15 Minute DIY Home Makeovers

Design blogs often tout a weekend of painting as a “quick” way to makeover a room. However, when we think of a quick makeover, we think in minutes not hours. To prove that you don’t need oodles of time to indulge your inner design diva, we’ve rounded up a collection of home decorating projects that offer instant gratification.

Check out these interior design ideas that add style to any room in just 15 minutes.

Give Old Furniture New Legs

Changing the legs on a chair, table or couch can make a huge difference in its overall look. Sometimes, it’s as simple as screwing on a new set. Tired of traditional? Switch out the old legs for something sleek and modern. Want more color or something with more height? Honey Badger Home shows how she upgraded her couch with a set of mid-century modern legs.

Add a Rustic Headboard Using Salvaged Pallets

Reclaimed wood is a hot design trend. Do a reclamation project of your own with this 15-minute headboard assembled from wood pallets put together by Live Simple Natural. All they need is a bit of clean up. Though, if you want to spend more time, you could also sand them down and give them a shine with linseed oil or beeswax.

Style a Vignette That Reflects Your Life

Home stagers and interior designers build vignettes to give a room the perfect balance of showplace and lived-in reality. Making Lemonade shows how to create a vignette that reflects your personality. Change it several times a year to keep your home feeling fresh.

Use Throw Pillows to Add Color or Texture

Pillows are a fast and inexpensive way to change the color scheme of a room. Transform a beach-inspired cottage to a space with retro chic by substituting cool blue throw pillows from some with a strong pattern. Ten June created a cozy feel by dressing up a plain white sofa with pillows in different patterns.

Switch it up With a Slipcover

Slipcovers offer a low-risk opportunity to be whimsical and experiment with your design style. Take a tip from Tatertots and Jello and try on a bright color or be adventurous with patterns. If you don’t like it, change it again.

Ditch a Dated Lampshade

Old light fixtures can make a room look dated. Often, the only thing you need is a new lampshade to bring a drab room into the modern era. The V Spot brought more texture into her dining room with a burlap shade.

Make a 15-Minute Window Valance

It will take you longer to pick out fabric than to make this easy valance from 2IY. You can save even more time if you skip the sewing with a roll of fusible fabric tape. For extra punch, frame the leftover fabric and make coordinating artwork in five minutes.

Give a Chair a Custom Embellishment

This thrift store find on Mr. Goodwill Hunting went from common to classy in less than 15 minutes with the addition of a monogram. Use a stencil and fabric paint or create a custom iron-on from your favorite fabric.

Revive Old Chairs With New Fabric

Get rid of tired fabric with little more than a screwdriver and a staple gun. Like Thrift Core, you can reupholster a side chair in about 15 minutes, or take an hour and give new life to your entire dining room set.

Get Stylish Storage With Wrapping Paper

Why spend hours waiting for paint to dry? Wrapping paper is the secret behind this high-style storage unit. Use the instructions on 24 Cottonwood Lane to spruce up any flat surface from an inexpensive bookshelf to a coffee table.

Update Cabinets With New Hardware

If you’re not ready for a complete kitchen renovation, HomeJelly shows that you can still make a dramatic difference by changing out the hardware on your cabinets. Drawer pulls and knobs are a wonderful way to customize a kitchen because they come in an array of finishes to match any style. Plus, it’s as simple as turning a screw.

Dress Up Your Light Switch Covers

Most homes come with boring, manila light switch covers. Updating this often-overlooked detail will give your room a designer’s touch. Buy new switch plates at the local hardware store or check out this tutorial from Crab + Fish to quickly create a set of custom covers with washi tape.

Make the Dining Room Look Brand New

One of the quickest ways to improve the look of any room is to clear out the clutter. Clean up a space that tends to collect junk, like the dining room table or the table in the entryway. Her Baby Steps shows that as little as 15 minutes can make huge difference.

Rearrange the Furniture

Listen to The Decorologist and get a different perspective on your home by rearranging the furniture. Build a conversation area, choose a new focal point or swap a few accent pieces from other rooms.

Change the Rug

A makeover that starts at the bottom can have a big impact. Big and bold or soft and neutral, a rug lays the foundation for the rest of your decorating choices. Use a new rug to tie together a color scheme or add pizzazz to a lifeless floor like Mox & Fodder did.

Rotate Your Art Collection

Have you ever noticed that, after a while, even your favorite art tends to blend into the wall? Act like a collector and try rotating your art every few months. It’s fun to curate items that inspire you; you don’t even have to move the nails if you don’t want to. If you don’t have enough art to rotate, Interiors by Kenz shows how to make your own in 15 minutes.

Do a 12-Minute Home Energy Makeover

If you’re feeling stagnant and uninspired, it could be the energy in your home. Open a window, burn some sage and use feng shui to rejuvenate your space. The Tao of Dana offers these 10 tips that can be completed in 12 minutes or less.

Bring Home a Bouquet of Flowers

Give in to the impulse and bring home a colorful bouquet from the market. Few things liven up a room like fresh flowers and plants. With a glass vase and these instructions from House of Earnest, you can make a store-bought bunch look like a professional arrangement in just a few minutes.

Fake a Furniture Facelift With Panyl

Tired of the minimalist look of your old IKEA furniture? PANYL, as seen on Apartment Therapy, comes pre-cut in a variety of faux finishes that will turn a ho-hum dresser into a high-end art piece. Contact paper is another simple way to reface your furniture, but will require a bit more time to trim it to size.

Cover Your Back Splash With Contact Paper

We’ve seen quite a few creative uses for contact paper, but this idea from Remodelaholic is truly ingenious. Makeover a tile wall with a designer pattern in a fraction of the time. It’s also a smart way to test out different colors before committing to a full remodel.

Back Your Bookshelf With Pretty Paper

Give a boring bookcase a custom makeover by covering the back like The Shabby Creek Cottage. All you need is decorative paper and double-stick tape. Scrapbook paper is the perfect height for 12-inch shelves. Wrapping paper or fabric can easily be cut to fit as well.

Take the Curtains Up a Notch

Add architectural drama by hanging your curtains high and wide. This works for any room in the house—even the bathroom. Young House Love shows how an extra-long shower curtain, hung near the ceiling, creates a feeling of luxury and makes the room feel taller.

Hang Placemats as Creative Wall Art

Still looking for the perfect painting to fill that large white wall? Ikea Hackers suggests using placemats as a quirky alternative to large-scale artwork. Use solid-colored shapes for a geometric theme, or find placemats with an image that will have visual interest when repeated. Pop art, botanical prints and bold patterns are good choices.

Replace the Bedding for a Quick Fix

Even in the bedroom, accessories are an important part of decorating, and you can make a big impression with just one change: get new bedding. Energize the room with a strong pattern like in this room from Chuzai Living, or create a serene space for relaxing with a monochromatic color scheme and lots of texture.

Layer a Collection of Mirrors

Open up a small room and make it seem larger with mirrors. Display them on opposite walls to create the feeling of depth. Put one across from a window or a light fixture to brighten up a room. For the Love of a House shows how to layer a collection of framed mirrors on a mantle or dresser to reflect the most space.

Make Time to Make a Change

No matter how much you loved your home when you first decorated it, chances are your tastes have changed. With just 15 minutes, you can start a home makeover that shows off your current style. Armed with this list of easy projects, you can update a room any time the mood strikes.