Jamie Wiebe

Yet more proof in the transformative power of paint.

The dark blue accent wall cost $180 total, including trim, caulk, and paint.

Brianna printed her custom, watercolor-inspired artwork at Society6 and covered it with three "generous" coats of clear whiteboard paint. After five days of curing, she had her end result—"a giant surface for impromptu brainstorming, writing down weekly and monthly goals, taking notes while pacing on conference calls, or sketching website wireframes."

This pantry goes from cluttered to clean.

The enclosed porch on Ashley‘s 1905 home did not live up to expectations: a low ceiling and burgundy walls and floors turned the space into a “sad little box,” she says. “It felt disconnected from the rest of the house,” especially after doing extensive renovations. “I know how much some updates would transform this room,” she says. So over the course of six weeks, she transformed this dark and dreary porch into a pastel, botanical laundry room.

When Stasia bought her flat in 2016, she liked the kitchen—it was “big and bright and airy,” she says, and certainly on-trend. But it also “felt bland,” with “bleached white walls and cupboards that made it feel cold and clinical. I didn’t want to feel like I was cooking in a science lab.” When she decided to renovate, she was aiming for “industrial yet cozy, somewhere [she] could relax with a glass of wine.

No matter how well-designed your living room, the television often stands out like a sore thumb. Unless you have all-black walls, integrating an enormous black box with your colorful decor can be a challenge. A gallery wall seems like it would be the easiest solution, but fitting artwork around your television can be a challenge worthy of a Tetris master. Working something so oversized into an art arrangement requires thinking outside the box. How can you get an entertainment space to die for?

White doesn’t have to mean trite. Paired with a joyful neon color scheme, a white room can be an honest delight. Gill gave her girls’ “small and dark” room a colorful makeover to make the space feel entirely modern—and still kid-appropriate. “It is a shared room for our two daughters, and while we were desperate to lighten and brighten the space, we also wanted to ensure it appealed to both a 6-year-old and a 6-year-old,” Gill says.

It was blessed with good bones, but also cursed with a purple laminate counter—and swinging saloon doors.

This homeowner took her inspiration from the past, including '70s and '80s-style touches.

This easy makeover proves you don't have to sweat to create an inspired space.

Lindsay thought she found a “sturdy, but out-of-style wood coffee table” at her local thrift store—but when she got home, she realized she’d been fooled. The ugly veneer made this piece impossible to restore, paint, or reshape. “At that point, I wanted little to do with the table,” Lindsay says. But she’d already dropped $15, so she decided to figure out some solution.And it’s a good thing she kept trying.

Lindi wasn’t sure what to do with this awkward space on the side of her living room. “It didn’t really have a function and was largely unused,” she says. But soon she found her vision: Her home lacked a community work area where her kids could hunker down over homework and Lindi could edit images for her blog. Black vertical shiplap anchors the space, and floating wood shelves in a dark stain add depth—and match the desk.

Katherine‘s master bathroom was filled with wasted space, with a wall of closets and a separate room for the toilet and tub contributing to the cramped floor plan. In order to reveal this space’s true potential, “we pretty much had to start from scratch,” Katherine says. “It was in need of a major facelift.” They started by ripping out everything: unnecessary walls; the dark, gloomy builder-grade cabinetry; even the toilet.

Suzanne’s daughter used to enjoy her own room—but with a new baby on the way, she’d need to start sharing space with her sister. “I wanted to make their room a special space for them to enjoy together,” Suzanne says. Before, “It was just furnished, but not a lot of extra detail was added.” Luckily, both girls are “head-over-boots” (as Suzanne puts it) in love with horses, so picking a theme was easy.

Erin‘s small, square master bathroom was cramped and outdated, with brown tiles and a builder-grade sink that offered no inspiration. But a trip to Italy did: “I kept talking about how I envisioned a master bathroom that looked like it belonged in a boutique hotel in Italy, and my partner surprised me with a vacation to one of my favorite cities in the world! Rome!” Erin says.

Cat and her boyfriend, Brian, seriously lucked out: His family’s hunting lodge in southern Utah is the perfect weekend retreat. But over time, the cabin has transformed from a yearly hunting haven for the boys to a family vacation home. “Naturally, it was in need of some decor and interior design,” Cat says. Cat and Brian’s upstairs bedroom had an awkward slanted ceiling and standard white wall.

The perfect touch can transform a room from sterile to cozy in an instant. To add comfort to a room, designers often recommend looking to texture and color and integrating earthy elements—and ceramic pottery integrates all three elements seamlessly. There’s a reason homeowners are stuffing their spaces with unique ceramic castings: Large colorful pots are the perfect home for your jungalow plants, and their smaller siblings hold single blooms that bring color to a minimal spread.

