Janet Lee Living in a Nutshell House

CS: On the flip side, is there an item that people generally splurge on that is well suited for a DIY project?

JL: For me, it's pillows and ottomans. I see plain cotton pillows for over $100 and I cringe because they are so easy to make or farm out to your dry cleaners to sew up. My favorite trick is to find linen placemats that have fabric on the front and back, open up one seam for a pillow form and hand-stitch it closed. Many of the placemats are the same standard size as pillow forms.

I search Homegoods, eBay, or Craigslist for castoff ottomans that are easily repainted and recovered. A staple gun or upholstery nail heads finish it off and you've got a custom piece in less than an afternoon.

Tord Boontje's die-cut paper panels hung on the wall add dimension to this cookie-cutter box of a bedroom.