Before & After: A Garden Shed Turned Cozy Guest Cottage
Project by: Katie Greenhalf of KG Lifestyle & Interiors Ltd Location: London, United Kingdom Normally, sleeping in a shed sounds like some sort of Dickensian punishment, but in this particularl case, it’s a total dream. Katie created the coziest, snuggliest guest room and it totally has us packing our bags for a quick visit! From Katie: The brief was to transform a humble garden shed into a warm and inviting living space.
Jun 3, 2017
A Bright and Cheery Mobile Home, Purchased From a Baywatch Babe
Name: Anne, her husband and their 4 dogs Location: Paradise Cove — Malibu, California The basics: 2.5 years owned, 1,200 square feet Anne’s home is as cute as it is fun! Designed to weather the elements as well as four dogs, everything is durable and inviting, creating a bright, lived-in feel. Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: I bought our mobile home two and a half years ago from Pamela Anderson.
Jun 2, 2017
Before & After: A Family-Friendly Room That Makes a Fantastic First Impression
Let's play "spot the recliners".
Jun 2, 2017
A Cozy Oasis in a West Village Walk Up
Name: Melina Location: West Village, New York — New York The basics: 9 months, rented | 300 square feet If you’ve spent anytime hunting for housing on Craigslist, you know that “cozy” spaces so rarely are. Not so in the case of Melina’s West Village studio. Like something out of a TV show with an excellent acoustic soundtrack, her studio is welcoming, warm and totally charming.
May 31, 2017
Before & After: A Rental Bathroom Upgrade with a Vintage Portrait Gallery
Megan’s rental bath makeover is low key awe inducing. Without making any major upgrades, it’s like she helped her bathroom leap forward into modern styling, while also time traveling back to the time of glam powder rooms. From Megan: The walls of our bathroom were decked in a puzzling color scheme with one brown wall and the rest purple. It was flat paint so it felt pretty dingy and not very practical in a bathroom.
May 31, 2017
A Williamsburg Studio Full of Impressive DIYs & Renter Friendly Fixes
Name: Eva, her fiancée and their cat Location: Williamsburg — Brooklyn, New York The basics: 6.5 years, rented | 450 square feet Eva has been in her studio for almost seven years, which is like 64 in renter’s years. But it all makes sense when you consider she’s acquired two of the most covetable New York real estate finds: a space to oneself (at least, until your partner moves in) and a very chill landlord.
May 30, 2017
Before & After: A Bright Blue “Neat Bohemian” Bathroom
Mel was hired by her clients to breathe some style into this workable, but very dark, slightly cramped bathroom. Using a single piece from the client’s old house as a jumping off point, she identified their style and found solutions for their pain points while giving them the look they wanted. Beautiful blue tile, a subtle yet stylish light fixture and funky accents create a bright bathroom oasis.
May 30, 2017
Meet Lil Blue, The Tiny House Parked on a Farm in Iowa
Name: Sarah and Jordan Location: Elkhart, Iowa The basics: 2 years, owned | 160 square feet Sarah harbored tiny house fantasies. She and her husband turned her dreams into reality. The pair set up shop in an adorable tiny home, finding cute ways to maximize space at every turn. Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: My husband, Jordan, and I live in this 160 square foot tiny house, which we’ve dubbed Lil Blue.
May 29, 2017
Before & After: A Loving Kitchen Update That Would Make Grandma Proud
Tarah lovingly updated the kitchen in her family home, holding onto history while creating a space that meets her needs and matches her style. She’s kept pieces of the old kitchen throughout the new one, lending a true vintage charm to the room. From Tarah: My grandparents built the kitchen of my grandma’s dreams when they installed indoor plumbing in the home for the very first time in 1958. They also put the bathroom behind the kitchen .
May 29, 2017
Before & After: 3 Months + $3k = One Enviable Kitchen
Now, there’s nothing wrong with a bold color in the kitchen if it’s executed well. Sadly that was not the case for Shannon’s sporadically navy blue kitchen. She made some small updates to the space when she first moved in, but after living with the kitchen for a few years she decided it was time to give the space the true makeover it deserved. From Shannon: When we first bought the house six years ago the kitchen walls and cabinet panels were painted a dark navy color.
