Before After

Ellen was looking to recreate a clothing store feel in her dressing room, and already had a large kitchen pedestal table in the space. When she came across this “ugly” 80s table at a Savers thrift store for $7.50, she knew she’d be able to use it along with her existing table to create a neat cluster effect. From Ellen: I decided to paint both tables a dark gray top with a taupe/brown base as I had seen something on Pinterest and was inspired to recreate that color combination.

A friend of Luann’s recently asked if she could “do anything” with his Grandma’s old bedroom set. He needed to fill an empty guest room and nobody else in the family wanted this old set. Bet they’re all kicking themselves now. Wow! What a difference. She stripped off the old lacquered finish and discovered that the solid wood underneath was beautiful! Surprise!

In NYC apartments, every inch counts, so when Angela and her roommates found their Lower East Side 3-bedroom’s tiny common area dominated by a hulking dining table, they knew there was better way. With a coat of paint and a few carefully-chosen pieces of budget furniture, these ladies were able to create a comfortable space that takes advantage of every inch. It looks so much bigger and brighter!

Today we have an envy-inducing makeover you have to see to believe. Jim bought a pair of mid-century bedside tables at a flea market for $50 each. The tables were heavy and obviously well-constructed so he had an inkling that they were quality pieces worth some love. How right he was! The seller thought they were a walnut laminate but after stripping off the old paint, Jim discovered that they were actually walnut veneer and the drawer fronts were 1″ thick solid walnut. Surprise!

I have to admit it—this area of my home has always been a problem for me. I’ve reworked it, redesigned it, added shelves, painted walls— pretty much everything you can think of— in order to make it liveable without removing that dreaded desk. Each redesign, I was happy with the area for roughly three days, until I realized that I still hated the desk and I still didn’t understand why the previous owner of our condo would glue and screw a desk to the wall.

Tasha tells us that she still cringes when she looks back at these photos of her room. The army green walls, the beige trim, badly sealed stone fireplace and carpet just weren’t her cup of tea. Says Tasha, “No thank you.” Tasha and her husband did the all of the work themselves. They ripped out the carpet and bamboo flooring and put down dark laminate floors, then painted the walls a beautiful dark blue to make this large space feel more cozy.

Lynn and her husband, an energetic couple in their early 60s – 70s, had a dream to “age in place,” and planned to do so in a 27-year-old condo they purchased in its original, uninspiring state: vinyl flooring, wall-to-wall carpeting, almond-colored appliances, Formica countertops and more. They gave every inch of this condo a face-lift, and this cute corner of the kitchen is a taste of their simple but effective updating style.

When Griffin found this old shelf just “collecting dust” at a local thrift store, she knew there was some place in their home for it, perhaps the garage or maybe the playroom. But it was some creative thinking (and not even that much work!) that transformed it into a surprisingly sophisticated storage piece for a dining room! From Griffin: With the help of my husband we started by removing the base which was made up of 2x4s.

With a new baby on the way and no budget to completely gut and remodel this bathroom, Laurie decided to roll up her sleeves and get creative, only using paint, fabric and accessories to make the space look more finished and fabulous. From Laurie: I decided to make do with what I already had and come up with a solution. First that had to go was the blue cabinets that look better in the photo because in real life they were so bad.

We’ll forgive Christina for her blurry “before” snap because we’re so excited to show off her results. Her little powder room is only 3 feet by 6 feet so it was a tricky room to work in, but just look at all that great potential. The narrow room looks so much bigger and brighter with the white walls, grey tile and new rustic-chic details. Here’s how it all came together on a major budget: We were able to do the whole remodel for around $500 because it was 100% DIY.

Fabio and his wife were planning to get rid of this chest of drawers so they put it in their hallway until they got a chance to cart it away. But it proved so handy to have a place to drop keys and other odds and ends, that they decided to make one big change and keep it after all. Do you have an inkling on this one? What a great way to make what you already have work in your space. Great job, you guys. Thank you Fabio!

The Cure “graduating class” of January 2014 is a kickass bunch. They scrubbed floors, cleaned out closets and whipped their wayward fridges into shape. At this point, the sight of an overflowing outbox doesn’t scare them one bit. And, in addition to all of this homekeeping frenzy, they managed to pull off (at least) one project from their wish list too.

