Before After

This bathroom was an afterthought—the cottage didn’t have a bathroom for decades!—and it’s finally gotten the love and attention that every room should have. Watch it go from “the cheapest materials available,” exterior paneling (!), and a very casually laid linoleum floor to a bright, inviting room full of mid-century modern charm . . . It’s so cute now!

Those of you who are absolutely sick of white bathrooms with white floors, white walls, and white fixtures are going to LOVE this renovation. However, all you fans of black sinks are in for some heartbreak . . . This is an astounding makeover! The geometric tile is completely irresistible, and I love the playful choice to apply it to the floor and one wall. The mid-century modern vanity and fascinating tub pop against the blue backdrop; the hues are perfectly complementary.

Melanie bought a house that was previously a rental for many years, and the bathroom was just not loved and cared for all that time. Not only was the space ugly, it had some real issues, including potential mold. When she and her husband renovated, the only thing they kept was the tub (and even that was refinished) … Wow! The bathroom is now so graphic and modern, that little sink is the cutest thing ever, and the vanity is ridiculously cool.

What was stark and modern is now warm, inviting and basically, our dream apartment.

In the Queens neighborhood of Elmhurst, Romuald and his wife have something that most New Yorkers can only dream of: a whole house, and even a backyard. But after living there for ten years, there was one thing they knew they wanted to change: the kitchen. The home’s previous kitchen, while not small by any means, felt a bit tight when you factored in two avid chefs.

The kitchen in Meredith and Jason’s Chelsea apartment, while much larger than your typical NYC apartment kitchen, still had its share of issues. Style-wise, it was stuck in the late ’90s, with heavy mahogany cabinets that sucked the light from the room. A wall of cabinets partially blocked the light from the room’s one window, while a slightly raised floor made for a tripping hazard.

We feature a lot of amazing kitchen projects, but this kitchen makeover might just have the very best dollars-to-damn ratio yet. It went from oh-so-’70s to totally timeless, thanks to some hard work, tile bravery, and some stickers. So charming! I love the interplay of the hexagonal tiles of the backsplash and the ornately patterned floor tiles. The combination of black, white, grey, and stainless is fresh and modern, while the wood counters add warmth and coziness.

There are tons of IKEA furniture hacks out there—always fun!—but this is one of the subtler, classier ones we’ve seen. Individualizing the ubiquitous MICKE desk is a totally approachable project—and just as affordable as the desk itself. This linen-wrapped desk (less-costly cotton could also be used, of course) was featured on Lark & Linen, along with extremely thorough step-by-step instructions.

Francis decided to rent this small (like, only 365 square feet) studio apartment in Miami when he got sick of his commute to work from Fort Lauderdale. The seven-minute drive from his office was nice, but the old, dirty looking tiles and the outdated kitchen were not.

We featured Malcolm’s epic small kitchen renovation earlier this week, but couldn’t resist sharing another DIY project from his condo. In less than a week (while being sick as a dog), he installed new wainscoting that transformed a second bedroom into a guest-ready retreat. Not only is it a subtle yet striking architectural statement, but no additional headboard is needed.

As nice as it is to see Before & After projects that seem totally approachable—$15 under-cabinet lighting, a refreshed bathroom—aspirational whole-house renovations are highly entertaining and inspiring. And that’s exactly what we have today: a “bland, boring ’60s ranch” gets a total—and totally amazing—makeover. If you’re having a hard time orienting yourself in this room, it’s because it used to be two rooms and an attic.

Evygenia from Foxy and Brass has a small desk that’s tucked inside an alcove in her apartment, and it’s surrounded by built-in shelving. To get herself organized, she hacked an IKEA SKADIS pegboard to fit the space. Not only does the spot look ten times better, but the project solved more than one small space problem. First she cut the pegboard exactly to size [note: the SKÅDIS pegboard isn’t currently available in the U.S.

Scuffed mauve toilet, periwinkle walls, mauve sink, pebbled glass shower door, yellowed shower stall—what’s not to love? Well, perhaps a few tiny updates might be in order here… Ahhhh, much better! I know there are those of you who dislike white-centric makeovers (I always love them), but in this case, the interplay between the mostly white walls and the mostly black floor is so fun and vibrant, and the room really pops.

