apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Come on, That is NOT worth calling a make over.

the after is so pretty with that rug, new curtains and the blue on the walls, it does look totally refreshed and new. i didn't even see the ghost chair until after the room was remade.

Wow, time for a new rug in my living room.

Great job. The room feels balanced and harmonious.

"Come on, That is NOT worth calling a make over."

Oh?
What would you call it?

IMO, its a nice improvement - but I wonder if they went a little too far in replacing the armchair with the slipper chair? Perhaps they could have just slipcovered that too?

Uh oh, I liked it better before. Aren't "makeovers" supposed to be about more than just buying new stuff?

uh oh x 2, like SFGail i like the before better.

That beautiful yellow rug makes all the difference and brightens up the place! This goes to show that we can simply transform a place regardless of how much time you have.

well the room is "made over" is it not? ok so they didnt put in blood and tears, but they did "make over" the room. and quite nicely i might add. the rug really does change the whole room- makes it brighter and yet much more calm. i love it.

wow. i think that was an great transformation. it is amazing what a rug and curtains can do to a room.

im thinking that i need to do a rug shopping this weekend.

what an amazing makeover. the rug (though i'm sure was super expensive) makes such a difference. i love the boldness of its color and pattern. it makes me wonder what my livingroom would look like with a rug like that (i currently have a rug that looks like the "before").

the change in wall color with similar color window treatments goes to show that something relatively easy and inexpensive (don't have to go with silk trading curtains) can make a major improvement.

I think this is a good makeover. I love the step by step before and after photos. If only more makeovers were so thorough! I can see the improvements in each change, whether it's re-arranging the space or adding new art to the walls. I probably won't go out and buy a new rug for my room, but this gives me an idea of small easy changes I can make in a short time. I like it!

Did they paint the windows? I have black windows like that and I heard you can paint them but I am not sure how--and not sure if they would look better than the black...

Anyone have feelings either way? I know the black windows are common in old buildings in NYC....

I really liked the makeover; love the yellow rug, but am reminded yet again how much I do not like yellow walls.

I enjoyed the transformation.

goonie

I think they just closed the existing sheers to cover the black window frames. You can see the change from the first picture to the second. I have black windows in my apt too and I HATE them. I've heard of people painting them as well but since I'm renting I'm not able to.

I think it's remarkable that you could go from ho-hum to semi Hollywood Regency by switching out a few details. Very well done!

I think this is great. Very inspiring...does a great job of showing the impact of small changes.

Makeover or not, the end result IS very nice.

It's nice, but it's shopping. O at Home is inspirational, but expensive inspiration.

The result is very nice.
Palmetto, I think expensive inspiration is good. I wouldn't like it any other way. The real fun is using our imagination to achieve the same result without spending too much.

I think this is totally inspiring in terms of a one room Cure...it is essentially what we all do {assuming you are throwing everything away and starting from scratch/doing major demo}...I love the after...

I like the before better too. The art above the desk in the before is much better then what is there now. The after is just a little too Oprah-fied for me.

I guess I didn't think of this as a pure Before-After.

I could see stopping at any of the other two stages and I think that is what they suggest. You could go all out and use an entire weekend or just spruce up your place in an hour. Or in other terms, you could move it from Better Homes & Gardens territory to Domino and then on to Metropolitan Home.

I "appreciated" it better before, too. Glad I'm not the only one!

The Rug with that room, and those window treatments is absolutely beautiful!

WELL DONE!

-Kiel

I loved this article when it first appeared--last fall, maybe?

The "changes" in the "dining room" were the best, however. (Not pictured above).

I think this article was wonderfully instructive about what you can do with just changing up a bit: just like the cure.

The placement of the furniture in the before picture seemed to make the room appear smaller. I like the after effect with the placement of the "Ghost-like" lucite chair which blends in, and the two tables used as a coffee table. This makes the space much more open and brighter.

I think this is fab. I *love* the rug. man, I need to be more daring.

People like the Before better?? Seriously????

I also think this article is a WONDERFUL testament to the value of a designer, even for people who have good instincts to start with.

The people who like the before, obviously have poor vision when it comes to style. Although I do agree that the second picture is not much of a renovation, but rather lets go shopping for new stuff. It is by far a vast improvement over the first.

The TV is also removed in the third stage, which is not noted above. I've had this photo in my style tray since the article first appeared, I love the curtains, and i have the double windows, but my pesky radiator prevents me from doing this. (yet!)