Sometimes a chair is just a chair, but if you’re Melissa, you look at this broken dining chair and see another piece of furniture entirely. Bravo! Melissa didn’t get stuck on its original function so she could see a table where a chair used to be. She simply removed the cushion, cut off the broken back, added a hardwood top cut to size and gave the whole thing a coat of bright white. We love it and, more importantly, so does Melissa.

Jenelle found this abandoned cart in her garage when she moved into her home over a year ago. Using one very key ingredient, she turned it into a brand new piece that she’s proud to display in her new home. She scuffed up the rusty chrome legs and battered yellow shelves with steel wool and then smartly used spray auto primer to provide a durable base for the next layer: hammered brass for the legs and Rust-Oleum London Grey Satin for the shelves.

Maggie’s IKEA MALM dresser was super functional but pretty plain, so she got creative and gave it a budget makeover that adds plenty of glam style. Holy Hollywood Regency! Maggie used overlays to create contrast on the drawers and, as for those cool knobs, she really went all out. From Maggie: The knobs are standard stock from Lowe’s, but for big impact I used a plumbing flange to really make them stand out.

Recently moved into, this home had a small room right by the entryway with great windows but no immediate plans for use. After spending time sitting on the floor talking or looking out the windows, the homeowners decided to move its remodel up on the list and transform it with bold paint and sturdy shelves into a cozy functioning room for chatting, reading or playing music. From Julia: It took us every weekend (and a few weeknights) for a month to make our vision come to life.

Karrie first found this dresser at a local thrift store for $50. She felt it was a bit pricey because of its badly banged-up condition, but she had fallen in love with the lines and the size; it would be perfect in an entryway, used as a side table or in her office as a printer stand. From Karrie: Originally I was hoping to just sand it down and keep it natural with a clear-coat but the wood veneer was in bad shape and breaking apart, so I had to rethink my approach.

After Rubina customized her IKEA Billy bookshelves the first time, they just sort of sat there, half empty. There was something about them that just wasn’t working, but Rubina didn’t quite know what it was. A realization about the patterned paper led to a new creative fix — and a clever customization detail that turned these bland bookshelves to something simple and sophisticated, the perfect backdrop for books and accessories!

When Kim moved in with her boyfriend, she was shocked that he didn’t want to get rid of eight old, damaged banquet chairs. But, the challenge forced Kim to get creative, and a little inspiration from a trip to a retail store sparked a DIY idea. From Kim: Originally I spray-painted them and decided to cover the seat and back with fabric. The first finished prototype made me feel like I was visiting someone’s not so cool grandma’s house, so it was back to the drawing board.

This sweet little side table caught Sarah’s eye at a local thrift shop for its tapered legs and interesting drawer pulls, but it had a laminate top and sides, and a deep stain on the natural wood of the drawers so it was a prime candidate for a makeover! Great job! The natural wood looks so much better offset by that perfect, modern grey (and we’re such suckers for furniture socks).

This sad little piece is about to make a little girl very happy. Jen took advantage of her town’s “free cycle” program where once a year you can put things you don’t want on your curb and then cruise around looking for things you do want. She grabbed this laminate night stand and envisioned it as a good foundation for a play kitchen for her daughter. The final result is a super low-budget, cheerful toy. A breath of fresh air!

We don’t like to constantly brag about how great the Apartment Therapy Classifieds are, so we’ll let Goli do it for us. This hutch came from the classifieds, a little worse for wear but clearly, it wasn’t anything Goli couldn’t handle (and handle fabulously). What a difference! We’re loving how those new gold pulls really stand out against the dove grey Goli chose. And the lighter color really makes the architectural details pop.

You know we always love an IKEA hack, but this one is pure, unadulterated genius. Jacob dismantled his old MALM double bed and was left with two sets of slats. Rather than throw them away, he found a way to upgrade these leftovers into a whole, new project. So awesome! The chest is not only made from repurposed materials but Jacob also cleverly made a table with storage — one of our favorite small space tricks.

