Hammer Time | Great DIY Blogs
A designer always loves a good DIY project: No matter how big or small the task, we love an undertaking that allows us to customize and make something completely ours. Most design in the professional world involves construction drawings, specs, deadlines and budgets, so sometimes it is fun to escape, get messy and do something (relatively) quick and crafty (or invest a bit of time on something bigger)! Here are 8 awesome DIY blogs with some links to several of our favorite projects!
1. VINTAGE REVIVALS: Fantastic DIY blog with vintage flare! Some of the best before and afters we have seen on a DIY blog. One of our favorite quicker projects reuses an old leather belt to make custom dresser pulls – found here.
2. THE DESIGN CONFIDENTIAL: For those comfortable with using power tools, this blog features a DIY kit of parts for making various furniture items… it lists every single piece of material, part, cut and gives clear instructions for measuring and assembling. We love it, because you can pick and choose a piece of furniture you would like to make and then know you won’t be missing a part necessary. (click the title for the link)
3. BRIGHT NEST: This blog has a TON of DIY projects in a range of sizes. Many are related to organizing and personal home decor and a lot are really fun and simple (and could easily be done with things you may have lying around). We loved this simple update for a table fan, which gives it some color: give your table fan a color boost (link).
4. OLD TOWN HOME: The content of this blog is a little closer to This Old House (whose website is great for DIY home renovation/addition/projects), giving practical advice and tips for fix-it and DIY projects in your house. However, they also have an awesome “salvage” section that covers restoring heirlooms, vintage furniture and building elements to give them a second life (without destroying the integrity of the pieces). (click the title for the link)
5. RADICAL POSSIBILITY: This Chicago “doer’s” personality is great, which I think is one of the keys to a great blog. Besides a good blogging dialogue, she has some fun, quick projects documented on her website. When she dislikes something she tries again (and documents it), which we love because design is always a trial and error process. She claims to not be an expert or have a knack for the projects she chooses, but she says she is a “doer” which is a great way to think about DIY projects. These are great examples of her personality, willingness to change plans and simple, clever room solutions: Accidental Paint Job and Before and After Storage Space.
6. BOWER POWER BLOG: This blog is great because it includes a lot of home projects that are a bit more labor intensive. Often there are a few posts that go together (a prepping post and then a “do it” post), which better help illustrate the time and material needs for a project (most projects involve supplies and planning). We really love this wall update using wood palettes as a finish material: (link).
7. MANHATTAN NEST: This whole blog is awesome, so we can’t choose a single post to highlight – it documents Daniel, the blogger, completely redoing his “rickety old house in Kingston, New York” – showing everything from stripping materials and demolishing cabinets and walls, to laying tile, painting, and refinishing surfaces. A really awesome documentation of a very large DIY project! (linked here)
8. IKEA HACKERS: A sharing-style website based on “hacking” Ikea products and using the parts for alternative, customized projects. There are projects with varying levels if time and difficulty (which are conviently organized by the level of involvement) and there are many where you can barely tell what the original Ikea pieces were. Here are three we really love: Trunk Bar, Expedit Kitchen Storage and Counter, Expedit Refinished with Pallets.