Before After

Before and After: A Dark Half-Bath Brightens Up
This dark half-bath off the kitchen of Sarah & Keith’s home needed a major refresh. It had a good layout in place, but the brown walls made it feel much smaller than its actual size. Sarah and Keith kept the existing configuration and plumbing, and focused on new fixtures and and fresh design plan to give it a brand new look. By brightening up the walls, and sticking with a classic color palette, the bathroom now feels much more spacious.
Anna Spaller
May 3, 2019
Before and After: A ’90s Colonial Kitchen Gets a Contemporary Spin
Sarah and Keith knew it was about time to leave their cramped ’90s kitchen behind. While functional, the space was outdated and closed off. They wanted a space that flowed seamlessly with the rest of the vibrant, contemporary house. They opened up the floor plan, and chose design elements like a neutral wall color and tile, white cabinets and light marble countertops.
Anna Spaller
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Modern Update for an Apartment Kitchen
Sophia’s 400-square-foot apartment on New York’s Upper West Side was the perfect size for one person. After her husband Leon moved in, the apartment seemed a bit cozy, but they made it work. Then came baby. Three people (and all that baby stuff) in 400 square feet was just too much, so they started looking for a place to buy. They looked, and looked, and looked, but none of the two-bedrooms in their price range were even remotely livable.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Gleaming 1950s General Electric “Wonder Kitchen”
In the 50s, General Electric made the fabulous Wonder Kitchen—an entire wall unit with all the appliances built right in. The units came in amazing colors: Canary Yellow, Turquoise Green, Petal Pink, Cadet Blue and Woodbine Brown, all under one stainless steel counter surface. Letitia acquired one of these units, along with other matching cabinets, which were salvaged from another kitchen, and she renovated her dark and gloomy kitchen around this gleaming, wondrous wall unit.
Tamara Gavin
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Dingy, Boring Basement Gets a Colorful, Playful Makeover
Sarah and Keith had just begun a transformation on the basement space in their house prior to this “before” photo being taken. While previously a functional space, they wanted a basement the whole family could really enjoy together. They wanted a space that was as inspiring to be in as it was lovely to look at. IKEA shelving and some new chalkboard walls were the first step, but something was going to have to be done with the dingy wall-to-wall carpeting.
Anna Spaller
May 3, 2019
Before and After: A Dark, Uninspiring Basement Turned Streamlined Shared Office Space
This “office” space that was shared by Sarah and Keith in their dark, uninspiring basement in their New England Craftsman Colonial didn’t seem to have a clear design or purpose — or you know, much style. But they lightened, brightened and turned this space around! When they removed the carpet and added new hardwoods, a neutral area rug and drapes, the space felt more open and each side had a clear purpose.
Anna Spaller
May 3, 2019
Before and After: Adding DIY Character to a California Craftsman
On a peaceful, sidewalk-free street, lined with trees and near a lake, is Matt and Amanda’s 1947 bungalow in the San Rafael hills of Pasadena. It’s not hard to see what attracted the couple to this house, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t need a lot of work. The house had a lot of potential (and light), but not a lot of personality. Matt and Amanda wanted to create a rich, unique Craftsman feel.
Marisa Vitale
May 3, 2019
Before and After: A Bare Den Takes On An English Pub Vibe
With low ceilings, white walls and track lighting, Matt and Amanda’s post-war den in their California Craftsman didn’t exactly inspire the soul. As two people working in a hectic and creative field (they’re both actors), they wanted to add loads of personality to their small den, while also creating a retreat. In short, they wanted to banish the boring. Their plan? Transform the blank canvas above into a room with English pub vibes.
Marisa Vitale
May 3, 2019
Before and After: A Dark, Dated Galley Kitchen Gets a Modern Makeover
When Matt and Amanda first looked at this house, they were able to instantly imagine fixing up all of the rooms — except for the kitchen. It was a dark, dated galley kitchen with a wall smack dab in the middle. Matt writes: “We went back to look at it one last time and I just sat there trying to visualize what the solution could be. When I realized it could be done, I did my best to explain the mess in my head to Amanda and we went for it!
