I used to see chalkboards as a somewhat messy canvas on which children would express their creativity with colorful, dust evoking chalks. When I was little, there was a line of chalkboards in one corner of my pre-school, and that is without a doubt where my mom would find me most days when she came to collect me.
In my recent, more adult life, however, I have found an entirely new love and need for them: note taking. I am an avid note taker, mainly because my brain sometimes works too fast for me to keep up with it, and if I didn’t write things down, I would never remember them. I have a vast range of notebooks which obviously serve the purpose of jotting down notes, but they aren’t then easily visible, and I have to remember which notebook I have written things in.
Chalkboards completely eradicate this problem, and I have found having one or two around my house a lifesaver. Especially in the kitchen, they are a fantastic way of making grocery lists that everyone can add to, leaving notes for one another or remembering times and dates. Trust me, try out one of these DIY chalkboards and it will only be a couple of days before you are obsessed.
DIY Chalkboards – Fun Wall Art
1. Ornate Framed Chalkboard
By putting any chalkboard into a fancy looking gold frame like the one in this example, you instantly make it look more presentable and expensive, meaning you can use it for parties or events. I love the idea of using this Ornate Framed Chalkboard to display a menu at a dinner party, and it can, of course, be used time and time again.
Similarly, if you wanted to go for a more toned down look, you would use basic, block color frames to hang your chalkboard in any room of the house. You can buy sheets of chalkboard inexpensively in many DIY stores, or just as easily use chalkboard paint on a thick piece of card to fill the frame.
2. Leaning Chalkboard
Because this Leaning Chalkboard isn’t intended to be mounted onto a wall, it means that it is quickly moved around the house, something which is extremely handy if you have kids who are desperate to draw on it while you’re trying to get dinner made.
The kind of rustic frame makes it look stylish so that it won’t look out of place or chunky in a room. Being long and thin it will fit perfectly in little corner spaces, and I already have a small nook of my kitchen designated to housing this. Its length also means that it can be multi-use, a kids’ canvas at the bottom and grocery list at the top.
3. Chalkboard Coat Rack
I have never seen chalkboard paint in a spray form before, so I am happy to have been introduced to that by this Chalkboard Coat Rack DIY.
By the front door is another place, as well as in the kitchen, that I find it incredibly useful to have a chalkboard. Whether it’s leaving myself a little note to remember to bring my keys, or leaving a sweet little note to the others in the house to have a good day, it’s a useful thing. Anything that is multi-use gets a big thumbs up from me, and of course, this chalkboard doubles up as a cool, rustic looking coat rack.
4. Framed Magnetic Chalkboard
Because I found chalkboards useful before, imagine how I felt when I saw this one which is also magnetic. Double the efficiency, double the fun.
You could buy some pretty magnets and use this Framed Magnetic Chalkboard as a place to keep letters that need urgently responded to or school forms which need to be filled out so that you don’t forget them. Because the paint doesn’t cover the whole wall space, it looks far neater being enclosed within a frame. I love that, in this example, it has been used as a piece of motivational wall art, and you too could do this if you didn’t see yourself using it another way.
5. Chalkboard File Cabinet
I am obsessed with the idea of giving my file cabinet a complete chalkboard style makeover. The black chalkboard with the baby pink detailing in this example just looks so sleek and stylish to me, and I am desperate to get one made for myself.
This Chalkboard File Cabinet would take something rather unsightly and turn into a genuinely attractive piece of storage to have in a room. Having the ability to write on the outside of the drawers also means that you can be super organized and know exactly what is inside each drawer. If you don’t have an actual file cabinet, you could easily apply this DIY to any set of drawers or storage unit.
6. Chalkboard Wall
I have a Chalkboard Wall in my bedroom at my parents’ house, and to this day I still enjoy having a little doodle on it from time to time when I am there. During my exams at school I would pop up my favorite motivational quotes, during study periods I would write to-do lists, it was just the perfect place to write anything that was helpful for me to be able to see clearly.
Putting a chalkboard wall in any kid’s bedroom will mean hours of fun, and they will love having their friends round to draw on it with them. You can also use it to your advantage this way too, using it to remind them of their weekly chores or homework.
7. Large Framed Chalkboard
The good thing about this Large Framed Chalkboard is that the chalkboard paint is applied to a piece of plywood which is then framed, as opposed to being painted straight onto the wall meaning that it can be moved easily.
