The other day I started thinking about the home DIY projects we’ve done that have made the biggest difference in our lives. A few came to mind, and I thought I’d share in case they inspire you, too.

Painted Kitchen Cabinets

This was one of our first home DIY projects. We painted the kitchen cabinets back in 2015, and they’ve held up quite well. Though there are several things I’d change about our kitchen if we had unlimited time and money, it’s pretty darn good considering where it started.

Here’s what the kitchen looked like before we painted the cabinets (and replaced the hardware, and had the vinyl flooring removed and the wood floors refinished). Yikes, right?

Basement Office

The basement office was such a big improvement that it’s hard to see how we lived with it the way it was for so long. It’s the last big home DIY project we did, and it’s giving me the itch to upgrade the rest of our basement, too.

Before:

Hanging Floating Shelves

Although yes, I do have to clean the dust off of them sometimes, I still love my floating wood shelves in my kitchen. If you’re looking to add some shelves of your own, here’s my tutorial on how to hang floating wood shelves.

Stair Landing Railing

The railing on our stairs was way too low to be safe, especially with a toddler, so I built a safer solution. (This picture is way out of date, because those hanging plants have gotten huge!)

Back Entrance Makeover

I can’t believe I almost forgot the back entrance makeover! I ripped off dated carpeting and wood paneling, repaired the surfaces, and repainted. And then I did my first tiling project, and added this cute little tiled landing. Although someday I would love to replace the poorly-fitting back door with one that has windows, it’s definitely good enough for now.

Before:

It’s clear that my kitchen has gotten the most attention in my house, and the upgrades have made it a much more pleasant place to be. Good thing, since we spend even more time in there thanks to the pandemic.

Although I’ve done lots of work on my yard, this spring/summer I have a couple of projects I’d like to tackle out there. And of course I still have a bedroom makeover to finish! (It’s 90% there, but I’m a little stuck with the last 10%, honestly.)

What’s your favorite home DIY project that you’ve done?