When they first thought about how to renovate their kitchen, Tonja and Jon debated for years about how to update their original 1966 cabinets. They finally decided to take on the job of refinishing them themselves. Just wait until you see the stellar results. They learned a valuable lesson about renovating: nothing ever turns out exactly how you think it will. In their case, it turned out better. That beautiful two-toned design? A happy accident!

Potential can be a dangerous thing. Like when I sell myself on a fixer-upper accent chair from Goodwill, convinced I’ll watch a YouTube video one day and learn how to upholster it back to glory. “But it’s got so much potential,” I tell myself, while the chair collects dust in the basement. Bri of Emerson Grey designs saw similar potential in this laundry nook in a potential new home… Thankfully, her story ends better.

Megan and her husband found this bench at an estate sale, but she almost missed out on it because it was obscured by some bad baby-blue bathroom tile! It was her husband that pointed it out, and they both jumped on the chance at grabbing it up at a good deal. From Megan: I ripped off the old tile and put batting and fabric over the wood. I love the fabric because it’s fairly neutral and has a vintage vibe to it.

When Johnny’s mattress was delivered to him, he couldn’t help but notice an almost dismantled shipping crate that another customer’s bench has been shipped in. When he asked the delivery men what they were going to do with it and they said they’d throw it away, he knew he had the opportunity to salvage this wood for a home project!

Sometimes it’s just a simple decluttering, a few fresh coats of paint and a less-is-more attitude that completely transforms a room from kind of dark to light and bright, as it did in Cortney’s dining room. From Cortney: Our family spends a lot of time at the dinner table. We (mainly me) were looking for a change. I really wanted to brighten the area and free up the wall space that our hutch was on. We found the new dry bar on Washington, DC Craigslist for $20!

A sad, old table handed down to Jessica from her grandfather was a sturdy side table, but lacked the style she was looking for. It was an unexpected designer piece that gave Jessica the inspiration to transform this side table into something else! Jessica spotted a Bernhardt Cabrillo Nailhead Chest in Architectural Digest Magazine and loved the look.

Shanelle scored this this dresser from her parents years ago. She liked the style of the dresser itself but it need a little more flair. She updated the knobs, but ultimately realized a major overhaul was in order. Shanelle used a nice, thick layer of wood stripper to loosen the color and then gave the dresser a good sanding to get the original wood in shape. She sketched with chalk and then taped off her kicky chevron pattern and applied two coats of white to alternating layers.

Architect Alexandria Barker began with this dark and dated pre-war apartment and transformed it into an open, loft-like space with modern detailing. Want to see it now? See more photos of this awesome space at Barker Freeman Design Office Thank you Alexandra!

Malcolm found this bookcase at a flea market — it had been salvaged from an old barn and treated with polyurethane. He really dug the layers of paint that it had accumulated, so he bought it with the intention of making it a little more polished and intentional. Nice! We love how Malcolm didn’t try to fight the rustic vibe but instead added even more shades of wood for a gorgeous and interesting piece. And those new legs make it feel lighter overall.

Reeves loved the shape of this kicky MCM nightstand, but wanted to add a dose of fun to the boring, brown exterior. What an upgrade! We just love the subtle yet punchy color and how Reeves left a few triangles bare — a nice nod to the original wood. From Reeves: I chose to do a geometric pattern on the drawer, framed by the black on the rest of the nightstand. The geometric pattern goes with the modern style of the nightstand and I love the way it turned out!

Maura had recently made the move to a small studio apartment with 12-foot walls, a lot of blank space to fill with a small decorating budget. One Saturday after breakfast, an idea on how to transform her dining area with DIY painted wall art came to her. From Maura: I had purchased 6 sample sizes of paint recently for a slow-to-progress project that I decided to use right away for this new project.

It can be easy to think completely changing the look of a room takes a lot of new furniture purchases and money. But as this bedroom reveals, some attention to existing furniture, fresh bedding, smart arranging of furniture and careful curating of new and vintage accessories can completely transform a space. Helped by Jesse of Scout & Nimble, this client’s bedroom got a much-needed makeover when the existing furniture was moved to make better use of the space.

