As far as window treatments go, bare blinds are probably the least appealing to the eye. They’re a bit harsh and tacky looking, whereas curtains might soften the look of a room or painted-on treatments might make your decor seem fresher. Unfortunately, most likely because this is a universal truth, there are typically blinds pre-installed into most apartments and houses.

If you’re sick of staring at ugly blinds and you want a change, you’re not alone! The video blogger behind Engineer Your Space, Isabelle Larue, is all about making changes to your home that you can do yourself, and that counts fixing up unsightly blinds.

Isabelle hated the look of her own vertical blinds, but she needed to keep them in the kitchen, where they block blinding sunlight from sneaking in. Unable to get rid of them, she instead decided to tweak the blinds so she could enjoy the look of her space without taking away their intended purpose.

Luckily, she was kind enough to share the entire process on this EYSpace video so that anyone in this situation can update their windows the same way she did hers. This is actually a very quick, easy-to-follow DIY, and it’s one that will completely change the look of your home.

Here’s all you’ll need to pull off this simple project:

• 1/4″ Wood Dowel
• Pins

It’s really that easy! The issue facing Isabelle was that her blinds were always there, even when it wasn’t sunny out. She decided to make the retractable, so she could easily pull them in and out of sight when they were needed; this at least would lessen their exposure in the room.

To do this, she removed the blinds and looped them all through the 1/4″ wooden dowel, which she then hung from the corner brackets of the window. This gave them a rod, on which Isabelle could push or pull the blinds on command.

However, there was the issue of the loops the wooden dowel was going through; they had a tendency to stick up kind of high, so that even when the blinds were tucked away, they were still visible. For this issue, Isabelle just used pins to fold the tabs down, keeping them completely out of sight when put away.

Isabelle also shows us how she re-imagined some less-essential blinds into a beautiful curtain treatment, and then updated the entire look of the window some time later. For that double DIY, you’ll have to watch the EYSpace video below.

What do you think of this way to fix your household eyesore? Do you like how she updated the blinds in her living room, too? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.