Marisa Vitale
May 3, 2019
Before and After: A Vintage Bathroom Gets Classic Italian Restaurant Vibes
Matt and Amanda knew they wanted to strip this entire bathroom down and create something new that was light and airy — that felt good to be in. As Matt writes: “The two rooms of the house that we had done by contractors were the kitchen and the bathroom. I was too afraid to deal with that much tile and plumbing. We had them gut everything. …We wanted a classic subway or old Italian restaurant vibe in here for some reason.
Marisa Vitale
May 3, 2019
Before and After: An Odd, Unused Spot Turned DIY Floating Bedroom
At first glance, this space above the bathroom in Brett’s apartment looked like an unfortunate eye sore. But Brett saw this area as more than wasted space. He had a vision, and very specific goals for the small space. And his DIY solution is both attractive and functional. Using 1/2 inch PVC piping from Home Depot and some standard wooden slats, Brett transformed this otherwise useless space into his bedroom!
Anna Spaller
May 3, 2019
Before and After: An 1860s Home in New Orleans Gets a Major Kitchen Upgrade
When Tim Sheehan bought an 1860s Greek Revival home that had been abandoned for six years, the kitchen was crammed into a small room at the end of a hallway. The house was used as a rectory for 80 years, so a full kitchen wasn’t necessary when the home was first constructed. So Tim gutted the back hallway, knocked down a wall that once enclosed the tiny, impractical kitchen and removed sheet rock and a drop ceiling to reveal wood walls painted white.
Jacqueline Marque
May 3, 2019
Before and After: An 1860s New Orleans Double Parlor Is Brought Back to Life
When Tim purchased his house in 2010, it had been abandoned since 2004, a year before Hurricane Katrina. The windows were left open and the walls were covered with mold. The property was what Tim describes as “marginally livable,” and didn’t even meet the requirements for financing. He would have to pay out of pocket to get a hot water heater installed, the electricity turned on, and have the mold re-mediated in order to secure a mortgage.
Jacqueline Marque
May 3, 2019
Before & After: Modern Touches for a Brooklyn Bathroom
When Chris and Amber renovated their Brooklyn apartment, transforming their kitchen and adding an extra bedroom for their son, they hadn’t originally planned on redoing their bathroom, too. Then halfway through the remodeling process, they realized that they never, ever wanted to do another remodel — and that if they were going to re-do the bathroom, it was now or never. The original bathroom was, in Chris’ words, “tired and shabby.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Brooklyn Apartment Goes From One Bedroom to Two
Chris and Amber had a problem common to a lot of New York City homeowners: a family that kept growing, and an apartment that stubbornly remained the same size. After the birth of their first son they decided to look for a two-bedroom apartment, but were unable to find anything acceptable in their price range. When the impending arrival of a second baby really raised the stakes, they decided that maybe the solution was to renovate the apartment they already had.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Smart “Tide Me Over” Budget Kitchen Upgrade for My Mom
First of all, shout out to Tanya’s mom for choosing kitchen elements way back in the ’80s that wouldn’t look totally insane to our modern eyes. As smart as her choices were, time waits for no man and since the kitchen was showing its age, Tanya figured she would jump in and help her mom update her space.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A DIY Spa-Style Bathroom
April’s guest bathroom wasn’t making a great impression, so she started again from down-to-the-studs scratch. With some seriously impressive DIY skills the final product is a serene and welcoming space. From April: Our hall bath is the bathroom in the house that all of our guests use, whether they be overnight or just dinner guests. The room needed a major upgrade. We completely gutted the space to start with – down to the studs and slab.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
May 3, 2019
Before & After: Big Beautiful Changes in a Brooklyn Apartment
After fifteen years of living in their one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment, Deniz and Ramon had plenty of ideas for upgrades they could make to the place. So when they finally embarked on their long dreamed-of renovation, the result was some very dramatic changes indeed. Previously, the apartment, while quite spacious at 1,000 square feet, was broken up into small, choppy spaces. The kitchen, separated from the living and dining areas, had no natural light at all.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before and After: A Kitchen Reno That Didn’t Break the Bank
You may remember Nisha and Tim Stevens’ house in South East London. Having spent most of their budget buying the house, Nisha and Tim had to be creative when it came to decorating. Luckily the couple is pretty handy and they saved a lot of money by renovating most of their old kitchen themselves. Nisha’s Advice: Paint an ugly kitchen worktop with an oil based blackboard paint. Ours was a not-very-nice wood-look laminate which we sanded back and then painted.
