DIY Decor

Designer Mark Montano is an advocate for the imperfect—the flawed, special, and soulful products of pure creativity. He brings his message home in The Big-Ass Book of Home Décor, out this month from Stewart, Tabori & Chang. Chock full of colorful photos by Auxy Espinoza, the book offers step-by-step instructions for more than 100 crafty projects, from overhauling a boring coffee table and working magic with handpainted slipcovers to transforming plastic office folders into a Moroccan-inspired stained glass window and creating a shimmery "exploding sconce" from bits of broken mirrors (don't forget your safety goggles!). Got IKEA? Montano devotes an entire chapter to putting your own twist on pieces from the megastore. And if you don't like your creation, "Give it to someone who does, or just start over," he advises in the book's introduction. "Better yet, give it to someone you don't like and make them display it!"