Before After

Ainhoa and her husband were already enjoying these classic IKEA Besta cabinets, but decided they wanted a more custom look so they cleverly (and cheaply) transformed them into a totally new piece. Wait until you see it. Wow! Looks like they’ve made a few other changes to the decor as well, and those built-ins look right at home. Ainhoa explains their process: We disassembled the cabinets, cut the sideboards to the height we wanted them, and reassembled them.

Charlotte and her family moved from NYC to the suburbs and into this sweet 100-year-old house. They loved this living room because of the bright and beautiful bay windows. Says Charlotte, “All it took was some color to brighten up the ol’ girl.” Much better! And all it took was one chair to inspire the palette for the entire room.

Maria had a near-perfect Craigslist experience with these two cane-back chairs — not only did she get them for a great price, but the seller was so anxious to get them out of his basement he even delivered them right to her door! She’s been hoarding these chairs “in her stash” for a year and she finally came up with a makeover plan. Want to see it? What a difference! We love the bold fabric choice, it really freshens up the classic shape.

Nicole took advantage of a road trip to try a new thrift store, and she scored this cute, little dresser. Since it cost her “practically nothing,” it was the perfect chance to try a little decor experiment. She chose Benjamin Moore Tropicana Cabana and Snowfall White to give this piece some contrast, and we’re loving that cute pop of pattern she picked to decorate the drawers.

Mary picked up this dark stained end table at Habitat Restore for $25 and gave it a very unexpected style update. See what we mean… We love how, with a few small changes, Mary completely altered the look and feel of this little table. She began by removing the (many) tack heads and handle, and filling and sanding the holes. Then she chose Glidden Duo paint and primer in Rich Navy.

When Griffin bought this new home back in 2010, it was builder-grade beige as far as the eye could see. Over the course of four years, she transformed the blah space into a room that accommodates toddler play by day, and family sit down dinners by night. Griffin chose a Danish Modern dining set to up the Mid-Century appeal, while practical baskets in the buffet conceal toy storage clutter.

Reeves is back and rockin another amazing makeover. She was drawn to this Craigslist dresser because of its claw feet and birds eye maple wood, and, in her capable hands, it got a even better. What a pretty pop! It really highlights that unique wood grain. Nice choice. Says Reeves: The finish on the drawers and top needed to be redone, but I could not cover it up in paint. I only painted the frame of the dresser and left the top and drawers natural! See more at the Weathered Door.

When Amanda moved into her second house, she knew the dark and dated split entry needed to be brightened up — a dark door, peach-hued walls and a tall wall with nothing on it just didn’t fit her style. From Amanda: To brighten up the space, we installed a tongue and groove accent wall (to cover the heavy knock down texture) and painted it white. A new larger glass French door let light pour.

Angela loves the clean lines of Mid-Century Modern — it’s a perfect fit for her Mid-Century-era home and always well built. When she found this table at a thrift store, she called it “insanely heavy.” Even so, she dragged it home. What a handsome piece. The white accents really show off the gleamy wood. Great job. From Angela: I started by sanding the entire thing and staining the drawers and base using General Finishes Java Gel Stain.

Charlotte says, “I check in with Craig (and his list) on a daily basis. When I came across a pair of matching wooden arm chairs, I pounced. I talked the seller down to $75 each, and brought them home for a facelift.” Charlotte decided on red spray paint to complement a similar red coffee table in her space. She says, “A million hours later, all the nail heads and staples were out and I was ready to spray.

Every city has its share of empty storefronts. In Boston, online ticketing platform Eventbrite has turned one such space into a pop-up location for 15 events in ten days. Sara Steele-Rogers, Eventbrite’s Boston marketing manager, transformed a vacant South End shop into Brite Space, a collection of pop-ups aimed to inspire the imagination and bring the city together through local, unique experiences.

Reeves snagged this Drexel campaign chest from a thrift store store last year. Its laminate top and damaged drawers needed some work, but after avoiding the project for a year, she finally got around to addressing this little chest. We give it an A+ color choice. That deep, bold black really makes the original hardware shine. Great job. From Reeves: I removed the hardware, sanded the piece (and the drawers so they fit), and then primed the top with an oil based primer meant for laminate.

Ellen’s had this coffee table for 12 years. It was her first piece of “grown up” furniture so it’s quite sentimental. In fact, she fondly referred to it as “the giant coaster,” because of the custom glass covering the inlaid detail on top. But recently, the orange-toned finish was starting to annoy her, so she tried re-staining it with a black varnish and did “an atrociously bad job of it.