Viv Yapp
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Classic Update for a Very Brown Bathroom
Homebuying in New York is one of those things that doesn’t always turn out like you planned. Jamie and Chad had their hearts set on buying a brownstone in Brooklyn, but when it turned out that everyone else had their hearts set on this as well, they wound up with an apartment in Ridgewood, Queens with plenty of space, its own backyard, and a bathroom that was well, interesting.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Modern Update for a Galley Kitchen
This galley kitchen in a Brooklyn one-bedroom wasn’t quite the nightmare that some of our ‘before’ kitchens present — but as soon as they closed on the apartment, homeowners Hari and Kaity knew they wanted to do something about the kitchen’s dark, cramped layout. Under (and over!) cabinet lighting didn’t quite make up for a lack of natural light, and the layout of the appliances meant that what countertop space there was was strangely segmented.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before and After: A Historic Home is Thoughtfully Remodeled
Amanda and Chris Covo spent eight months renovating their 1920s bungalow, also known as the Sallie Johnson House. Johnson was a freed slave and her home is now a historic landmark in East Austin, Texas. (You can listen to Sallie’s narrative here.) When the couple first saw this house, it was completely run down.
Minette Hand
May 3, 2019
Before & After: Small, Budget-Friendly Changes Transform a Boring Living Room
Every New Yorker dreams of living in a beautiful pre-war building with beautiful pre-war details, but sometimes the reality is less exciting. Hari and Kaity loved a lot of things about their one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, but the living room was a bit, well, dull. So they set about making a few changes — small, budget-friendly upgrades that nevertheless made a big difference.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before and After: A Craftsman Reinvigorated by a Thoughtful Remodel
Interior designer and stylist Brett and her husband Brandon bought a 1900s Craftsman house in Oakland, California in March of last year, but they couldn’t move in right away. The architectural charm was immediately obvious, but it also needed a lot of work. A renovation was definitely in the cards.
Adrienne Breaux
May 3, 2019
Before & After: This Co-op Renovation is a Book Lover’s Dream
For almost ten years, John lived in his Hell’s Kitchen co-op while it slowly crumbled around him. The apartment, built in 1923, was definitely showing signs of its age: plaster was falling off the walls, moldings were caked with years of paint, and the kitchen cabinets, which had been replaced sometime in the 90s, were starting to fall apart. Faced with all this, and with the prospect of his partner, Katherine, moving in with him soon, John decided it was time for some big changes.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before & After: Small Changes Made a Big Difference in This Little Kitchen
If you’ve ever found yourself a bit dismayed by a remodel where the homeowners took a perfectly serviceable kitchen and subjected it a complete gut renovation, then this project is for you. Instead of starting from scratch, Lindsay and Matt made just a few small changes to their Brooklyn kitchen, creating a fresh, modern space with a minimum of hassle (and a minimal budget).
