DIY Before & Afters | Do It Yourself Projects & Hacks

Sometimes your favorites from an old space just don't translate to the new one—furniture looks out of place, or colors have a different feel in the different lighting.

Pick just one to copy in your own laundry room, or try them all.

Wait until you see the ceiling.

You won't even recognize this space in the after.

This project has seriously impressive results.

One of them is a removable wallpaper that will knock your socks off.

Open, airy, with farmhouse flair? Count us in.

The after is SERIOUSLY dreamy.

Caution: Serious plant envy ahead.

This is one small budget, big impact transformation.

The "after" is a whole lot brighter, but still exactly right for this 140-year-old house.

This mini mudroom is max-chic.

Better yet? It took just a weekend.

This budget makeover is full of smart tricks.

Yes, really.

The after is seriously chic, but still colorful and fun.

It's literally unrecognizable.

The after is curl-up cozy.

These simple changes have seriously big impact.

The whole bedroom's stunning, but just wait until you see the floors.

The "after" is like a breath of fresh air.

Vintage furniture and DIY molding give this bedroom that certain "je ne sais quoi."

This one-time rental kitchen's total overhaul made it way more functional—and lots prettier, too.

See ya, crayon-patterned wallpaper border.

These furniture makeovers let natural wood have the spotlight.

This bedroom perfectly blends practicality and fun.

Can we move in?

Serious 2020 organizing inspiration straight ahead.

This fresh redo proves dining rooms don't have to feel like a Downton Abbey set piece.

Give your old lamp the glow up it deserves.

This small change makes a huge difference.

This itty bitty powder room makes a big impression.

Tiny space, big style—and a whole lot of inspiration.

You'll want to steal this clever idea for your home ASAP.

Spoiler: The word art decal doesn't make the cut.

The shakeup took the space from blah and bland to totally vibrant.

Makeover by: Jennifer Location: San Diego Moving into a new place means lots of little unfinished spots that need solutions, which means spending both time and money. Jennifer dressed up this window corner quickly, stylishly and for less that you would think possible. Check it out… Jennifer added triangle vinyl decals to a plain rolling shade that she picked up at Home Depot.

Project by: Julie and Laura Location: New York State Without further ado, another inspiring camper transformation! Take it away, Julie and Laura: We are identical twin sisters, are both registered nurses, both married, and we are mothers to three little boys collectively. Ever since we were teenagers and we watched the cult classic The Long Long Trailer with Lucille Ball, we have dreamed of having a little camper turned glamper to call and make our own.

Project by: Meg Location: Colorado If this project doesn’t convince you that just about any sow’s ear can be turned into a silk purse than I don’t know what will. This funky old, water damaged, faux woodgrain and formica-filled caravan is now a super sweet spot to hang out in. To top it off, he transformation was quick and the budget was lowlowlow. The perfect makeover!

Project by: June Location: Hertfordshire, UK Our hallway was dark and dull, looking grubby and tired.

Project by: Karen We just moved into a 1929 Tudor bungalow. The kitchen is small and has only one window. The upper cabinets made the room seem darker. In addition, they were hard for me to reach (I’m 5’2″). So I took them out and replaced them with open shelving in gloss white. The room was instantly brighter. I added storage in the pantry to make up for the lost cabinet space. So I took out the upper cabinets and replaced them with open shelving in gloss white.

Project by: Negar of Space Harmony Location: Vancouver, Canada This is an interior design and renovation we did for a client, a professional and avid skier who wanted his 1600 three-level town house to feel like a chalet. Because of the space limitation and ceiling height, we couldn’t use the real bold and robust materials used in chalets so we created an “modern chalet” instead! Our goal was to create the same cozy and comfortable ambiance on a smaller scale.

Project by: Samantha Location: New York, NY It was actually my boyfriend who picked out our temporary apartment in midtown Manhattan – at the time I was still living in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, I did not have the time to fly to New York by the time he moved in, in order to help him out. Hence, I had to order most of the necessary furniture online and have it delivered to an apartment I hadn’t even seen yet which was a bit of a challenge and risk.

Renovation by: Courtney and Brent Location: Houston, Texas When we moved into our house there was one thing about our living room that bugged us. It was the inset in the wall next to the fireplace. It was intended for the TV but we knew how we wanted the room to “flow” and found it awkward to have the TV off center and next to the fireplace. So we set up the living room how we wanted it with the TV on the long wall and left that space empty.

Project by: Kelly Location: Athens, GA I recently became obsessed with this wallpaper pattern called “Cuben” made by Flavor Paper. I saw a photo online of how someone had used it in a kitchen. Unfortunately the wallpaper is a little out of my budget so I decided to attempt to recreate it in my own kitchen with paint. I measured my walls and plotted out the design on graph paper. I used a yard stick and a level to get all the lines penciled onto the wall.

Yesterday I showed you the “before” condition of this poor little table, which was used outside by its previous owner and left to rot and weather. Today I’m showing you how to paint faux marble to use as a replacement table top for any project you have in the works. This is a very easy technique that takes hardly any time or money to do. Round wooden top or decorators table Black paint White paint Sealer Regular paint brush Sea sponge Small feather 1.

Nothing gives me motivation to spruce up the house like sending out invitations! In preparation for a small birthday party with a few girlfriends, I’ve nearly turned this house upside down. I rearranged the furniture in both living spaces, swapped out a coffee table and some pillows, and got new lamps. Thanks to the Cure, there is also new greenery.

Katherine sent us in photos and floorplans of the update of her West Loop loft. This is a hardworking condo — it is home to a (new) family of three and during the day also accommodates two employees as a live/work space…..and the After!Here is Katherine’s info on the update: We had to overcome a dated warehouse conversion of a beautiful masonry and timber loft building. Views were compromised by the fireplace and tv alcove dividing the kitchen and living area.

You'll want to rainbow everything once you see this transformation.

A couple Benjamins and a little elbow grease make for one stylish bathroom redo.

Those dollars go a long way in this kitchen transformation.

The only thing missing from this adorable closet redo is a daiquiri.

So bright! So open! So ORGANIZED.

This will be the bedroom that convinces you to paint your walls mustard yellow (seriously).

Looking at this living room just makes us want to curl up with a good book.

Deep navy paint is MOODY—in a good way.

Bring on the color!

We'd say those 30 hours (!) of hand-painting really paid off.

Last year Danielle picked up a vintage settee for $50 and, with her mom as co-pilot, wanted to take it on as her first foray into upholstery. She was conflicted about the fabric to use: something modern and bold or something more traditional? Readers chimed in, many urging her to have it professionally recovered instead of trying it herself and the majority of readers advised going with a classic print and color for the fabric. Did she take either piece of advice?… No and yes!

Sponge painting, but make it FASHION.

This little fairytale house will make you want to be a kid again.

You won't even believe it's the same kitchen.

This bright, welcoming redo is fireplace goals.

Ok, yes, strong claim—but wait until you see it.

Bye, dirty carpet and crumbly ceiling tiles. Hi, dream destination.

You can barely tell it's the same space!

The new bedroom and bathroom are a little fresh, a little funky, a lot stylish.

Let these bold changes inspire you.

Jeff Goldblum would go wild for these adorable little made-over nightstands.

Neutral colors and minimalist style? We're relaxed just LOOKING at this bedroom refresh.

So quick! So cheap! So EASY!

A wall full of built-in bookshelves is a bookworm's dream! Bit Karie Frost didn't love about it: the white paint job, which—while nice enough—made the wear-and-tear of the decades-old wood more obvious.