21 Easy Homemade Window Cornice Plans

Window cornices are can be a highly attractive addition to any internal space, highlighting the windows and turning them into the focal point of the room – all while hiding the blind mechanism or the pole for the curtains.

There are innumerable ready-made cornices you can buy, but building your own is a simple and inexpensive DIY job. We scoured the net to see what other people are trying, and if you want to have a go, here are our top 21 homemade window cornice plans you can DIY easily.

1. DIY Wooden Window Cornice

First up, we have a DIY plan from Shanty2Chic, a blog specializing in DIY plans that show you how to make great-looking additions to your home from basic and inexpensive materials you probably have lying around. This plan shows you how to make a wooden cornice that is super-easy, will cost you very little – and will look amazing in a whole range of settings.

2. Fabric-Covered Cornice Board (And How to Hang It!)

With this plan, you will not only learn how to make a DIY cornice board but also how to hang it on the wall so that it looks stylish and attractive. What we love about this plan is the way the cornice is covered in fabric, making it look less “DIY” and more “pro”. If that sounds like the kind of plan you want, check it out!

3. Simple DIY Window Cornice

Here’s a short video that introduces the basics of making wooden window cornices at home. It’s a simple project that most people will be able to complete – even DIY novices. For anyone looking for something quick and easy to try, this could be a great place to start.

4. How to Build Window Cornices

When it comes to home improvement projects, Family Handyman is a wonderful resource. This site explains in great detail many of the things you need to think about, giving you all the information you will need before starting to build a cornice of your own.  There are lots of useful illustrations along with clear instructions – so in short, everything you need to help you get started.

5. How to Build and Hang a Window Cornice

This blog post starts by talking about how a cornice can change the visual effect of a room, making the window the focal point of the space as soon as you enter – and then goes on to explain how to achieve this effect. We also love the “before” and “after” photos, and if they don’t inspire you to try, nothing will!

6. Build a simple fancy window cornice

There are two reasons to watch this video. First, it tells you how to build a simple yet fancy window cornice, just like the title says. Second, though, this YouTuber claims to be America’s funniest handyman – and that’s got to be something worth checking out, right?

7. How to Build a Window Cornice

Rated at skill level “easy” and costing only $75, this is a plan for DIY beginners who are looking for a project to attempt that will help them develop their skills. There’s a list of the tools and materials required along with clear directions and useful diagrams. It should only take around four hours to complete, so it’s ideal if you have a day spare at the weekend.

8. How to Make an Easy DIY Window Cornice

Window cornices look highly impressive, but they’re actually one of the simplest DIY projects that you can take on. However, once finished, you will be able to show off your handiwork to any friends who come to visit – and this plan shows you how.

9. DIY Farmhouse Style Cornice Boards/Valences

As the introduction to this YouTube plan explains, these cornices are inexpensive, super easy to make, and beautifully simple. We enjoyed watching the time-lapse video of this DIYer at work, and the results are stunning. Well worth a watch.

10. Easy DIY Window Cornice

For any keen woodworkers looking for a new DIY project to get their teeth into, this could be just what you need. This blogger gives clear instructions and explanations, and he also demonstrates exactly what you need to do in a video. If you have the necessary tools and skills, this is an excellent plan to copy.

11. How to Make a Fabric Covered DIY Cornice Board

If your idea of proper DIY is something that is easy to do, will look great when it’s finished and is extremely inexpensive, this is the plan for you. And if you don’t even know what a cornice is yet, you’ll find the explanations here too.

12. DIY Fabric Covered Window Cornice

One of the biggest problems with living in rented accommodation is that you are sometimes extremely limited when it comes to home improvements. You might have that creative urge to adjust and embellish, but you don’t want to risk losing your deposit. Sound familiar? Then check out this plan for a renter-friendly solution to making a DIY cornice.

13. How to Build a Wood Window Cornice

Some people love the idea of DIY – but they just don’t have the time necessary to tackle any projects of their own. However, if you are short of time, you can still have a go at making a window cornice since this one takes only around two hours. Intrigued? Then give it a go!

14. How to Make a Window Cornice Box

Here’s another plan for a DIY window cornice that just about anyone can manage and that costs very little. It is elegant in its simplicity, and we love the understated style you can see in the photos. Another excellent plan that should appeal to lots of would-be DIYers.

15. Rustic Cornice

One of the things we love about DIY is that, since there are so many creative bloggers out there, you are sure to be able to find a plan that matches your style and tastes. This plan is for a more rustic-looking cornice that exudes old-time charm. If that’s the look you love, this is the one for you.

16. Easy DIY Wooden Window Cornice

This creative plan shows you how a cornice can be used as a solution when other options are not possible. Here, the blogger used the cornice as the answer since in this bedroom, using a traditional curtain pole wasn’t possible. Impressive results, too, right?

17. DIY Wood Window Cornice

With this plan, you will learn how to build a traditional-style wooden window cornice from simple materials that will cost you next to nothing. After the list of tools and materials required, you’ll find a clear and logical step-by-step guide you can follow to complete the project successfully.

18. Low-Budget DIY Window Cornice Idea

Perhaps you want to try something that won’t cost too much in case you don’t like it – or maybe you simply don’t want to spend a lot of money building your window cornice. Either way, this is a video you should enjoy watching since it shows you how to make a simple, attractive window cornice on a minimal budget.

19. How to Make a No-Sew Cornice Board

Not all DIYers enjoy sewing or are particularly gifted when it comes to needlework – so for anyone who wants to make their own window cornice but who prefers to avoid anything to do with stitching, this is an obvious plan to attempt. As you are told, this blogger wanted to make a window cornice for a nursery, and this plan shows how she did it. Clear, simple – and well worth a read.

20. Build a Custom Window Cornice: Easy and Inexpensive

Here’s a video that is short on explanations but that instead goes the route of simply showing you what you need to do so you can copy it without losing any time. We love watching this kind of video because it’s always fun watching the DIYer at work and observing as the project starts to take shape. The whole thing lasts less than two minutes, but when you get to the end, you’re sure to want to have a go yourself.

21. DIY Fabric Covered Cornice

This final video demonstrates how to install outside-mount wood cornices. If you are planning on having a go at making your own cornices at home, this is a video that’s worth watching even if you don’t copy exactly what they do since you’ll pick up a lot of tips from how they do it. We like the look of the finished cornice and blinds at the end, and we’re sure this is a video that will give you plenty of ideas about the kind of thing that’s possible.

So much creativity on display

We love looking for plans like this since the amount of creativity and innovation we find always inspires us to have a go ourselves.

We hope you’ve enjoyed these plans as much as we enjoyed searching for them for you – and above all, we hope we’ve helped you find inspiration for your next DIY project too.