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Budget-Friendly Mini-Makeover for a Boring Bathroom
Lindsay and Matt, the Brooklyn homeowners who brought a light touch to the renovation of their less than exciting kitchen, took the same approach toward their apartment’s somewhat generic bathroom. It had been recently renovated, and they were on a pretty serious budget, so a complete overhaul wasn’t in the cards. Instead, they made a few small changes that made this little bathroom much more fresh — and much more functional.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Shoebox-Sized Studio Gets a Space-Maximizing Makeover
Clashing patterns, chipping paint, and mismatched furniture is far from unusual in Beijing’s rental market. But Becky Lane’s apartment in an older neighborhood near the city’s fashionable Sanlitun district was another ordeal entirely. Despite this apartment being at the higher end of her budget and in a state that would make most expats go running for the nearest renovated home, Becky said yes to renting.
Jessica Rapp
May 3, 2019
A Beige Rental Bathroom Gets a Major Boost on a Budget
My friend Joseph has a beige bathroom and asked me to come over and help him do something — anything — to make it better and I jumped at the chance. Because one less beige bathroom in the world is no bad thing. He’s a renter, so it couldn’t cost a lot, and everything needed to be 100% temporary. (You know those pesky security deposits and how they don’t get returned when you make permanent changes.
Dabney Frake
May 3, 2019
A 100% Reversible Rental Bathroom Makeover For Under $500
Joseph's bathroom had some decent bones, but needed a light and renter-friendly makeover. See what we did...
Dabney Frake
May 3, 2019
This $50 Temporary Flooring Floats Right Over Rental Bathroom Tile
Renters rejoice.
Dabney Frake
May 3, 2019
Real Life Closet Makeover: Esteban & Todd’s New Closet is Now the Stuff Of (Organized) Dreams
Closet size: 24 square feet How many people use this closet? Two. My partner Todd and I share the closet. How long have you lived in your home? Five years Your closet in 5 words or less: Small, narrow, chaotic, cluttered, disorderly. My partner Todd and I challenged ourselves to clean out our closet from head to toe, then reorganize it in a way that made more sense. We did a massive purge session, shopped for smart storage solutions, and are now ready to share our new space.
Esteban Cortez
May 3, 2019
Real Life Closet Makeover: Aimée and Jonny’s Shared Catch-All Storage is Now Super Clean
Aimée and Jonny just gave their shared closet a major makeover from head to toe, breaking it down and building it back up to be better than before. Their main take away? Don’t be afraid to purge! It makes all the difference. See what changed, and how they tamed their trouble spots. Aimée and Jonny’s linens refused to stay stacked neatly on their shelving, preferring instead to fall over, flop around, and unfold themselves.
Aimée Mazzenga
May 3, 2019
Real Life Closet Makeover: Melanie & Steven’s Skinny Storage Sorrows Solved
Closet size: 4.125 ft² plus a garment rack How many people use this closet? 2 How long have you lived in your home? We moved into this apartment about 8 months ago. It’s gone smoothly for the most part, but I’m definitely messier than Steven. Your closet in 5 words or less: Cramped and cluttered Melanie and Steven had their work cut out for them. Their teeny tiny closet was small for even New York standards, and the added garment rack overflowed with clothing and shoes.
Dabney Frake
May 3, 2019
Before & After: An Incredible DIY, Use-What-You-Can Garage to Guest Room Remodel
If you have an old basement or other unused space in your home, you might dream about remodeling that space into something beautiful and useful. For Suzanne and Peter, that dreaming started the moment they bought their San Francisco home three years ago. The dark and dank basement room that came with the house no longer exists and has been replaced with a bright, open and welcoming space.
Ana Kamin
May 3, 2019
Before & After: Watch Kristen Bell Give Her Sister’s Basement a Total Makeover
If there’s anything we love more than a great before and after, it’s a great before and after with Kristen Bell. The Good Place star surprised her sister and her family with a totally new basement for their Detroit home. In an episode of MyHouzz, the home renovation platform’s web series, the Frozen and Veronica Mars actor set out to do something huge for her big sister: totally renovate her basement.
