The Latest: 2014

In 2014, our Before & Afters proved again and again that you don’t need a ton of cash to have a fresh new kitchen. Here are ten of this year’s best budget kitchen remodels. Click on the slideshow to see the projects. To learn more about each project (and see more pictures), click the links in the captions. → Welcome to Apartment Therapy’s Best of 2014 roundup! From December 21 through January 1 we are rounding up our favorite (and your favorite) posts from the past year.

Parents are proven problem-solvers and potential-seers. That’s why some of our most amazing Before & After furniture transformations are for nursery and kids’ rooms. Let’s look back at some of 2014’s best rescues and restorations: Click on the slideshow to see the projects. To learn more about each project (and see more pictures), click the links in the captions. → Welcome to Apartment Therapy’s Best of 2014 roundup!

Nothing stirs the DIY spirit like a good IKEA hack. IKEA is so accessible — anybody could stroll in there and buy a BEKVAM or two — but its Scandinavian design is deceptively simple. With a little ingenuity a box, or a table, or a stool from IKEA could become pretty much anything. Here’s proof. Click on the slideshow to see the projects. To learn more about each project (and see more pictures), click the links in the captions.

Amanda had a tiny extra room that wasn’t much more than a dumping ground for “old clothes, holiday decorations, paperwork, and hockey gear,” becoming pretty unusable. But with a guest visit on the horizon, she gave herself the challenge of transforming it into a room a guest could enjoy staying in! From Amanda: To brighten the room and add some life, I brought in color with the pillows and ottomans from Target.

Luann spent just $40 on this thrift store chair and a great deal on discounted fabric to boot, but you’d never know it. Check out the expensive-looking (and, dare we say, nature-inspired) final results. From Luann: The finish was worn down on the arms and gunked up with…gunk? I sanded the wood completely down and stained and polyed it. I got a good deal from a fabric outlet on this fabric which is, in my opinion, perfect for this MCM chair.

A lot of people have guest rooms that really just function as glorified storage spaces that collect the flotsam and jetsam of our lives. Sure they host visitors from time to time, and might serve as a quiet work space when needed, but rarely do they serve as the heart of the home. This was all about to change for Emily, who needed to convert this bonus space into a specific purpose. See what she did…. There was a good reason for the redo: namely, a brand new edition to the family!

Since Shehzeen picked up this media console for free, anything she did was gonna be added value. Even so, we never thought it could look this good. From Shehzeen: I had it for about two years before I decided that it needed a bit of a facelift; it was way too dark for me suddenly. I painted it over in a white, added some gold to the legs, installed them asymmetrically and I think I’m sufficiently thrilled. See more at The Desi Wonder Woman. Thank you Shehzeen!

This summer, my husband and I bought our first home. Having been living in a big flat with high ceilings and sprawling open plan living for the past five years, the reality of what we could afford as our first step on the property ladder hit us like a DIY toolkit in the face.

Tanya did something amazing to find exactly what she was looking for: she asked. She posted a want ad to her local classifieds and lo and behold, someone was looking to unload this beauty. We bet the seller wants it back now! Check out the transformation. From Tanya: I wanted it so much, I didn’t even haggle (she was asking $250). I saved up, and then spent $400 on a professional upholstery job. Years later, this is still a favorite chair.

Pam found this love seat in a thrift store and fell in love with its great bones. It was in perfect condition except for the dated, faded upholstery so crafty Pam gave it some love. Pam says, “All it needed was a good cleaning and a tailored slipcover in a sassy blue cheetah print to spring back to life.” Hear that, folks? This is a slipcover! Masterful work, indeed. See more at Pam Morris Sews. Thank you Pam!

If you’ve ever come across a painted wood storage piece and wondered how you could restore it to the naturally beautiful look of wood and do something fresh and unique to it, you’ll find inspiration in this credenza Martha got creative with. From Martha: The original finish on this piece was a fading white with many scratches all over it.

Nicolette found this old wood chest in a random shop, and viewed it as the perfect opportunity to test some new stencils she recently designed. Which means that wood lovers and purists, you might want to go and rearrange your sock drawer for a few minutes. I can tell you without hesitation that there is hyperventilation in your near future if you click through. You have been duly warned… Nicolette took a couple of days to paint and stencil the trunk.

When Katrina moved into her 1952 Portland bungalow, the area that needed the most attention was this really teeny bathroom. It was sponge-painted (gasp!), had a bathtub that nothing short of nasty (ugh!), and it was hard to even turn around in the tiny space. She and her husband decided to gut it and start over, taking over an extra closet to create more space.