Before After

Although most of us have big plans for our bathrooms (someday!) sometimes big long expansive vanities with oversize mirrors can seem like a hindrance and leave you with less of a personal feeling. Want to see a neat trick to not only add storage but a bit of a custom built-in look as well?Over at Home Talk, there’s a great example of what a little trim can do for your bathroom. It’s a simple way to get a customized look on the cheap.

This is a classic tale of boy-meets-pair-of-monkeys, monkeys prove too expensive, man loses monkeys, man finds single monkey years later, man questions monkey love, man gives monkey a chic and sleek make-over (monkey) tale/tail.

What do you get when you have a vision, passion, finances and patience? The re-birth of a 100-year old building into an astounding renovated home that will be cherished for a lifetime.Amy and her husband spotted this beat up century old brick building that used to be a trolley depot back in the day and just fell in love with it’s look, feel and history. They saw tremendous potential in this bare bones space to be the start of something much larger.

One way to remove the evidence of my, er, I mean ANYONE’S serious Diet Coke addiction is the recycling bin. That way may be eco-savvy, but the neighbors can count, so it’s not terribly stealthy.Perhaps illustrator and character creator Eric Barclay’s way is better. And way more colorful than just green.“Ranjit and Indira,”Eric then applied gesso so that the surface had a bit of texture to it (acting somewhat like a high-adhesion primer).

This before & after renovation stars a once messy, chaotic laundry area in the home of four small children and their busy, creative parents. What’s truly wonderful is that they took an area that’s usually an afterthought, the laundry room, and turned it into a well-organized, cheerfully stylish space.According to Katie from Potluck Love, her old laundry room wasn’t a proper room, but a “hot mess of laundry” crammed into a hallway in the back of their home.

It takes some serious vision and determination to buy this enormous desk on Ebay for $15.50 in Vienna, Austria. Transportation of the beast alone is hard to execute. But this didn’t stop Liza, who knew she could transform it with some high-gloss paint and a bit of elbow grease. She and her husband brought back the desk via cab from the owner’s apartment, and the taxi ride ended up costing more then the desk!

Timothy and Laura are busy folks – they have a blog (make that two) to run and a new baby. A secret to their “do it all” success? They know that one key to handling new challenges is to plan ahead and do what you can when you have the time to make life easier when you no longer have the luxury of that time.

I am busy preparing to move my indoor gardening efforts outside and part of that means that I get to reclaim my sun porch for the spring through autumn season. In the winter it serves as my makeshift greenhouse for all the pots and container plantings that come in for the season. This year, part of that transition was getting the place organized and re-working some furniture.A friend gifted me a sideboard that was in relatively rough shape.

After Rachel had her new wood floors installed, it was clear she had a problem- her always darker than desired kitchen was now even more basement-like because her cabinets now matched the tone of her floor. Determined to create a lighter, brighter space without spending a lot of money, Rachel decided to use paint to transform her kitchen.Rachel used a Rustoleum Countertop Transformations Kit to transform her counters from dark grey to desert sand.

When Angie decided to move one of her boys into his own room, she knew she needed to find some unique pieces to help make the transformation. This retro dresser had seen better days, but the shape and the size were perfect for the space. Given her son’s love of all things orange, Angie decided to add a little pop of color to the frame of this piece.

The 80 degree weather we’re having here in Chicago (in March?!) is making me feel a little Alice-in-Wonderland, like suddenly, oddly neat things are possible, like say, Mandi from Vintage Revivals turning old, mismatched thrift store lamps into something utterly modern and so very cool.

While researching yesterday’s post on the comeback of wood paneling, I was delighted to discover this beautiful remodel of a kitchen from the 1960s. Homeowners Bret and Mary Peyton did a great job of updating the kitchen while keeping the design true to the home’s midcentury roots. Take a look.The wall between the kitchen and the dining room was removed, which really opens up the space.

Seeing potential. Not everyone has this gift to see beyond an aged surface, weathered finishes, a far from perfect interior space, or even damaged furnishings.

Is there anything more ubiquitous than the IKEA LACK series? I remember it being amongst my first purchases coming out of college, thanks to its neutral-modern design and affordable price. It’s no surprise it remains popular to this day for the same reason. Here’s an example of someone taking a me-too LACK and converting it into a me-only TV stand… I searched and searched for a TV table I could live with, and finally came across this cool Jetson-esque one at Logue Studio.

