The Latest: Apr 2014

Ellen and her sister were cruising around their neighborhood one day when they spotted this nightstand sitting by the side of the road. It was in pretty good shape, if a bit outdated, so she immediately knew that she could give it a fun update. Ellen says, “I only spent about $20 on this project. I’m glad I went bold as it’s now a statement maker in my bedroom.” Thank you Ellen!

Emily tells us that she, “wanted all evidence of this bathroom removed as fast as possible.” This attic bathroom had everything she didn’t want: thick fluffy carpet, limescale blocked taps and a bowl collecting liquid beneath a ‘critical’ drain. Eww. She smartly thought about how she wanted to feel in this space, and thus came up with a redesign plan for this high-altitude room. Thank you Emily!

While not everyone is a fan of the toddler bed, they can be good solutions if you have a small amount of space. Even better is this clever hack from Adriel Booker that turns a crib into a toddler bed with room for storage. Adriel kept the frame of the crib basically intact, but raised the bed up so that it’s a small version of a lofted bed. The crib rails provide security for the sleeping toddler. And with all the extra space underneath, she can store ride-on toys and buckets of toys.

Emily and Shane hated their textured ceilings, but felt stuck with them because they weren’t ready to deal with the mess and trauma of drywalling. Finally, they just couldn’t take any more of those ceilings, “staring down at us,” so they took a gamble on another option, and boy, did it pay off. They covered it with beadboard! What a great way to give the ceiling a beautifully coffered look with surprisingly little effort and money.

From Jamie: In truth there are still a few small things we want to change or tweak (one major project being the demolition of the drywall around the stairs to allow the installation of a modern, open handrail) but we are satisfied with how far it has come. We feel it is bright, cheerful, and modern while still meshing with the overall transitional style of the house.

Need inspiration on how to lighten and brighten your old and outdated bathroom? You’ll find it in Mera’s simple update of her cozy room. She didn’t do anything complicated, but her changes made a big impact on the look and feel of this small space. From Mera: The paint peeled and cracked pretty quickly which just added to the overall yucky-ness of the room.

Vel had a small office that needed a big update. She wanted more storage, a space to work, and a spot for her kids to do their homework, too. And, oh ya, it had to be stylish. Wow, talk about storage. We love the bold, blue backing Vel chose that really highlights her bookshelf styling. Vel says: We built these huge shelves out of plywood and switched our small office table with our old kitchen table! We really love this space and it is now the most used space in the house.

Emilie found this vintage record player console at her local charity shop for 10 bucks, and boy, was it in a sorry state. Over the years, it had undergone many makeovers (and accumulated many many layers of paint), but Emilie suspected she might have found a hidden gem so she decided to put in some love see what she wound up with. That’s better! Just goes to show that hidden tresures are everywhere, you just need to look hard.

Brit realizes she’s lucky to have decent-sized closets in her 1924 Seattle home, but the walk-in closet in the master still felt tiny and cramped because of the very sloped ceiling. She really wanted to retain the old house charm but to bring the organization into this century. Wow, that is one stunning space. Here’s how it all came together.

Lucky Nathalie in France happened upon this vintage military table in need of some love (and elbow grease). The industrial vibe was exactly what she was looking for so she set to work restoring it to its former glory. What an improvement! And Nathalie’s new table also works so perfectly with her cherished collection of Eames chairs (she calls them her “loves.

Well this is a new one on us! Kristie loved the shape and texture of this oak table but didn’t love the heavy-handed 90s orange-toned varnish, so she gathered up her courage and tried a technique called cerusing. Wait for it… Cerusing is where the grain of the wood is opened up by scrubbing with a metal brush. Then the wood is stained and the grain is filled with a contrasting pigment (usually white). Oak and other hard woods are the best to ceruse.

You know how we’re always saying that entryways are a perfect spot for walls that wow? This before and after certainly highlights what a difference design in one’s entryway can make! It was a lot of work (and a lot of math) but you might find inspiration for your own entryway with this neat 3D wall pattern idea.

This teeny little wood and upholstered vanity chair on casters was in a sorry state when Kathy found it on a neighbor’s curb on garbage day: the wooden back was broken off completely (the hand is holding it up in the photo above!), the springs damaged and the upholstery tired and dated. It would be a big job, but Kathy knew she could count on the help of her talented family. The result is a darling and spring-like update!

Heather called the previous hallway in her Victorian UK home, “uninspiring.” But after a spruce-up, this space is no longer “grubby and old.” Just wait until you see the dramatic difference. Here’s Heather’s professional website. Thank you Heather!

We often turn to IKEA for cheap storage options, which makes their basic wardrobes a popular item in a lot of homes. Clever DIY projects and hacks pop up as people discover ways to upgrade the units to look more expensive and custom-built in their spaces. Here are 8 great projects to think about yourself: Designer Tommy Smythe updated his PAX doors with molding and vintage knobs. Combined with the sleek black paint, this new storage looks high-end and beautiful.

Maybe it’s her name, but April certainly seems to love springtime. She tells us that she recently expanded her porch so she could spend more time outdoors, but needed to furnish it on the cheap. Luckily, a friend found this free glider which just needed a little spruce up in order to become official new porch furniture. Cocoa and Crafts Thank you April!