What do you do when you find a sad little tripod table with potential for free by a garbage can? If you’re Amanda, you take it home with you, give its top a sweet makeover and sit back to enjoy your transformed handiwork. From Amanda: I came home the other day to find this rather sad little table sitting by my garbage can. She wasn’t much to look at while she was sitting forlornly by my garbage cans.

Do you suffer from a bland bathroom? You might find some inspiration in the ideas that Jolie added to her standard-looking, not-very-interesting bathroom. She made this boring room turn glam with some DIY projects and vision. From Jolie: I wanted to feel like I was stepping into a high end hotel bathroom in the morning so I decided I would decorate it with glam wallpaper and gold accents.

When Kelly and her husband moved into a 1950s fixer-upper in late 2012, they knew their kitchen — with original (in Kelly’s words, grime-encrusted) pine cabinets, aluminum-wrapped laminate counters and linoleum floors mixed with asbestos — would need some aesthetic upgrading. They even started working on this room two hours after closing on the house! From Kelly: To say that it was a labor of love is an understatement.

Noelle had been curious about chalk paint for a while so she decided to tackle her own project using her old white IKEA Lack coffee table. She says, “I figured the worst that could happen is that I’d have to head out to IKEA and buy another table if it was a total bust.” But it wasn’t a bust at all. She chose Cece Caldwell’s chalk and clay paint in Destin Gulf Green.

Krizia had had this perfectly functional IKEA dresser for some time, but she was so busy remaking other people’s treasures that she hadn’t given it any love. Finally, she made time to add some extra flair and we’re loving how it turned out. Wow! She gave her dresser a coat of paint and used O’verlays fretwork to add some major architectural interest. And, not for nothing, but that’s some pretty spiffy styling, Krizia.

This dresser was in need of some major love — it boasted a broken drawer, huge nail holes, stickers and scratches. But Cassie isn’t one to let such a unique piece slip through her fingers. Cassie says: I had planned to refinish it, but the holes that needed filling were just too big. So instead, I painted it a bold color. A friend suggested overlays for the drawer fronts, which my carpenter neighbor cut out for me.

When they moved in together, Jamielynn’s boyfriend Jason insisted they keep this old dresser. She agreed on one condion: that they spruce it up. Well, spruce they did. Jamielynn says: The first thing I discovered was a plaque inside the top draw that read ‘F. S. Harmon Manufacturing Co. Tacoma, Washington’ which coincidentally is my hometown. That warmed me up to this rather time consuming project.

Rae started with a kitchen table and chairs that, though lovely, were not exactly her style. With a little love, she turned them into something brand new and perfect for her kitchen. She fell in love with a delicate blue and white fabric and that was the catalyst for her bold blue paint choice. We love the addition of white to break up the darker blue with some chic colorblocking. Great job! Rae says, “I love paint because it’s such a fun and cheap change.

This cramped and outdated kitchen almost prevented Christina from buying the house! But it was a charming 100-year-old Craftsman-style house that won her over, and she made the goal of brightening up the kitchen and maximizing space a priority! From Christina: When we toured this house, the kitchen was the reason why we almost didn’t buy the 100-year-old Craftsman-style house. It was so small, so brown, and so ugly!

Have you ever spotted an absolute steal on Craigslist — except for it being the complete opposite of your style? Nichol saw this table for $50, but before even leaving the house she took the legs off and left them with the original owner (along with the chunky chairs). There were other plans! From Nichol: Thank you Nichol!

Becky shelled out exactly $0 for this old, iron bed. She was able to barter with a crystal light fixture that didn’t work in her space. Wowee, what a smart trade that turned out to be.

Haley says, “I will admit that I made some mistakes along the way. I accidentally sanded down one of my favorite details- the chevron patterned wood that ran along the bottom and middle of the dresser, boo.” Every project has a little trial and error, but especailly for a first-effort, we think you did a beautiful job, Haley. Congratulations. Here’s how the material costs came out: Sandpaper- $5.50 Wood Glue- $7.50 Wood Stain- Already had Pulls- $50.00 Total- $63.

They gave the wood a good sanding and decided on a two-tone stain which really makes those Art Deco details pop. Christina says, “We picked away at it once a week for the summer, and we couldn’t be more proud of the results, and the memories of working on it together!” Thank you Christina! Re-edited from a post originally published 5.5.

Christina’s second bedroom is a tight eight feet wide by 13 feet long. But, despite the small size, she needed it to function both as an office and craft room, and a guestroom that could sleep two people. Christina turned this room with beige walls and bland carpet into a light and inspiring space to work and entertain guests! From Christina: The whole transformation cost about $800.

