Tired of seeing stinky stacks of recycling take up residence in the corners of your cramped kitchen? So was Claire. In fact she had been dreaming of finding a structure that could contain her recycling bins stylishly. So when she came across this kind of rough but sturdy and free cabinet in an alley a few blocks from her apartment, she got creative to give it a new modern and functional look! Even more impressive? She made this transformation for exactly ZERO dollars. See how after the jump.

Amy’s home office functioned just fine before. But, being located in a corner of her living room, she didn’t want it to feel temporary or look blah. So she tackled a considerable amount of mini and large DIY projects to add some stylish detail to this small corner. From Amy: To make it more functional, I added shelves above the desk to increase storage space. Keeping with the theme of gold accents, I spray painted the brackets gold in addition to some of the other desk decor.

Do you love the look of card catalog cabinets but hate how impractical the storage is? So did Michelle and her husband Nate of the blog Decor and the Dog (dog Ike pictured above!). So they designed a cabinet that would offer more storage flexibility but give the look of a faux card catalog cabinet. And they’ve shared the instructions on how to make your own!

This table with its great and unique shape was destined for the trash. It had a water-damaged top and was definitely taking the description “shabby chic” a little too far! But a clean-up and a refresh makes it a perfect addition to any stylish room. From Karen: This table was a garbage day find and in dire need of repair and TLC. We removed the water damaged particle board table top and replaced it with a new piece of wood.

Tanya and her husband have been slowly updating and decorating their house on a small budget, just completing a remodel of their kitchen. In their previous home, they played it safe with design, concerned about resale. But in this home they did whatever they wanted, making some pretty dramatic changes in the kitchen that brightened and modernized the small space.

Kendra started her own business in 2011, REmix Design, a perfect way to use her interior design skills plus her passion for home design and working with tools. She loves saving furniture that “has seen better days.” She mixes old with new, rusty and shiny and this $10 table turned butcher block island is a perfect example! From Kendra: I took it home and immediately began tearing off the metal top with the help of my dad.

Have you ever hated the outdated look of a room so much that you wanted to paint every single surface? Tasha didn’t love her kitchen, and paint on every nearly single surface (along with some new hardware and furniture) helps transform it into a completely new space! Tasha says: Our kitchen was functional and in good condition, but outdated in style. We totally transformed it into a space that we love for under $700, including new hardware and furniture.

Sometimes our favorite before and after projects are the ones that take a small addition to a home and create a big impact on the look. This tiny kitchen is a great example. Christina made a small but bold choice —and it really paid off! From Christina I recently bought my first condo — a small and beautifully renovated 475 square foot one bedroom.

This chair was found at an estate sale for only $5. Estimated to be from the late 50s or 60s, it had great bones, but was unfortunately covered in what Landon calls “mass transit seat fabric” or “bowling alley carpeting.” Though not particularly attractive, it did seem to be flame retardant. From Landon: First, the mass transit fabric and the seat padding were removed. The legs were sanded before being stained in a cherry finish.

Anyone who’s inherited a weird nook, corner or odd-home-thing might appreciate this simple but successful recessed bookcase mini-remodel. Shonee’s list of needed home updates since buying a 1950s house last year is long, with many projects often turning out more complicated than originally thought. Thankfully this small project — updating an outdated bookshelf — was simple and came out pretty sweet!

When Amanda moved into her second house, she knew the dark and dated split entry needed to be brightened up — a dark door, peach-hued walls and a tall wall with nothing on it just didn’t fit her style. From Amanda: To brighten up the space, we installed a tongue and groove accent wall (to cover the heavy knock down texture) and painted it white. A new larger glass French door let light pour.

What do you do when you find a sad little tripod table with potential for free by a garbage can? If you’re Amanda, you take it home with you, give its top a sweet makeover and sit back to enjoy your transformed handiwork. From Amanda: I came home the other day to find this rather sad little table sitting by my garbage can. She wasn’t much to look at while she was sitting forlornly by my garbage cans.

Do you suffer from a bland bathroom? You might find some inspiration in the ideas that Jolie added to her standard-looking, not-very-interesting bathroom. She made this boring room turn glam with some DIY projects and vision. From Jolie: I wanted to feel like I was stepping into a high end hotel bathroom in the morning so I decided I would decorate it with glam wallpaper and gold accents.

When Kelly and her husband moved into a 1950s fixer-upper in late 2012, they knew their kitchen — with original (in Kelly’s words, grime-encrusted) pine cabinets, aluminum-wrapped laminate counters and linoleum floors mixed with asbestos — would need some aesthetic upgrading. They even started working on this room two hours after closing on the house! From Kelly: To say that it was a labor of love is an understatement.

This cramped and outdated kitchen almost prevented Christina from buying the house! But it was a charming 100-year-old Craftsman-style house that won her over, and she made the goal of brightening up the kitchen and maximizing space a priority! From Christina: When we toured this house, the kitchen was the reason why we almost didn’t buy the 100-year-old Craftsman-style house. It was so small, so brown, and so ugly!

Have you ever spotted an absolute steal on Craigslist — except for it being the complete opposite of your style? Nichol saw this table for $50, but before even leaving the house she took the legs off and left them with the original owner (along with the chunky chairs). There were other plans! From Nichol: Thank you Nichol!

Christina’s second bedroom is a tight eight feet wide by 13 feet long. But, despite the small size, she needed it to function both as an office and craft room, and a guestroom that could sleep two people. Christina turned this room with beige walls and bland carpet into a light and inspiring space to work and entertain guests! From Christina: The whole transformation cost about $800.

Ama had found this piece of furniture at a garage sale but wasn’t quite sure what to do with it for a few years. It had great bones, but the finish was in pretty rough shape. Though not a drastic change, the finished product came out stylish and sophisticated and is now the perfect storage piece for her dining room! From Ama: The cabinet cost me $50, dyeing, varnish and handles about $35, plywood for shelves, new door and feet cost me $23 and paper for background about $12.

This trip to Goodwill was originally intended to find something to be crafted into a make-up storage vanity for a friend. But when Jae finished a few simple tweaks to transform this old tool cart, it seemed like a no-brainer to show-off how it’d be perfect as something helpful when entertaining friends in your home!

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.

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!

Sometimes older bathrooms are full of charming and quirky details that are totally worth keeping as-is. And other times older bathrooms are just dull and outdated. Can you guess which one Tanya’s was? Waiting on when the budget will allow for a full renovation, she tackled a few DIY, tried-and-true tricks to change the look of this space to be more livable now. My husband and I just moved into our house and are saving up to renovate our main bathroom.

Want to know a great DIY project trick for small spaces? Anything you can do to a heavy piece of furniture to make it feel visually lighter could help a room feel more spacious. Simple, yes, but effective: Michelle’s paint job left her new nightstands lighter and refreshed, and she added design detail with new handles.They make for a fashionable contrast in her brightly painted bedroom. From Michelle: We had two ornate nightstands that had great trim and very cool brass handles.