Brooke has turned her very generic and all too common country kitchen into a classic, clean space which will no doubt increase the value of their home.It may have taken five months of work, research, hunting and juggling two two-year-olds to get this project done, but it was worth every minute. The result is simply lovely and creates an updated and warm new feel for the main area of Brooke’s home. I think it’s a good example of refreshing a kitchen on a budget without demolition.

This bathroom had lots of color in all the wrong places prior to its renovation. Old cabinetry and cheap teal tile made this bathroom makeover a must. Check out the fresh and modern facelift that this bathroom desperately needed after the jump… When selecting materials for a bathroom, the most important material to start with is the stone or tile, along with the cabinetry.

Sean has been transforming his white box of an apartment into a stylish and personalized home. In one of his recent blog posts Sean shows off this DIY bathroom lighting makeover that works around an existing awkward location in a creative way.This lighting over the double basin sink in Sean’s bathroom was unattractive – both as a light fixture and in the shadows it cast on the folks under it.

This 80’s kitchen was in need of updated appliances, cabinetry, and an overall space adjustment. By taking extra space from adjacent rooms, the kitchen was opened up into a light and bright gourmet chef’s workplace. Check out the difference after the jump…Although it may not look like it from the before photo, this kitchen was very dark and narrow.

Here’s a great example of how paint and new cabinet hardware can easily and inexpensively upgrade a kitchen. The family over at Keeping It Cozy made over their kitchen with these upgrades, and a few other finishing touches to make the space look bright and brand new — with a budget of only $1000!

Well hello there, ugly old dresser. You have some mighty fine bones but oooh boy are you a dated mess. Time to grab the paint and transform you into something more modern!The folks over at Young Nesters were in need of a sideboard for their dining room. After searching in vain for an affordable option, they spied this old dresser in a grandmother’s basement and, since it was free anyway, decided to try their hand at an ombre makeover.

When Ashley and Greg purchased their home they knew that a kitchen remodel was in their future. The existing space was poorly designed, with dated appliances, unattractive cabinetry, and a fair amount of plumbing and electrical issues. Starting from scratch, they designed and built a beautiful, modern, and functional space that makes you wonder – is this even the same house?!Not afraid to get their hands dirty, the couple did what they could on their own.

I recently purchased one of these RE dressers on sale at Target, and after 2 days of putting it together, it was crying out to me for some kind of bold hardware. Not wanting to spend a lot on 6 knobs but still wanting something with some mid-century flare, I came up with an idea: mason jar lids.I remembered as a kid occasionally watching a show called Family Affair. Remember Uncle Bill and Mr. French?

Most of the time when we feature a furniture makeover, it’s been transformed by applying something new to the surface — paint, fabric, paneling, etc. But designer William Dohman shows us that a really impressive project is when a vintage piece has been restored to its former glory.Architect William Dohman, the designer behind Oh Dier, restored this classic mid-century Lane dresser by removing the multiple layers of paint and weird tape that mysteriously stuck to most of the edges.

A key element of renovating a room is knowing when to say when. If you have a limited budget or limited time then the most helpful thing you can do is to be realistic about what you can achieve. This is especially true when you purchase a house that is a ‘fixer-upper,’ because then you are in danger of succumbing to project fatigue, when there is so much to do in every direction that it is difficult to focus on just one thing.

This is the story of Runaround Sue, the name given to a 1961 Airstream Safari that was lovingly renovated by Prairie Construction. The vintage trailer’s original beauty was carefully restored while making it leaner (more efficient) and greener. This time of year already makes me long to head out for the open roads, and now I’m filled with daydreams of spending the summer traversing the country in Runaround Sue.

When Josh, Lauren and their twins moved into their new townhouse in Washington DC’s historic Mount Pleasant neighborhood, they knew right away they had to change the bathroom. The retro pink, peach and black tiled bathroom, while quaint and vintage, was not their style. And in a smallish townhouse the room felt too busy and crowded. (Perhaps they also knew that once their daughters got old enough to talk they would fall in love with the bathroom’s perky pink: time was of the essence!