Ama had found this piece of furniture at a garage sale but wasn’t quite sure what to do with it for a few years. It had great bones, but the finish was in pretty rough shape. Though not a drastic change, the finished product came out stylish and sophisticated and is now the perfect storage piece for her dining room! From Ama: The cabinet cost me $50, dyeing, varnish and handles about $35, plywood for shelves, new door and feet cost me $23 and paper for background about $12.

This trip to Goodwill was originally intended to find something to be crafted into a make-up storage vanity for a friend. But when Jae finished a few simple tweaks to transform this old tool cart, it seemed like a no-brainer to show-off how it’d be perfect as something helpful when entertaining friends in your home!

Kimberly joined in our Apartment Therapy Style Cure in 2013 and, even though she went into this bathroom update with pretty low expectations, she wound up getting a huge style upgrade on a budget. Kimberly says, “I am so happy with the final result and I would have never done it without the encouragement from you and your readers. Thanks for guiding me along, AT!” See more pictures of Kimberly’s new bath at Turning it Home Thank you Kimberly!

Ellen and her sister were cruising around their neighborhood one day when they spotted this nightstand sitting by the side of the road. It was in pretty good shape, if a bit outdated, so she immediately knew that she could give it a fun update. Ellen says, “I only spent about $20 on this project. I’m glad I went bold as it’s now a statement maker in my bedroom.” Thank you Ellen!

Emily tells us that she, “wanted all evidence of this bathroom removed as fast as possible.” This attic bathroom had everything she didn’t want: thick fluffy carpet, limescale blocked taps and a bowl collecting liquid beneath a ‘critical’ drain. Eww. She smartly thought about how she wanted to feel in this space, and thus came up with a redesign plan for this high-altitude room. Thank you Emily!

While not everyone is a fan of the toddler bed, they can be good solutions if you have a small amount of space. Even better is this clever hack from Adriel Booker that turns a crib into a toddler bed with room for storage. Adriel kept the frame of the crib basically intact, but raised the bed up so that it’s a small version of a lofted bed. The crib rails provide security for the sleeping toddler. And with all the extra space underneath, she can store ride-on toys and buckets of toys.

Emily and Shane hated their textured ceilings, but felt stuck with them because they weren’t ready to deal with the mess and trauma of drywalling. Finally, they just couldn’t take any more of those ceilings, “staring down at us,” so they took a gamble on another option, and boy, did it pay off. They covered it with beadboard! What a great way to give the ceiling a beautifully coffered look with surprisingly little effort and money.

From Jamie: In truth there are still a few small things we want to change or tweak (one major project being the demolition of the drywall around the stairs to allow the installation of a modern, open handrail) but we are satisfied with how far it has come. We feel it is bright, cheerful, and modern while still meshing with the overall transitional style of the house.

Need inspiration on how to lighten and brighten your old and outdated bathroom? You’ll find it in Mera’s simple update of her cozy room. She didn’t do anything complicated, but her changes made a big impact on the look and feel of this small space. From Mera: The paint peeled and cracked pretty quickly which just added to the overall yucky-ness of the room.

Vel had a small office that needed a big update. She wanted more storage, a space to work, and a spot for her kids to do their homework, too. And, oh ya, it had to be stylish. Wow, talk about storage. We love the bold, blue backing Vel chose that really highlights her bookshelf styling. Vel says: We built these huge shelves out of plywood and switched our small office table with our old kitchen table! We really love this space and it is now the most used space in the house.

Emilie found this vintage record player console at her local charity shop for 10 bucks, and boy, was it in a sorry state. Over the years, it had undergone many makeovers (and accumulated many many layers of paint), but Emilie suspected she might have found a hidden gem so she decided to put in some love see what she wound up with. That’s better! Just goes to show that hidden tresures are everywhere, you just need to look hard.

Brit realizes she’s lucky to have decent-sized closets in her 1924 Seattle home, but the walk-in closet in the master still felt tiny and cramped because of the very sloped ceiling. She really wanted to retain the old house charm but to bring the organization into this century. Wow, that is one stunning space. Here’s how it all came together.

Lucky Nathalie in France happened upon this vintage military table in need of some love (and elbow grease). The industrial vibe was exactly what she was looking for so she set to work restoring it to its former glory. What an improvement! And Nathalie’s new table also works so perfectly with her cherished collection of Eames chairs (she calls them her “loves.

Well this is a new one on us! Kristie loved the shape and texture of this oak table but didn’t love the heavy-handed 90s orange-toned varnish, so she gathered up her courage and tried a technique called cerusing. Wait for it… Cerusing is where the grain of the wood is opened up by scrubbing with a metal brush. Then the wood is stained and the grain is filled with a contrasting pigment (usually white). Oak and other hard woods are the best to ceruse.

