemed Decor adds how “decorating shelves with small items that fit your style” is an “easy way to make an apartment feel like home.” Additionally, she recommends “bringing in patterns, colors, wood tones, and textures that show your style.”
For those who are looking for a DIY décor project that offers a next-level challenge, Caylor Forge of Caylor Forge and Leatherworks shares how you can create a napkin holder out of copper wire with “¼ inch copper tubing, a constant swing pipe cutter, a MAPP torch, at least a six-inch deep bucket, and optional steel wool.” By heating the copper and bending it into the positions necessary, you can achieve the shape you’re looking for, but be sure that you consult with an expert for additional instructions.