Project by: Roger + Chris Location: Sharon Springs, New York The drab downstairs bathroom in our 160-old Italianate Victorian was in desperate need of a style infusion. Likely installed in the 1940s or 50s, the bath hadn’t received much attention in the ensuing years. A cute but well-used pedestal sink with separate taps, a tiled (and tiny) shower, fairly gross floor, and square tile running halfway up the walls. On the plus side, the large window brought plenty of sunlight into the space.

Renters and those not willing to make permanent changes to their stone fireplaces, rejoice! There is a way to meld your modern sensibilities with an outdated fireplace that might feature a material that overwhelms. Lidy came up with a simple and chic DIY way to add a modern feel to her stone fireplace. From Lidy: Our fireplace was a little outdated and it had no mantel. Although I was perfectly content with that, I debated how we could modernize it just a bit.

Wendy fell so in love with the character and charm of this rental apartment she was a bit blind to the stained, outdated wallpaper in the bedroom. But after moving in, she realized an update was needed, and she went with a dark and dramatic color palette. From Wendy: When my children and I moved into our rental apartment last winter, I was so wowed by the charm and character of our new space that I scarcely noticed the dingy, stained wallpaper covering every room in the house.

When the budget is tight and you can’t tear apart your entire bathroom to turn it into something you’d prefer, you’ve got to get creative. Jenna did just that with her bathroom, and it went from kind of sad to cheery! There are some simple but bold ideas in this makeover for both renters and homeowners.

Kelsey and her husband Heath had their work cut out for them when they moved into their new home with an outdated kitchen. But they worked with the home’s bones for a makeover that both fits the house and their personality! From Kelsey: This project is/was the most time and energy intensive DIY renovation we’ve sunk our teeth into, but it has also been the most gratifying.

What to do when one of your old vintage finds or IKEA chairs is looking sad and worn? Well you could reupholster it, of course! Lisa gave not just a new look to her old IKEA chair, but a custom one. From Lisa: As an unstoppable chair rescuer, and self taught upholstery DIYer, I love to sink my teeth into new challenges as they come along. This dilapidated IKEA (Lunna) swivel chair, grabbed on Gumtree (Australia’s Craigslist!

We’re all about the affordable makeovers that completely transform a room for not a lot of money. And though this kitchen does get a new floor (the price of which is not reflected in the $500 budget mentioned here), pay attention to the rest of the room where the $500 was spent. Alex got creative and outlines everything done to achieve a fresh new look. From Alex: I’ve wanted to redo my kitchen since I bought the house five years ago.

If you’ve ever not been able to afford a design you spot in a catalog, look instead to your thrift store, and keep your eyes peeled for a piece that shows potential. You just might be able to shape it to look more like your dream furniture piece without spending as much money!

What to do when you’ve got a spare bedroom on the boring side and are looking for a creative place to work? You tackled it stylishly like Marie and her husband did with their extra room, creating one seriously dramatic, contrasting space to get creative in! From Marie: Our renovation started off quickly because, four days after moving in, a pipe burst in the bedroom’s ceiling and flooded the entire floor and closet.

With the holidays almost on the way, you might be looking for ways to add both extra seating and storage in your small home. You’ll love this DIY project that turned a plain cocktail table into a modern ottoman with concealed storage! From Pam: I came across this sad little cocktail table made from cheap blistered laminate in a second hand store. Its only redeeming quality was the octagonal shape, which I thought would make for a cool little ottoman.

Project by: designHARMONY Location: Bothell, Washington From the designer: This busy family of four had a disorganized, uninspired office space. We transformed it by updating pieces the family already had, turning a former closet into a desk space and created a masterpiece with all of the kids’ artwork. Bright paint and accessories round out the now creative, family-friendly space.

Project by: Harmony Weihs of designHARMONY Location: Bothell, Washington What to do when your living room is full of LEGO in plastic containers, slowly taking over your home? You get in touch with a designer who can give you both a great designed space and plenty of room for your LEGO! From the designer: We walked into this house on our first visit to find rooms and rooms and containers and containers of LEGOS.