We featured Medina’s closet makeover the other day, and now we are back to show you the rest of her bedroom, which she recently redid to take full advantage of every inch of the space. It’s a small room, so she had to get very creative…. This isn’t true before photo, but you can picture a standard rental bedroom with bland cream-colored walls, beige carpet and that ugly melamine wardrobe that Medina and her husband weren’t allowed to get rid of.

This kitchen has quite a bit of vintage charm, and all that white certainly does a great job reflecting the sunlight pouring in from the window. And there’s nothing better than a window over the dishwashing sink, but the room could definitely use a little something. Fortunately, that certain something was do-able in a single week.

Let us give your tiny home a makeover! We’re looking for a reader whose tiny home has good bones but needs a little sparkle and personality. If you’ve been wanting to give your tiny home a more defined and stylish look, you might be just the person we’re looking for. We’re working with an advertiser to help our readers explore bold, exciting paint upgrades in their tiny homes and to document it in a before-and-after video.

This particular kitchen project was a major undertaking: new appliances, new flooring, new cabinetry, new countertops, new backsplashes, and a host of other major adjustments. Despite the dramatic changes, the new kitchen fits into the home perfectly and makes the most of the available space and light. Interiors Addict has done such a lovely job with this room.

Medina and her husband Vince inherited this built-in closet when they moved into their current rental, and had to find a way to make it work — especially since the tiny bedroom doesn’t allow for much more storage. They removed its ugly outdated doors early on in their tenancy, but that just left them with this awful view of red faux wood grain, which Medina especially couldn’t stand.

Think a new kitchen is currently out of reach? If yours is bringing you down, but you don’t have the means to do a full renovation, don’t give up too soon. These budget renovations all cost under $1,000 (and some well, well under that) and prove beyond a shadow of doubt that you don’t need a wad of money to give your kitchen a brand new look. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of paint, a little bit of elbow grease, and some good ideas. Use these five as inspiration.

This renovation is very near and dear to my heart, having lived in many studio apartments, including one that was nearly identical to this one in size, configuration, and location. Watch this 300-square-foot studio go from dingy and cramped to bright and seemingly spacious. Laurie Jones, of Laurie Jones Home & Lifestyle, designed and executed this remodel for her daughter: The before is what every apartment looks like in Wrigleyville.

If you’ve just spent hours assembling your child’s new dollhouse, or are still pulling things together for Christmas morning, then you might not want to see this. Because mom Melissa just turned this generic brown Costco playhouse into a winter wonderland of beauty.

Sometimes, when people describe a room as “a nightmare,” they’re talking about shag carpeting or hideous laminate or cheesy ’80s style. Today’s kitchen sounds like the stuff of actual nightmares—read on lest you think I’m talking about the blue-mustard color combo you see here. (But don’t worry—the space now is totally dreamy.) What a difference a new everything makes!

When three friends — Amanda, Kate and Carina — decided to chase their dreams and buy a cabin in the Catskills together, they were ready to start having fun and enjoying their mountain retreat right away. But the home was built in the 1980s, and though the architectural bones were extraordinary, there were still a lot of elements from the era (like bizarre wallpaper, carpeted stairs, funky electrical work, and a mustard yellow shower).

Morgan and her husband recently bought a home and, little by little, are updating each room. First up, the laundry room. One of the things that sold them on the house was having a mud room off the garage, complete with a washer and dryer. As handy as that is, the room was very dark with brown walls, brown cabinets and was desperately in need of an update. More than anything Morgan wanted a light, bright and fun space to work in.

Samantha’s little apartment is only about 500 square feet and it’s a rental. She wanted to make some minor changes, without putting a bunch of money into the makeover. Then she got the best news that an ambitious renter can possible get in their lifetime: when Samantha moves out, the apartment is getting renovated by the owners. Which meant it was carte blanche time! Samantha’s 1925 original kitchen had so much potential, but was a little on the lackluster side.

