If (while you’ve been at home in lockdown) you haven’t panelled a wall in your home, introduced some colour blocking to your walls and stencilled your patio over the last year, who even are you?! I thought I’d have a look today at some of the most popular interiors DIY trends that have been around on Insta recently.
Panelling
Oh my word. Panelling is everywhere! Personally I love how it gives instant character and texture to a room. There are numerous different styles and types and it’s all really easily DIY-able. There are some amazing tutorials out there too if you fancy giving it a go. For amazing ‘traditional’ wood panelling (and loads of other ideas too!) check out Charley @thisgirldiys. She created this beautiful panelling behind the bed using wood stuck on with double sided tape – genius! She also has her own blog where she shares all her amazing DIY ideas and full tutorials on how to do it.
Another completely different panelling idea comes from @our_family_at_tulip_house, where the geometric panelling subtly echoes the angle of the stairs – really clever!
Laura @houseproject_36 created this wood panelled area behind the headboard of the bed in her spare room:
This is a really great way of giving the room a scandi feel with the natural look of the wood. Laura also has loads of other great DIYs and upcycles on her instagram to inspire you!
Panelling Caution…
Although I really do love how panelling looks, I must be getting to be a bit of an old so and so these days because I know that one day this love affair will end and we’ll all want to take it off our walls again…I live in a house built in the 1990s and I can’t tell you how painful pulling the mock-Victorian dado rails off the walls has been. No More Nails becomes evil stuff when you want to take things down that are stuck on with it – the walls are trashed! I also remember as a child lots of people having bright orange pine panelling on the their walls…mmm!!! If you like the look but don’t fancy the long term wall damage, there are lots of fantastic wallpapers around that can help to recreate the panelled effect. Here are a few ideas:
Wood Panel Wallpaper Blue – by I Love Wallpap
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Rustic Wood Effect Panel Wallpaper Natural Grey – by Mineheart.com 
Pink Panels Wallpaper – by Wall Sauce
Colour Blocking
A brilliant way to introduce a bit of colour and interest into a space, or to create an unusual effect, is with paint colour blocking. Simply tape off a section of wall (or draw your shape), pick your paint colour and off you go! This trend is super-easy, quick and cheap. With a bit of thought you can create some amazing effects:
Ellie @lifeatstaustell has to be for me, the queen of colour blocking! Among her many amazing ideas for her home, she’s created this lovely feature wall which uses 2 circles to highlight her gallery wall. An other effective approach that gives a pop of colour is to paint a section of wall around the room, such as done here by Helen @mamofboys:
A completely different effect has been created here by Rose, @Yorkshire_CulDeSac, by taking the colour block up and onto the ceiling, almost making it look like the bed has a canopy!
As it’s only paint, this trend is so easy to change up – just paint over and start again!
Painting / Stencilling Tiles
I once moved into a house where the bathroom tiles had been painted with emulsion paint which peeled off when we had a shower…not nice! However if done properly, paint can completely transform old tiles, both inside and outside the house.
Jen, @crack_the_shutters created the amazing transformation shown below by painting her bathroom tiles and then using a stencil from Dizzy Duck Designs over the top to create the Victorian tile pattern. Jen has saved a story highlight all about how she did the whole thing (for less than £100 too!) on her Instagram page.
You don’t even have to actually paint your tiles for this trend, I gave the kitchen tiles in our old house a makeover using peel and stick tiles:
Or how about taking it outside? Last summer, Sarah @thenorthernhome_ turned her boring grey patio slabs into this lovely space:
@thenortherhome has a reel and story highlights showing exactly how she did it on her Insta page.
DIY Crittall Shower Screens
I’ve seen loads of different methods for creating these screens – some involving paint, some involving electrical tape, but they all look amazing and seem to last pretty well too! Here is Sarah @houghton_no5 take on one:
Jasmine @_Ohabode, who is an absolute DIY dynamo, created her own Crittall shower screen, with full reel showing how it was done:
Jasmine’s Insta is a massive source of information and inspiration and well worth checking out if you fancy having a go at a few DIY projects!
Well I hope you have enjoyed my overview of the Instagram DIY trends that have been popping up again and again on my feed over the last few months – I love how Insta is such a great source of ideas 🙂
Kate x.
