DIY Before & Afters | Do It Yourself Projects & Hacks

When Jessica Archibald and her husband Stephen bought their 1909 home, it was “like walking into a ’60s time capsule,” Jessica says. There was an intercom system, built-in radio, Formica countertops, and carpet.“Sixty-year-old carpet on the kitchen floor,” Jessica says. “It doesn’t get more disgusting than that.

Fixer-uppers need a lot of attention — especially over-100-year-old fixer-uppers. So no surprise that when Liz Elliot moved into hers, a Sears kit home in historic Charleston, she and her husband focused on making the essential parts of the house livable and didn’t pay a lot of mind to the guest bedroom.

The 1960s gave the world a lot of groovy stuff—think bean bag chairs, Sputnik light fixtures, and funky colors like avocado and mustard. But some of the decor looked a lot better back in the 1960s than it does today.Case in point: Anna Westbury’s dark wood kitchen, original to her 1968 home. Its dark wood cabinets felt imposing, and the clunky fan made the ceiling feel extra low. Anna had already replaced the old beige appliances (win!

Open-concept living rooms, dining rooms, and kitchens have dominated home construction since the ’90s. But when DIYer Molly Miller moved into her new build in 2018, her family actually wanted more separation between the home’s main living areas. Everything was “lumped together in one large space,” and it made it difficult to have a functional kitchen with the limited storage.

A lot of great things came out of the 1990s — and there are plenty of design trends making a comeback that we love to see. But some of the decade’s looks could use a refresher, like the super-brown kitchen in designer Sheryl Sanders’s home.After living in the home for only two months, she knew she needed to do something to modernize the cooking space.Since the old cabinet boxes were solid wood and in great condition, she decided she could get away with just replacing the doors.

Small kitchens certainly aren’t unusable. In fact, there are plenty of space-savvy kitchen finds that can make tiny studio or galley kitchens work successfully.But sometimes, a small kitchen begs for a total renovation, which was the case for Bri Williams and her husband, Denver, and their 200-square-foot kitchen.

When I first discovered the town of Hudson, New York, I felt like a kid in a candy store. There was so much that I wanted to explore. It’s the type of town that seems to have it all: picturesque streets filled with historical homes, rows of antique shops and boutiques, and scenic drives that lead you to local farm stands, wildflower fields, and nature trails. What more could you ask for?

When interior decorator Katie Woodman and her husband, Joseph, first found their split-level house in Ft. Collins, Colorado, they fell hard for its unique features, including a treehouse-like upper deck, a huge wood-burning fireplace, vaulted ceilings, and a large solarium perfect for plant babies.

”The office didn’t exist before,” Alana Resnick says. When she and her boyfriend, Miles Ronbeck, found their Upper East Side apartment, it had a very long living space. And while they originally were looking for an apartment with two bedrooms (to convert one into a dedicated office), they fell in love with the natural light and the ample square footage.

Orange-y wooden cabinets from the ’90s and 2000s might have a bit of a dated look to them, but they can be worth keeping just for the sheer quality of the wood. Throw a little paint on them, and they’ll be perfectly on-trend today, when dark gray, navy, and deep green paint colors reign.

Brick fireplaces can be total stunners, but depending on the color, age, and condition of the brick, they can also feel like “a very dull sea of brown,” per Emily Hauffler of House and Hens. Fear not: There are affordable ways to make a boring brown fireplace stylish, as evidenced by these 10 redos — and an 11th in Emily’s home.

Although closets can be great for stashing coats, scarves, umbrellas, games, sports equipment, and more behind closed doors, recently designers and DIYers have proven that removing the doors can also be quite fruitful — that is, if you want to create an alcove-esque design feature without having to do much demo. (Check out this closet-turned-home office or this cute entryway bench for inspiration!

Adding texture and architectural detail to walls is a surefire way to make a home look custom and character-filled rather than builder-grade — especially in a bedroom.You can see what a huge difference it makes in designer Cerrissa Fitz’s (@piranhadesign) basement bedroom, which she took from “sterile” and “boxy,” as she wrote on Instagram, to an “old-world vibe.”Although Cerrissa is an interior designer, this was her first time dabbling in DIY.

Are you a renter feeling limited, home improvement-wise, by the terms of your lease or by the fact that you might someday move? Heed this advice from Lily F Tsutumida: “Do the math and consider what it’s worth for you to be happier in your space while you’re there; if it’s feasible, go for it!

When Orima Kamalu describes the former kitchen in her colorful, DIY-filled house, it’s hard not to wonder why she wanted to make any changes at all.“The original kitchen was always a lovely, large open space with plenty of storage and room to move around. The units were all gloss-white with chrome-effect bar handles,” she explains. However, while the kitchen (which Orima thinks was last updated in the early 2000s) was functional, it wasn’t exactly their style.

