Easy DIY Home Decor from Wood Scraps

by

Kati

Turn your scrap wood into beautiful home decor with these easy tutorials.

Save money when decorating your home by building beautiful decor from leftover wood scraps and cut offs.

These simple DIY projects are all made using small pieces of wood, even if you do not have scraps left over from another project, you can still build them on a budget because you only need a few smaller pieces. 

And you will love how wonderful your home looks when it is filled with decor you made yourself!

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Collage of 12 of the DIY home decor items made from scrap wood.

Scrap Wood Storage Tip

If you want to make it easy to find cut off pieces to use for fun projects, store them by length.

I have a cart that has compartments for 8″, 12″, 14″, 18″ and 24″ long pieces of wood. So when I have a piece of scrap, I place it in the appropriate bin.

Then when it is time to use up my scraps, I can easily find pieces that fit the project I want to make.

This is the first scrap wood storage solution that has made it quick and easy for me to find cut offs that work for projects and, therefore, has helped my scrap piles get smaller!

Scrap Wood Decor Tutorials

Turn trash into home decor by saving the extra cut offs from other projects. You can build some amazing wood decor with just a few pieces of lumber.

Easy DIY Wood Shelf Bracket Corbels

DIY wood shelf bracket corbels with books, flowers and pictures on the shelves.

All you need is one 10″ cut off from a 2×8 board to make a set of shelf brackets!

The design of these brackets means a single jigsaw cut through the center of the board makes 2 corbels.

Use larger scraps for the shelf on top, or buy a board to create a really long shelf. Either way, you will love the savings of not buying brackets.


Easy Entryway Shelf with Mirror

Wood entryway shelf with a mirror on top and hooks for keys and bags below.

This simple shelf is perfect for an entryway. The hooks can hold keys, a purse, or other necessities you want to grab as you run out the door.

But my favorite is the simple mirror on the top. It is set into a groove and makes it quick to check your apperance before leaving the house.

Plus you can make this with just a couple small boards. Use up those beautiful boards you just didn’t want to toss for a stunning little shelf.


Simple Scrap Wood Curtain Rod Brackets

Room full of plants and white sheer curtains hung with DIY scrap wood curtain rod brackets.

Hanging curtains can get pricey! Store bought rods and brackets are expensive.

But you can make your own budget friendly curtain rod brackets with just a couple small scraps of wood.

Then to save even more money, check out my tip for what I use for the curtain rod. It cost me less $10 for this 9′ long curtain rod.


DIY Linear Wood Chandelier with Wood Beads

DIY wood chandelier with three light bulbs in a row and loops of wood beads draped below it.

Statement light fixtures are beautiful and expensive! To save me a lot of money, I DIYed one instead.

I used a scrap of 3/4” hardwood to cut out circles to string the light bulbs through and then added curved shapes to hold it all together in a line.

And to really make a statement, I also added wood beads draped below to turn my simple light fixture into a chandelier. 


Simple Modern Picture Frame Blocks

Five different modern picture frame blocks holding pictures between plexiglass sheets on a console table.

This is the perfect scrap wood project for the smallest pieces of saved lumber.

With just a few cuts, any scrap of wood can become a modern picture frame. And make a great DIY gift too!

I placed the picture between some acrylic pieces to hold it upright and they turned out amazing.


Build Easy DIY Picture Frames in 20 Minutes

I love these rustic picture frames and they are so quick to DIY. You can make one in 20 minutes, including paint. Tutorial on Houseful of Handmade.

If you prefer a more traditional picture frame, you can whip one up in just 20 minutes with this easy tutorial.

Use up any width of cut offs you have left over to build these frames. 

And to make them even faster to build, leave the wood slightly rough and dry-brush the finish for a rustic look with tons of texture. 


Easy Organizing Tray from Scraps

Organizing tray with oil bottle, salt cellar and lemons in it on a white surface.

This simple project uses not only scraps of wood, but left over tiles too. And they are so fun to make. 

I made a few different sizes of these simple organizing trays. The larger one is perfect next to the stove to hold my salt, pepper and oil. 

