Furnishing your outdoor space and your home can be really pricey. Believe me, I know. When we moved into our home, we only had enough furniture for a couple of rooms and no budget to create an outdoor living space. I wish I had found these cinder block decor ideas and projects then! Whether you are looking to save money or simply change up your current outdoor space, these beautiful, creative, functional, and budget-friendly cinder block DIY projects are a great start for furnishing your outdoor space!
What I love about cinder blocks is that they are durable and flexible. You can turn them into cinder block planter, garden bench, firewood storage, and so many more.
Simple Cinder Block Decor Ideas and Projects for the Home
1. Awesome Cinder Block Bench
“Creativity is nothing but a mind set free.” –Torrie T. Asai
If you put your mind to it, you could probably create darn near anything out of cinder blocks. I love this cinder block furniture project for its simplicity. It’s so creative and colorful! Add a simple outdoor bench to your garden. There’s no need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on patio furniture when you can create fun, practical pieces with cinder blocks and wooden posts. The bright and bold colors they chose for this one are fantastic. It livens up space (great for your side or front porch) and you really don’t pay much attention to what the bench is actually made from unless you really look. I also love how you use the cinder blocks to hold things like plants. How fun!
2. Crafty Cinder Block Solid Bench
Here’s a home decor, some cool cinder block garden ideas for the thrifty mom. If you don’t have the extra posts laying around, or perhaps just have an extra-large number of cinder blocks, try this concrete block bench that was built for only $30! The cushion is quite simple to make and you could get fabric in any color or style as long as it’s an outdoor fabric. The cinder block portion could be painted to blend into the surroundings or stand out if you didn’t want to leave them their natural color.
3. Build Your Outdoor Kitchen
Fact. You can create an entire outdoor kitchen for under $1,000 by setting up a huge eating area with cinder blocks or cement blocks. The cool part about this is you can put it together one way and if you don’t like it you can simply rearrange it. it’s extremely easier than paying a contractor to come and remodel your permanent outdoor kitchen. This also makes it great if you need to reconfigure your space for parties or events in your yard. Again, the building materials such as paint (you may use spray paints) could be added, and you could liven up the kitchen with fun decor and your favorite wood table tops.
4. Amazing Cinder Clock Patio Planters
Ok, this tutorial is now on my list! Creative blogger Kristin made a concrete succulent planter that also doubles as a bar. Talk about multi-functional! And the plants really soften up the look of the concrete so that it’s not overly industrial. The dimension the block design adds to space is great, and again, it could be painted and your flower choices are so variating the possibilities are endless. Use cinder blocks as vase, outdoor bar, or cute garden walls!
5. Inexpensive Outdoor Fire Pit
Who needs a cinder block fire pit this summer? That’s a trick question, everyone does. Put two rows of cinder blocks over a platform of pavers, and you’ve got yourself a DIY fire pit that’s perfect for your summer outdoor fireplace bonfires. The cool part to using cinder blocks is how you can make it as large or small as you’d like. If you have a larger family, make a larger pit. If your area is smaller, no problem. Customize it how you like.
6. Homemade Cinder Block Side Table
In college, this would have been a go-to, cheap solution to furniture when living on a budget, but now this modern industrial look is actually making a name for itself in the design world. Stack two cinder blocks vertically and one horizontally to create this simple DIY nightstand for your bedroom. The open spaces of the cinder blocks make great cubbies for storing books and the top is the perfect height.
7. Brilliant Bed Frame Idea
Isn’t this concrete block bed frame genius? Think of all the under-bed storage you’ll have! Like I mentioned before, this industrial look is really turning heads nowadays. You can easily increase or decrease the size of the bed frame to fit the needs of the bed you have. The only problem you may have with this project is trying not to stub your toes in the middle of the night.
8. Best Cinder Garden Bed Project
Cinder blocks are pretty perfect for creating a raised garden bed wherever you need one, in any size you’d like or need. You not only have the space inside the garden bed but the holes in the blocks can be used to plant as well. Paint the blocks, if you’d like, to brighten up your garden. These DIY conder block planter and flower beds are so cool!
9. Fun and Functional Home Entertainment Center
The cinder block entertainment center is gorgeous! We love that it’s versatile enough that you can make it as big or as small as you’d like, and you can customize your storage containers based on the size. The wood complements the industrial feel of the brick, and you could add as many shelves as you’d like, with spacing for nearly everything.
10. Backyard Decorative Planters
What better way to display your patriotism for the 4th of July or all year round than with this stars and stripes planter? This would be a fantastic project for the kids. You could make several sets of these and place them around your patio or yard. They add a fun bit of character to your landscaping. I love that you could plant flowers or veggies in these and they would still look amazing.
11. Backyard Cinder Block Bird Home
A cinder block birdhouse is a great addition to your yard or garden if you want to attract some pretty birds for birdwatching. This project is perfect because you can either hang it or stick it up high on a post or tree. The weight of the cinder block allows it to stay where you put it. You can paint this little project and really add whatever character you’d like to it. Sprinkle a little birdseed and watch your new songbird tenants start to arrive.
12. Perfect Patio Decor
Create a stackable sculpture that you can change out according to the seasons. Isn’t it beautiful staged with the pumpkins? When it’s not a holiday, or if you just want to change things up, you could put plants or lanterns in place of festive decor. If you are having a party, this would be a great area to decorate according to a theme. What I really love about this one is that if you don’t have much outdoor lighting, the candle idea they use here is great to add that soft lighting to your atmosphere. I could see this bringing just the right ambiance to a date night on the patio.
13. Genius Backyard BBQ
No budget for a big grill? No problem! Make a concrete block grill on the fly anywhere you need to for only $3. You read that right, $3! Sure a fancy grill that can do 100 different things and cook your steak in 15 different ways at once is pretty awesome. But, when it comes down to it, getting the job done doesn’t have to be a huge project! Simple and tasty!
14. Creative Planter Stand and Storage
Looking for a way to show off your potted plants? I always feel like I have more plants than ground space to stick them. Make a quick planter stand to display and store your potted plants with cinder blocks. These blocks are great for withstanding the elements, they fit just about anywhere, and they come in so many designs and sizes they can look good just by themselves. If you like a little color or flare though, jazz it up by painting each level a different color!
15. Custom Kitchen Table Design
Cinder blocks and some wooden planks nailed together to make a functional and gorgeous dining room table. What a terrific solution for those with limited space for a table. (Photo uploaded by Pinterest user Heather Toledo.) The joy in this design is that it is kind of a one-size-all deal. You can build the table to suit your space, or simply disassemble it to make more space if needed. You could always paint the blocks or keep them their original tones, whichever suits you best. We can already imagine what a conversation starter this will be next time you have friends over. Watch out though, they may want your help making them one.
So are you as excited as we are to go out and find some cinderblocks to use at your house as we are? You really can get as creative as you want with these, that is what makes using them so great. Which of these fun projects are you going to jump at trying first, because we know you can’t just do one of them.
Like these cinder block projects? Try these ideas for your outdoor living area:
- These 17 Patio DIYs to Spruce Up Your Outdoor Living Space are fab ideas.
- Check out these 15 Amazing Deck Ideas for your home!
- Here are 13 Shed Transformations That’ll Make Your Neighbors Jealous.
- Repurpose those wooden pallets with these clever ideas!
- These are wise and impressive DIY PVC pipe ideas to decorate your home.
- Reuse those wine corks and turn them into lovely decorations.
Which of these DIY cinder block ideas have you tried in your home?
