Aimee’s twin toddlers had done a number on her dining set, but she was hesitant to shell out for something new while they still have an appetite for destruction. Inspired by kitchen counter DIYs, this IKEA table gets a tough new top: From Aimee: I was the sad owner of an even sadder, hodgepodge dining set – Ikea table and chairs, Target bench. The tabletop had taken quite the beating, thanks to the 2-year-old-twins who eat at it 37 times a day.

My apartment’s entryway is an angled, narrow pseudo-hall that opens to my main living space. After searching for a way to create some definition, I decided to do a little painting project, inspired by my coworking space. Here’s the inspiration: I love that I work from a place that makes bold design decisions, so when my WeWork location recently opened up this new common area, I filed away this simple geometric painting technique for future use.

This small house near Nashville had been left unloved for awhile. Claudia decided to give it the makeover it deserved, including some much-needed curb appeal: From Claudia: This is one of two projects that I just recently finished in the area of Nashville, TN. The cottage had been vacant since 2010 and in a huge disarray.

Jill was looking for a budget-friendly option to add a modern industrial look to her home’s new addition. Enter the IKEA STUVA, a smart DIY tabletop, and just check out the result: From Jill: We just finished adding a little over 300 sq. ft. to our small house, and have now begun the process of furnishing the space. I loved the idea of a wall to wall desk for the office, but I couldn’t find a modern/industrial looking desk that fit both my budget and needs.

How do you balance the need for updates when you’re waiting to do a larger remodel? Ashley and her family faced that exact conundrum when they set out to spend not a ton of money on a bathroom update that’ll get them through the next five years. From Ashley: Our goal with this DIY bathroom update was to modernize it and make it fit us without spending a ton of money. This bathroom will eventually be part of a large scale remodel, but eventually is the key word.

Marlane spotted this broken wardrobe at a thrift store. She decided with a little love, it could be a solid replacement for an IKEA piece. From Marlane: I got this 1930s wardrobe for $50 at my local thrift, broken pieces and all. It seemed like the wardrobe had once been dropped, but other than that it was in good condition. Definitely old, but not a priceless antique. When I got it home, it was a lot more broken than it had looked!

This little mid century cabinet had seen a shabby paint job. Nicole decided to fix it up and add a little more functionality to it. From Nicole: This cabinet was badly painted and beaten up. It previously had a door on the right side from what I could tell because there were notches and holes from hinges. The drawer and legs were the best features of this piece and I knew with a little love it could be great.

Steph snagged three of these chairs for cheap at Goodwill. She happened to have some fabric—another Goodwill find— just waiting for them. See how they look now: From Steph: When the kids went back to school, I knew it was time for a new project. These chairs were 50% off at Goodwill so I bought all three. I thought about upholstering each in a different vintage fabric, but decided to use some yardage I had found a few weeks earlier at another Goodwill.

If Stephanie’s kitchen layout looks a little lacking, that’s because it used to be a laundry room. Thankfully, she had some friends to help her reimagine the space and make it more functional. From Stephanie: This kitchen was a laundry room originally and part of a cozy little apartment. It was difficult to hide things like fuse boxes, verizon hubs, etc. Also layout was a bit of a challenge.

Andrea’s rental kitchen was lacking a backsplash… and personality. Enter Etsy with a colorful (and temporary!) solution that complements her space. From Andrea: I had been looking for an answer to my rental kitchen woes for over a year when I found these removable wall/tile decals by Bleucoin on Etsy. I was instantly inspired to refresh my dark and boring galley kitchen with them.

After hauling this unusual but beat-up chair frame around for 15 years, Tami finally found the inspiration to fix up this old broken heart (-shaped chair!). From Tami: Many years ago (15 to be exact) I was driving my son to school, after dropping him off and looping the block I saw this skeleton of a chair next to the trash. I stopped to pick it up, thinking I would take it on as a project. Well after lugging it around for many moves, neither my skills or budget matched up.

Ewa and husband Andrew approached their new home’s balustrade in an interesting way. With only a tiny hall closet, they could benefit from some additional storage. See what they did with a trip to IKEA: From Ewa: My husband and I moved into this VA townhouse late summer. We knew we would be removing wall to wall carpeting before our furniture was to arrive in only 4 weeks. We had little time and not a huge budget. We decided to DIY the floors.

