DIY Home Organizational Projects That You Can Do Today
DIY (Do-It-Yourself) projects can be intimidating at times. This is especially true for large home renovation projects or larger pieces of furniture/decor. We’ve specifically compiled this list of DIY projects that, not only can the beginner DIYer can complete with ease, but also create something that is unique and functional. Each and every one of these examples are real projects created by our customers and are designed to help you stay organized at home.
Shelving and Clothing Racks
When home organization comes to mind, one of the first thoughts is usually shelves. Not only do they make home organization easy, but when done and designed effectively, they can be beautiful pieces of decor as well. We’ve decided to lump clothing racks into this category too as you’ll see that a few of the shelves we’ll list here include some sort of clothing or coat rack built-in.
DIY Bathroom Floating Shelf
The original title of this project was the “DIY Bathroom Shelf (For the Non-DIYer)” and there's a good reason for that. This is, by far, the easiest projects on this list and, with a bit of a decorative touch, it can also be one of the most beautiful. If you’re just starting to tackle some home DIY projects, this would be a great place to start.
This shelf project was originally built by Sam for his (at the time) home in Rochester, NY. It consists of our 61-5 Flange fittings, 84-5 - Malleable Plugs, 75-5 - Collars, and some various pieces of hardware. This project can also be done with pipe and plumbing fittings at your local hardware store, but keep in mind that, while our Kee Klamp structural pipe fittings utilize a simple set screw connection, most pipe and fittings found locally will be threaded which usually allows excess threading to show through. Local pipe and fittings also may not be galvanized and would eventually rust in a moist environment such as a bathroom. Consider the best options for you while taking on this project.
If this project seems like it fits in your home, you can take a look at the original bathroom shelf article for more information on how to build your own!
DIY Coat Rack Shelves
These two projects are the same idea with slightly different executions. You can take a look and choose a style that best suits your space, however, they are both incredibly easy projects to tackle. One of the shelves utilizes the M50-6 - Male Single Swivel Socket Member fitting (another good alternative is the slightly more cost-effective and newer 199-6 - Single Sided Fixing Bracket fitting) to affix the wood to the rest of the structure while the other shelf utilizes a 61-6 - Flange fitting. Both projects use the aforementioned flange fitting to attach to the wall. They also share a common usage of the 15-6 - 90° Elbow. One of the shelves also uses a 25-6 - Three Socket Tee, but that is a bit overkill and a 10-6 - Single Socket Tee can easily be used in its place.
This is one of our favorite projects on this list and we’d definitely recommend giving it a go!
Standard Industrial Bookshelf
This DIY shelf project is perfect for beginners. It utilizes only the 61-6 - Flange fitting and is a large enough project that will leave you feeling accomplished once it’s put together. It also allows for a lot of creative freedom with the shelving itself. You can use live-edge wood, reclaimed wood, or a myriad of other woods to achieve exactly the right look for your space. Heck, you don’t even need to use wood. Just be sure to have the correct hardware for attaching whichever material you decide on to the flanges.
The specific project shown in the picture above was built by Richard for his home office in Clearwater, FL. You can view the separate article on Richard’s bookshelf project for a more in-depth look at the design. The exact assembly instructions can also be found on the aforementioned page. If you’re looking for an easy project that looks complicated and makes a big statement, this is the one for you!
Freestanding Spiral Bookshelf
One of our customers, Bill, built this one-of-a-kind shelf for his bedroom. Here’s what he had to say about the experience:
"I needed a small vertical shelf by my side of the bed for books and magazines and this seemed a good way to do it instead of just using wood alone. I've built other items with plumbing pipe and found Kee Klamp online during my various searches. They're far easier to use than threaded pipe and are also more flexible for design options. Once I had the pipes cut and painted and the shelves cut and finished; assembly only took about 20 minutes or so."
You can view the full article with Bill’s freestanding spiral bookshelf here for a more in-depth look at the design and assembly.
Modern Coat and Shoe Rack
This contemporary coat and shoe rack combo is sure to stand out in your entryway. The best part about it? It’s incredibly simple to recreate and assemble yourself! Only four types of fittings are needed here. The 61-6 - Flange fitting makes a return to affix the rack to the wall while the 15-6 - 90° Elbow fitting is here as well. The only other two fittings needed are the 10-6 - Single Socket Tee fittings and M50-6 - Male Single Swivel Socket Member fittings (with the 199-6 - Single Sided Fixing Bracket fitting as a solid substitute) to attach the shoe basket at the bottom.
This project comes to us from the German DIY magazine, “Selber Machen” which quite literally translates to “Do it Yourself”. This is a project that absolutely anyone can feel comfortable with attempting and should be more than proud of the finished result. We estimate this project will take you less than an hour to fully assemble. Just be sure to find a nice-looking basket for the shoes and add some decorative coat hangers for the finishing touches!
Workbenches and Desks
We’ve seen a lot of desk projects in our nearly fourteen years of being in business. The focus here, however, is not on the elite gaming mega desks, but rather on the space-saving and practical setups. These projects are for the beginner DIYer that wants to be productive and functional without the need to take up so much space.
