The Latest: 2013

Project by: Kevin Young of PMK+designersLocation: Kaohsiung, Taiwan   The Story behind my renovation project began sitting in the living room at our previous owned home, with only 66 sq meter of interior space (711 Sq feet), 2 bedroom, one study, living, kitchen and 1 bathroom. We would come home from work each day to find ourselves sit in front of the TV with no room to move and breath.

It might have been wrong to refer to a cheat sheet in high school calculus class, but nobody is going to blame you for not being able to identify all of the various types of fasteners, screw heads, drive types, nut and washer styles available today.I ran into this Fastener Type Chart created by Bolt Depot while trying to identify a mystery drive shape used to fasten a part I wanted to remove from a home office task chair (the extraneous piece kept hitting the wall in a narrow space).

Nothing adds character to a space like art. But if you’re on a tight budget, your options might be a little limited. You could make like a college student and thumbtack a poster of The Starry Night to your wall — or you could make like a savvy DIYer and take some thrift store art to the next level. Related Video: The Secret To Buying Thrift Store Art Here are six ideas for updating thrift store art.

When Cristin and her husband found this dresser on the curb in their neighborhood, it quickly became apparent why no one had grabbed it first: it’s huge, heavy, and covered in dated white veneer. But with a little vision and a ton of Mod Podge, this beast became a buffet. From Cristin: Last summer, while hosting a garage sale at my house, my husband came home from work and told me there was a buffet table out to the road in our neighborhood.

When Stephanie Gerber of Henry Happened was planning a nursery redesign to make room for baby number three, she wanted to make use of a dresser that had formerly belonged to her husband as a child. The problem was that it had definitely seen better days. That’s when designer Melissa Ballard stepped in with a little bit of elbow grease and a gold paint pen to create something truly special… Melissa refinished the dresser and used a gold paint pen to create the herringbone pattern.

For most apartment and home owners, the idea of a dedicated media room is wishful thinking. Usually a basement, spare bedroom, or in this case, the living room has to be designated for home entertainment purposes. But that doesn’t necessarily mean having to settle for “as-is”.

To my mind there are two basic types of ‘Before and Afters’: the jaw droppers that leave you amazed at the utter transformation of a thing or place and the less dramatic, but no less inspiring ones that show a vast improvement to something with minimal expense of time and money. The latter is the case with this dated dresser repainted in springy colors as an appealing addition to Lynne and Darren’s guest bedroom where they host their 2-year-old grandson, Nicholas.

Recently I helped a lovely couple redesign their bedroom. They already loved the wall color and the abundance of natural light, but the placement of the windows left something to be desired.  They also wanted to upgrade from a queen size bed to a king, while enhancing the airy feel that they liked best about their bedroom.

Design Love FestEmily Henderson Color and light were important elements of this makeover, and it couldn’t be cheerier. Bri and Emily went with a mix of vintage, eclectic, mid-century and new pieces to create this lively and delicious space. The turquoise, fuchsia, gold and natural palette melds beautifully. The ample foliage brings the room together, softens the palette and creates such a calm and peaceful environment.To see more of the makeover, check out Design Love Fest.