The smaller one I have on my desk holding Post-it notes and paper clips. 


15 Minute Wooden Star Bowl

Wooden star bowls made out of alder on a checkered backgrounds

If you need some fun bowls to hold treats, keys, rings, or anything else, why not make them.

These simple star bowls are made from 2 small scraps of wood and only took me 15 minutes to build. They are perfect for a little patriotic decor.

You will have so much fun making them, you might just start making different shapes for every season. 


Easy DIY Bookends from Wood Scraps

Art deco brass painted bookends made from scrap wood holding craft books on a desk.

To turn your bookcase from boring to decorated, you’ll need some bookends. 

I turned a variety of small scrap pieces into these beautiful art decor bookends inspired by some very expensive ones I found online. 

Mine however cost nothing since I used scraps and left over spray paint, but they look amazing!


Charming Plant Stool from Scrap Wood

Triangle plant stand with a hexagon top made from wood scraps.

If you like to decorate with house plants, you will love this scrap wood project.

I enjoy making little stools to set the plans on to give dimension to my plant collection. And it makes the smaller ones easier to care for.

Plus there are two sizes of this simple plant stool so you can make the one that fits your own plants perfectly.


15 minute Countertop Plant Stand

Make a countertop herb garden with a cedar fence picket and 3 clay pots. Its the perfect indoor herb garden planter. Housefulofhandmaede.com

This unique little plant stand holds 3 small pots. It’s perfect for making a little herb garden on your countertop.

I built it out of a left over cedar fence picket to use as decor in my outdoor kitchen. 

I love that it is functional decor. Pretty and pretty awesome to harvest my own herbs for dinner!


Nesting Plant Stands Build Plans

Nesting plant stands with navy stained tops holding plants in the corner.

If you have a lot of plants, like me, you will love these plant stands that nest together.

The smaller stand sits inside the larger one when not in use. Or use them both to create the perfect height difference between two plants. 

And this is such a great beginner project to use up scraps or left over pieces of lumber. 


Farmhouse Paper Towel Holder DIY

Kitchen sink with farmhouse paper towel holder in remodel kitchen to represent the most popular DIY projects of the year.

Did you ever think a paper towel holder could be considered decor? Only if it looks as beautiful as this one.

This simple kitchen decor holds the paper towels and has a shelf on top for soap, trinkets, or more.

It’s so pretty you won’t mind having the paper towels be on display in the kitchen anymore!


Nightstand Valet Docking Station

DIY nightstand docking station to charge phone, earbuds, and watch.

Transform wood scraps into a nightstand organizer that holds and charges all your tech.

This simple project is perfect for storing a phone, ear buds, and watch while they are charging. 

And it cleans up all the cords on the nightstand!


Gorgeous DIY Necklace Holder from Wood Scraps

Gorgeous DIY necklace stand with brass rods.

This stunning necklace holder was made with just a couple of the smallest scraps of wood.

Then I added brass rods to really elevate the look, but you can also make it with dowels (like I did for the one I made for my daughter’s necklaces in the post).

With a necklace display so pretty, you will love using it as decor too.


Easy DIY Earring Stand

Need a way to display your earrings? This easy DIY earring stand is a simple build that anyone can do in less than an hour. And it can even be made without any power tools. | Housefulofhandmade.com

Just a few small cut offs and a piece of decorative aluminum is all that is needed to make this simple earring holder. 

The simple design holds both dangling and stud earrings. With easy access to the back to secure the stud backs. 

I love that it displays and organizes all my earrings while looking pretty at the same time!


DIY Book Rest and Nightlight

Black stained DIY book rest with initial cutout on the front.

This fun project turns scrap wood into a book rest that doubles as a nightlight!

Inside the book holder is a small string of LED lights that can be turned on and off with a remote. And you can change up the colors too.

This was the perfect decoration for my son’s bedroom, and it holds his place in his book too. 


Now you are all set to turn your scraps and cut-offs into beautiful home decor.

Happy building!

-Kati with picture of blog author Kati

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