We never tire of tiny powder rooms that get a dose of bold style from DIY pattern, and this room is no different! What started out actually as a larger room became smaller when more space was needed for another part of the house. But any deficit of space isn’t missed one bit with the exciting makeover these creative folks gave the room! From Joanie and LinMara: We had a dysfunctional bathroom with a shower we did not need. We converted that bathroom into a tiny, narrow powder room.

You might remember Lauren’s style from her bedroom before and after; she turned a kind of boring bedroom into an exciting nautical and rustic-themed retreat. Well she’s back on a smaller scale, infusing some serious fun into an inherited desk from the in-laws. From Lauren: This past summer, I made over a roll-top desk we inherited from my in-laws…and it’s my new favorite project!

A white wall can be quite the inspiring canvas for interesting or even a little crazy ideas. Shehzeen had one of those ideas, and though her husband was a little dubious, after she finished DIYing a statement wall in their bedroom, there’s no doubt it was a brilliant — and easy-to-do — idea! From Shehzeen: When I moved into my current apartment, I immediately knew I wanted a statement wall for my bedroom and everything else could happen around it. So I painted it. Hated it.

Sometimes when faced with a very outdated room, say like a kitchen, your first instinct could be to pour a lot of money into it to try to bring it back into the present day. But as Sabrina proves with this simple and subtle redesign, you can make a big impact on the look of a space with very small but potent changes (and only a bit of money). From Sabrina: Believe it or not, I bought this home at an estate auction, and these people were looking at it as well.

We LOVE when folks take something pretty forgotten and with a little work, turn it into something unforgettable. That’s what Susan did with this beat-up and battered old bar cart. Twenty dollars and a makeover later, and she now has a pretty, golden bar cart! From Susan: This battered old cart was hanging out in my basement. After emptying its contents at a garage sale, I decided to give it new life, since I loved the style of the wire side pieces.

Having a whole closet right by your front door is amazing for storage if you’re a family with kids, but not if that closet comes with big outdated mirrored doors that don’t work well and don’t allow you to see what’s actually in the closet. Jen got to work, transforming this old closet into a very stylish — but most importantly functional — welcoming storage spot for her family. From Jen: This all started because this closet was not working for us.

How do you take a plain, bulky cabinet and turn it into a complete show-stopper? If you’re Miruna, you go the opposite of subtle. A few bold materials, an interesting pattern and this dresser gets quite the makeover! From Miruna: I’ve been wanting to use black chalk paint for a while, but could not find the right piece of furniture to stand up to the challenge. When I found this dresser online I was not very sure what to do with it, but I knew I loved it. So I bought it.

Melissa’s living room wasn’t bad looking — it had perfectly functional, traditional-styled furniture and a lot of natural light. But it didn’t fit her or her husband’s style. So they worked together to come up with a look that would! From Melissa: My husband (lover of mid-century modern) and myself (a lover of modern, chic style) met in the middle and co-designed our space together.

Jordan and her growing family were looking for a home, but knew with San Francisco’s high prices they would probably have to settle for a home that didn’t quite match their dreams. Even though friends warned her of the high prices of renovating, discounts were searched for and they did a lot of work themselves. From Jordan: My husband and I recently bought our first home together in San Francisco. We wanted a large home that had space for our growing family.

June’s fireplace had some dated features like fake wood and weird Victorian-esque floral tiles. She would have loved to replace the whole thing with her dream of a wood burning fireplace, but she didn’t have the budget for it right now. So she got creative and made the fireplace over with some paint, stencils and style! From June: I was fed up with my dated fireplace…the fake wood surround and the horrid quasi-Victorian tiles from the 80s made me cringe!

It’s never easy trying to create a beautiful space that reflects your personality when you don’t have a big budget, but it’s even harder when you’ve got two people’s tastes in the mix. Chelsea and her boyfriend managed to style a bedroom using only DIY projects, hand-me-down furniture and vintage finds that is a combination of both their tastes.

You know we’re big fans of furniture transformations that look totally different after getting a DIY makeover. This old dresser turned modern media stand is a great example of how a few small changes can make a big impact on the way a furniture piece looks! From Kala: My parents bought me this dresser as part of a bedroom set when I was 15 and I’ve held onto it because of its solid make (its gone through eight+ moves with me!).