May 28, 2017
Before & After: Little Miss Muffet Reupholstered, Like, a Million Tuffets
This once grande dame of a sofa had good bones, she just needed a little refresh. In swoops Ashley’s mom, Janie, newly(ish) minted upholsterer and true tuffet champion. After three weeks and, like, a million buttons, this beauty was ready for her second act. From Ashley: This 1970s pea green sofa was certainly lovely in its time, but the velvet was worn and stained and its skirt wasn’t doing it any favors.
May 27, 2017
One Couple’s Post-College Plan: Turn a 250-Square-Foot Camper into a Minimalist Haven
Name: Courtney, her fiancé Gregg and their pets Location: Decatur, Illinois The basics: 3 months, owned | 250 square feet How’s this for a post-graduation plan? Buy a camper, fix it up, move into it and live a more minimalist lifestyle. Sound good? Well that’s exactly what Courtney and Gregg did after graduating in 2016. Tell us a little about your home and the people who live there: We purchased our camper in September of 2016 with the intent to remodel and move into it.
May 25, 2017
A 350-Square-Foot, Sun-Drenched Brooklyn Studio
Name: Kayte and Emerald the cat Location: Bed-Stuy — Brooklyn, New York The basics: 2 months, rented, 350 square feet Kayte and her cat have packed plenty of style and storage (and stylish storage) into their small, yet light-filled Brooklyn studio. Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: I live in Bed-Stuy, a diverse Brooklyn neighborhood. Here the tree-lined streets frame historic brownstones and bodegas are found on every corner.
May 25, 2017
Before & After: Two Mid-Century Chairs Get Rescued from the Landfill (& Vamoose Vinyl!)
Vinyl aside, these chairs had a certain je nais se quoi. Stephanie snatched them up from the salvage yard and gave them a loving and era-appropriate upgrade. From Stephanie: These Australian-made mid-century chairs came from the salvage yard at our local landfill. The colors and finishes are different, but I noticed their matching frames under the worn vinyl and busted lacquer finish. Both also had a pivoting metal under frame – so they weren’t just regular armchairs, but recliners!
May 25, 2017
Before & After: A Young Couple Survives Their First Bathroom Remodel
Kristina and her boyfriend triumphed over one of the most trying of relationship milestones: their first renovation. Kristina points out an important truth about renovations, that even if you’re not working on your forever home, the time and energy that goes into getting a place ready to flip is still monumental. After multiple trips to Home Depot, disagreements and disappointments, and a moment of buyer’s remorse, Kristina and her boyfriend now have a bathroom they can be proud of.
May 24, 2017
It Starts With a Swing in The Living Room: Details from a Funky Family Home
Name: Julien, her husband and three daughters Location: Milton —Ontario, Canada The basics: 12 years, owned | 2,000 square feet Julien’s home is full of fascinating, functional and visually interesting art yet it doesn’t have a “hands off” feel. It is designed with her family in mind, encouraging exploration and celebrating everyone’s personalities.
May 23, 2017
A Bright and Bubbly UK Victorian Embraces Pastels
Name: Kelly, her husband, their 4 children and 2 dogs Location: Lancashire, United Kingdom The basics: 10 1/2 years, owned | 2,000 square feet Kelly’s home is full of cheery pink, upcycled finds and DIY projects big and small. Kelly and her husband Derrick have been able to adjust their home to their growing family without much outside help.
May 22, 2017
Before & After: Adding On and Leveling Up For a Gorgeous New Kitchen
Penelope and Andrew’s outdated kitchen needed a boost. Well, not just a boost. A whole new extension and then a boost. After paying the high price of living through a kitchen reno with a toddler, they were handsomely rewarded with a gorgeous kitchen chock full of brand new functionality. From Penelope: We wanted a bigger and more useful kitchen. I’m an architect so I couldn’t help but see the potential a small addition to the house could provide — a larger kitchen!
May 22, 2017
An Open & Crisp Seattle Studio Apartment for Two
Name: Angel, her boyfriend and their cats Location: Seattle, Washington The basics: 1 year, rented | 550 square feet Angel’s Seattle studio is super open but short on storage. With some creative thinking and smart purchases, Angel and her boyfriend were able to make the most out of their shared space. Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: My boyfriend and I have been living in this apartment for about a year.