This kitchen had so much going for it—high, wainscoted ceilings, gorgeous black countertops, tons of cabinet space—but it needed a little something. Does that something involve pineapples? Perhaps… This renovation by change & co is one of the few Before & After projects we’ve seen recently in which so many of the original elements have been retained. The countertops, faucet, and fridge are all the same, and the cabinetry and island were simply repainted.

This small-town Texas home was lovingly and painstakingly restored.

The galley kitchen of this Brooklyn apartment wasn’t in terrible shape, especially compared to some kitchens we’ve seen. But the builder-blah ’90s color scheme made the space seem dark and dated, and the wide-set floor tiles left lots of room for grout, which means lots of room for collecting dirt.

About $100 can make a huge difference.

When Puno Puno (yes, you read that right, her name is Puno Lauren Puno!) and Daniel Chin Yee moved into their Downtown Los Angeles loft earlier this year, they knew they’d found their dream home. First, because of all the added space (their previous apartment was a modest 600 square feet to this loft’s 1,500). And secondly, because of the huge amount of light pouring in from the wall-to wall, industrial-height windows that line their corner unit.

It’s not a problem that many people have in New York, but this Tribeca apartment was almost too big. Sans furniture, the side-by-side living rooms seemed intimidating and cavernous. Plus, the unusual proportions of the space, with windows sitting almost on the floor, made furnishing it tricky. So the homeowners called in Homepolish designer Alec Holland, who transformed the space into a cozy family home, using tricks that anybody can utilitze in a room that feels just a little too large.

There’s nothing worse than those builder grade vanity strips in bathrooms, the ones that absolutely scream “HI, I’M CHROME AND WAS SENT FROM THE ’80s TO DATE YOU!!” As a renter your options are limited, but I came up with a smart way to deal with these common eyesores. Instead of swapping it out with a new light fixture, I decided to instead embrace the challenge and work with what I had. I couldn’t paint it, because that was permanent.

As kitchens go, this one isn’t too shabby. There are really nice white countertops, classic subway tile on the backsplash, and basic wood cabinets that look perfectly sound and in good condition. There’s no horribly dated light fixtures, no crappy peeling wallpaper, or any odd woodwork that needs to be ripped out. Even the walls are white and ready to go. Not much you can do to improve this space, right? So very, very wrong.

See? Wow! Some of the changes in Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth’s living room are ambitious and intimidating—the wainscoting, the (SPOILER ALERT) fireplace—but others are more doable while still having a major effect. Swapping out the art, throw pillows, and accessories made such a difference, and the new sofa and rug turned a cozy living room into a dreamy, airy space.

The holidays are just beyond the horizon, and chances are you’ll have at least a guest or two in your dining room. If your current dining area is old, outdated, or just unattractive, you may feel like there’s nothing (affordable) that can be done…or that you’re running out of time. That’s just not true! And these daring and delightful dining room makeovers prove it. Lisa’s dining room before wasn’t terrible, but it lacked pizzazz.

Chantel’s bathroom had a dark dungeon of an enclosed shower, dated vanity that lacked storage, and an odd medicine cabinet behind the toilet that protruded from the wall. With 35 years of use into this bathroom, it suffered from a grunge she just couldn’t get rid of — not to mention a slight odor and an odd color scheme that she just couldn’t live with. As you can see above, the 1980s was in full effect. The bathroom was originally one large 16′ x 7′ bathroom.

We showed off Timothy’s remodel of his inherited childhood home in a tour recently — it’s beautiful, modern and it perfectly illustrates what can be done with a limited budget. Timothy was kind enough to contribute family photos from the early ’90s showing the front room — or parlor — in its original state, complete with drab carpet and lackluster furniture.

This kitchen has a few issues that my own kitchen has—mismatched countertops, cottage-style details, cabinets stained a color I don’t care for—so I was so curious to see how it was improved. Perhaps there would be a few ideas I could steal! Alas, the makeover is so total, so incredible, that it’s a level of transformation to which I can’t currently aspire. But perhaps you can? Read on for a gorgeous transformation!

Are your dorm room days behind you? You can still find a ton of inspiration with this tiny, 180-square-foot, concrete-brick room's stunning transformation.

A sanctuary in the city for a young man.

Ciao wall to wall carpet!

