TOP ROW:1. Before & After: Molly’s IKEA Rast Turned Campaign Chest2. Before & After: IKEA Changing Table into Home Office Desk3. Before & After: The DIY IKEA Office Organizer4. Before & After: Bet You Can’t Guess What This IKEA Malm was Converted Into5. Before & After: IKEA Malm Gets an Upholstered Ombre Makeover BOTTOM ROW:6. Before & After: Anna’s Take on the IKEA Rast7. Lizzie’s Wallpapered IKEA Lack Table8. Before & After: IKEA Granas Table Gets a Rustic Makeover9.

We like to reserve for our very last Before & After roundup the projects that really wow you. As in, these ‘after’ photos will leave you shocked. Amazed. Inspired. Take a look at some of this year’s most dramatic transformations. Click on the slideshow to see the projects. To learn more about each project (and see more pictures), click the links in the captions.

Here’s a look back at Maxwell’s renovation of his and Ursula’s new apartment in SoHo. If you missed any of this earlier in the year, you’ll definitely want to take a look — I think you’ll be impressed with how much he was able to achieve in such a short span of time. Here’s another view of the kitchen before, to give you an idea of what we were dealing with.

Some of my favorite before & afters are the ones where some intrepid DIYer sees the potential in a piece that everyone else would’ve left on the curb. From a side table turned pet bed to a humble crate turned into a swing, this year’s projects featured plenty of impressive repurposings. Check out some of our favorites. To view the ‘after’ photos, click the links for each project.

One of the most important kitchen design decisions you’ll make, both for looks and functionality, is the layout. You have a few options—the tried and true U shape, or the elegant and functional galley shape. But if you love entertaining, and love the look of an open kitchen, there’s another kind of kitchen layout that’s worth a look: the L shape. An L-shaped kitchen has just two runs of cabinetry, arranged at right angles to each other. (The name pretty much says it all.

When you’re living in a small space, every detail counts. But sometimes those little things — the things that elevate a place from not quite right to effortlessly chic — can be hard to identify. Our first bit of advice? Swap your freestanding bookshelves for wall-mounted shelving. It’s an approach that was recommended by Maxwell in his “Apartment Therapist” column for Better Homes & Gardens.

Here at Apartment Therapy, we can’t get enough of Before & Afters… it’s always exciting to see something salvaged from the garbage become something lovely and shiny and useful. We salute all you DIYers out there, but we have to say we’re especially impressed with the people who are able to see special potential in a piece — and turn it into something totally different and totally useful.

We can’t resist a good IKEA hack. Of course these pieces are lovely on their own, but this year a few intrepid DIYers managed to take a few basics to the next level. Swedish ingenuity + your ingenuity = some really inspired pieces of furniture. Click the links to see the ‘afters’. (Hint: clicking the links with your mouse wheel will open each link in a new window.) TOP ROW: 1. The IKEA VITTSJÖ: 5 Colorful Hacks 2. Before & After: From IKEA Dining Table to Chic Desk 3.

For this very last roundup, we’ve combed through all of this year’s Before & After projects (and trust us, there were a lot of good ones) and rounded up the very best ones. The dramatic, inspiring, shocking transformations. The ones where you couldn’t possibly like the before better. Prepare to be amazed — here are 2014’s most dramatic transformations. Click on the slideshow to see the projects.

Victoria shared her kitchen renovation with readers at last Wednesday’s Apartment Therapy Design Evening. In case you missed out, here’s a little more about the project. Victoria had bought a beautiful Victorian home, circa 1906, with great bones. Most of the house was in good condition, but it was clear that the old kitchen had to go.

Shortly after moving into their Chinook, Washington home, Meg and Josh decided to tackle a big project: transforming their existing laundry room and breakfast room into a single, open mudroom/breakfast nook combo. Before the project began, the breakfast room and laundry room were separated by a wall, making the small house seemed more cramped. Meg and Josh envisioned a single, open space the would serve as breakfast nook, laundry room, and mudroom all in one, with lots of built-in storage.

There's always room for more storage.

If you love looking at pictures of interiors like we do, you’ll probably see a few of the same pieces crop up over and over, design classics like the Eames lounge or Harry Bertoia’s wire chairs. But one of the most ubiquitous pieces has a humbler pedigree (and a much lower price point). It’s the IKEA Expedit, and it’s taking the world of storage by storm.

Here's what you need to know.

The littlest things make a huge difference.

This unexpected marriage transforms a utilitarian bathroom or kitchen into a bold style statement.

It adds character and interest to your space, without all the effort.

It can be done.

A different kind of shower enclosure is picking up steam.

These DIYs will floor you

This is a very welcome twist.