Easy Weekend Projects to Try This Summer

Give your home a new look indoors and out with easy summer decorating projects you can tackle this weekend.

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November 25, 2014

By: Jennifer O'Neil and Kitty O'Neil

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Photo By: Courtesy of PBteen

Photo By: Photo courtesy of Kelli Wilson

Photo By: Jennifer Kesler

Add a Bright New Headboard

Add style, color and texture to your bedroom with this do-it-yourself headboard that looks anything but DIY. A great project for newbie woodworkers, this headboard can be completed in just a few hours and for less than $100.

Add Tropical Punch With Throw Pillows

Tangerine Tango is the color of the year! Pair it with pillows in resort-y white and turquoise honeycomb for a fresh, summery look. Perk up a run-of-the-mill piped pillow with an easy-to-cut-and-glue leather flower for a crafty, handmade touch. Photo by Jennifer and Kitty O'Neil

Give Hardwood Floors New Life

Graphic chevron patterns are hot, hot, hot. This summer, liven up worn hardwood floors with a fresh coat of paint in eye-catching, contrasting hues.

Create a Beach-Inspired Memo Board

Upcycle an old window into a clever memo board inspired by a stroll on a beach. Simply add a shelf and paint them both white. Tape cardstock behind each pane, colorblocking sun-bleached shades like sand, faded lime, pale aquamarine and cornflower blue. Decorate a few panes with sea-life stickers and write on the others with dry-erase markers. Photo by Jennifer and Kitty O'Neil

Add a Splash of Ikat Print

Similar to tie-dye, an ikat pattern is the result of a procedure known as resist dyeing that creates a cool, tribal-inspired print. This trendy motif looks especially chic when used in a bright hue, like these attention-grabbing aqua pin boards. Image courtesy of PBteen

Create Summer Shimmer

Give an occasional chair a modern makeover by mixing metallic silver with pops of icy lemon. Find a chair with interesting lines at a flea market or thrift store. Remove the seat and spray the chair with several coats of platinum paint. Recover the cushion with a lattice print in gray and yellow. Keep the mood soothing and relaxed with toss pillows and a soft rug in the same palette. Photo by Jennifer and Kitty O'Neil

Summerize Your Mantel

Since you're not likely to light up your fireplace in the summer, make the mantel a focal point instead. Here, cream walls make a clean backdrop for on-trend neon artwork, books and a collection of antique cameras. Design and photo by Kathryn Carnegie and Julie Doan

Add a Tribe Vibe

Go tribal by incorporating a few natural accessories in wood, bone and ebony set off by strong graphic prints. Small doses of primitive patterns in neutral brown, black and white can easily blend into almost any room. Create your own earthy accent by giving a sleek wooden tray a tribal "tattoo" that is really a skateboard decal. Photo by Jennifer and Kitty O'Neil

Make a Hula Hoop Chandelier

Thrifty design diva and host of Secrets From a Stylist Emily Henderson transformed a dollar store staple – hula hoops – into a trendy, metallic chandelier on the cheap. Here's how to create your own.

From: Emily Henderson

Ombre, Hombre

Gradual-hued ombre is everywhere, from hairstyles to napkins to dressers. Get a small dose of the trend by painting a mini jewelry chest from lazuli blue to sage. Bronze accessories and towels in terra cotta to round out this sun-warmed, Southwest-inspired bath. Photo by Jennifer and Kitty O'Neil

Add Bright Trim

Traditionally, all of the trim in a home is white, so infuse a space with excitement by painting the trim a fun shade. Summery coral paint on the trim of this family room contrasts perfectly with the main focal point of the room — the amazing blue sofa. Photo courtesy of Peppermint Bliss; photo by Emily Anderson

Neon Lights

The '80s are back on the scene in neon pink, orange, yellow and green. These eye-poppers liven up any decor, but remember that with fluorescents, a little goes a long way. Use masking tape to outline stripes on pillar candleholders, then paint each stripe a different shocking shade using — nail polish! It's not only inexpensive, but it also works well on glass.

Create Your Own Vintage Sign

Add style and function to your kitchen with a vintage-inspired sign made from plywood, paint and vintage knobs. It's ideal for storing reusable bags and baskets for farmers’ market and garden goodies.

Incorporate Vacation Finds

Heading on a summer vacation? Look for small pieces, like vases or African baskets, while traveling, and use the bold pieces to instantly freshen your home — and add a great story as well. Image courtesy of Ore Studios

Create a Book Backdrop

Add unexpected color to a white room by painting the back end of a bookcase in a hot hue, like this fresh yellow-green hue.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Add Bold, Graphic Wallpaper

This isn’t your grandmother’s floral print: Today’s hottest wallpapers are the perfect quick, easy way to create a bold accent. Get our step-by-step tips to install graphic wallpaper like a pro.

Create a Family Message Center

Keep beach trips and summer camp schedules in order by creating a custom-framed chalkboard message center.

Corral Kids' Toys, Stylishly

Summertime brings lots of outdoor playtime for kids, but that means toys can take over. Reclaim and reorganize your space like Kelli Wilson did by piling her kids’ toys into inexpensive galvanized buckets labeled with easy-to-read categories. Chalkboard labels make it easy to update labels as kids grow. A lightweight shelf, like this bright-white model, keeps the pails organized.

Add Vintage Lighting

Want your rooms to feel instantly refreshed? Swap out builder-grade lighting for a vintage-inspired piece, like these wire basket lights, and see how the mood changes in a snap. Search thrift stores and online shops for vintage lanterns, depot lights, hurricane pendants or even mini chandeliers.

From: Milk and Honey Home

Build a Factory Cart Coffee Table

Add updated style to your living room with this DIY version of the popular (and often pricey) factory cart coffee table.

Create a Sunburst Mirror

Transform an ordinary mirror into an on-trend focal point with twigs, glue and spray paint.

Create a Focal Wall With Painted Frames

Who needs art? Add a bold statement to your home this summer with empty, colorful picture frames.

How to Make a Nautical-Themed Lamp

Breathe new life into a tired accessory by wrapping natural hemp around a ho-hum lamp base and shade. This quick update is easy, inexpensive and absolutely screams "I'm ready for summer."

From: Marian Parsons

Create a Custom Upholstered Headboard

Recreate HGTV Green Home's master bedroom headboard in your home. To create this easy-to-build headboard, wrap natural linen and batting around squares of plywood.

Turn One Old Table Into Two Bright Nightstands

Turn an unused table into a pair of stylish and useful nightstands in a bright, cheerful hue with our easy-to-follow instructions.

Refresh a Lamp With a Custom Fabric Shade

Give a tired lamp a fresh, high-end look by covering the shade with trendy fabric and ribbon.

Make Easy-to-Sew Pillow Covers

Instead of springing for designer pillows, find fabric you love and make your own. Our step-by-step instructions make it easy enough for novice seamstresses.

Refresh With Butterfly Brights

Remix red, yellow, and blue primaries into orange, green, and purple secondaries for a fresh take on summer brights. These vivid colors evoke hillsides of wildflowers and wings of butterflies. Bring a butterfly garden indoors by decoupaging realistic botanical butterflies onto plates. Border them with scrapbook paper in complementary colors. Photo by Jennifer and Kitty O'Neil

Make a Seashell Mirror

Give a plain mirror coastal charm by covering the frame in shells gathered on the shore.