Take a little four-dollar thrift store chair. Add some cut-up bits of colorful paper and that magical elixir known as Modge Podge. Spend a few hours making it all come together and you get……a one-of-a-kind seriously fun seat! Erin at In Between Laundry made this basic thrift store find something special by getting busy with the colorful paper and the Modge Podge. We especially like how the botanical/butterfly motif echoes the natural texture of the woven seat.

Our readers don’t just come to us for home inspiration – they also share their own projects with us, bring the inspiration around full circle. Jude emailed us this sofa transformation that we think is a great lesson in patience and DIY chutzpah.Jude’s small apartment requires a slim sofa, one that is no longer than 56 inches.

Of the many Before and Afters we have featured, this one may take the prize for the biggest blindside, meaning when you click through, you will in no way have figured out what was coming and the ‘After’ photo just may knock you flat. While you can sometimes predict how a thrift store dresser or end table will be saved and transformed, just try it with this box spring. You’ll be wrong. Trust us. Just go look.We told you!

Monica had been on the lookout for an armchair to paint ever since she fell in love with one such project she found online. When she finally did find what she through was the right $50 chair for this endeavor, she then changed her mind. A small tear in the fabric convinced her that reupholstering was the better way to go — until, that is, she got a quote for $300 and decided to revisit her DIY options.

Audree was always pretty. She definitely has good bones, but over time Audree’s looks had, well, faded a bit. It happens. Life on the road takes a toll on a girl. But then in walked Tiffany, Audree’s new owner. She knew that with a fresh coat of pink and a hip new look, Audree could still turn heads. And she was right. What a bombshell Audree’s become!

We totally had one of these old console TVs when I was growing up. Ours wasn’t quite as ornate as this one, but it sat like a monstrosity in our family room and we thought it was like an IMAX theater. The ladies over at Sugar Tot Designs didn’t save this TV from their childhood. They got it from the free section on Craigslist, and then they turned it into an amazing all-purpose play space for kids.Sarah, the upcycler of the duo, took apart the TV and left the shell.

Sibylle from Funkytime is at it again, this time with a little vintage summer twist. She scored a suitcase at a thrift shop, and although she wasn’t sure what she would do with it, she knew it would be getting new life soon…With some fabric, ribbon, velcro, a staple gun, paint, and primer, she was on her way to transforming her new find into a different kind of traveling buddy.

At last night’s Apartment Therapy design meetup, we heard from Frank Potash (aka Mid-C Frank), whose quick — and very dramatic — kitchen remodel was featured on the Kitchn a few years ago. Before, the kitchen was clean and cozy, but a bit generic. Jump below to see the after, and a floor plan of the changes.Check out the full tour at The Kitchn to see how Frank re-did his whole kitchen with Ikea cabinets — in just five weeks.

What do you do with a dresser that has already been redone once before but has seen better days? Redo it again in a completely different way, of course. Check out how the sad little deer decal got put out of its misery and this basic little dresser got a major style boost.Fabric on a drawer front. We have seen it before, and it doesn’t always work, but Ann Marie from Twice Lovely got it just right.

I found this before and after and loved not just the transformation, but the use of reclaimed wood pieces to create an entirely new tabletop. Take a look!Using wood pieces from a discarded trellis found in her garden, Taryn from Design, Dining and Diapers created a fresh, stylish table that showcases the beautiful colors and textures running through the found wood scraps.

I’ve been on the hunt for a new ottoman for a while now, but like many things in life, the money has been needed elsewhere. I’ve obviously survived, but there might be a new DIY creation in my future! Check out what this old tire looks like now!Nikki over at That Was A What? has turned this trusty old tire into her new ottoman. She had been coveting rope covered versions online, but even inexpensive ones were pushing $500 or more.

When most people see wood pallets they think only of garbage or maybe even kindling. When Olga saw the pallet pictured above she saw possibility. She lugged the pallet home and set about finding a way to use it. After it sat in a corner for a month, Olga finally gave the pallet new life.The cracks, knots and other markings on the pallet were part of what Olga loved about it. So when it came time to make use of the pallet in her home, Olga didn’t want to change the character of it too much.

Niamh of Seek Design had a client with a wish to revamp her entire apartment on a budget. Follow me after the jump to see what she was able to whip up in her outdated kitchen…To cut costs, Niamh painted the kitchen backsplash and cabinets and just replaced handles and knobs. An upper cabinet was removed to give a small open shelving area. The biggest cost was new appliances (isn’t that always the case?) and the new tiled floor.

