The Secret to These Chic Wall Hooks? This Children's Toy

When we moved into our house three years ago, we put our bedroom together with the hand-me-down, thrifted, and broken bargains that we moved from our apartment. We made it as comfortable as possible but our dressers had huge footprints without much actual storage, our bed frame was about to snap and because it felt a little hodge-podge, it wasn’t a space I cared to keep as clean as the rest of the house.

Then, earlier this year, we decided to replace our lead-painted windows. Because of health and safety regulations associated with lead dust, our family was asked to move out of the home for three weeks—along with every single piece of furniture, rug, and accessory. Moving out of our home at the beginning of quarantine in March was one of the most surreal things I've had to do, but what it did give us was the opportunity to reimagine our spaces. We decided to give our bedroom a fresh start.

After we got the go-ahead to move in, we set up the new bedroom layout. It felt mostly finished, with the exception of a large wall that felt really bare. We have a large mirror over a tall dresser on one end of the wall and sizable artwork on other walls in the room, so filling the empty space with something substantial didn’t feel like the way to go—but leaving it blank felt too stark. To keep it minimal, cohesive and functional, I chose to try out a clever DIY wall hooks idea I came across a while ago. The pegs really make a difference to a wall that felt boring and I love how they brought the warm, light wood from the furniture to the walls.

The best part? It was almost free because I used these small wooden children’s blocks and tools we already had. The only pieces I had to buy were the hanger bolts. Another great aspect of this DIY? It took less than 15 minutes from start to finish.

Materials:

• Set of Wooden Blocks
• ¼ -inch x 2 ½-inch L Hanger Plain Center Bolts
  
  

  Tools:

• Electric Drill with 3/16” or 7/32” bit
• Pliers
• Pencil
• Small level

Instructions:

1. On one end of each block, mark the pilot hole position with a pencil. Take note that specially shaped blocks like arches and triangles should be positioned where the bolt will not come through the other side.
2. Carefully drill pilot holes in one end of each of the blocks.
3. While holding a block, use pliers with the other hand to guide the blunt end of the hanger bolt into the pilot hole until secure.
4. On the wall, mark where the finished hooks should go with a pencil and use the drill to create a shallow pilot hole into the wall.
5. Screw the hook by hand until tight onto the wall. Use a level to adjust.

Would you try this DIY out? Pssst, you could also paint them in fun colors!

---