The Latest: May 2019

Although most of us have big plans for our bathrooms (someday!) sometimes big long expansive vanities with oversize mirrors can seem like a hindrance and leave you with less of a personal feeling. Want to see a neat trick to not only add storage but a bit of a custom built-in look as well?Over at Home Talk, there’s a great example of what a little trim can do for your bathroom. It’s a simple way to get a customized look on the cheap.

This is a classic tale of boy-meets-pair-of-monkeys, monkeys prove too expensive, man loses monkeys, man finds single monkey years later, man questions monkey love, man gives monkey a chic and sleek make-over (monkey) tale/tail.

What do you get when you have a vision, passion, finances and patience? The re-birth of a 100-year old building into an astounding renovated home that will be cherished for a lifetime.Amy and her husband spotted this beat up century old brick building that used to be a trolley depot back in the day and just fell in love with it’s look, feel and history. They saw tremendous potential in this bare bones space to be the start of something much larger.

While adding a pull can seem like a minor home project, if not done correctly, it can quickly make your head ache. I have drilled pilot holes in the wrong place, made them too big, too small, jammed hardware in the door, broken hardware in half, cracked knobs, and lucky me, ruined fresh paint in the process. Follow these simple steps to learn from my mistakes.

One way to remove the evidence of my, er, I mean ANYONE’S serious Diet Coke addiction is the recycling bin. That way may be eco-savvy, but the neighbors can count, so it’s not terribly stealthy.Perhaps illustrator and character creator Eric Barclay’s way is better. And way more colorful than just green.“Ranjit and Indira,”Eric then applied gesso so that the surface had a bit of texture to it (acting somewhat like a high-adhesion primer).

This before & after renovation stars a once messy, chaotic laundry area in the home of four small children and their busy, creative parents. What’s truly wonderful is that they took an area that’s usually an afterthought, the laundry room, and turned it into a well-organized, cheerfully stylish space.According to Katie from Potluck Love, her old laundry room wasn’t a proper room, but a “hot mess of laundry” crammed into a hallway in the back of their home.

It takes some serious vision and determination to buy this enormous desk on Ebay for $15.50 in Vienna, Austria. Transportation of the beast alone is hard to execute. But this didn’t stop Liza, who knew she could transform it with some high-gloss paint and a bit of elbow grease. She and her husband brought back the desk via cab from the owner’s apartment, and the taxi ride ended up costing more then the desk!

Timothy and Laura are busy folks – they have a blog (make that two) to run and a new baby. A secret to their “do it all” success? They know that one key to handling new challenges is to plan ahead and do what you can when you have the time to make life easier when you no longer have the luxury of that time.

I am busy preparing to move my indoor gardening efforts outside and part of that means that I get to reclaim my sun porch for the spring through autumn season. In the winter it serves as my makeshift greenhouse for all the pots and container plantings that come in for the season. This year, part of that transition was getting the place organized and re-working some furniture.A friend gifted me a sideboard that was in relatively rough shape.

After Rachel had her new wood floors installed, it was clear she had a problem- her always darker than desired kitchen was now even more basement-like because her cabinets now matched the tone of her floor. Determined to create a lighter, brighter space without spending a lot of money, Rachel decided to use paint to transform her kitchen.Rachel used a Rustoleum Countertop Transformations Kit to transform her counters from dark grey to desert sand.

When Angie decided to move one of her boys into his own room, she knew she needed to find some unique pieces to help make the transformation. This retro dresser had seen better days, but the shape and the size were perfect for the space. Given her son’s love of all things orange, Angie decided to add a little pop of color to the frame of this piece.

The 80 degree weather we’re having here in Chicago (in March?!) is making me feel a little Alice-in-Wonderland, like suddenly, oddly neat things are possible, like say, Mandi from Vintage Revivals turning old, mismatched thrift store lamps into something utterly modern and so very cool.

While researching yesterday’s post on the comeback of wood paneling, I was delighted to discover this beautiful remodel of a kitchen from the 1960s. Homeowners Bret and Mary Peyton did a great job of updating the kitchen while keeping the design true to the home’s midcentury roots. Take a look.The wall between the kitchen and the dining room was removed, which really opens up the space.

Seeing potential. Not everyone has this gift to see beyond an aged surface, weathered finishes, a far from perfect interior space, or even damaged furnishings.

Is there anything more ubiquitous than the IKEA LACK series? I remember it being amongst my first purchases coming out of college, thanks to its neutral-modern design and affordable price. It’s no surprise it remains popular to this day for the same reason. Here’s an example of someone taking a me-too LACK and converting it into a me-only TV stand… I searched and searched for a TV table I could live with, and finally came across this cool Jetson-esque one at Logue Studio.

Garden pests make otherwise enjoyable gardening frustrating. Whether it’s snails taking over your lettuce or aphids sucking on your roses, a pest infestation is definitely disappointing, but it’s not a reason to reach for harmful, toxic sprays. The sprays might eliminate the pesky culprits, but they are harmful to you and the environment. Instead, try whipping up one of these simple recipes with ingredients you most likely have on hand.

Brooke has turned her very generic and all too common country kitchen into a classic, clean space which will no doubt increase the value of their home.It may have taken five months of work, research, hunting and juggling two two-year-olds to get this project done, but it was worth every minute. The result is simply lovely and creates an updated and warm new feel for the main area of Brooke’s home. I think it’s a good example of refreshing a kitchen on a budget without demolition.