Tara Bellucci
May 3, 2019
Before and After: An Almost Unrecognizable Modern Transformation of a Beige Suburban House
Dream of living in an open, airy, minimal home but find yourself in a beige-hued, standard suburban house? After you pick your jaw up off the floor upon viewing these before and afters of a renovated Cleveland home, you’ll likely be inspired and motivated to try your hand at modernizing your own space!
Adrienne Breaux
May 3, 2019
Real Life Closet Makeover: Katy’s Walk-In Is Perfectly Pulled Together Now
Katy’s walk-in closet had plenty of space. It was just poorly thought out and lacked the proper organizers for the job of keeping all their clothes, shoes and accessories in place. Katy moved a bunch of stuff around, and added in more variety to meet their different storage needs. Katy wasn’t making the best use of her upper shelves – when she stored shoes up there, the heels fell through the slots. Bags were hard to organized and flopped over on their sides.
Dabney Frake
May 3, 2019
Before & After: From an Awfully Awkward Floorplan to a Seriously Sophisticated Space
Eric and Joel’s new apartment in Prospect Heights had a lot going for it: generously sized rooms, lots of light, proximity to dog parks. What it didn’t have going for it: an incredibly awkward floorplan where a closed-off kitchen adjoined a mostly useless ‘dining foyer’ — an orphaned bit of space that was too wide to be called a hallway and too narrow for anything else.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Musty, Dated Bathroom Turns Around
If you’re one of those people who hates words like ‘moist’, Joel’s description of his former bathroom is going to make you shudder. Besides the dark, dated tile and fixtures, the bathroom “always smelled damp and musty because the floor and walls were finished with absorbent limestone tiles.” Ew. To add a little extra space to the bathroom, Joel and his partner Eric chose to incorporate part of an adjacent hallway.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before and After: A 100-Year-Old House Gets Rejuvenated
Meg and Joe are both graphic designers. They bought this house in Detroit about a year ago. Though their budget was small, they were able to refresh the whole house thanks to fresh paint. And they made the home their own by adding in personal objects with history, as well as art made by themselves or friends. The couple says the entire house is still a work in progress, but that’s what they like about it: They’re making the house their own home. “Be patient and take your time.
Diana Paulson
May 3, 2019
Before & After: From Burgundy to Bunnies, Custom Wallpaper Transforms a Feature Wall
When Danielle and her family moved into their home, they knew which room they wanted for their daughters nursery but felt it needed some major restyling. After switching up the color scheme with paint and wallpaper, replacing the chandelier with something a little more kid friendly and adding all of the cute touches that make a nursery, they have an adorable space for their daughter that is a fry cry from the original room.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A 5 Day, 2K Rental Kitchen Makeover (With All the Budget Details!)
Name: Ana and Patrick Kamin Type of Project: Kitchen Update Location: San Francisco, California When we moved to San Francisco and started looking for apartments, 85% of the kitchens we saw were not acceptable by my terms. On the one side, you have the ones that are newly updated, but the landlord chose the countertop and cabinets straight from the ’70s. Or you have the kitchens that are totally rundown — and the renovation will cost a fortune.
Ana Kamin
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Tiny Kitchen Gets a Fresh Look (& More Storage!)
The ‘before’ kitchen in this Upper West Side two-bedroom wasn’t in terrible condition, but it was plagued by a few issues common to small kitchens — teeny tiny appliances, and a serious lack of cabinet and counter space. The dark finishes and awkward, chopped-up blocks of cabinets made the small space seem even smaller.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
My Bare Backyard Is a Wasteland of Dog Poop, Weeds & Sorrow
Oh where to begin? My backyard is a pit of earthly despair, good for only three things really: dog waste, weeds and my own tears. I had good intentions when I first created the space, but my installation was poor to begin with, and then ongoing maintenance was not my friend. Ultimately, the grass didn’t stand a chance against all the dog abuse and my own neglect, so weeds and mud moved in, choking out any chance of happiness.