Claire found this credenza with tons of potential on Craigslist for only $30. But, though the lines were beautiful, the shape nice and the extra storage space it would provide a bonus, the finish was banged up and the color didn’t fit with her tastes. We love that Claire kept some wood color along with adding a fresh white paint to the piece. It brightens up the piece without completely obscuring the natural and beautiful wood.

When Jenna and her family moved into their house three years ago, they loved the layout and bones of the space, but they desperately wanted to liven up the chilly room with some much needed color. We’d say they accomplished their goal. What a stylish and inviting space. We absolutely love the subtle colorblocking — it adds so much interest to an otherwise neutral palette. They offset the color with crisp white trim and chose to redo the floor with luxury vinyl tile.

When Steve and Sherrie moved in to their new home, the dark kitchen was in need of a facelift. The appliances were new and the cabinets were in good shape, but they knew they could turn the rest of this dim log cabin kitchen into a bright and happy place. Amazing work! We especially love how they managed to keep the cozy vibe of the log cabin while making the kitchen so much more modern and user friendly.

With a guest bathroom outfitted in seashell wallpaper, brass fixtures, laminate countertops, vinyl flooring, and “swine beige” finishes, Rita and Cane of This Sorta Old Life could have treated this bathroom as a gut job. But having gutted their master bath not too long ago, they knew what a formidable undertaking that would be, and instead, they figured out a way to make the current space work.

Jackie found this gorgeous, but slightly beat up credenza at her local Goodwill for only $20. It had great, clean lines and she fell in love with the amazing details on the doors, so she snatched it up and made it her own. Looks like all members of the family (including dogs) love it! From Jackie: I used a hand sander to remove all the old layers of paint off of the top.

Clever Christa recognized that this consignment shop loveseat had great bones, but it still needed some major…eerr…love, so she got right to work reinventing. Not only did she choose this bold, Indian-inspired chintz but she also smartly turned the disjointed double seat into one cohesive cushion.

Well, color us intrigued. Lettie couldn’t pass up the DIY potential of this brown, vinyl chair (especially for $4.99), but knew she needed to make one big change. Brave Lettie spray painted the chair a lovely light blue. Spray paint! Who knew? From Lettie: I painted a primer coat using a Rustoleum white primer and let it dry over night. I then gave it a good coat of Valspar’s Silver Fox and also let it dry over night. I left the legs of the chair as is.

Rachel had tried plenty of solutions for her home’s media center over the years, from credenzas to painting the wall behind the TV and more, but nothing ever quite fit her style or made the most efficient use of space. It wasn’t until she came across two rough and tall storage pieces that she was able to envision the perfect solution — and do it all for under $250!

This lovely townhouse had a problem: an underutilized space between the living room and the kitchen that was supposed to be a formal dining room. Because the home already had a big dine-in kitchen, the tiny room was awkward and left unused. A much better solution for this family was to convert the room to a work space and music room. Selling an old, hefty wood desk helped fund the construction of a new custom workstation made from existing file cabinets.

Seeing potential in this heavy storage piece from an old bedroom set, Carmina set to work transforming the blah beige finish to a handful of shades of just one hue. Now beautiful and functional, it’s got a modern color palette that updates its style and creates one unique addition to a home! From Carmina: We rescued this piece from a house being cleared out after an estate sale down the alley from our home.

Kris’ apartment in Brixton is an LA style bungalow bang in the middle of downtown South London. Kris renovated it to sell, and, after seeing the after pics, we can see why it was such a hot commodity. What a difference! We’re especially loving the new, glowy flooring and bright, white open feeling. From Kris: The goal was to bring the space to life. It was an old bungalow with no light or life.

Due to some rowdy cats, Lizzie was in need of a new slipcover for her IKEA Kivik loveseat and chaise. Instead of shelling out close to 200 smackers, she decided to try a different route: dyeing. She began with a plain white IKEA slipcover ($50), and took a chance on a bathtub dye job since she doesn’t have a washer. To give the back cusions some definition and polish, she decided on tufting (so smart!).

99% of the time, a great-but-rundown piece of furniture inspires a before & after project, but color-lover Gretchen was so obsessed with Martha Stewart’s “Plumage” paint that she was plotting this makeover long before she came across this project-ready, thrift store cabinet. Wow! That bold blue against the tile floor is just perfection. How’d she pull it off? From Gretchen: See more at Boxy Colonial. Thank you Gretchen!

