Written by Nick Simard on 28.09.15
As an apartment dweller, you may find yourself frustrated at the number of DIY projects you fall in love with, only to find that they are items that you can’t tackle in a rental apartment. If you are ready to give your apartment a little TLC, and bring in your own sense of style, consider these DIY projects for your Philadelphia apartment.
You can’t change the flooring in your apartment, and if you have lovely hardwoods you may not want to, but you can add your own sense of style with a rug. Instead of buying a costly rug for hundreds of dollars, add a splash of color by making your own.
Buy a high quality, but cheap, drop cloth from the hardware store and iron out the big wrinkles. Pick up a few sample sized jugs of paint and create a design on the drop cloth. Then, paint two coats of your base color on the rug, without waiting for the coats to dry between applications. The goal is to soak the fibers with paint to provide a basis for your masterpiece. Then, allow it to dry thoroughly.
Next, cut kitchen sponges into the geometric shapes necessary to make your design. Dip the sponges into the paint of choice and create your designs. When it is dry, spray with clear sealer to keep the design in place. Lay out the newly designed rug to add a beautiful bit of color to your space.
In an apartment you may not have the freedom to change wall colors, but you can add character to your walls with a DIY plank wall. Pick up some hardwood plywood. Cut strips at 4, 6 and 8 inch widths, and stain them in coordinating colors. Then, use wood glue to glue the planks in a pleasing pattern onto a plain sheet of plywood. Once complete, carefully mount on the wall, and you have a rustic, attractive look for your apartment, with just a couple of holes in the wall for mounting.
Have you ever noticed how artistic today’s scrapbook papers really are? Use them to make your own wall art. Choose nine coordinating papers in a 12 by 12 size, opting for thick, high-quality paper. Then, purchase nine 12 by 12 wood painting panels.
Paint the edges of the panels black, and stick the scrapbook paper on the front using Mod Podge. Smooth the paper and add another layer of Mod Podge. If you have wrinkles, use the edge of a ruler to smooth them out. The end result is a beautiful gallery to cover the large main wall in your apartment, or to sit above your bed in your master bedroom.
Are there areas of your apartment that are simply too cold? A homemade space heater can work well. This simple project works remarkably well, especially in a small space like a bathroom.
Take a pie tin and place five tea light candles in the tin. Light them. Then, place a small terra cotta pot over the tea lights, leaning it against the side so it is at a slight angle. Cover the hole on the inverted bottom of the pot with a tea light holder.
Next, place an eight-inch terra cotta pot over the smaller one. Allow the candles to burn for a while. In about 40 minutes, you should notice a marked warming of the air in the room.
Can you get your hands on some pallets? Use them to create a vertical garden for your patio. Get three to four pallets in varied colors, and pull the plants off of one of them to serve as the base. Pull the planks off the other pallets, and arrange them on the base in a patchwork design.
Next, use paint cans or coffee cans, without labels, as pots. Drill a few holes in the bottoms to serve as drainage, and then attach the pots to the pallets with nails. Fill the buckets with soil and plants, and use hook screws on the back of the pallet to secure it to the rail on your patio.
Each of these projects are renter friendly and will bring a splash of color and personality to your apartment. So grab a drill and a few pallets or paint cans, and get to work!
Topics: Decorating Tips
