Give your home a new look with 5 mid-century modern DIY projects for $200 or less

Moskalenko has made changes to at least 70 percent of her house, and has documented most of the budget-friendly, DIY projects through Instagram. She says all of the furniture and accessories are thrifted or bought on sale, too.

Since being sheltered in place, Moskalenko has used craft supplies and paint she had lying around to upgrade her walls.

“Designing is like therapy for me,” she says. “I look at a space and can picture a thousand ideas.”

She has tutorials saved on her Instagram highlights so anyone can replicate these projects on their own. If you don’t have the materials on-hand, Moskalenko recommends getting them delivered or doing curbside pickup at places like Lowe’s, Amazon, or Target.

“Everyone’s in the same situation right now,” she says. “This is an opportunity to take care of what we have, and try something new.”

Here are 5 projects under $200 that can be completed under the stay at home order.

1. Terrazzo wall

Difficulty: Easy

Materials and cost: Four different rolls of contact paper, scissors, and a blank wall. Contact paper can be found online for under $10 a roll.

How to: Cut a few different geometric shapes from each of the rolls of contact paper. Lay them out on your floor to get an idea of how it’ll look on the wall (spacing, which shapes you like, which colors look best beside each other). Peel backing and stick the pieces to the wall.

Tips: Make sure you don’t place the same colors next to each other, but don’t worry about following a strict pattern either. And don’t use wrinkled pieces — they’ll bubble or peel from the wall.

2. Geometric accent wall

Difficulty: Easy

Materials and cost: Interior paint, painters tape, a paint roller, and a blank wall. Moskalenko says you can use leftover paint you have on hand, or order a half-gallon if you don’t have any on hand. Less than $30.

How to: Use tape to outline the shape you wish to paint, then use a paint roller to fill it in with the paint you chose.

3. Peel-and-stick wallpaper

Difficulty: Medium

Materials and cost: Peel-and-stick wallpaper and a blank wall. Under $50 a roll. (Note: Before ordering, determine which wall you’re covering and how many rolls of paper you’ll need.)

How to: Use the wallpaper to create an accent wall or elevate any room. Michelle used it in her powder room. The steps are simple — peel the backing, slowly stick to wall, smooth as you go — but lining up patterns when using multiple rolls requires patience.

4. Washi tape 3-D wall art

Difficulty: Medium

Materials and cost: Washi tape, less than $10

How to: The tape helps make any wall art pop. Once you’ve picked which piece you want to highlight, use the washi tape to create a backwards L-shaped frame (parallel to the bottom and righthand side). Use smaller piece of tape to create diagonal lines; this created the 3-D effect.

5. Powder room makeover

Difficulty: Hard

Materials and cost: Spray paint, paint, light fixtures, mirror, wallpaper, painters tape, primer, sealer, paint brush, paint roller. Under $200.

Vanity: To repaint your vanity, remove the pulls/knobs and determine whether the paint you’ve chosen requires a primer (Michelle’s did not, but a primer never hurts). Using a paint brush, apply the primer (optional). Once dry, you can begin painting with any paint brush. You’ll need several coats. Finish with a sealer. Reattach pulls/knobs.

Hardware: You can spray paint your pulls/knobs and other hardware throughout the bathroom (like the toilet paper holder). You can also replace these items with news once if you prefer.

Walls: For the accent wall, follow the peel-and-stick wallpaper instructions above. If you want to paint an accent wall, use painters tape to create an outline/make sure paint doesn’t get on the other walls/ceiling. Use a roller or brushes you have on hand to paint the wall.

Accessories: New lighting, a mirror, and floating shelves finish off the space. Michelle found her mirror at Goodwill and found the lights on sale at Lowe’s for $5.

Want to see inside more interesting properties? Check out previous Agenda Home Tour features. Related Agenda real estate guides: Best custom home builders in Charlotte, Best architects in Charlotte, and Best interior designers in Charlotte.