Regine’s backyard presented a bit of a conundrum. She wanted to create a space for lounging and hosting, but a large part of her backyard was taken up with the driveway to the garage. Not to be deterred, she got creative and over the course of three summers, created a backyard oasis on a budget. From Regine: Our backyard before was begging to be made into something pretty.

Melanie’s rowhome had a surplus of bedrooms and a deficit of bathrooms so the math was easy to do. The actual renovation, however, was not so easy. After an extended timeline and a few plumbing snafus, they now have one newly remodeled bath and one entirely new one.

Sometimes going out of your comfort zone has a beautiful result.

A sorely needed update for an old house.

Anam’s paint splattered, wobbly bookshelf was on the verge of being recycled after some new built-ins took over its role of craft supply storage. But Anam decided to sturdy the piece up and give it a bright, brand new look. From Anam: I’ve had this bookshelf for almost a year and bought it for super cheap off Craigslist.

Anika spotted a daybed on the side of the road, and not being possessing superhuman strength, was forced to leave the heavy daybed but took the drawers as a consolation prize. They lay fallow in her garage for awhile but then she repurposed them into a cute, kicky little bar cart. From Anika: I found these old drawers on the curb almost a year ago. They were actually a part of a daybed which was too huge and heavy to carry home so I brought home four of the drawers instead.

Frances wanted a backyard that she could use for entertaining and her segmented, fenced off space was not quite up to the task. Sacrificing her weekends to the DIY gods, she was able to create a space that is much more welcoming and way less gray. From Frances: When we bought the house the garden was separated into three small sections, so all you could ever see out of the window was a mass of fencing and gates!

Mike and Kate’s home office had slowly morphed into a home office slash dumping ground for stuff. They both work from home and felt that they had enough space for a functional office, but they just weren’t making the most of it. They called in their good friend Christina, and she helped the space do a total 180. From Christina: My friends Mike and Kate had a great space for a home office, but the dark paint and cluttered walls made the room feel tiny, especially for two people!

The kitchen in Carrie’s 1950s Chicago bungalow was in desperate need of some updates. By going back to basics and doing most of the shopping at big box stores, she was able to keep the budget to around $15k and save herself the hassle of hiring a contractor. From Carrie: The dark kitchen in our new little home had not been touched in probably 30-40 years. It was horribly outdated, there were soffits galore, and there were a few poorly placed appliances throughout.

Krys was ready to upgrade her bar cart situation and was on the hunt for something bigger and better. She found this unit (above) at IKEA but thought it was a bit unforgettable. However, the price was right so she decided to get creative and transform it into the swinging ’60s-inspired bar cart of her dreams. From Krys: I needed something bigger than the bar cart I had been using and decided to look for a cabinet instead and make a sort of cocktail corner in my living room.

Never underestimate the power of well placed chalk paint. Iuliana’s kitchen was in need of a new look and a full-blown kitchen renovation wasn’t really do-able — but she would not be deterred. A couple of coats of sunshine yellow later, her kitchen is brighter, cheerier, and her budget remains intact (which we imagine made her feel bright and cheery, too).

The Seattle housing market is tough so sometimes you have to decide to change what you don't like about the house you just bought.

Darren and Catherine’s client wanted their new office space to be welcoming, interesting and a reflection of their interests. Going from bland basic office white to a bold orange gave the space an immediate jolt of personality, and then the team layered on vintage and flea market finds, colorful industrial furniture and funky patterns. From Darren & Catherine: The new Senior Dean wanted his office to be a warm and inviting space for students, families and faculty.

"Each element was thoughtfully chosen to create a cohesively eclectic and welcoming space that pays homage to the architecture that is rich with history."

From kids' room to master bedroom.

"Multiple layers of paint were evident on the chipped and scarred wood and the vinyl cushion was crunchy, mildewed - and smelled really, really bad."

Meghan needed a new dresser but couldn’t bring herself to buy one, when her gut was telling her there was a used one to be had floating out in the universe. She found one, and it seems like it had one hell of a previous life, since it was covered in rhinestones and wallpaper. She decided that with just a little love and attention she could spiff the dresser into a piece that was more to her tastes. From Meghan: I found this chest of drawers at the Salvation Army for £10 ($13).