May 19, 2017
Before & After: An IKEA Bookcase Goes on an Epic Epoxy Adventure
Nick found himself with the familiar small space dilemma of moving to a new spot and needing more storage. He decided to give his plain IKEA bookshelf an EPIC makeover, turning it into a high glam, conversation-starting storage piece. From Nick: A couple of years ago, my boyfriend and I lived in Queens, where we had enough room for a studio for my graphic design work. This bookcase used to live there and worked perfectly as is.
May 19, 2017
One Woman and Her Dachshund Share a Stylish Studio in Denver
Name: Kaitlin and her dachshund Dilbert Location: Highlands — Denver, Colorado The basics: 2 months, rented, 520 square feet When hunting for her apartment, Kaitlin wanted a space that was as lovely inside as out. She found exactly what she was looking for with her super cute studio in a dog friendly neighborhood. Good news for her and great news for Dilbert!
May 18, 2017
Before & After: An Outdated Captain’s Bed Gets a Fresh Update
Madeleine needed both storage and a sleeping option in her small mountain bedroom. She figured that a captain’s bed would solve both dilemmas and after getting super lucky on Craigslist, set about making her find a little more visually pleasing. From Madeleine: When we bought a tiny (600-square-foot) condo in the mountains, we needed to furnish it efficiently both in terms of space and cost.
May 18, 2017
Creatives Carve Out a Home on a School Bus
Name: James & Jen Location: Atlanta, Georgia The basics: Purchased March 2016, completed March 2017 | 125 square feet It still seems a little unreal that people can live on busses without being part of a family band or going on a very intense field trip inside the human body. Not only are James and Jen are living the dream on their rehabbed school bus, they’re slowly winning over the toughest of home critics, their cat.
May 17, 2017
Before & After: Decking Out the Deck on a Budget
Spring has (maybe? hopefully!) sprung and now is the time to get outdoors. Natalie and her boyfriend recently moved in together and found themselves with a spare table that was a little worse for wear. Rather than toss it and buy all new deck furniture, they had the bright idea to give what they had a colorful upgrade and now they have a lovely outdoor space without breaking the bank. This old table had been in storage and was showing its age- stained, chipped and scratched.
May 17, 2017
Former New Yorkers Land in a Beautiful Berlin Apartment (And Learn You Have to BYO Kitchen)
Name: Alana, her partner and cat Location: Berlin, Germany The basics: 9 months, rented | 1,800 square feet Seeking a slower pace and a bit more space, Alana and her partner relocated from New York to Berlin. They found this airy stunner and set about making it the perfect place to work, entertain and relax. Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: I live with my partner, Adam, and our awesome cat Olive.
May 16, 2017
Before & After: The 2k, Get-With-the-Times Makeover of an Outdated ’80s Kitchen
If you were to make a list of kitchen essentials, it’s fair to say that “working oven” would be close to the top. Erica’s kitchen not only lacked the aforementioned necessity but was also chock full of heavy, dark ’80s design details. Her budget minded revamp helped give the kitchen a new airy look and some needed functionality. When I moved into my 1980s fixer upper home two years ago, one of the first projects was the kitchen.
May 16, 2017
A Cosmo Editor and a Designer (Who Are Also Comedians!) Set Up Home in Williamsburg
Name: Carina and her roommate Claudia Location: Williamsburg — Brooklyn, New York The basics: 11 months, rented | 400 square feet Carina and Claudia’s Williamsburg apartment is colorful, fun and full of secret weirdness. They’ve made their first “Grown Up” apartment functional and pretty without taking the whole thing too seriously.
May 15, 2017
A “Dialogue Between Old and New” in an Updated California Victorian
Name: Ben and his family Location: Alameda, California The basics: 4 years, owned | 1,500 square feet Ben and has family tackled the mammoth undertaking of renovating and updating a Victorian home but found that living in the home during the reno helped them create a space more personally tailored to their needs. Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: We bought the house in 2010, knowing it was in need of a major renovation.