You know how we’re always saying that entryways are a perfect spot for walls that wow? This before and after certainly highlights what a difference design in one’s entryway can make! It was a lot of work (and a lot of math) but you might find inspiration for your own entryway with this neat 3D wall pattern idea.

This teeny little wood and upholstered vanity chair on casters was in a sorry state when Kathy found it on a neighbor’s curb on garbage day: the wooden back was broken off completely (the hand is holding it up in the photo above!), the springs damaged and the upholstery tired and dated. It would be a big job, but Kathy knew she could count on the help of her talented family. The result is a darling and spring-like update!

Heather called the previous hallway in her Victorian UK home, “uninspiring.” But after a spruce-up, this space is no longer “grubby and old.” Just wait until you see the dramatic difference. Here’s Heather’s professional website. Thank you Heather!

Maybe it’s her name, but April certainly seems to love springtime. She tells us that she recently expanded her porch so she could spend more time outdoors, but needed to furnish it on the cheap. Luckily, a friend found this free glider which just needed a little spruce up in order to become official new porch furniture. Cocoa and Crafts Thank you April!

Beth tells us that, before she got her hands on this piece, it had been used as an ironing board. That’s not good wood care! Luckily, Beth also says, “I love me a good challenge when it comes to wood refinishing.” She sure got one. Make Me Pretty Again. Thank you Beth!

When Joanna moved into her 1927 Spanish Revival a few years ago, the bathroom had a lot of original character and some…ahem…colorful extras that needed immediate attention. Her goal was to simply enhance the bath’s vintage charm with a few cosmetic updates and practical repairs. She switched out the rusted pedestal sink with a new model and chose Benjamin Moore’s Black Horizon for the walls to play off the original black and white floor and subway tile.

Sometimes older bathrooms are full of charming and quirky details that are totally worth keeping as-is. And other times older bathrooms are just dull and outdated. Can you guess which one Tanya’s was? Waiting on when the budget will allow for a full renovation, she tackled a few DIY, tried-and-true tricks to change the look of this space to be more livable now. My husband and I just moved into our house and are saving up to renovate our main bathroom.

Want to know a great DIY project trick for small spaces? Anything you can do to a heavy piece of furniture to make it feel visually lighter could help a room feel more spacious. Simple, yes, but effective: Michelle’s paint job left her new nightstands lighter and refreshed, and she added design detail with new handles.They make for a fashionable contrast in her brightly painted bedroom. From Michelle: We had two ornate nightstands that had great trim and very cool brass handles.

Megan’s bathroom was already kind of sweet and simple — perfectly serviceable. But as the only bathroom in her and her husband’s 1930s Sonoma house, they felt it should be a little more spectacular. So they mixed their styles to create a still-simple and sweet but definitely more bold bathroom. From Megan: Our 1930s Sonoma home has only one bathroom and so it had to be spectacular!

Even as a “before” this chair was a favorite of Karen’s — she adopted it from a friend who’d had it in his family for years. The original fabric had seen better days, especially after what Karen calls, “an unfortunate incident with our cat.” But since Karen was taking an upholstery class, she knew she could spruce this chair right up. Wow! We’d say that class was well worth it.

Does this kitchen look familiar? It is the Apartment Kitchen. I believe it was installed in every apartment built between 1978 and 1995. It is difficult to hate the Apartment Kitchen — it just is. But there is not much to love about it, either. So when One Kings Lane editor Kerstin, who had the Apartment Kitchen, met stylist Megan Pflug, who was looking to do an “easy but stylish” kitchen before and after, she jumped at the chance. Yes — it is the same kitchen. I know.

This old vinyl MCM style chair was asking to be rescued. Vinyl cushions paired with good bones and clean lines — need I say more? For 20 bucks it was mine, and I set off on my first attempt to reupholster a worthy chair. For my first re-upholstery job, I’m happy with the results. The structure of the chair was very sturdy, and the condition of padding was fair. I carefully un-stitched the vinyl and saved it to use as a pattern. The frame had to be sanded and re-stained.

Yikes. That’s what I thought when I saw the ‘before’ version of Lisa and Brian’s Brooklyn kitchen. Old cabinets covered in so many layers of paint the doors would no longer close, peeling vinyl flooring, ancient wood-grain (!) laminate countertops — this kitchen had it all. And not in a good way. Oh, and also the oven didn’t work. It was time for a change.

Nothing piques our curiousity more than a completely empty room (besides that very peach wallpaper…). It makes the dramatic reveal of Ashley’s two-year bedroom makeover all the more exciting. Wanna see it? Says Ashley, “We put lots of love into the room by doing personal DIY touches (sunburst mirror, bamboo blinds and headboard). It took a few tries to get things right, but we finally feel like the room reflects us.

