This Virginia Home Is a DIY-Decorated, Handmade Heaven

Many people consider DIY projects cute and all—but they can be seriously stylish too, as Chelsea Bieber has proven in her family’s home. Most of the stuff in their Herndon, Virginia, split-level was either bought used and revived, purchased new and personalized, or dreamed up and built by Chelsea and her husband, Matt.

She first discovered the world of DIY when she was on bed rest while pregnant with her twins, and the hobby evolved into an interior design biz she started with her sister-in-law Cate.

“DIY grows your confidence in creating,” Chelsea says. “Finishing one project gives you the boost you need to tackle the next.”

Her ideas are showcased around the house: cool wall stencils here, a genius nightstand update there. Happily, all of them are easy to copy. Take a look!

Entryway

DIY COATRACK: From simple shelf to fab rack, Chelsea bent thrift store spoons to make hooks, then attached them with screws.

Living Room

DIY CHEST: Chelsea loves how good rustic wood looks next to white. After sanding down this $50 Craigslist find, she painted the frame with Old White by Annie Sloan, leaving most of the raw wood exposed. (back wall)

DIY SIDE TABLE: This Target number has a great shape, but the old brushed-chrome finish got lost in the room. Spray-painted bright white (Gloss White by Rust-Oleum), it pops. (back right)

DIY ARMCHAIR: Metal swivel legs (too office-like) got replaced with tapered wood ones from Etsy. (right)

Dining Room

DIY SHELVES: To get this industrial look, Chelsea and Matt spray-
painted half-inch pipes and fittings bronze. Then they stained wood boards and drilled holes for the pipes to go through. They fit all the pieces together before anchoring the unit to the wall. (right)

DIY TABLE: After living with this World Market table’s dark finish for years, Chelsea sanded it down on a whim with an electric sander. Boom! New table.

DIY HUTCH: This thrift store score was destined to be spiffed up and sold—but once Chelsea painted it white (Ultra Pure White by Behr), she loved it too much to let it go.

DIY CHAIR: Chelsea spotted the chair on a neighbor’s curb for trash pickup and made a beeline for it. White spray paint (Gloss White by Rust-Oleum) and mud cloth fabric from Etsy transformed it into a cute li’l desk seat.

Master Bedroom

DIY MIRROR: Yes, paint stirrers have potential! Chelsea stained a bunch, broke some in half, glued them around an embroidery hoop, and put a small round mirror in the center. (left)

DIY STENCIL: The ornate bed isn’t the couple’s style, but since it’s a family heirloom, they didn’t want to cover it with paint. So they created a focal point behind it with a geometric stencil by Cutting Edge Stencils and blue paint (America’s Cup Navy by Glidden)

DIY SHELF: Each “nightstand” is a piece of white laminate board attached to wall brackets. For a two-toned look, Chelsea and Matt cut wood boards to size and glued them on top. (right)

Mason and Colin’s Bedroom

DIY CURTAINS: White curtains look anything but basic when you paint stripes on them. Chelsea used matte paint in a tan shade (Country Grey by Annie Sloan).

DIY BUNK BEDS: These were Matt’s bunk beds as a kid, but Chelsea could never open the handleless drawers. Black bin pulls to the rescue!

DIY STENCIL: A forest stands tall in the boys’ room thanks to a birch tree stencil by Cutting Edge Stencils, done with leftover paint from the master bedroom. “It’s fun and it echoes the woods that our house looks out on,” says Chelsea. (far left)