May 12, 2017
A Writer’s Colorful Shotgun Home in NOLA
Name: Anne, her husband Nate, their cat Kitty Fat Pants and dog Delta Burke Location: Irish Channel — New Orleans, Louisiana The basics: Two years, owned | 2,000 square feet Anne, a freelance writer, and her husband Nate relocated to New Orleans after visiting the city and being charmed by all of the people, places and things. Their shotgun-layout home is full of personal touches and fantastic wall treatments.
May 11, 2017
Before & After: A Stunning DIY Kitchen Update for 15k
We recently featured Ashley’s dining room makeover, and now we get to see what kind of magic she’s worked in the kitchen. She unenviably lived through a year and a half long updating process, but the result is pretty stunning. From Ashley: The kitchen had ugly wallpaper, chipped paint on the cabinets, and was closed in. We wanted to open the space up to our dining room to make it feel bigger. We did almost all the work ourselves and it took us about a year and a half.
May 11, 2017
Before & After: A Completely New Sofa Phoenix Rises from the Ashes of the Old One
Just going to get this out of the way up front: this project is not a casual, pick it up when you’re bored DIY. This project is a “save yourself thousands” and “put your tools and considerable sewing skills to good use” and definitely a “can’t believe you can actually do that” type of DIY. From Karen: I wanted a new more modern sofa, but the one I loved was $2,100! My slipcovered sofa was stained and sat very low but the frame was still very solid.
May 10, 2017
Love at First Sight: An First Time Homeowner’s “Urban Cozy” Condo in Boston
Name: Jenny Location: South Boston, Massachusetts The basics: 2 years, owned | 780 square feet Jenny’s condo is a balance of bright and poppy colors with sleek and sophisticated shapes and textures. After saying yes to the space when it was but a shadow of its current self, she set off to slowly and deliberately make this house her home.
May 10, 2017
A Peek Inside a 1920s Shanghai Lane House
Name: Miranda Location: Jing An District – Shanghai, China The basics: 2 years, rented | around 700 square feet Miranda’s historic lane home is full of antiques, high ceilings and her traditional Chinese dress collection. The layout of the apartment complex let her get to know her neighbors and build a sense of community.
May 9, 2017
Before & After: A Glammed Up, Totally Temporary Rental Kitchen Upgrade
Raise your hand if you’ve ever lived in a rental. Now raise your hand if you’ve ever lived in a rental with a lackluster kitchen. Underwhelming rental kitchens are about as common as noisy upstairs neighbors, but at least you can make small temporary fixes to brighten up your cooking space (if somebody makes peel-and-stick ‘quiet down and be considerate of others’ please let us know immediately).
May 9, 2017
Before & After: One Afternoon and $10 for a Vintage-Style Mirror Makeover
Sarah had an idea of the perfect mid-century-style mirror in her mind. So when she spotted something like that mirror, albeit a rusty, over the top version, she snatched it up. Using the classic DIY elixir of elbow grease and spray paint she turned the whole thing around in one well-spent afternoon. I love mid-century design and wanted a vintage starburst mirror for as long as I can remember, but I also didn’t want the price tag that typically goes along with the real deal.
May 8, 2017
Before & After: And After Allllllllll You’re My Wooden Wallllllll
Today is gonna be the day that we're gonna put some slats on you.
May 6, 2017
A Sunny Space in the Sunshine State
Name: Stella, her partner and pet Location: Gainesville, Florida The basics: Two years, rented | 1,200 square feet Stella’s home is full of bright yellows, rich pinks and purples and some lovely plants soaking up all of that Florida sunshine! Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: We try to fit in unique details from all around the world. My boyfriend and I love our house, as well as our cat Sal Pacino who rules over the both of us.
May 5, 2017
A Funky Textile Dreamland in Columbus
Name: Hannah, Jake and their daughter Cyprus Location: Columbus, Ohio The basics: 8 months, rented | 1,214 square feet Hannah’s home is a funky textile dreamland with plenty of space for her young family. You can find charming boho touches throughout the space that feels so warm and lived in, it’s hard to believe they’ve been living here for under a year.
