The Latest: Jan 2014

We’ll forgive Christina for her blurry “before” snap because we’re so excited to show off her results. Her little powder room is only 3 feet by 6 feet so it was a tricky room to work in, but just look at all that great potential. The narrow room looks so much bigger and brighter with the white walls, grey tile and new rustic-chic details. Here’s how it all came together on a major budget: We were able to do the whole remodel for around $500 because it was 100% DIY.

Fabio and his wife were planning to get rid of this chest of drawers so they put it in their hallway until they got a chance to cart it away. But it proved so handy to have a place to drop keys and other odds and ends, that they decided to make one big change and keep it after all. Do you have an inkling on this one? What a great way to make what you already have work in your space. Great job, you guys. Thank you Fabio!

The Cure “graduating class” of January 2014 is a kickass bunch. They scrubbed floors, cleaned out closets and whipped their wayward fridges into shape. At this point, the sight of an overflowing outbox doesn’t scare them one bit. And, in addition to all of this homekeeping frenzy, they managed to pull off (at least) one project from their wish list too.

Sometimes a chair is just a chair, but if you’re Melissa, you look at this broken dining chair and see another piece of furniture entirely. Bravo! Melissa didn’t get stuck on its original function so she could see a table where a chair used to be. She simply removed the cushion, cut off the broken back, added a hardwood top cut to size and gave the whole thing a coat of bright white. We love it and, more importantly, so does Melissa.

Jenelle found this abandoned cart in her garage when she moved into her home over a year ago. Using one very key ingredient, she turned it into a brand new piece that she’s proud to display in her new home. She scuffed up the rusty chrome legs and battered yellow shelves with steel wool and then smartly used spray auto primer to provide a durable base for the next layer: hammered brass for the legs and Rust-Oleum London Grey Satin for the shelves.

Maggie’s IKEA MALM dresser was super functional but pretty plain, so she got creative and gave it a budget makeover that adds plenty of glam style. Holy Hollywood Regency! Maggie used overlays to create contrast on the drawers and, as for those cool knobs, she really went all out. From Maggie: The knobs are standard stock from Lowe’s, but for big impact I used a plumbing flange to really make them stand out.

Recently moved into, this home had a small room right by the entryway with great windows but no immediate plans for use. After spending time sitting on the floor talking or looking out the windows, the homeowners decided to move its remodel up on the list and transform it with bold paint and sturdy shelves into a cozy functioning room for chatting, reading or playing music. From Julia: It took us every weekend (and a few weeknights) for a month to make our vision come to life.

Karrie first found this dresser at a local thrift store for $50. She felt it was a bit pricey because of its badly banged-up condition, but she had fallen in love with the lines and the size; it would be perfect in an entryway, used as a side table or in her office as a printer stand. From Karrie: Originally I was hoping to just sand it down and keep it natural with a clear-coat but the wood veneer was in bad shape and breaking apart, so I had to rethink my approach.

After Rubina customized her IKEA Billy bookshelves the first time, they just sort of sat there, half empty. There was something about them that just wasn’t working, but Rubina didn’t quite know what it was. A realization about the patterned paper led to a new creative fix — and a clever customization detail that turned these bland bookshelves to something simple and sophisticated, the perfect backdrop for books and accessories!

When Kim moved in with her boyfriend, she was shocked that he didn’t want to get rid of eight old, damaged banquet chairs. But, the challenge forced Kim to get creative, and a little inspiration from a trip to a retail store sparked a DIY idea. From Kim: Originally I spray-painted them and decided to cover the seat and back with fabric. The first finished prototype made me feel like I was visiting someone’s not so cool grandma’s house, so it was back to the drawing board.

This sweet little side table caught Sarah’s eye at a local thrift shop for its tapered legs and interesting drawer pulls, but it had a laminate top and sides, and a deep stain on the natural wood of the drawers so it was a prime candidate for a makeover! Great job! The natural wood looks so much better offset by that perfect, modern grey (and we’re such suckers for furniture socks).

This sad little piece is about to make a little girl very happy. Jen took advantage of her town’s “free cycle” program where once a year you can put things you don’t want on your curb and then cruise around looking for things you do want. She grabbed this laminate night stand and envisioned it as a good foundation for a play kitchen for her daughter. The final result is a super low-budget, cheerful toy. A breath of fresh air!

We don’t like to constantly brag about how great the Apartment Therapy Classifieds are, so we’ll let Goli do it for us. This hutch came from the classifieds, a little worse for wear but clearly, it wasn’t anything Goli couldn’t handle (and handle fabulously). What a difference! We’re loving how those new gold pulls really stand out against the dove grey Goli chose. And the lighter color really makes the architectural details pop.

You know we always love an IKEA hack, but this one is pure, unadulterated genius. Jacob dismantled his old MALM double bed and was left with two sets of slats. Rather than throw them away, he found a way to upgrade these leftovers into a whole, new project. So awesome! The chest is not only made from repurposed materials but Jacob also cleverly made a table with storage — one of our favorite small space tricks.

When they first thought about how to renovate their kitchen, Tonja and Jon debated for years about how to update their original 1966 cabinets. They finally decided to take on the job of refinishing them themselves. Just wait until you see the stellar results. They learned a valuable lesson about renovating: nothing ever turns out exactly how you think it will. In their case, it turned out better. That beautiful two-toned design? A happy accident!

Potential can be a dangerous thing. Like when I sell myself on a fixer-upper accent chair from Goodwill, convinced I’ll watch a YouTube video one day and learn how to upholster it back to glory. “But it’s got so much potential,” I tell myself, while the chair collects dust in the basement. Bri of Emerson Grey designs saw similar potential in this laundry nook in a potential new home… Thankfully, her story ends better.

Megan and her husband found this bench at an estate sale, but she almost missed out on it because it was obscured by some bad baby-blue bathroom tile! It was her husband that pointed it out, and they both jumped on the chance at grabbing it up at a good deal. From Megan: I ripped off the old tile and put batting and fabric over the wood. I love the fabric because it’s fairly neutral and has a vintage vibe to it.

When Johnny’s mattress was delivered to him, he couldn’t help but notice an almost dismantled shipping crate that another customer’s bench has been shipped in. When he asked the delivery men what they were going to do with it and they said they’d throw it away, he knew he had the opportunity to salvage this wood for a home project!

Sometimes it’s just a simple decluttering, a few fresh coats of paint and a less-is-more attitude that completely transforms a room from kind of dark to light and bright, as it did in Cortney’s dining room. From Cortney: Our family spends a lot of time at the dinner table. We (mainly me) were looking for a change. I really wanted to brighten the area and free up the wall space that our hutch was on. We found the new dry bar on Washington, DC Craigslist for $20!

A sad, old table handed down to Jessica from her grandfather was a sturdy side table, but lacked the style she was looking for. It was an unexpected designer piece that gave Jessica the inspiration to transform this side table into something else! Jessica spotted a Bernhardt Cabrillo Nailhead Chest in Architectural Digest Magazine and loved the look.