The Latest: Apr 2017

Erika’s kitchen was dark, drab and crowded. Even though she couldn’t make any major changes to the layout, she was able to give the kitchen a bright and stylish new look that created the sense of oodles more space. From Erika: The original kitchen of our 1950s split level house in the Oakland Hills was remodeled by the previous owner to simply sell the house.

When Kelly and her husband Colton bought this house, the master bathroom had been upgraded since the home had been built in the 50s, but not in a style that the couple really adored. The bathroom had all the features typical of homes of this age: the footprint was very small, and pedestal sinks left little room for storage. Kelly and Colton decided to make changes to the bathroom that were not just cosmetic but that changed the room’s layout as well.

Alycia just launched her own business and found herself in need of a dedicated at-home workspace. Surprisingly enough, building a budding empire didn’t leave much time for setting up a new space. Enter, the best friend! Alycia’s bestie put together a work from home space that is bright and bubbly and totally her. From Alycia: I live in a one-bedroom apartment, and due to my busy schedule and having just launched my own business, I don’t use my dining room much.

Lizzie’s upstairs bedroom came with a great view and some not so great cabinets. She’s a renter, so removing them was out of the question, but she found a creative way to make the space work for her. From Lizzie: We had two slightly tatty built-in cabinets either side of a Velux window. They didn’t look great, and the space in the middle was wasted. It became a catch-all for junk. Because the home is rented, though, we couldn’t make any permanent changes.

It’s always a curious thing when a piece of furniture with a pedigree that dates back centuries manages to situate itself into contemporary design (without actually looking like an antique). Such is the case with the Windsor chair. Originating in the early 1700s and taking its name from the English town of—you guessed it—Windsor, the humble wooden chair has been an anchor of English and American interiors past and present.

Knowing there would be a move at some point in the future, Heather and Doug had resolved not to remodel the less-than-attractive vintage 1980s kitchen of their Park Slope condo. But that was before the cabinets and appliances started to give out. With duct tape holding together the shelves in their fridge, Heather and Doug were faced with a challenge: creating, with budget in mind, a new kitchen that they would be happy with and that future buyers would be happy with, too.

Our good pal Claire took an old IKEA standby, unfinished drawers, and turned them into a bright and charming accent piece. Drawing inspiration from her love of travel, she gave the piece an antique-inspired, worldly makeover. From Claire: When you buy something in unfinished wood from IKEA the idea is you finish it at home to suit your decor. Well this IKEA mini drawers set had been sitting in the back of my craft cupboard for 10 years waiting to be finished.

The last thing we tend to think of when we see furniture is an extraterrestrial entity, but this UFO-shaped rocking chair has us seriously reconsidering the way we view seating options. Despite the obvious stigma attached to it, allow us to assure you that this rocking chair doesn’t immediately conjure up images of sleeping babies and knitting grandmas.

Mobile homes are small spaces that come with their own particular set of challenges. Tracey upgraded her living room and bathroom for a fresh new look and some added much-needed functionality. From Tracey: Our mobile home needed updating. The living room was a metallic damask wallpaper. In the bathroom there was an old tub and shower with a chevron wallpaper. For the living room, I just hung strips of 3/8 plywood I had cut at the store.

Fani’s Brooklyn kitchen looked like many a New York rental kitchen, small and kind of generic. One day she had enough of her brown kitchen and decided to take matters into her own hands, bringing color, texture and life to her Park Slope space. From Fani: My small Brooklyn kitchen had outdated old cabinets with lots of wear and tear. The style and color of the cabinets didn’t match the mid-century modern style of the apartment.

Project by: Jen and Eric Alden of Rara Avis Design Location: Rose Park Historic Neighborhood – Long Beach, California Jen and Eric’s bathroom, while not a total eyesore, was in need of some major updating. Being visual people with a practical bent, they decided that they wanted a bathroom that could stand up to water. Like, almost every inch of it. Coupled with some lucky vintage finds, their tile transformation makes for a pretty impressive overhaul.

When Kristen and her husband became homeowners they decided to shoot for the stars and attempt to complete their renovations before move in day. Unfortunately fate (aka their contractor) got in the way and they had to move in while finishing up their projects. Luckily Kristen kept things in perspective and when all was said and done she had a stunning kitchen to show for it. From Kristen: Owning a home is something my husband Shawn and I have been wanting and working toward for years.

Crafting trends ebb and flow just like decor trends come and go, and at the moment, embroidery is enjoying its time in the spotlight—and showing up on everything from jean jackets to tennis rackets. Whether you choose to pick up a needle and thread, or prefer to admire these beauties from afar, we’ve pulled together a sampler of Instagram accounts offering endless stitch-spiration.