May 4, 2017
Room Transformation: An Orange “Unsightly Texas Chunky” Before to a Fresh Updated After
Project by: Lesley Myrick of Lesley Myrick Art + Design Location: Waco, Texas Lesley was charged with upgrading this Texas living space. Her clients space was less groovy ’60s modern and more pre-fab ’60s outdated. The room is an add on that had a few key elements with serious potential. Lesley made some smart upgrades to those (hello refreshed built-ins) and got ride of the orange-ish ceiling beams.
May 4, 2017
An Energy Healer Designs Her Bohemian Bungalow with Intention
Name: Bridget, her husband, teenage son and one dog Location: Missoula, Montana The basics: 18 months, owned | 2,000 square feet Bridget’s home is warm, inviting, and relaxing. The natural light, white walls and layered rugs give the space a welcoming and open feel, perfect for lounging and hosting. Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: We are a small family of three with a sweet black lab pup.
May 3, 2017
A Loft of One’s Own
Name: Leanne Location: St. Charles, Illinois The basics: 2.5 years, rented After sharing a much larger space for a few years, Leanne decided to downsize in order to live on her own. She’s made the most of her space, customizing it to fit her needs and style.
May 2, 2017
Before & After: Bathroom Beadboard on a Budget
We’ve seen Ariel work her renter friendly design magic before, and now she’s turned her energy toward the bathroom. In one weekend she added color, texture and style without sacrificing her security deposit. Check it out! From Amber: That folks, is what it looks like when bad spaces and poor planning happen to good people. As you can see, not terrible, but nothing that I’d call “Pinterest worthy.
May 2, 2017
Before & After: A 75 Year Old Tub (and the Rest of the Bathroom) Gets a Makeover
What was initially supposed to be a cosmetic upgrade turned into a much larger project for Courtney and John after they discovered some water damage. Undeterred they set about turning Courtney’s parent’s bathroom and laundry room into a guest-ready space. Courtney writes, “This bathroom is in my parent’s pre Civil War era house. Over the past 20 years, it was the only full bath shared by my parents, two sisters and myself. It also served as our laundry room.
May 1, 2017
Cohabitating with Cars: An Awesome LA Garage and Living Space
Name: Darien, Matt, and two rescue dogs, Jagger and Wile E. Location: Culver City — Los Angeles, California The basics: 2 years, rented |3,000 square feet What started as a simple search for garage space turned into a very lucky home find. Darien and Matt not only found the motorcycle and car storage they were looking for, they found an airy and cool living space as well.
May 1, 2017
Before & After: A Whole House Update for Under $55k
When Chloe inherited her grandfather’s house she knew it would need some tender loving care. Working with her family to rethink the layout and rid the space of the less than desirable ’60s elements, she came up with a shockingly stylish space on a budget. From Chloe: I inherited this home in 2009 from my grandpa who built it in 1965.
Apr 29, 2017
A Boston Apartment Steeped in Art and Family History
Name: Eva, Jack, their 3 year old Eleanor and Robin Williamson the cat Location: Dorchester — Boston, Massachusetts The basics: Four years, owned 1,100 square feet Eva and Jack’s space is like a cozy and welcoming art gallery. After bouncing back from a fire that destroyed most of their belongings, they’ve created a home that feels stylish and exceedingly personal.
Apr 28, 2017
Before and After: Third Time’s the Charm For This Den Turned Office Turned Walk-In Closet
Vanessa’s second floor den space was a bit of a puzzle. The layout was a little odd and they didn’t need anymore general space, but she tried it out as a den and then an office. One day her husband had a stroke of genius and decided to flip the place into the kind of walk-in closet storage dreams are made of. From Vanessa: Our home has a second floor den that I could never render useful.
Apr 28, 2017
This is the Holy Grail of Rentals: 15 Foot Ceilings, a Tiled Fireplace and Wood Paneling
Name: Mohammed & Sally Location: Point Breeze/East End — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania The basics: Two years, rented | 1,065 square feet Mohammed’s Pittsburgh apartment is full of the kind of antique charm that seems to only fall into the hands of TV characters and beach read heroines. Not one to rest on the laurels of enviable wood paneling, he has filled the space to the brim with stunning finds and impressive DIY upgrades. Can we move in?
Apr 27, 2017