This old headboard was glamorous once, but it was in bad shape when Eri found it. She decided to give it a beautiful refresh, with a happy, colorful twist: From Eri: This headboard was found about a year ago in a bad condition begging for help. It had this disgusting old varnish that just made it look dead. It was stripped with paint remover, then used Annie Sloan paint and wax to add some patina and refinish the wood.

Jason’s studio apartment lacked sufficient counter space, so when he saw this IKEA dresser on the side of the road, he snagged it. See how he made it work for his kitchen: From Jason: I was driving home from work when I glanced over to see a couple moving out of their house. Three Ikea dressers were sitting on their front lawn with “Free” signs taped to each. 20 minutes later I had all three loaded into my truck. This is the first one I attempted to tackle.

Lindsay scored this cool vintage wire chair with the help of her mom. It was destined to be a fluorescent accent in her home office, and it sure pops: From Lindsay: When designing my new home office, I had a very specific thing in mind. Unfortunately, I also had a very small budget for my chair. I scoured thrift stores searching for just the right thing. Ideally, I wanted metal, wire if possible and vintage was a plus.

Despite its peeling handles and faux wood shelves, Shannon had plans for this thrift store bar cart. With a little love and crafty touches, it now shines: Besides polishing the brass, she painted and stenciled the faux wood, and wrapped the peeling handles with patterned tape. From Shannon: Before the holidays I found a beat up little bar cart at a local thrift store. It was a little grimy and had lost its luster. Not to mention the ugly faux wood shelves and peeling handle grips.

With chipping wood and torn silk, this bentwood bench was unloved. Lisa revived it into a total statement piece, where it turns heads and causes smiles: From Lisa: My friend fell in love with this gorgeous bentwood bench when it was languishing unloved in a workplace powder room! The original silk covers were torn and the strange olive stain to the timber was chipped and ruined. The boss said she could have it!! How lucky!

This vintage Danish chair didn’t make it through the ’90s unscathed, yet Lisa saw past its poor choice in upholstery and restored it with a more period appropriate style. From Lisa: I recently got this Danish modern lounge chair as a partial trade for something I was selling on Craigslist. It had been re-upholstered in a fabric that was not period appropriate, and it was missing two buttons, but I saw potential.

When Cate spotted this bamboo dresser, it was in bad shape, sporting a dual-finish black paint job and lots of wear and tear. But with elbow grease and a bold new hue, this piece sports a proud new look: From Cate: I found this bamboo dresser hiding behind a clothing rack at Goodwill on a furniture sale day. My first reaction was YIKES.

Whew, that was a whirlwind of a month! Did you finish your January Cure project? I’m happy to report that this wall is no longer bare, and my books are no longer in boxes. Check out my “built-in” bookshelves: This wasn’t the bargain project I was expecting it to be (it cost about $125 total, since I had to do some stocking up on basics like screws, sandpaper and paint brushes) but no out-of-the-box shelf would fit just like these do.

After Dana graduated from grad school, her plain IKEA desk was more of an embarrassment than something she enjoyed. With the trusty DIY combo of spray paint and contact paper, this blank slate goes glam: From Dana: I had this desk sitting in my apartment for years and while it was useful to do homework on, once I graduated from grad school, I didn’t really have a need for the plain desk anymore.

When a local mill was closing down, Ashley snagged their stock of industrial carts. See how she refinished one for her living room: From Ashley: These carts were in rough shape when I got them and were in desperate need of a deep clean. This was the kind of job for a power washer. However, it is important not to get carried away with the power washer to the point where it starts splintering the wood. Once the cart was clean I sanded the whole thing down.

This old dresser had lovely detail and potential, but badly damaged drawer fronts prevented a traditional restoration. Some fresh coats of glossy white later: From Nicole: This dresser had a badly worn veneer with chipped edges and deeply scratched surfaces. The drawers were in bad shape, so they were sanded, patched and painted. The top was in decent shape so it was sanded and oiled along with the legs and decorative trim on the drawer fronts.

Carroll really wanted a narrow cart in the kitchen to act as a coffee station. When finding something already made was going to be more than she wanted to spend, the decision was made to DIY, starting with this table that was a little on the short side. From Carroll: My projects almost always start with a functional purpose.