Dabney Frake
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Small Suburban Bathroom Goes from Taupe to Timeless
After living in New York for 11 years, Diana Marsh was ready to move back to her home state of Michigan and design a beautiful nest. As the proprietor of the downtown Ann Arbor store Thistle and Bess, Diana stocks up and offers one-of-a-kind treasures for those seeking a luxurious lifestyle. And not surprisingly, she was looking to create a luxurious lifestyle in the 1890s house she bought.
Diana Paulson
May 3, 2019
Before and After: A Brooklyn Brownstone’s Living Room Opens Up
Nicole and Dan’s house tour of their Park Slope brownstone had me green with envy. A large space, it was lovingly renovated and beautifully decorated. The way in which they designed the home — to maximize light, to embrace color and pattern — is impressive enough. But wait until you see what the living room and entryway looked like before they renovated.
Minette Hand
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Kitchen “Held Together with Tape” Gets an Overdue DIY Remodel
Every square inch of this kitchen was ripped out and lovingly put back together — this time in a much more functional and stylish way — by the homeowners themselves. As designer Michelle Gage writes on her blog: “The floors were dirty and sticky. The appliances appeared to be original to the house. The counter tops were held together with tape.” It took two years to save enough money to finally tackle this outdated kitchen’s remodel.
Adrienne Breaux
May 3, 2019
Before and After: An Itty-Bitty Bathroom Goes From Sad to Rad
A small bathroom is bad enough to live with. But when your small bathroom is windowless and boring? Well that’s just sad. Designer Mary Lee wasn’t going to stand for a tiny, depressing bathroom. So she worked her DIY remodel magic on this part of her Seattle studio apartment, and the result is inspiring! I just loved Mary’s advice for decorating that she shared in her house tour: “More isn’t always better when it comes to stuff and space.
Adrienne Breaux
May 3, 2019
Before and After: From a Gutted Airstream To a Perfect Tiny Home
Brandon and Gabi aren’t just living a dream life — traveling around and enjoying the beauty of our country — they’re doing it while living in this dreamy Airstream trailer. As we showed in their house tour, tons of thought went into the DIY details of their tiny mobile home, from storage to lighting and more. And while the end result is certainly beautiful, it took A LOT of work to get it there.
Adrienne Breaux
May 3, 2019
Before & After: Savvy Solutions for a Seriously Small Bathroom
As bathrooms go, the bathroom in Lauren’s Brooklyn Heights studio wasn’t in the worst shape. Aesthetically, it wasn’t much to write home about (and the odd, alien sink seemed ready for takeoff), but we’ve seen much worse. The real problem in this small space was storage. As in, there wasn’t any.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A First Time Homeowner Kicks Up the Curb Appeal
First things first: congrats to Amanda on purchasing her first home! Taking the plunge can be nerve-wracking, exciting and is always a very big deal. (We’ve got some tips on making it less scary if you need them.) After settling in to her new abode, the next step was to tackle the exterior, which Amanda felt needed a little boost. With the help of a few family members, a super smart paint job and flower power, the home has a fresh look and a whole lot of curb appeal.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
May 3, 2019
Before & After: Chic Makeover for a DC Kitchen With a Presidential Connection
Shaila’s kitchen came with both a fun connection to DC history and a pretty funky layout. Aesthetics aside, it was time for a reno; the kitchen had begun to fall apart. Taking a cue from the age of the building and her personal love of art-deco, Shaila gave her new-to-her old kitchen a stylish updated vintage-inspired look. Take it away, Shaila… After serving as a diplomat around the world, it was time for me to come back to Washington.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
May 3, 2019
Before and After: A London Studio Apartment’s Total Transformation
There are remodels…and then there are total transformations. Julia and Kurt bought a run-down studio apartment nine years ago. The layout was weird and it was on the teeny side. But instead of just improving the look of the current home’s foot print, they thought outside of the box! They decided to take over the home’s huge rooftop terrace to convert their studio apartment into a two-level, two-bedroom modern home. Originally all the living spaces were on one level.