Having been a student I am no stranger to the ‘no marks whatsoever on any walls’ rule, so this would have been perfect for me to make when putting chalkboard paint straight onto the walls wasn’t an option. This DIY could be adapted to make any size of a chalkboard, but I love the idea of having something as substantial as this and the possibilities that it allows.
8. Chalkboard Table
This DIY is a little bit outside of the organizational chalkboard theme, but I just couldn’t leave it out. When I was younger, my mom would often put sheets of paper or newspaper down for us to draw on with crayons while we waited for food, and this Chalkboard Table seems like an even better version of that.
Small wooden tables like the one in this example are easy to come by, if you don’t have one already that is, and are most often inexpensive. This would take you a couple of minutes to make, and your little ones would be kept busy for hours.
9. Chalkboard Calendar
The number of times I have had to scribble things out, write over things and move things around with clumsy arrows on my calendar is ridiculous and renders useless all the effort I put in at the beginning of the year to find a pretty looking calendar for the kitchen.
Low and behold, the Chalkboard Calendar is here to solve all of my problems. I don’t know why I never thought of this before, but it is pretty genius, and I will most definitely be making one. The fact that it is painted on canvas is unique and gives it a lovely delicate touch, making it a little bit more special than your regular chalkboard.
10. Colored Chalkboard
I must have been shopping for my chalkboard paint in the wrong stores because I have never seen any other color than black. Although I am always a fan of the classic, the idea of having a different Colored Chalkboard is a lot of fun, and I can imagine kids loving it.
When my sister was little there is no way that she would have accepted a black chalkboard in her bedroom, it was pink or nothing. The beauty of choosing a different color than black is that you avoid the harshness it can bring to a room when used across large areas, especially if surrounded by much paler shades. A black wall can also shrink a room, so if you are working with an already small space, then it might be a good idea to consider a different option.
11. Menu Planning Chalkboard
This Menu Planning Chalkboard would be such a useful and helpful thing to have in your kitchen, especially in a family home. I have recently started planning meals one week in advance which works absolute wonders, and have previously been jotting them down in a notebook, so this will change my life.
By having your meals on display for everyone to see, any complaints can be raised in advance, and if they are not, then there can no longer be an excuse that they didn’t know what would be on offer. The size of this chalkboard is incredibly handy, with enough space in each box to jot down any groceries that may need to be bought in preparation for that night’s dinner.
12. Chalkboard Refrigerator
Attaching bits of paper to the refrigerator with weak magnets meaning that they fall all over the place and are forgotten anyway is a thing of the past with this Chalkboard Refrigerator. I have never seen something like this before, let alone did I imagine that it would be something I could make myself at home rather easily.
Not only is this a practical idea for making your kitchen more organized, but it also looks cool and brings a little something different to the room. All it requires is a few thick coats of chalkboard paint, and you’re good to go, and the best part is that your fridge will still be magnetic, so none of your souvenir magnets have to go to waste.
13. Chalkboard Headboard
Struggling to pick out the perfect headboard at the furniture store? Problem solved, this Chalkboard Headboard means that you could change it every night if you wanted to.
With this DIY you could either paint over a wooden headboard with chalkboard paint and draw on top of it, or even paint a basic headboard shape straight onto the wall behind your bed. I think the latter would be a lot of fun, as you could create as many weird and wonderful designs as you wanted to. The vintage silhouette in this example is pretty but entirely optional, so don’t feel that you have to include it if you would rather not.
14. Chalkboard Easel
I couldn’t compile a list of DIY chalkboards without including the almighty easel, which was what started my love all those years ago.
Although these Chalkboard Easels are intended for kids to play with and draw on, they look sleek and cool, and I don’t think they would look out of place in any room of the house. I love the deep brown wood used in this example; it makes the easels look expensive. If you intend on keeping them in a specific room it might be a good idea to match the wood to the other furniture already in there, letting them become an unobtrusive part of the room.
Conclusion to DIY Chalkboards
I saw something which was one of my favorite childhood playthings become a vital part of me keeping my adult life running smoothly, and you most definitely should too. I already have a couple of chalkboards in use around my house, but after seeing all the different styles and sizes out there, I am going to have to add a couple more.
I love the idea of the Menu Planning Chalkboard and can genuinely see it having a positive influence on meal planning in the house. Because I enjoyed having a Chalkboard Wall at my parents’ house, I will be making sure that my own kids get one too.
Do you have a go-to place to leave yourself handy reminders? Can you see any of these DIY Chalkboards changing the way you plan for the better?