“When [my husband and I] bought our first home, the bathroom was at the top of my list to transform,” Samantha Kivell, a DIYer and bespoke upholsterer, says. But DIY projects can sometimes be put on the back burner when schedules fill up, or other projects become top priority. However, once Samantha’s schedule cleared up, she finally had time to tackle the DIY transformation she had been eager to do.

When Sophie Simmons moved into her 331-square-foot New York apartment, she was living alone and planned on using the railroad apartment’s awkward middle room as her closet and living space for her “single girl setup.”“The room started as a small shoebox with a closet spanning one entire wall, and a bench seat on the other,” Sophie explains. The whole room revolved around her French Louis XVI-style John Richard coffee table that she had bought secondhand for $50.

When homeowners Heath and Samantha Mitchell moved into their cottage-style home in Sydney, Australia, they loved the charming historic details. The colors in the kitchen, though? Not so much. “Our ‘before’ kitchen had golden timber-look cabinetry, yellowing tiles and walls, and a dark gray speckled benchtop,” Samantha said. “The handles and knobs were black and gothic-like, and there were even black dragon fixtures at the entry.

When your life is already changing exponentially, and you’re taking on a brand new adventure, why not add one more task to your already very full plate?At least, that was Elisabeth Edelman’s thinking when she purchased her 1950s Cape Cod home. “I had just sold my PR firm, had a baby on my own, and was setting out to write a novel and get published,” Elisabeth shares.

While living in Germany a few years ago, Morgan Ford, who’s known for being “sunshine personified” among friends, experienced countless gray skies and gloomy days.So when she moved into her new Colorado rental apartment and wanted to update the kitchen, she vowed to design it to cultivate creativity and good vibes all year round.Luckily, the space was already in decent shape. “The kitchen wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t very inspiring,” Morgan says.

Inspiration can strike from almost anywhere — and that includes your undergarments drawer. In the case of Vickiann Vachula’s primary bedroom redo, a pair of soft-colored underwear was a close shade to what she had envisioned and helped inspire the room’s eventual color palette. Vickiann is the creator of My Crappy House, a blog that documents gradual renovations and DIY projects of her home.

A favorite travel destination inspired many pieces of this personality-packed gallery wall.

This living room redo is chock-full of tips for filling up a small space without it feeling overwhelming.

It’s totally sophisticated and totally pink.

The fresh vibe comes courtesy of new wallpaper and some smart DIYs.

Plus, this first-time cabinet painter has some great DIY tips for getting the job done.

The “after” works for all seasons.

This homeowner’s advice? Don’t be afraid to go bold.

The before was gray with mostly brown-toned furniture, rugs, and objects that my boyfriend described as “curbside pickups.”

“Wiping away literal years of city dust and grime was an immediate improvement,” the renter says.

"This is my happy place!" the DIYer says of the "after."

The wall color is so good!

It’s like going to a rooftop lounge without ever leaving home.

The entire remodel was done by the homeowners themselves.

“All of the storage is amazing,” the homeowner says of the after.

The potting table and raised garden beds create the perfect setup.

DIY patio redo featuring a painted concrete floor, made-over secondhand furniture, and a repainted chiminea.

See how layering textures and patterns — plus adding plants — transformed this porch in a renter-friendly way.

I’ve always loved the concept of having seamless indoor-outdoor living spaces — and a few weekends' worth of DIYs helped me make my own.

Renters and owners with small balconies: This one's for you! "I feel like I am escaping the city and have a relaxing space away from the hustle down below," this DIYer says of her redo.

This chic redo only required a drill and an Allen wrench to get the job done.

Now, it’s much more functional for a family of five.

There’s not a lot paint and wallpaper can’t fix, according to this DIYer.

Plus, the “after” is filled with secondhand finds.

Now she has a cozy, luxe movie room!

The project only took a couple of hours to complete.

The “cheap and failing” kitchen reno is long forgotten after a modern update made it a “hosting haven.”

A “dark, cramped, and outdated” kitchen is now a stunning space with a country cottage vibe.

“The goal was to create a warmer, more layered space,” the homeowner says.

An interior designer gave her home office the perfect balance of calm for working and bold for client meetings (plus, it has such a smart hidden storage hack).

The whole family helped with this renovation!

This porch is lighter, brighter, and better than ever.

Lily Sawyer used bright colors and cozy textures to bring life back to her living room.

This bathroom was straight out of the '70s, but after two architects completely DIYed the space, it’s now accessible with custom Americana-style tile flooring.

Her 100-year-old condo had a traditional dining room that wasn’t being used to its full potential. A custom, dramatic Murphy bed changed everything.

The result is beautiful, bright, and airy — and has enough space for two people to cook at the same time.