Before After

As this homeowner says, "a little goes a long way when transforming a small space."

Three cheers for clever uses of boring things!

The after is a serious "wow."

When it comes to old house living, the best renovations are the ones that bring out the already-existing beauty.

No paint required!

The project took two years, but that patience helped save a lot of money.

You're going to want to pick up a paint brush after seeing this!

Spending more time at home was just the inspiration I needed to give my so-so bathroom a refresher.

After no updates in at least 35 years, this living room was ready to shine.

Bye, mauve carpet!

You'll want to give all your shelves an ombre paint job after seeing these.

The after is serious gallery wall goals.

These homeowners got their keys at 4 p.m. on a Friday, and by 6 p.m. had already started tearing out the carpet.

This curb appeal update has lots of doable ideas.

Spoiler: You can make a home office almost anywhere.

All the inspo you need to wallpaper your kitchen.

These stairs just leveled up—by a lot!

From junk storage to productivity haven.

So much of this redo uses things that were already in the room—the ultimate budget hack.

This DIY kitchen redo is full of smart savings.

You'll never pass up an old piece of furniture again after you see these makeovers.

Designer Gina De Pasquale renovated this Las Vegas residence that needed a little updating throughout. Her work is most impressive in the bathroom where she did a great a job of mixing high and low pieces, all while staying true to the mid-century aesthetic.

When my husband and I moved into our renovated row home in 2011, this second-floor hallway was pretty much a blank slate. Almost two years later, we’ve made one major change and brought needed personality into the space.Neither of us liked the carpet; after living with it for a year and a half, we impulsively removed it in April. Our home is over a hundred years old, and we knew the original heart pine was mostly intact underneath.

You’ve gotta have some vision to see the potential for an old plastic fire truck to become a special piece of decor. And that’s exactly what Jasmine brought to this toy when when she turned it into a modern, artful lamp.Jasmine from Jasmine Orchard Styling was inspired on a recent trip to Amsterdam by a large industrial crane. When she found a large, well-loved old toy fire truck with a moving ladder, she saw its potential as the foundation for a unique table lamp.

This ruddy red (marsala?) room color is quite nice, but perhaps not entirely suited to its 2-year-old occupant, Vera. Her mother, Petra Probstner, took a big risk and painted murals on all four walls mimicking the urban landscape of Chicago that lay outside the windows. The result is, frankly, breathtaking. Amazing, right?? As you can see in the progress photo below, she taped the mural off and then filled it in with grey, mint green and peachy-pink paint. Thanks for sharing, Petra Probstner!

Gary and his wife inherited this piece and hated it. They wrote in to ask readers for advice on how two “unskilled and not creative” types could rehab this behemoth into something they’d be happy to have in their home. A contingent of readers liked it as it was, others said to sell it and many of you had suggestions for how to transform it with paint or stain. So, which readers did they listen to or did they forge their own path?

The bedroom should be a haven, a place that makes you feel peaceful and happy when you land there at the end of your day. If that’s not the case for you right now, check out these bedroom makeovers and let them inspire you to make your own changes! 1. Kristen’s bedroom evolved over time, and transformed three times since she started working with interior designer, Lindye Galloway. Kristen was frustrated with the layout of her bedroom and was ready to leave the dorm room style behind.

Last time I took a visit to Annette and Gustavo’s 100 year old craftsman home in Beachwood Canyon, we were greeted by gorgeous landscaping and one of the coziest family homes I’ve ever seen. Annette is the co-owner of lovely garden shop POTTED in Los Feliz, and her green thumb is all over the family’s recent garage remodel. They gutted the entire 420 square feet and added a fully working kitchen and bathroom, a laundry room, and access to the backyard, complete with a pool.

Has this “O” on Beth’s grandma’s coffee table been haunting you, too? If you missed it the first time: Beth wrote in for advice on this hand-me-down table from her grandmother which, unfortunately, passed through a cousin first who emblazoned it with an Ohio State “O” in seemingly indestructible paint. She was desperate for ideas to remove it. Readers encouraged her to sand, sand and then sand some more.

A "before & after" bonanza of reader-submitted projects, organized by budget.

