DIY Decorating Ideas

With a simple shelf, turn an unused corner into a breakfast bar or a place to chat — this one is made with live-edge wood and a DIY floating shelf kit. "The extra surface adds more eating space to the kitchen without feeling cramped," says Jenni Yolo of I Spy DIY, who designed the space and installed the shelf herself. An arrangement of fall foliage adds the finishing touch. Here's how to install your own:

1. With a tape measure, determine how high to hang your floating shelf. Use a stud finder to locate studs on the wall, lightly marking the wall with a pencil.
2. Use a level to hold your brackets straight up and down, marking the bracket holes. Drill pilot holes into the markings, the screw the brackets into the wall using long screws.
3. Secure a live-edge wood board (Yolo suggests a 12" board) from underneath with short screws.