Easy DIY Home Projects for a Fresh, Minimal Look

Hi friends, and welcome to Friday Favorites. Today I thought we could chat about one of my favorite things to do during summer vacation. That means tackling small DIY home projects. Think redecorating, painting, rearranging, and a little tidying up.

I know, I know. Some of my friends and my husband think I’m a bit crazy. After working full time all year round, you might think I would want to completely stop working and take a good rest. But I really enjoy these kinds of projects, and it doesn’t feel like ‘work’. Of course, I like a day or three without doing anything. But those days come after I finish my project.

Why I Love Easy DIY Home Projects for a Fresh, Minimal Look

I love making spaces feel cozy and want them to feel calm, comfortable and lived in. A place that really makes you want to spend time. I love how even small changes can make a big difference. A fresh coat of paint, moving furniture, cleaning out a messy corner, or even adding hooks all add up and make me happy. I guess you could even call them DIY home projects, as self care. Ha, why not huh?

Podcasts, Audiobooks, and Background Noise

When I’m doing DIY, I like to have something playing in the background, like a podcast or audiobook. This time, I couldn’t find one that hooked me, so I hopped around a lot. Lately, I’ve also been listening to political commentators, which might seem like an odd choice for someone so anxious about world events. Surprisingly, I’m okay with that these days. I’m not as enthusiastic as I used to be, even though there are a lot of things going on in the world that are stressing me out.

When this all gets too much, I turn to Doc Martin. I’ve watched it so many times that I can visualize the scenes, so I just listen to all the funny things that happen while enjoying the relaxing show.

Small Project, Big Fun

I love how these small DIY home projects make a big difference. I can’t fix the world, but I am Can paint the walls, organize the room, or tidy up the corners. Doing these little things makes me feel calm and in control, and that’s the kind of rest I need.

Where It All Began

OK, so let’s go back to where it all started. Ikea, of course! It is always a source of inspiration for me because all the looks look so friendly and comfortable. I’ve heard that if you have more than a few Ikea items in your living room, it will make it look cheap. Oops, I have more than a pair, so that’s a shame, haha.

I went to Ikea with a friend for a free gingerbread house making event, and we walked around while we were there. The curtains in my living room are starting to look dull, some even shed tears because the cats are trying to scratch the window sill. Stupid girls. So, I ended up buying some new curtains. What I love about Ikea is that almost everything is quite affordable.

One Thing Always Leads to Another

When I got home, I decided that if I was going to put up new curtains, I might as well take down the Christmas tree, wash the couch cover, the mat under the coffee table, and clean the entire area.

A few days later, everything looked neat, except for the pile of papers on my husband’s small table in the living room. He needs a new desk, or maybe I do, because I’m sick of seeing piles of papers on his ugly brown desk.

Desk Solutions

So I made another trip to Ikea, which luckily for me, is only a 10 to 15 minute drive from my house. I picked up a white Micke desk and a Råskog trolley, which would solve the paper pile problem. Before I left, I measured everything carefully to make sure it would fit in the small area where the original table was.

Here’s the original clunky table, which I managed to sell in a day on Facebook Marketplace for $20. What a win!

Ikea now has step-by-step instructions on YouTube. There were still no words, but it made things easier.

One Little Problem

The new table looked great, but I noticed that the wall it stood on had some traces of pictures I had hung millions of years ago, and a bit of the paint had peeled off. Ugh.

A room I always avoid

Honestly, the living room is the only room I haven’t painted white like the rest of the house. I started about two and a half years ago with the goal of painting all the rooms white. Previously it was a sandy color called Grand Piano at half strength. But I stopped and never made it to the living room. To be honest, I have no desire to paint it, even though I keep saying I will.

That patch on the wall didn’t look good, so I thought, bingo, I’ll go to Bunnings and buy a sample pot of the Grand Piano color, and no one will know.

Wrong. The problem with the paint is that even though I get the exact same color, when I paint over the patch, it’s much lighter than the existing color. I don’t know if it was the age, the light, or the paint buildup, but something wasn’t right.

Doing Everything

So instead of just painting a little, I thought, that’s OK, I’ll go a little further and it will all come together. It’s easy. I went to bed thinking positive thoughts that when I woke up, everything would look mixed up. Wrong again.

So I said to my husband, that’s it, I’ll take the plunge and paint the living room like I said. He looked at me, a little pained, and said, don’t worry, I’ll pick the basil from the pot and make pesto. I said, great, I’d rather paint the whole room than make pesto.

So he headed off to the front garden, and I headed off to Bunnings to paint.

The first layer is done on one wall, and more is left.

It took me a full day to paint, but I think it was all worth it. When we returned everything the next day, I loved how clean, bright, and fresh everything looked. I’m not confident with color, and I prefer a simple and minimal look, so white felt right for me.

Not just white. This is Casper White at a quarter strength. Haha.

And yes, I kept a small gap in the curtain so the cats could still climb into the window. I have learned my lesson.

Although I did all the prep and painting, Sam and Steve helped move the furniture. And Steve makes sure I eat and drink throughout the day. I can get carried away when trying to complete a project and neglect basic needs. Good grief!

Oh yeah, and here’s a new desk and trolley for paperwork, with the wall that started it all. Can you find anything wrong? Yes, that’s the wooden plinth next to the wall, the color is yellowish and disgusting. That’s my next project – painting the door trim and baseboards.

Some Other Things

I’ve also done a few other DIY tiny house projects. I printed some photos at Officeworks and replaced the photos I had in the hallway from our visit to Wendy Whitely’s Secret Garden.

Now we have photos from our trip back in January, Valley of Fire State Park with its fiery red rock formations, Monument Valley on the Arizona-Utah border, and Horseshoe Bend in Arizona. Can you believe that this week it will be exactly one year since we started our journey?

I got a new clock that works, again from Ikea. We had a dark brown one that stopped a few years ago. Ha, would you believe Steve got attached to it because it was a wedding gift? I managed to convince him to let it go. It’s time to move on, and I’m sure it’s bad feng shui to have a clock that’s stuck on time, right?

I also bought a new plant. I’ve had a Monstera for several years, and now I have a Monstera called Gray Star. The leaves open during the day and gradually begin to close in the afternoon. But I swear I’ve seen it move – scary!

Lastly, here is my coffee table with a white tray that I bought at Kmart. Now, everything on the coffee table doesn’t look like it’s floating around and messy. They finally have a nice new house. In the realm of interior design, I have created sketches to anchor my items. Quite luxurious, huh? 😂

In the park

When spring came, I ran out the first weekend to buy some plants for the front garden. They grow beautifully in the full sun we get every day. We also got good at watering it, and the neighbors often commented on how pretty it was whenever I saw it outside.

There was a small patch in front of our place that I never worked on, and it was full of weeds and overgrown plants. A few days ago, I cleaned everything out and planted some small flowering plants that should thrive in the shade. For the life of me I can’t remember what they were called, but I’m sure they will look beautiful when they grow up.

Wow, that was a longer post than I intended. If you stick around to the end, you’re truly a champ, and I appreciate you stopping by to read all about my DIY home projects. I had a lot of fun updating several areas of the house, and it really makes me happy to share it with you.

That being said, I think I’m ready to hang up my brushes (once I finish the baseboards) and enjoy another week of summer vacation.

I’m excited for the weekend, especially Sunday, because it looks like my traveling cousins ​​are coming so we can start booking and planning our next trip abroad. I can’t wait to share it all once we commit financially and there’s no turning back. Don’t want to jinx anything!

Happy weekend!