Marble countertops have become part of the renovation/decor vernacular thanks to TV makeover shows (though a distant second to the ever-popular granite countertop). But despite marble’s beauty, it’s rarely mentioned as a material for DIY projects because of its weight and cost, which makes this custom made midcentury inspired home office project unique… Redditor yourpalthomps combined four materials into his very own handsome midcentury-inspired desk.

Old leather suitcases or briefcases from decades ago are commonly found in varying states at garage sales, thrift shops, and vintage stores across the nation, popular DIY fodder for an array of upcycle projects like this and this.

Last week I posted about Joy Cho’s photo album of her daughter Ruby’s first year. Today I’m sharing another project that captures memories in a completely different way. Click to see how this chair was transformed into a cherished memorial to family.Brittan grew up loving her mom’s photo albums.

It’s like an amazing episode of House Hunters International: photographer Jérémie Buchholtz was searching for the rare affordable apartment in Bordeaux, France, but all he could find within his price range was an abandoned and neglected 441 square foot garage primarily used to store an assortment of junk.

Jenny Komenda of Little Green Notebook consistently executes beautiful DIY projects with precision and flair. Most recently, she and her family used Ikea’s Billy bookshelves in combination with lumber, mouldings, and spray paint to create a custom look at a non-custom cost.Jenny has slowly been revealing updates to her New York home, and these shelves give the living room a sophisticated feel that’s still young and fun. It looks so good!

I love Before and Afters that feature something hideous or lackluster transformed into something beautiful and creative. This is not that kind of Before and After. This is a perfectly nice guest room completely overhauled to become a “big boy” room for a 2-year-old.Amanda wrote to share this house project with us. The carpeting stayed, but that is about the only thing that didn’t change, including the paint on the walls.

Not one to shy away from color (or DIYs), Chelsea took on the task of creating a striped wall in her office niche. Her take on a painted accent wall transformed an otherwise plain white wall into a statement that gives the whole space new dimension.Chelsea has made a few updates to her home since it was featured on Apartment Therapy. In this case she was able to incorporate pattern and color without using a whole lot of material.

We’ve all seen them and probably sat in them — the ubiquitous (and rather dull) standard-issue office chair. It’s hard to imagine even tackling a makeover of such a lackluster piece of furniture! But Kendra did — she added lots of color and as she says, “now it looks like a party is happening at my desk!

Light switch plates aren’t something I give much thought to. Until I see a really cute one. Mari, who blogs at Crab + Fish, used washi tape (the craft material du jour) to transform plain light switch plates in her home. It’s simple, cheap and super renter-friendly.As you can see, she didn’t just do one or two switch plates, she liked the look so much that she kind of just kept on going.

Cream brick, neutral concrete, a white door — this little entryway was cute and welcoming, but it lacked a certain liveliness. With a little bit of turquoise paint, some new lighting, and more substantial hardware, this porch gained a generous dose of personality!Erin from In Between Laundry tackled this little exterior makeover to cheer up her front stoop; she shows how a few simple changes can make a big difference!

The before is fine, but the after will give you heart-eyes.

It was a little over a year ago that this little file box came home with me and received its first makeover, going from a dull gray to a vibrant yellow. A lot of things have changed in my apartment over the past year, so it’s time for the file box to get another makeover…When I painted this file box last year, yellow was the perfect color. It suited the room where it lived, and I’ve always been partial to the color of the sun.

The challenge (and fun!) of small space living is finding the best use for every inch. Even though tiny apartments are usually short on closet space, a place to stash your suitcases is less useful if what you really need is an office. Melissa put her closet to work for her — for only $130!Melissa Massello is the Stealfinder in Chief of Shoestring Magazine, and with a title like that, you know she’s looking to save a buck.

As part of my ongoing quest to add some color to my grey living room, I picked up one of these inexpensive tv tray tables at Target and decided to give it the before and after treatment. Yes, there is spray paint involved. And lamp finials. And rope. Intrigued? Click on through to see my nautically-inspired end result.The goal was to transform this $9 table from ‘college girl watching sitcom reruns and eating popcorn’ to something a little more yacht chic.

