Before After

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.

This black-and-white redo is totally DIYable.

Knocking out a wall made this space way more inviting.

The hodgepodge craft space got a major glow up that made it way more functional, too.

There was a lot of pretty stuff hiding under all that beige paint!

The before stunk—literally. But the after is a dream!

Paint gets another point in the "W" column.

Buh-bye, popcorn ceiling!

The faux daybed is VERY smart.

You won't see the after coming!

"It's a low-cost project that can change the look and vibe of a room completely," says the homeowner.

Honestly? I'd live in this nursery.

You'll want to steal the new cabinet color ASAP.

The "new" counters will wow you.

The "after" is bringing max coziness.

You'll never buy an off-the-shelf desk again.

The wallpaper will give you serious heart-eyes.

Sometimes your favorites from an old space just don't translate to the new one—furniture looks out of place, or colors have a different feel in the different lighting.

Pick just one to copy in your own laundry room, or try them all.

Wait until you see the ceiling.

You'll love the newly added window seat.

Flamingo wallpaper—enough said.

You've never seen subway tile look so moody (in the best way).

You won't even recognize this space in the after.

It's a little last century, a little this century, and a lot stylish.

This project has seriously impressive results.

One of them is a removable wallpaper that will knock your socks off.

A redo of a 1912 home's galley kitchen makes room for bold pattern.

Open, airy, with farmhouse flair? Count us in.

The after is SERIOUSLY dreamy.

Caution: Serious plant envy ahead.

This is one small budget, big impact transformation.

This DIY gut job yielded seriously impressive results.

The "after" is a whole lot brighter, but still exactly right for this 140-year-old house.

The after's lighter, brighter, and way more modern.

This mini mudroom is max-chic.

Better yet? It took just a weekend.

This budget makeover is full of smart tricks.

Yes, really.

The after is seriously chic, but still colorful and fun.

The after is as fun on the inside as it is on the outside.

It's literally unrecognizable.

The after is curl-up cozy.

These simple changes have seriously big impact.

With disaster comes the opportunity to rebuild.

The whole bedroom's stunning, but just wait until you see the floors.

The "after" is like a breath of fresh air.

Vintage furniture and DIY molding give this bedroom that certain "je ne sais quoi."

This one-time rental kitchen's total overhaul made it way more functional—and lots prettier, too.

These budget-friendly ideas deserve a place on your list this year.

See ya, crayon-patterned wallpaper border.