Industrial Workbench and Storage Shelf
This space-saving project was actually built by some of our old employees back in the day, Sam and Chris. This is yet another project that looks a bit intimidating and complicated at first glance, but is made incredibly simple with Kee Klamp fittings. The only fittings you’ll need for this project are the (surprise) 61-6 - Flange fittings, 20-6 - Side Outlet Elbow fittings, MH50 - Male Single Horizontal Swivel Socket Member fittings, and the 105-6 - Sheeting Clips. You’ll also need to pick up some lumber of your choice and some screws from your local hardware store.
If you have the hardware store pre-cut the shelves for you, this project should take no more than an hour or two from start to finish. You can customize the exact dimensions to fit your space, but the original workbench project and all the in-depth instructions on how to build it can be found here. This project is also a perfect gift for the handy man or woman in your life.
Wall-Mounted Desk w/ Angled Supports
This is one of, if not the most popular space-saving project we see beginner DIYers undertaking and there’s good reason for that. All you’ll need to build it is some pipe, a few LC58-7 - Swivel Flange fittings, a table top, and some screws for mounting. That’s it! This cost-effective desk project can fit into almost any space as the dimensions are customized and completely up to you. Just be sure to mount it directly into some studs or use an external piece of lumber that’s mounted into the studs already.
This project will take anywhere from thirty minutes to a couple of hours, but we promise that even the most un-handy person will be able to figure this project out with little to no issue. Like we said, this is one of our more popular projects, so we have an entire article dedicated to similar wall-mounted desks where you can take a closer look at how the projects are built and also view some more examples from our incredibly creative customers.
If there’s any project to start with on this list, it’s this one!
Miscellaneous Projects
These last few projects are ones that we didn’t quite have a category for, but still wanted to include as they are easy for the beginner DIYer to pick up while also helping you to stay organized and functional. We’re confident that you’ll find something unique here that, at the very least, inspires you to start taking on some DIY projects of your own!
DIY Full-Size Loft Bed for Adults
This project is the biggest on this list in terms of size, but that also translates into more space saved as you’re gaining an entire full-sized bed’s worth of space. Might we suggest a new wall-mounted desk in the newfound space? Contrary to popular belief, however, bigger size does not mean harder to construct. This loft bed project contains just about the same four fittings as the rest of the projects on this list, but with just a few more of them being used.
The nice thing about this project is that you’ll need a wooden platform and a mattress of course, but besides that, it can all be done with pipe and fittings alone. This project was built by Brad for his condo that he shares in Austin, TX with his wife. That’s right, this bed is sturdy enough for two! Here’s how Brad felt about undertaking this project:
"Assembly was amazingly simple and fast! I knew that, even though I had designed what I wanted, I could adjust and alter the design organically, giving me flexibility with my build."
If you’d like to learn a bit more, you can take a look at the article written specifically for Brad’s full-size loft bed project for a deeper look into the construction of the bed and the thought process behind the design. We also have a loft bed kit to take the guesswork out of measurements and designs.
DIY Galvanized Paper Towel Rack
This project comes from one of our customers, Sharon. Sharon built this rack with multipurpose in mind as it allows not only paper towels to be hung from it, but also cloth towels or rags. This is a perfect first or second beginner DIY project and only uses the L61-6 - Aluminum Flange and the L10-6 - Aluminum Single Socket Tee fitting as well as some pipe. You could even take it down a size or two if you’d like to use our galvanized fittings for more space saved.
We estimate that this project will take anywhere from ten to thirty minutes from start to finish and, besides the pipe and fittings mentioned above, the only thing you’ll need are some screws and towels to display. Sharon offered some insight into her galvanized paper towel rack project in the form of this article where you can decide if you’d like to take this project on yourself. It’s most certainly unique and is sure to stand out in any kitchen or space it’s placed in.
Bonus Project - DIY Firewood Rack
This appears to be an older project that we don’t have a lot of information on, but we wanted to place it here as it’s a great space saver for firewood and, as a bonus, it looks nice as well. The exact dimensions aren’t available, but the beauty of this rack is that you can completely customize it to fit in nearly any space. You can use the 61-6 - Flange fitting for the feet, the 21-6 - 90° Side Outlet Tee fitting for the pass-throughs and the corners, and the 15-6 - 90° Elbow fitting for the returns at the top. Depending on the length, you may need to add a couple 10-6 - Single Socket Tee fittings as well as some extra flanges for more support. We’d love to see this project be tackled and, if you do, be sure to contact us with some pictures so that we can feature you here and shoot a free T-shirt your way as a thank you.
Need Assistance in Any of These Projects or With Customizing Your Own?
Feeling inspired? Want to tackle one of these beginner DIY projects or start your own?
If you’d like any assistance with these projects or if you’re just looking for some advice on a custom one, we’re here to help! Feel free to reach out to our team for free design assistance. We’ve helped countless Kee Klamp customers design and assemble their projects over many years. We would love to play a part in bringing your project or idea to life!