Adrienne Breaux
May 3, 2019
Before & After: New Bedrooms for the Whole Family in a Brooklyn Brownstone
Considering the amazing renovation work done on the living room, dining room and kitchen of Nicole and Dan Lucey’s Brooklyn brownstone, it’s not exactly a surprise that they also showed the same care, intention and design savvy with the family’s upstairs bedrooms. What is surprising are the bold design choices in two of the rooms, and the serene space the master bedroom turned out to be. Nicole and Dan’s sophisticated son originally wanted ALL black walls.
Adrienne Breaux
May 3, 2019
Before & After: This Boring Bathroom Got a Serious Dose of Personality
Structurally, there was nothing wrong with the bathroom in Nikki and Chris’ Astoria condo. Aesthetically, it looked a bit like an upscale gas station bathroom from the early 90s. The ‘after’, I think you’ll agree, is a huge improvement. The couple’s vision for their new bathroom was a modern twist on a classic NYC bath.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Renovation Makes the Most of a Small Kitchen
House-hunting in New York is a notoriously harrowing process. After months of searching, Nikki and Chris thought they had found the perfect apartment in Astoria. It was beautiful, had all the features they wanted, and was within their budget. But after a few weeks, the deal fell through. Incredibly discouraged, Nikki and Chris wondered if they would ever be able to find a place that felt like home. Two days later, they were putting in an offer on another place.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Home Under the Hollywood Sign Goes Beachy
When updating a vintage home with a past, a designer has to carefully carry out a vision without erasing the past. Such was the case for this vintage home, located underneath the Hollywood sign in the Beachwood Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles and redesigned by Justin Krzyston with Stonehurst Construction. The circa-1950s home was happily lived in by the original owners until they had passed away.
Brie Dyas
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Modern Kitchen Update with Vintage Charm
When they decided to start a family, interior designer Meredith and her husband realized that their one-bedroom duplex (with the bedroom accessed by a dizzying spiral staircase) was just not going to cut it anymore. After being outbid on four different houses, they finally found their perfect place: a charming Tudor townhouse in Brooklyn’s Kensington neighborhood, with an apricot tree in the front yard and even — an amenity almost unheard of in New York — a garage.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before and After: A Dark, Dated Kitchen Gets an Unbelievably Beautiful Update
The kitchen in this Brooklyn brownstone — before its reinvigorating renovation and revival — was dismal. Dark, dated. Grimy and greasy. Peeling paint, cracked walls and a floor you wouldn’t want to walk barefoot on. The whole home needed a lot of work, but the kitchen perhaps most so. After all, for many families the kitchen is the heart of the home. The hub of action. The hangout space of party guests.
Adrienne Breaux
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Sleek, Modern Update to a Tiny Bathroom
When Maria and Eric bought their two-bedroom apartment in Queens, they knew the bathroom would need an overhaul. Moldering tile and aging, mismatched features meant the bathroom’s aesthetics weren’t great, but the real issue in this small space was a serious lack of storage. So they set about turning a decrepit space that had seen better days into a bright, modern bathroom — and added a few clever storage solutions along the way.
Nancy Mitchell
May 3, 2019
Before & After: Carving Out a Playroom in a Corner of a Living Room
Project by: Louise Bradberry of Cait’s Room Interiors Location: Johannesburg, South Africa Transformations aren’t always about knocking down walls or elaborate IKEA hacks. Sometimes they’re about looking at your space with new eyes and giving it a new purpose. Louise did just that for her clients. Wanting to supplement limited outdoor play space for their child, they tasked Louise with creating a play nook for their daughter in a corner of their living room.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
May 3, 2019
Before & After: Living Room Goes from Bland to Glam
Spoilers for “Best Room Wins.”While we’ve been in a golden age of TV for awhile now, but only in the past few seasons have we seen more variety in new home and design programming. If you want something besides another flipper taking over their hometown or another pair of questionably employed folks complaining about paint colors, there are actually other options out there.