When Lee moved into his apartment rental, the kitchen was stark white and sterile. Check out what some color and black and white self adhesive floor tiles can do…With the help of a hair dryer, he removed the old, cracked vinyl tiles, and replaced them with Armstrong self adhesive floor tiles (cost $90). By positioning them at an angle, he created a diamond pattern that helps to distracts the eye from the railroad apartment’s “long & skinny” shape.

Got an outdated white Apple MacBook? Here’s a surprising customization project utilizing RIT fabric dye to give the MacBook’s polycarbonate case a whole new colorful life. Considering how expensive professional custom paint jobs cost and the outdated state of these models, we’re pretty impressed with the project’s results… Get a pan (An inch or so deep, if possible.), and fill it with water (4 cups of water per packet, 8 cups.

As a kid who used to retreat to my closet floor to read in peace, I have a soft spot in my heart for reading nooks. Looking to carve out a little space, Ashley took the completely unused and unaccessible space under her stairs and transformed it into a delightful reading nook/playspace for her kids. Ashey’s “little monsters” are lucky; I confess, if this were my house, I would likely be claiming this space for my very own!

I’ve had this old quirky elephant lamp from Target for several years, and although I loved its silly charm, I felt like it was in need of an update. Using some fabric, and new shade, and some spray paint, I managed to change the look of my old friend.As for the shade, I used an old Urban Outfitters lampshade that I had from another lamp and covered it with sheets of brocade fabric. Read more about that process in this earlier post.

2011 was packed with wonderful before and after projects! Readers and editors both shared some amazing furniture re-do’s. From the old made modern to the broken turned fixed, here are just a few of the incredible before and after furniture posts of the year.

Even if your little Wonder Woman spins into her costume, she still needs somewhere to hang it every night. Jennifer saw the potential in this old tallboy dresser and transformed it into a darling kid-sized costume closet for her daughter Chloe.Jennifer was inspired by a similar project she saw on Pinterest and took this on as part of the Earth Day Canada Upcycling Challenge.

Thinking about the new year might be the time for home improvement resolutions, or at least some serious list-making. From a formerly dingy little caravan, to kitchens, gardens, dining rooms and a few entire homes, we have run the entire gamut of before and after projects this year. The following selections represent the most dramatic and inspiring of 2011 to help ring in any 2012 renovation plans.

We’ve had a great year of bathroom before and afters. From the controversial orange bathroom redux to the double renovation of a studio apartment bathroom, we’ve seen a lot and found inspiration even if we didn’t agree with every single choice someone made. I don’t think I would have had so much courage to tackle my own projects this year without Re-Nest and Apartment Therapy, so hopefully these will embolden someone else to do the same.

Brooklyn to West‘s Ariele has done it again. In my opinion, she’s the junkyard, dumpster diving, demo-ed house DIY Queen. This gal finds discarded household materials throughout Brooklyn and transforms them into artistic, thoughtful, and beautiful everyday objects. Most recently, she’s taken floorboards and changed them into cheese boards. Genius? YES!Ariele never ceases to amaze me.

I’ve seen play kitchens made from everything under the sun and it’s become almost hard to impress me. But a play kitchen made from a chair? Okay, I’ll bite.After!This is one of the most clever handmade play kitchens I’ve seen and is an awesome display of ingenuity. Kata started with an IVAR chair from Ikea ($20), added a counter, a bowl sink, top of a walking cane for a faucet and hung a curtain for an oven.

Before and afters are some of our most popular posts. And for good reason! Who doesn’t love to see the evidence of a makeover, often performed on a tight budget? Gathered together for your weekend viewing pleasure, here are 20 of September’s best makeovers …• Before & After: Connie’s Ugly to Unbelievable Dresser• Before & After: An Eames Lounge Knockoff, Transformed• Before & After: Free Vanity Mirror Totally Transformed!

Closet envy usually involves admiring another woman’s shoe collection, but I’ve never been into shoes. I am, however, into clever uses for small spaces and it’s been on my mind lately as I look to create a spot at home for my my bedroom-less, playroom-less son to call his own.

Chip & Jo would be proud.

This budget bedroom has some super smart ideas.

The wallpaper will make you gasp.

Cubbies! Hooks! Baskets! This entryway's small, but it's got it all.

You won't recognize the after.