Derona had been putting off painting her fireplace wall for ages and we’re so glad she got around to it. The simple change made a dramatic difference you have to see to believe. From Derona: When the post Style Inspiration: Dressing Up Your Mantel, was published on this very site featuring a fireplace wall that was painted black, I took it as a sign and, after being encouraged by a fellow commenter on the piece, I headed to the DIY store.

Kate was decorating a forest themed bedroom for her son, so she began (where else?) at the woodpile. Step 1: “scream at creepy-crawlies.” After selecting her log, she let it dry in the sun for several days and then got to work sanding, sanding and more sanding until it was smooth. The final step was a coat of wax to give it a nice glow. See more at Kate’s Creative Space. Thank you Kate!

Benches have to be the most versatile piece of furniture ever. Even in the tiniest apartment, there’s room to move a bench around to the foot of the bed, along the entryway, or pulled up to a dining room table. And then there’s the endless ways to customize: starting with just four legs and a seat top, like this affordable plain white SIGURD bench from IKEA, anyone can create the perfect piece to finish off a tricky room.

Avery paints murals and furniture professionally, but it was time to let her kids in on the fun. They chose this side table to jazz up and the kids both inspired the new theme (dinosaurs!) and lent a hand in the painting. Rawr indeed! Avery gives us the scoop on how her family spent their afternoon giving this basic table some kid-friendly personality: My husband and I have been quite busy lately. (Aren’t we all?

Annie’s Sydney townhouse had a seriously circa-1980 kitchen when she and her husband moved in three years ago. But, it was their first home purchase and didn’t have a budget to completely redo the kitchen, so they decided to give it a minor update that would freshen up the space but stay in keeping with the feel of the place. This kitchen is a great example of small changes making a large impact. A few cosmetic tweaks later, it feels instantly updated.

This is Lisa’s old kitchen — complete with tiny old stove, wonky old cabinets, and a backsplash in a particularly delightful shade of green. And then there’s the part you don’t see: hiding behind the sink cabinet is a big hole in the wall. This past summer, after having lived in the apartment for a year (and with her fancé about to move in), Lisa decided that it was time for a change.

Leslie found this neglected 1960’s hutch in a thrift store — shoved in a corner and piled with stuff. She could see its potential — how well made it was but she didn’t like the dull brown wood. Says Leslie, “Colors are my thing, and I could see this fantastic piece could use some cheering up.” Wow! Cheerful, indeed. Leslie’s color-blocking choices sure aren’t for the faint of heart. She’s proven herself a true color-lover.

Jamie took one look at this plain lamp and imagined a world where it was a cool, woven statement piece. Want to see how this creative chica did it? Jamie says: Balsa wood is a crafting miracle. That’s pretty much all you need for this shady craft. I used 7 strips of balsa wood and painted them with in different shades of watered down brown acrylic paint. I cut the wood with scissors and hot glued it to my plain white shade. It’s that easy! See more DIY goodness at C.R.A.F.T.

Emily of Chez V joined in the One Room Challenge this year, a semi-annual event where 20 design-oriented bloggers transform a room of their own, from start to finish. Emily threw herself into renovating her master bedroom and, over the course of six weeks, sanded the walls, painted, printed fabric, and shopped for the perfect pieces. See the finished product next… Yes, yes, before you say anything — no, there is nothing wrong the before, it’s lovely, blah, blah, blah.

Irina had a few extra things taking up space in her garden so she found a way to transform a boring brown shed, an old bed and an IKEA side table into a wonderful surprise for her daughters. She gave the inside of the shed a coat of white paint and made the side table into an adorable play kitchen by adding silver coasters and knobs. The bed frame transformed into a comfy bench for playroom naps or lounging.

This is Mattie’s old bathroom, pre Style Cure. Even though she was a little off of the usual Cure schedule, due to some conflicts with work and potty training, it doesn’t make her results any less impressive. The best part? The budget for her entire bathroom redo was a low low $49. After: what a difference a little paint makes! The blue walls, with a pattern of little birds and clouds, lend just the right amount of color and whimsy to this previously drab bathroom.