Tara Bellucci
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Kids Room Goes from DIY Mess to DIY Success
Meera knew she was going to have to get extremely crafty with her son’s new room. The previous owners had made some questionable (and potentially dangerous) choices that needed to be fixed immediately, and Meera was able to do so with some very cool DIYs and brilliant money-saving fixes. From Meera: The walls and ceilings were covered in poorly-hung textured wallpaper and the room was a DIY mess.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
May 3, 2019
Before and After: This Dull Driveway is Now Super SoCal Cool
Turning a driveway and storage area into a beautiful lounge for adults and children alike seemed like an impossible feat for Ali and Evan. Luckily they had a great friend, Lake, who knew exactly how to transform this space! From Lake Sharp of array.la: The lean-to structure immediately creates a sense of privacy and much needed shade, but still allows for airflow and light. The look of the patio is centered around the colorful Laotian lanterns that Ali showed me at our first meeting.
Marisa Vitale
May 3, 2019
Before & After: Setting Up a Nursery is a Family Affair
Allison stepped in to help her sister-in-law set up her baby nursery after the passing of her mother. Her act of love and kindness led to one adorable space for the new baby, with a beautifully bittersweet story. From Allison: After my mother-in-law passed away, I decided to step in to help my sister-in-law with her nursery for her baby girl on the way.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Bright & Modern Update for a NYC Apartment
When your work involves promoting an array of new and vintage designer furniture from showrooms, brands and private collections, it’s safe to say that you’re surrounded by decor inspiration every day. That’s precisely the case for Tamara Rosenthal, the Vice President of Marketing for the designer furniture consignment site Viyet, when she set out to renovate the 1,700-square-foot Upper East Side apartment her family calls home.
Brie Dyas
May 3, 2019
Before & After: Building a Baby-Friendly Space, Basically From Scratch
Life comes at you fast. Lisa had been considering this room for a makeover when she found out she was pregnant and suddenly on a whole new unexpected timeline. After gutting the room they got to work adding classic elements to the structure of the room so it was more in line with the rest of the house as well as, you know, getting it ready for a baby.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
May 3, 2019
Before & After: This Exterior Makeover Will Make You Turn (Sea-Foam) Green With Envy
Ashley’s adorable home needed a bit of a boost in the exterior paint department. After giving herself permission to just friggin go for it, she decided that they would not only be painting their home sea-foam green, they’d be doing it themselves. Sweat was sweated, paint was painted and a few labor heavy weekends later, a bold and bright house emerged.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
May 3, 2019
Before & After: The Color That Instantly Modernizes Any Home’s Exterior
Homes across the world come in a rainbow of colors, but there’s one hue that’s king when it comes to working with just about any style of architecture. It’s not an exterior paint choice for the faint-hearted. But those willing to take the paint plunge will be rewarded with a dramatic curb appeal sure to get the neighbors talking. All black!
Adrienne Breaux
May 3, 2019
Before and After: A Cozy NYC Co-op’s Stunning Renovation
“Doing a gut renovation on my own—no husband, no boyfriend, just me—wasn’t easy,” admits Sarah Jacobson, of the renovation of her 750-square-foot NYC home. “It was literal blood, sweat and tears (so many tears!). It was many a moment of fear, of thinking I wasn’t good enough, of thinking I didn’t know what I was doing, of thinking I’d bitten off more than I could chew. But guess what? I did it anyway.
Adrienne Breaux
May 3, 2019
Before and After: Two Bathrooms Go from Revolting to Reborn
Fernando and Maximiliano bought an abandoned-for-years, run-down, dilapidated house in the La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Though the house had good architecture, classic bones, and potential, every room needed a lot of work. A budget of…zero meant that the couple would have to do much of the renovations themselves. Here, Fernando and Maximiliano tell us about the what they were facing with these bathrooms and how they turned them around.
Federico Paul
May 3, 2019