Courtney found herself in a bit of a design lurch when she ordered a new dresser for her daughter, but a month later got word that it had been cancelled. Instead of shaking her fists at the heavens and cursing the retail gods, she hopped in her car, drove to IKEA and snatched up a Hemnes dresser. With a little DIY know-how she transformed the dresser into a totally glam, Old Hollywood-inspired piece. From Courtney: If you are not familiar with it, this is the Hemnes dresser from IKEA.

Not all bathroom projects have to be major upgrades, sometimes a simple change can add a little bit of extra functionality and a lot of charm. Claire needed more storage but wasn’t particularly keen on running out to the store for a quick fix. After fate threw this vintage drawer into her path, it became clear that she was about to find her storage solution. From Claire: This was an old drawer that I had picked out of a dumpster on my daily dog walk.

Robin found herself dreaming West Elm dreams while on an IKEA budget. Luckily, she’s an intrepid DIYer so she set out to turn her standard headboard into an upholstered leather masterpiece. All it took was one weekend and a little inspiration to create a chic new look for her bedroom without breaking the bank. From Robin: I started with the IKEA Hemnes bed frame. While it was a great inexpensive bed frame, it needed some sprucing up.

Chelsea’s master bath was in need of a little love, but funds for a full renovation just weren’t in the cards. Rather than wallow in the depths of an ugly bathroom, Chelsea and her husband decided to make some smart, inexpensive upgrades to give the bathroom a new look without breaking the bank. From Chelsea: When we moved into our fixer upper, I knew we would someday need to tackle master bathroom. It was small, awkward and really hideous.

A big blank wall. It could easily be a source of inspiration or anxiety. For Becky, it was inspiration first, contractor-related anxiety second. She seized the opportunity to use her large amount of blank space as an opportunity to go above and beyond a standard media center and add some built-in charm to her living room. The results are a stunning nod to farmhouse style, will remaining understatedly chic.

When Emily went looking for an apartment in New York, she wanted a place with vintage charm, like the beautifully detailed old buildings she had seen while living and studying in Normandy. Instead, she found the next best thing, a fixer-upper apartment in a 1940s building, whose tiny kitchen and bathroom were badly in need of updating (and a little classic character). The kitchen, only six feet wide, suffered years of neglect during the time the apartment served as a rental.

Krys’s DIY project is almost too internet-friendly to be true. An IKEA hack? That’s millennial pink? All for the low cost of $300? Think of all the extra money she saved for avocado toasts and Netflix subscriptions and other things millennials enjoy! In all seriousness, Krys’s project is majorly cool, relatively inexpensive and after a bit of trial and error, pretty easy.

Carleen’s kitchen didn’t offer much in the way of counter space but it did provide her with lots of poorly laid green tile, which, shockingly enough, wasn’t much consolation. She decided that she’d had enough and set about renovating her kitchen. A mix of professional help, a handy husband and some smart IKEA finds help her put together a chic new kitchen with plenty more counter space to boot.

Christopher took one look at this beige, laminate loving kitchen and thought to himself, “it’s perfect!” His enthusiasm was rewarded as after basically overhauling the entire kitchen, he found himself with crisp white cabinets and counters and a gorgeous wood island that warms up the space with rustic style. From Christopher: We knew that navigating the Denver market would be a tough one. But once we walked into this kitchen we knew this was it.

"Every piece in my apartment has a double purpose."

Despite the fact that every room in this house was dark and the living room was a deep, almost-brown maroon color, Andrea (a fashion blogger over at Blonde Bedhead) could see this home’s potential. A bold move, considering this is her first house! “I was your typical millennial, avoiding home ownership for years, choosing the mobile life of apartment rentals.

Bethany lived through one of the in-the-middle-of-a-huge-project-fears that keeps renovators up at night, one of her contractors ghosted on her! Ever the intrepid and resilient DIYer she spent the time scouring for deals on patio furniture, planning even more DIY projects and finding folks who could actually come through on the project. The result is a backyard that makes the most of a generous amount of space, creating a very chill and welcoming vibe.