Living with roommates comes with its quirks: rotating cleaning schedules, shared fridges, and occasional noise disputes. But one of the most important elements that’s often overlooked is how to make the space feel like home for everyone. Creating an environment that reflects each roommate’s personality while still maintaining a cohesive, welcoming space is a challenge, but a fun one.
Luckily, there are plenty of DIY projects that can help roommates bond, make the apartment feel cozier, and personalize shared spaces without spending a fortune. Here are some creative and achievable DIY ideas that bring personality into your apartment.
1. A Custom Entryway Organizer
Shared apartments are often home to a cluttered pile of shoes, keys, and mail. A DIY entryway organizer can instantly give structure to the front of your apartment, keeping it nice and tidy.
Use reclaimed wood or even old crates to create a mounted organizer. Add hooks for keys, a shelf for mail, and a cubby for your roommates’ shoes or bags. Each roommate can decorate their section how they want, whether that’s with their initials, favorite colors, or even mini photo frames.
This DIY idea sets a welcoming tone every time someone walks through the door.
2. Collaborative Wall Art
A great way to bond with roommates is by creating a large collaborative art piece together.
Try a canvas collage using old magazines, prints, and photos that reflect everyone’s interests. Or go abstract with paint splatter techniques using your favorite shared playlist as inspiration. The result is a one-of-a-kind piece of art that everyone had a hand in creating — literally.
This type of DIY doubles as both decor and a memory you’ve made together.
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3. DIY Bar Cart or Coffee Station
Whether you’re all coffee fanatics, wine lovers, or soda fans, creating a DIY bar cart or coffee station will bring you function and flair. Start with an inexpensive rolling cart or repurpose an old side table.
Use jars and containers to organize supplies, hang a mini chalkboard for drink specials, or label mugs with each roommate’s name. It’s a great focal point for the kitchen or living room, and it invites everyone to enjoy it.
Plus, it’s easy to customize depending on the season! Think hot cocoa in the winter or iced drinks in the summer.
4. Privacy Corners
Even in the most social of apartments, everyone needs a little alone time. One creative DIY solution is setting up “privacy corners” or mini nooks in communal areas.
Use tension rods and curtains to section off a reading nook or add a small bookshelf and cozy chair in a quieter area of the apartment. Soft lighting, a small rug, and personal decor like framed photos or favorite books can turn it into a quiet escape.
Having a personal retreat (even in a shared space) can improve harmony in the household.
5. Rotating Wall Calendar or Message Board
Communication is super important in shared living situations, and a handmade wall calendar or message board can help keep everyone on the same page.
Use a corkboard, dry-erase board, or even a painted chalkboard wall. Divide it by week or month, and let each roommate claim a color or section. You can note cleaning schedules, grocery needs, events, or even roommate birthdays.
6. Shared Plant Wall or Indoor Garden
Plants bring life into any room, and when shared among roommates, they become a group responsibility (and joy). Build a simple plant wall using wood pallets, hanging planters, or floating shelves.
Assign different plants to different roommates, or care for all of them together. This encourages shared responsibility and brings a sense of calm to the apartment. If someone has a green thumb, let them lead the charge.
Even better? You can turn it into an indoor herb garden and use it for cooking together.
7. Personalized Storage Bins and Labels
Storage often becomes a nightmare in shared homes, especially in bathrooms or kitchens. A quick DIY solution is to customize storage bins and labels.
Buy simple bins from a dollar store and customize them with paint, washi tape, or chalkboard labels. Assign each roommate a bin in shared spaces like the fridge, pantry, or under the sink.
It keeps things tidy while reducing potential roommate tension over missing or misplaced items.
8. Photo Wall or Memory Corner
Creating a space for shared memories can nurture the emotional connection between roommates. Whether it’s photos from a Halloween party, polaroids from movie nights, or candid kitchen moments, a photo wall adds warmth and nostalgia.
Use string and clips, a DIY pinboard, or washi tape frames to keep it budget-friendly and low-effort. Rotate the photos every few months to keep the memory wall fresh and relevant.
It’s not just decoration; it’s a snapshot of your shared life.
9. DIY Light Fixtures or Mood Lighting
Overhead lighting is often harsh and uninspiring. With a few easy DIY tweaks, you can warm up the atmosphere in a shared apartment.
Try making mason jar lanterns, hanging paper lanterns with fairy lights inside, or even painting lampshades for a more custom touch. Different rooms can have different moods. Think cozy in the living room, energetic in the kitchen, and calm in the bedrooms.
10. Group Movie Night Setup
If your shared apartment doubles as a social space, setting up a cozy movie night corner is a fantastic idea. Hang blackout curtains, create a soft floor seating area with old mattresses or bean bags, and build a small projector shelf if needed.
Use a blank wall or sheet as the screen, and decorate the space with posters from your favorite movies. It’s a low-budget project with high impact; perfect for relaxing or hosting friends.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need expensive furniture or professional decorators to turn a shared space into a home. With a little creativity and cooperation, you can build a space that’s functional and also meaningful for everyone involved.
Whether it’s building something together, adding personal touches, or simply finding ways to coexist more comfortably, these DIY ideas help make shared living more harmonious and enjoyable.
Former airline pilot Marco Giannini has explored 80-plus countries and now designs immersive, budget-savvy itineraries. He joined us in 2024 to share packing lists, cultural etiquette, and eco-friendly lodging picks that turn dream trips into doable plans. Between flights, Marco mentors student aviators, maps coastal cycling routes, and brews Italian espresso for fellow travelers at community hostels during layovers worldwide.
