8 DIY decoration ideas with flourishes for a playful home

Swirl accent wall

Get creative and paint a bold squiggle on a wall in your home. Use a level and painter’s tape to draw horizontal and vertical lines. Connect your straight lines with irregular curves and loops. Paint a single squiggle along the length of your wall, or opt for a squiggle as a border around your TV or gallery wall.

Squiggle Bank

Spruce up your entryway with a homemade scroll bench. Cut two end pieces (17.5″ x 30″) and a top piece (17.5″ x 52.5″) from MDF plywood. Then cut two apron pieces (6″ x 52″) that will hang over the sides of the bench. Trace a scroll pattern on the top of both end and apron pieces and trim the scroll edges with a band saw or jigsaw. Give the pieces a quick sand and coat them with primer and paint. Finally, assemble the entry bench with a drill and glue.

Decorative pillow

This colorful pillow looks complicated, but it’s simple and easy to make. Start with a purchased pillow and a thin cord (in contrasting colors). Pin the cord to the pillow to hold it in place. Use the cord to create your unique squiggle pattern, securing the cord as you go with a needle and thread, by threading the thread over the cord and into the pillow.

Curved rope wall art

If you like the look of scroll decor but don’t want to paint your walls, try this DIY mural. Wrap colored yarn around six 15-foot-long pieces of cotton cord. When each cord is completely wrapped, lay it out in the desired scroll shape. Cut four equal-sized pieces of pine wood that will span the distance between the far left and far right sides of the first curve. These pieces will hold your scroll shape in place.

After sanding and pre-drilling the pieces of wood, place the cords between the wood and secure them with small screws and washers. Repeat for the second curve, hot-gluing the ends of the bent cords together to ensure they keep their shape. Finish the project by hanging the squiggle art on your wall using small nails or screws that can be hidden between the cords.

Squiggle coffee table

If you want to bring flourishes into your home in a more abstract way, this idea is for you. To build a flourish coffee table, trace a flourish pattern onto plywood and cut it out with a band saw or jigsaw to form two basic pieces. Lightly sand the pieces and then apply primer and a paint of your choice. Once it’s dry, push the centers of the two pieces together and place a circle of tempered glass on top.

Squiggle pendant light

To make your own squiggle light, apply paper mache medium to the top half of an exercise ball (trust us on this one), making sure to create a squiggle edge as you go. Continue applying paper mache until it is ½ to 3⁄4 inch thick. Once it is completely dry, remove the exercise ball and give the light a coat of primer and paint.

To complete the lamp, cut a 12″ circle out of cardboard and drill two holes – one in the center of the cardboard and one in the center of the light fixture. Thread a pendant light cord through the cardboard and the bottom of the shade so that the cardboard rests inside the lamp. Attach the lamp to a plug set and stand back to admire your handiwork.

Decorative lampshade

Give an old lamp a new lease of life by making a DIY swirl lampshade. Simply draw swirls on a plain lampshade using fabric markers or paint. Cut the bottom of the shade along the swirl line to create a jagged edge. To finish off the project even further, paint the lamp base a bold color that matches the cheerful aesthetic of the lampshade.

Knotted scroll cushion

Make a unique knot pillow out of fabric scraps. At home, sew pieces of fabric together to form a long tube (the length will depend on how big you want your knot pillow to be). Turn the tube over and sew a circle of fabric to one of the ends. Finish the pillow by turning it right side out, stuffing the tube with fiberfill, and sewing another circle to the other end of the tube. Tie the pillow in a knot to give it its final look.