Have you ever driven by a run-down, abandoned house and thought what a shame it is that such a lovely home is going to waste? This is the story of how one couple purchased an abandoned home and, with a lot of help from generous friends and neighbors, gave it a completely new lease on life. The couple in question are the parents of our lovely and talented video director, Rebecca Blumhagen.

It’s 2012 and we’ve been around long enough to witness several stumps turned side tables, but you know what? We’re still not over it. This tutorial will leave you feeling confident in making your own stump side table while keeping the bark on, the shine high and the wood fully sealed.In many previous stump to side table tutorials I’ve seen, I’ve always been wondering about the presence of bugs, or bark falling off.

I know some of us at Apartment Therapy have strong views on painting wooden furniture, particularly (gasp!) painting it white, but sometimes it’s gotta be done. This bedside table belongs to my flatmate/landlord, left behind by some long-ago tenant. We both agreed that the knotty pine was an eyesore, and that for the benefit of future tenants, giving it a makeover with a lick of white paint was the best thing we could do.

Michele’s son had outgrown his room’s decor, and everyone was sick of the orange, purple and red color scheme. It took a couple of weeks to re-do it completely, using a lot of what they already owned, plus adding a few new things to the mix. The goal was to keep it affordable and simple.This room might win the award for the most handmade things in one space.

This couple wanted to create a space in their Upper West Side apartment dedicated to displaying and enjoying wines. While they didn’t have a lot of kitchen space, they did have this under-the-stairs closet, ripe for transformation.The homeowners were connected with Ecostruct, a Brooklyn-based design/build firm, through TheSweeten, a service that aims to connect New Yorkers with design professionals for renovations of all kinds.

Benita Larsson has done it again. Her simple yet brilliant projects never cease to amaze the craft-loving community. This time, her gorgeous update to a set of clear, glass plates she picked up at a thrift store is the perfect inspiration for decking out your holiday party on a budget.Some basic craft paint and a few minutes (plus drying time) is all she needed to transform these mundane dishes into beautiful dessert plates.

Mekenzie was dreaming of the Restoration Hardware Versailles chair for her basement but at almost $2400 it was out of her price range. Like a true DIYer, Mekenzie decided to mock up her own version of the chair using this tiki chair as a base…The first step in Mekenzie’s makeover was applying a custom blended gray paint over the chair’s original finish.

One rainy weekend Lora Neveu decided to build a charming little dream escape in a window nook in her daughter’s room that had remained empty and unused. Follow me after the jump to see what she came up with.Two days and $165 later, Lora had created a wonderful and cozy space that doubles as a play/nap and storage area. She built a simple box and divider out of plywood and brackets, painted, added cushions, lanterns, and drapes, and then she was done.

The IKEA MALM is amongst the most popular of the Swedish retailer’s line of home furnishings, ubiquitous for the series’ simple lines and wallet-friendly price. In other words, perfect for anyone with a little ingenuity, wood-working tools, and plans for a DIY transformation. Can you guess what this common IKEA chest of drawers was converted into?

What do you do when you’re living in a small studio apartment, but don’t want people to be able to see your bed immediately upon walking in the door? Apartment Therapy reader Christina was faced with this particular dilemma when designing her friend Ann’s apartment and decided to get creative.

Jennifer picked up these chairs last year when she began planning for a dining room makeover. She knew she wanted two armchairs to anchor her dining room set, but wasn’t 100% certain how to finish them. As her vision for the space evolved, so too did her vision for these wonderful chairs.Jennifer stripped the chairs down to the wood frames then spray painted them with Rustoleum Metallic Gold with a top coat of spray poly.

This NYC apartment kitchen got the job done. But there were a few things about it that irked — the L-shaped layout blocked part of the window, and there wasn’t a lot of storage space. The appliances were outdated, and the laminate cabinets had seen better days. Plus, the whole room just felt, well… little. What to do?Can you believe it’s the same room? Architect Nalina Moses removed the sink cabinet that was blocking access to the lower part of the window.

The makeover of this Brooklyn living room wasn’t just for aesthetic reasons; the homeowners needed more organized, out-of-sight storage, and a space that was kid and cat friendly. They also wanted to incorporate a small piano, and be able to watch TV without the television being the focal point of the room. To do this, they turned to New York design firm Mercer Interior. Check out the results after the jump.