When she bought her Chicago condo, Priyanka also inherited a pair of chairs from the previous owner, a 90-year-old lady. She couldn’t bear to throw them away, so she kept them but made one major change. Priyanka tells us she’s not very crafty but still had a vision, so she found a local reupholster (Windy City Upholstery) to do the job. She got a deal on this beautiful fabric and wound up with brand new, beautiful chairs for a reasonable price.

Starting a garden from scratch in a brand new house is a challenging task that I think is often underappreciated. Builders frequently leave lots of building waste, and they tend to scrape off topsoil, compact things, and leave upturned subsoil. Because of this, massaging the landscape of a newly built home into something beautiful can be harder than it looks.

Project by: Lisa Hershman Location: Greenwich Village, New York, New York Looking for some small space inspiration for small homes that also house young kids? You’ll love the ideas in this New York City apartment — the clients wanted a space that looked good, but one that could also be flexible enough to change as the family grew and withstand any damage two small kids could throw at it.

Anyone who’s attempted to tackle a DIY project is probably familiar with the phenomenon of it taking way longer to complete than originally imagined. In the case of Janice’s fireplace, it was seven months longer! But the finished result — a modern update from a bland, outdated fireplace — was well worth the wait! From Janice: My husband and I live in a century-old Victorian rowhouse in Toronto and when we moved in we thought we’d never touch a thing in it.

Megan’s clients asked her to create a changing table for their little girl’s room so she set about giving this perfectly-sized dresser a cute, nursery-worthy upgrade. To create the ombre design, she used CitriStrip to remove the teal paint and cleaned the piece with After Wash (Megan recommends using After Wash in a well-ventilated space. It’s pretty potent and can cause dizziness and nausea). She removed the floral decals and prepped the wood with a good sanding.

Reupholstery newbie Annalisa in Italy recently found two of these chairs in her garage — her uncle had bought them in 1962. The structure was still in great shape so she decided to give these vintage cuties an outfit change. So cute! We love how the kicky, contrasting fabric choice updates the classic shape. From Annalisa: The makeover was quite satisfying . My boyfriend and I changed the old filling (straw and iuta) with foam rubber and new fabric.

Sheila was feeling rather unromantic in her bedroom lately. All the elements were there, but something just felt…off. So she did one simple thing that made all the difference. Ooh la la. Someone’s getting lucky tonight. Lucky to sleep in such a cute, new bed, that is. Sheila already had everything she needed for this makeover right in her own home — she just needed to put it all together.

We’ve all been there: you start a project when it suddenly spirals into much more work than expected. Kata knows this pain first-hand. This Neo-Baroque couch seemed to be in good shape — she just wanted to change the fabric — but as she took it apart, she saw she was in for a bigger job. Wowee. That looks like so much work, but boy was it worth it.

Dana and her husband had a pretty standard bathroom with some pretty dated wallpaper. Together, they tackled a series of DIY projects that transformed an old and tired bathroom into a new bright space with a seriously darling DIY cottage feel. From Dana: We chose a cool white and aqua palette for our cottage style bathroom. My husband updated the floor with white ceramic hex tile. To complement, he installed beadboard around the room.

This resident dreamed of trading in her 90s era furniture for a look that felt like it came out of the pages of magazines like Veranda and House Beautiful. She finally reached out to a professional designer who was able to see that the client was looking for rooms that looked polished but felt cozy, in a transitional style with a heavy dose of navy and white. Steal some of these ideas for your own magazine-worthy home!

The retro look might be back in, but this kitchen that hadn’t been touched since the 1960s was a little too retro for the owners of this beach house on the Sunshine Coast in Australia. The kitchen needed a total upgrade (and a small bathroom in the house also needed renovating) but there was a small budget. With the help of a designer, clean lines, IKEA products and a neutral color palette turned this dated kitchen to a modern breath of fresh air.

Is there anything more delightful than coming across a piece of furniture with good bones and a “free” sign? It’s not everyday that a simple DIY project sparks career inspiration, but this free chair Rachael stumbled on and brought home to fix up did. Though simple, it’s a sweet little makeover, and proof even the most unloved of furniture pieces can look nice with a little cleaning up.

Here’s proof that a dated kitchen doesn’t always need a total overhaul, sometimes a light refresh will do just fine (and save major renovating bucks). Alex and Jon spent just $2,500 to redo their 1928 DC row house kitchen and it looks like a million bucks. They told us that, “Someday we would like to clear everything out and reconfigure the entire kitchen, but for now we decided a little make-over would work.