Mia’s kids scribbled on her microfiber sofa with an extra-strong, “rub a dub” Sharpie which is marketed as, “stays permanent through washing and dry cleaning.” But instead of getting mad (well, she was probably a little mad), she found an easy way to hide the marks, while including a clever nod to the makeover’s inspiration. From smudged scribbles to lyrical script! Now, it looks like a glam accent rather than a messy accident.

This space-starved NYC couple is practical about their design choices so when the time came to furnish their first nursery (congrats!), they were horrified at the choice in baby furniture — most of it was insanely expensive and huge. But thanks to some lucky thrifting, great directions from Honey And Fitz and a very handy husband, Alison got the perfect, customized rocker on the cheap!

It was time for Danielle to update her 2-year-old son’s space from baby blue nursery to little boys room. She found this dark brown laminate nightstand on Craigslist for just $10, and knew it had serious potential. She painted the entire surface with Martha Stewart’s Driftwood Gray then used painter’s tape to add the adorable white stripes. Danielle says: I normally remove the old dated hardware when refinishing furniture. But I loved these handles.

Maria in Argentina tells us that she recently started restoring furniture, but based on her skills with this slipper chair, we’re wondering if there’s a bit of a language barrier. Did you mean, “I’m a reupholstery genius,” Maria? That’s one sexy slipper! We love the neutral yet textured fabric Maria chose. From Maria: It’s exciting to undress and dress furniture. I like reaching the bones, the roots of a piece.

We’ve all seen these plastic playhouses that are relatively inexpensive but don’t really wear well with time. In addition, they usually come in colors that shout “this is what we think kids like!” They are so ubiquitous that you can often find them at garage sales or even thrift stores. But whereas you might’ve passed them over before because of their less-than-pleasing aesthetic, this simple makeover might change your mind.

Katja’s entryway was pretty, but plain, and needed a good dose of something. Turns out that something was turquoise paint and a lot of graphic pattern. To create the accent wall, Katja first painted it a light turquoise. Then, strips of painter’s tape were placed vertically every 14 inches. Smaller bits were taped at an angle off those stripes, to create the arrow effect. She then painted over the whole thing with a darker turquoise and removed the tape.

Rafal bought and moved into this 1925 house in the spring and, while it was structurally sound, it needed a cosmetic overhaul to really add some curb appeal. From Rafal: I really wanted to clean up the appearance, so we ripped out the old windows and doors and repaired and repainted the stucco and trim. The colour palette chosen ended up with a neutral warm-gray, bright-white trim, and finally accented by a punch of burnt orange for the door.

When Paul and Erin found this antique armoire on Craigslist, they knew they had to save it from its current state of Shabby Chic hell. And rescue it they did. From Paul: Shabby Chic is all the rage, take a beautiful piece of antique furniture and slather it in latex paint, then rub some of that paint off to make it look antique. In other words, take something that looks like an antique, cover up all the real signs of age and then make it artificially look antique. Still not make sense?

Plenty of people redo old furniture to give it a second life but most of them don’t transform their former changing tables into super-chic, almost unrecognizable pieces. Claire did. From Claire: This particular DIY dresser makeover project is extra special. It’s a very common pine dresser; you’ve probably seen a million of ‘em. I have too. But this particular dresser was my childhood changing table.

Mary’s brother made this TV stand for his 8th grade shop project in 1983, and her mother’s been using it ever since. Looks like it’s ready for the next 30 years! From Mary: My mom asked me to paint it for her but wasn’t specific on the color, she trusted me to pick it out. Since her favorite color is yellow, I chose this bright and cheery shade. I also bought new hardware with an oil rubbed bronze finish and added a shelf inside to store her books and magazines.

Merrill loves the organic, natural look of tree stumps as end tables, but doesn’t love the price: individual tree stumps can cost hundreds of dollars. Luckily crafty Marril decided she could pull this off on her own. From Merrill: After tracking down some free tree stumps in good condition, the rest was a simple process. The bark was ripped off with a hammer and chisel and the stumps were sanded. Four coats of polyurethane were applied to finish them.