In a small space, just a few changes can make a big difference. The owner of this Brooklyn Heights studio knew she wanted to update her kitchen (and add a dishwasher!), so she turned to designer Sarah Zames, owner of Brooklyn design firm General Assembly. Under Sarah’s guidance, a few small updates came together to make a big impact. Check out the finished product…Ta-da!

Handmade holiday gifts are almost always more meaningful, and the best part is that you can tailor your gifts perfectly to the recipient. Rebecca from Simple as That created a special Christmas gift for her two girls by turning this plain bookcase into a dollhouse.Rebecca notes: We took an ordinary bookshelf and converted it into a dollhouse which can just as easily be used as a bookshelf for an older child.

You may have seen the kitchen in this West Village apartment, which got a modern update courtesy of designer Carly Yates. One of the apartment’s bathrooms also got a much-needed facelift. Check out the transformation after the jump.This bathroom renovation is all about the details. Lots of clever choices keep the room spacious, modern, and very functional. From Carly: The large and light feeling of the bathroom was achieved by wall mounted fixtures that allow the tile to flow underneath.

When Sarah and her husband first spotted this cabin it was in need of a major facelift. They fell in love with the structure and the land and only saw the potential this little beach gem had to offer. Follow me after the jump to see their vision come to life…Living full-time in a very colorful LA home, Sarah wanted their cabin getaway to be bright, white and fairly spartan. She and her hubs gutted the entire cabin and did all the work themselves.

When we first moved into our 1919 Craftsman one of the first things I had my mind set on fixing was the kitchen. I decided to begin with the outdated breakfast nook (oh and btw, the ‘before’ image is the styling from the realtor at the open house). Follow me after the jump to see where it ended up…First things first — the red paint was actually lead paint from way back when painted over layers and layers of warped wallpaper.

A sad, old crib sat at a thrift store — not useful as a baby bed for safety reasons, this piece seemed destined for the scrap pile! Until Cristin came along, that is… she saw some untapped potential in its pretty spindles and simple shape, and came up with a clever way to breathe new life into an old piece.She found some cabinet doors in a garbage pile that were the perfect size for shelves, and removed a few brackets and braces from the crib to help reinforce the new legs.

Rachel of VanHook & Co. is sharing a project that features paint in an unexpected way: refinishing a worn out wooden floor in her kids’ room.A painted floor may not be a DIY for the faint of heart, but the floor in Rachel’s kids’ room turned out beautifully. After experimenting with paint on their hallway floors, Rachel and her husband decided to apply a distressed version to their children’s room.

If you live in an older home, you’re familiar with Adrienne’s struggle with storage — namely, that there isn’t any! Her 1930’s home is lacking in the closet department, so it was up to her to come up with some creative storage solutions for her four-year-old’s room.She found this old slightly warped and musty armoire at an antique store, and for less than $100 (including the armoire!) she created this fun, playful piece.

This chair has been in Stephanie’s family for generations — she was rocked to sleep in it as a baby, and so was her granddad! She wanted to keep it around as a treasured piece of family history, but she also wanted to give it a little update — the result? A lovely chair with a fabulous new look, ready to rock the next generation… Stephanie’s new baby!

When Jane and her husband bought their new house, they were less than thrilled with the outdated and sad bedroom that would be their son’s nursery. The wallpaper was old, the walls were in bad shape and, to cap it off, there was a very, very skeevy bed that lived in there. Eight months pregnant, Jane got to the tedious work of stripping the wallpaper, repairing walls and then building the room back up from scratch.Today, the nursery is a far cry from its humble beginnings.

This relatively plain bathroom got a major face lift with something that looks as good as wallpaper, but is actually impeccably painted, DIYed stencil handiwork. While that has a huge impact on the space, there are a few other east improvements that A Pumpkin and a Princess implemented that helped transform the room — can you spot them?Crystal from A Pumpkin and a Priness set out to makeover her guest bathroom, all on her own.

This little Ikea bed frame is cute and very economical, but it lacked a certain joie de vivre. With some MDF, batting, stylish fabric, and lots of clever planning, this little frame went from dull to delightful!Lisa from All Things Campbell had a design in mind when it was time to move her daughter to a toddler bed… she carefully sketched out her idea, and was able to complete the project in under two days.