There's nothing spa-like about squinting in the dark.

When you’re curled up inside on a gross, snowy day, the last thing you want to see more of is gray. Escape into a wonderful world of color — without leaving your couch. These bold, beautiful Instagram feeds showcase ultra-radiant homes stuffed full of funky, colorful accessories. Neon accent walls? Hot pink furniture? These designers and home lovers do it right. Liven up your life by following these 11 striking feeds.

Stop spending your paycheck on this stuff.

We all admire the perfect DIY home—but creating a homemade house requires picking up at least a half-dozen hobbies. With each hobby comes hours of YouTube videos and hundreds of dollars spent on must-haves. If you’re short on time and cash, knowledgeable creators have you covered. Hobby kits let you dive into a new craft—without leaving your craft room overstuffed with supplies if macrame isn’t your thing.

Etsy is a fantastic resource for unique artwork, one-of-a-kind vintage pieces, and cross-stitch patterns. And tiny homes. You may be surprised, but the website for makers also hosts a small cottage industry of teeny micro homes and structures eager to support your next adventure. As with all tiny homes, know what you’re getting (and not getting) before you buy. Some of these are kits, which require assembly, and the purchase of additional finishes, to be livable.

You deserve extra prep space and additional seating, too.

Americans spent the last three or four decades tearing out pretty-in-pastel bathroom tiles. Pale pinks and greens surrounded every toilet, every shower, every sink. After spending decades finding the same shades everywhere, it’s no wonder we grew tired of the trend. But it’s time to break out your mortar and grout: Colorful bathroom tiles are coming back.

A stud finder is more than a dad joke. This helpful little tool is an essential part of the serious DIYers arsenal—especially if you don’t want to risk ruining all your shelves and expensive electronics (not to mention the walls) because they weren’t properly secured. For most casual decorators, a stud finder isn’t a must-buy.

Gallery walls fill a void in our heart we didn’t know we had: the need to show off all of our artwork, all of the time. But after a decade exploding with galleries, it’s time for something a little more streamlined. Enter the gallery grid, where themed artwork is hung in a grid—think of it as a gallery wall, sans clutter. The result adds a pleasing sense of order to your living spaces.

Most of us can’t spend every day at the beach. Sure, we can spend every day fantasizing about the beach, but day jobs and social expectations and pure logistics prevent us from digging our toes into the sand every morning. If only it were possible: There’s something so marvelously soothing about blue waters stretching toward the horizon.

Sneaky homeowners used to fill bowls with fake apples, grapes, and bananas—but don't you dare take a bite.

Most of us can’t afford to outfit our homes with pricey, one-of-a-kind pieces. Yes, we’d love a gallery wall filled only with high-quality canvas originals, or a collection of fancy, passed-down decorative teacups. But if we waited around until we had an entire apartment’s worth of high-end decor, we’d stare at bare walls for decades. There’s no shame in loving what you’ve got and going to stores like HomeGoods or IKEA for the rest.

Letting kids help design their own sleeping space is a solid parenting strategy. Their decor decisions can be dicey—how many fairy lights does one room need, honestly?—but good things happen, too. Your kid’s room may open your eyes to the glories of maximalism, or teach you that over-the-top bold colors actually work with your home’s architecture.

Open houses can be exciting, no matter whether you’re actively house-hunting or just a nosy Nellie. These events offer a pressure-free (okay, mostly pressure-free) way to scout out any homes on your radar—and maybe even find your dream space. But staying on your best behavior at an open house is paramount: After all, the seller’s agent is right there. Act like a loon and they’ll pass on the memo to their client, who may decide not to accept your offer.

The open house circuit can feel stressful and intimidating. You’re filing in and out of strangers’ homes and apartments, hoping this one might be the one. But how can you know? Luckily, those agents—you know, the ones manning the cookie tables, holding piles of business cards—can answer all your burning questions. You just need to know which ones to ask. Here, the top 10 questions to ask at an open house to help determine whether or not the space is right for you.

Looking for a new adventure and not sure what affordable city best suits you? We've connected all 16 Myers-Briggs personality types to their best-fitting city.

Maintaining a good relationship with your real estate agent isn’t easy. As a buyer, it’s easy to feel like you’re asking too much or are coming off a little too desperate (even if you are!). But whether you’re asking to see 15 more options or fretting over inspection results, you’re not the worst client your realtor has ever had.

Inspections, closing costs, and loans—oh my! Buying a home is one of the most stressful experiences a couple can share. With so many variables to consider (finances, location, simple matters of taste, etc.), it may feel like every day could bring a new opportunity to argue—but it doesn’t have to be that way. Besides, the home-buying process offers enough trying hurdles as is—there’s no need to conjure your own.