This bathroom had lots of color in all the wrong places prior to its renovation. Old cabinetry and cheap teal tile made this bathroom makeover a must. Check out the fresh and modern facelift that this bathroom desperately needed after the jump… When selecting materials for a bathroom, the most important material to start with is the stone or tile, along with the cabinetry.

Sean has been transforming his white box of an apartment into a stylish and personalized home. In one of his recent blog posts Sean shows off this DIY bathroom lighting makeover that works around an existing awkward location in a creative way.This lighting over the double basin sink in Sean’s bathroom was unattractive – both as a light fixture and in the shadows it cast on the folks under it.

This 80’s kitchen was in need of updated appliances, cabinetry, and an overall space adjustment. By taking extra space from adjacent rooms, the kitchen was opened up into a light and bright gourmet chef’s workplace. Check out the difference after the jump…Although it may not look like it from the before photo, this kitchen was very dark and narrow.

Here’s a great example of how paint and new cabinet hardware can easily and inexpensively upgrade a kitchen. The family over at Keeping It Cozy made over their kitchen with these upgrades, and a few other finishing touches to make the space look bright and brand new — with a budget of only $1000!

Well hello there, ugly old dresser. You have some mighty fine bones but oooh boy are you a dated mess. Time to grab the paint and transform you into something more modern!The folks over at Young Nesters were in need of a sideboard for their dining room. After searching in vain for an affordable option, they spied this old dresser in a grandmother’s basement and, since it was free anyway, decided to try their hand at an ombre makeover.

When Ashley and Greg purchased their home they knew that a kitchen remodel was in their future. The existing space was poorly designed, with dated appliances, unattractive cabinetry, and a fair amount of plumbing and electrical issues. Starting from scratch, they designed and built a beautiful, modern, and functional space that makes you wonder – is this even the same house?!Not afraid to get their hands dirty, the couple did what they could on their own.

I recently purchased one of these RE dressers on sale at Target, and after 2 days of putting it together, it was crying out to me for some kind of bold hardware. Not wanting to spend a lot on 6 knobs but still wanting something with some mid-century flare, I came up with an idea: mason jar lids.I remembered as a kid occasionally watching a show called Family Affair. Remember Uncle Bill and Mr. French?

Most of the time when we feature a furniture makeover, it’s been transformed by applying something new to the surface — paint, fabric, paneling, etc. But designer William Dohman shows us that a really impressive project is when a vintage piece has been restored to its former glory.Architect William Dohman, the designer behind Oh Dier, restored this classic mid-century Lane dresser by removing the multiple layers of paint and weird tape that mysteriously stuck to most of the edges.

A key element of renovating a room is knowing when to say when. If you have a limited budget or limited time then the most helpful thing you can do is to be realistic about what you can achieve. This is especially true when you purchase a house that is a ‘fixer-upper,’ because then you are in danger of succumbing to project fatigue, when there is so much to do in every direction that it is difficult to focus on just one thing.

This is the story of Runaround Sue, the name given to a 1961 Airstream Safari that was lovingly renovated by Prairie Construction. The vintage trailer’s original beauty was carefully restored while making it leaner (more efficient) and greener. This time of year already makes me long to head out for the open roads, and now I’m filled with daydreams of spending the summer traversing the country in Runaround Sue.

When Josh, Lauren and their twins moved into their new townhouse in Washington DC’s historic Mount Pleasant neighborhood, they knew right away they had to change the bathroom. The retro pink, peach and black tiled bathroom, while quaint and vintage, was not their style. And in a smallish townhouse the room felt too busy and crowded. (Perhaps they also knew that once their daughters got old enough to talk they would fall in love with the bathroom’s perky pink: time was of the essence!

Take a little four-dollar thrift store chair. Add some cut-up bits of colorful paper and that magical elixir known as Modge Podge. Spend a few hours making it all come together and you get……a one-of-a-kind seriously fun seat! Erin at In Between Laundry made this basic thrift store find something special by getting busy with the colorful paper and the Modge Podge. We especially like how the botanical/butterfly motif echoes the natural texture of the woven seat.

Our readers don’t just come to us for home inspiration – they also share their own projects with us, bring the inspiration around full circle. Jude emailed us this sofa transformation that we think is a great lesson in patience and DIY chutzpah.Jude’s small apartment requires a slim sofa, one that is no longer than 56 inches.

Of the many Before and Afters we have featured, this one may take the prize for the biggest blindside, meaning when you click through, you will in no way have figured out what was coming and the ‘After’ photo just may knock you flat. While you can sometimes predict how a thrift store dresser or end table will be saved and transformed, just try it with this box spring. You’ll be wrong. Trust us. Just go look.We told you!

Monica had been on the lookout for an armchair to paint ever since she fell in love with one such project she found online. When she finally did find what she through was the right $50 chair for this endeavor, she then changed her mind. A small tear in the fabric convinced her that reupholstering was the better way to go — until, that is, she got a quote for $300 and decided to revisit her DIY options.

Audree was always pretty. She definitely has good bones, but over time Audree’s looks had, well, faded a bit. It happens. Life on the road takes a toll on a girl. But then in walked Tiffany, Audree’s new owner. She knew that with a fresh coat of pink and a hip new look, Audree could still turn heads. And she was right. What a bombshell Audree’s become!