The Latest: Aug 2013

Last year, Manisha posed a question to the Apartment Therapy community about how to add some color to her living room. “It needs some oomph,” she said. “Right now everything seems to be grey, white and black.” Armed with your suggestions, Manisha added color in a few strategic places. Want to see what her living room looks like now?

John had been searching for an Adrian Pearsall style sofa for a long time. As he was scouring Craigslist one day, he came across an ad that simply said, “Vintage Couch – $60.” Luckily, he took a chance and found this amazing (though horribly upholstered) sofa. From John: Because I’d been researching this style of sofa for months, I was pretty sure it wasn’t a real Pearsall, but I didn’t care. I’m not a label whore.

One of my favorite home trends is families using their space to suit current needs and desires instead of being hemmed in by traditional floor plans or how a room had always been used. Last week we saw Lindsey turn her family’s formal dining room into a family study and today’s example is a huge family room re-imagined as a dream playroom for two young kids. It’s quite the transformation and is just what this family wanted.

After 10 years of living with a crumbling kitchen, Judy finally decided enough was enough. Inspired by a certain robin’s egg blue box, she worked with her limited budget to get a Tiffany’s inspired kitchen without the Tiffany’s inspired price. Judy saved some cash by reusing the appliances and flooring and hiring locally in her neighborhood of Queens, NYC. She splurged on marble countertops but still managed to ring in the remodel at about $13,000.

This 1925 home was intended to be a boxy Spanish bungalow but due to some unfortunate 1980’s additions, the aesthetic was a little lacking and Hunter knew he could help reclaim its original pizazz. Want to see this little house now?Much better!From Hunter: I decided immediately that the home needed to be restored to its intended Spanish style. Most of the homes on the block were this style and I could tell the home was originally built that way.

Drop by IKEA’s as-is section, any thrift store, Goodwill, or yard sale, and you’ll eventually run into one of these wooden slat bed bases.

Shaun’s UK home was originally occupied by a dear old lady who was a smoker, so the room was dated and “ciggie stained.”  But he had big plans for this small room.Shaun kept his canvas — the walls and furniture — white in order to let his artwork and  personal items shine even more.

Laken is an incoming freshman at Washington University in Saint Louis and, just this Sunday, moved into her new dorm on campus. She was greeted by a very typical sight: commercial grade carpeting, conspicuous vents, and standard issue furniture. The dorms are very nice by all accounts, but it’s always a challenge to transform an impersonal space into a comfortable home for the next nine months.Laken has less than a week to get her room ready before classes begin.

We love a good, simple IKEA hack. In the hands of Sarah of Smitten Studio, this plain pine Tarva got a coat of paint and a little bling. Check out the results:Fresh white, gold legs, and brass knobs add much needed storage and a dash of style in the bedroom of Sarah’s cabin, after the removal of a bunk bed/closet system. Sarah also sawed a couple inches off of the dresser’s legs for a more contemporary proportion. Check out more photos over at Smitten Studio.

The compact shape, characteristic midcentury tapered wooden legs, and bargain price all caught Shannon’s eagle eyes at a yardsale, immediately convincing her this worn and roughened desk had yet another life to live in her living room after a serious makeover…I decided that a fun dose of bright color was just what it needed to really come to life!

While house hunting, Holly and Ryan nicknamed this 1974 abode, “The Depressing House” due to its dark, cave-like feel.  They bought it anyway.  Want to see this kitchen today?Over the course of a year, they tore down the upper cabinets to open up the sight lines, ripped out three layers of linoleum and painted the cabinets a chic gray (Martha Stewart Zinc).

Taylor and Corey desperately wanted some built-in cabinets for their living room but   space was limited, so they found a vertical solution.  Can you guess what they used? (Hint: I suspect this photo was taken just as they started their project) Perennial favorite, the IKEA Billy bookshelf strikes again!  Using two shelves (extended up to the ceiling) and custom moulding, they created lots of storage that looks and feels original.

To appease her surfer husband Andrew after they moved to land-locked Colorado Springs, Amy had a creative paint idea and turned the staircase in their live/work loft into an homage to the sea. She painted the risers a cool, ocean-inpired blue and topped off the staircase with an old surfboard. No word on whether their adorable dog is much of a swimmer, but it seems like they’re all enjoying the new look. It came out great! Thank you Amy!

There’s a reason we don’t feature many garage makeovers here at Apartment Therapy: no one but the very bravest souls will give us a peek at the often messy “before”!  Not James, he’s proud to share his new garage, and rightly so.  He transformed a dank garage into a bright and organized workspace.  The walls were planked with cost-effective (and aromatic) fencing cedar and the cabinets were leftovers from a previous kitchen renovation.

19-year-old college student Reeves picked up this dresser at an auction because she loved its clean lines and shape, but it needed a bit of an upgrade.  After prepping with a good sanding, she gave this beauty a new look with Sherwin Williams’ Smoky Blue paint. To prevent bleed through, she used two coats of water-based poly and, once the paint cured, lightly distressed the detailing and sealed it with wax.  The new, white hardware really pops against the updated color.

Heidi described her main bathroom as “tiny and odd,” and “yuck, yuck, yucky.”  It was beige with yellow lighting, an ugly vanity and a crooked door.  Well, it’s yellow no more. She opened up the space by removing the vanity and installing a pedestal sink, then adding plenty of wall storage. She used galvanized pipe and hardwood planks — stained and sealed — to create a custom shelving unit and towel bars.

Earlier this year, Samantha was hired by a newly-married Houston couple to transform their living room on a budget. Although they’d lived in their townhouse for about a year, they’d never really felt settled.  But with a baby on the way, the couple wanted to spruce up their space.  And spruce it they did!  Want to see it today?Despite their tight budget, they still wanted classic design that would reflect their growing family.

Christa couldn’t believe her luck when she found this gorgeous settee lounging around a Salt Lake City antique shop.  Despite the dowdy fabric, she knew it was the perfect candidate for a makeover.Amazing!  Inspired by the fact that the settee was a perfect example of 19th-century American Greek Revival, she chose to reupholster this beauty (which she aptly named Aphrodite) in black and white Greek key.