DIY Before & Afters | Do It Yourself Projects & Hacks

“The cabinets were the classic orange oak color, and the walls were a dark beige color,” the homeowner describes. “It felt like a nice space, but just very dated.”

Find two ways to fake the look of expensive marble herein.

Style + seclusion = seriously cool. And it’s renter-friendly, too.

This apartment is only 470 square feet, but feels way bigger.

The pop of pink paint is a must-see.

BILLY is the MVP, yet again.

The wallpaper features the homeowner’s original photography.

The homeowner wanted “the transition from the first floor to the second floor to have a wow factor.”

A little limewash helps this entryway go from beige to daring and bespoke.

Including a surprise original fireplace with tiles!

The new green paint color is so pretty.

“It feels amazing that such a simple and budget-friendly update could transform an old piece into something that looks like a custom design item,” the DIYer says.

Stacking the washer and dryer was ingenious.

For basically free!

“The room now feels like a warm hug when I walk in,” the DIYer says.

“It was my first time really taking a corner from ‘blank and awkward’ to ‘built-in and intentional,’” the DIYer says.

The bare white walls and plain shower curtain were the antithesis of my shared style with my partner (which is handsome, colorful, and personalized).

After dreaming of a fireplace for years, I finally made my own in my 10th apartment.

The new kitchen has so much more personality.

The DIYer was pleasantly surprised by how real the tiles looked.

“The original space had paneling, but it was buried under layers of paint,” the homeowner says.

The new space has a "massive cozy factor," the DIYer says.

The "after" has a "cozy, lived-in feel," the homeowner says.

This DIY redo saved the homeowner thousands of dollars.

The layout got a functional overhaul.

The DIYer wanted to fill it “with color, nostalgia, and early 20th-century glamour.”

The paint color is pretty and timeless.

The vanity area is the star of the show.

A fresh paint job makes the old cabinets look so much better.

You’d never guess the "new" cabinets are from 1988.

What was once a "blank white box" is now a beautiful laundry room.

And it’s renter-friendly!

It’s totally renter-friendly.

“Bring on the pinks and purples,” this designer and homeowner says.

It was all DIY, and it cost about $800.

The homeowner’s point of inspiration was the new tile.

The 200-square-foot kitchen “feels more open and light,” the homeowner says.

It cost $10,000 to renovate.

The bathroom was last updated in 2007.

This has “relax here” written all over it.

The vanity was too bulky, and the mirror was “laughably wrong” for the room.

Removing "layers on layers of wallpaper" helped create a cozy, family-friendly dining space.

“The bench is both functional and pretty,” the DIYer says.

Way before and after.

The closet makeover is totally copyable.

It's an homage to Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner.

This hack cost just $2.

Before, there was barely any cabinet storage.

The makeover boasts three kinds of peel-and-stick.

The built-in bookshelves are so dreamy.

The bedroom "before" looked nice, too, but the homeowner was ready for a change of pace.

The paint color is perfect.

The mural was improvised.

“Everything had to be renter-friendly,” the DIYer says.

Even though you might not live in a rental home forever, that doesn’t mean you have to grin and bear it if you’re not loving the look and feel. There are plenty of smart ways you can update a space in a reversible, temporary way. Renter Sarah Bryant (@sarahlouwho) knows this well. After moving into a charming 1901 apartment in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, Sarah decided to make some changes to what she guessed was an “early 2000s” kitchen.

Leaning into color — not away from it — will make a space feel calm, according to this DIYer.

Get ready to drool over the wood detailing, roof color, dog statues, and dreamy fall backdrop.

It was inspired by something from the designer’s yard.

This is proof that a small budget can make a big impact.

“I’ve just been craving something new in the living room,” the DIYer says.

It’s forest-inspired.

A basic big-box find becomes stylish shoe storage with striking stripes.

It looks so sophisticated.

“It makes me happy every time I open the front door or walk into the living room,” the DIYer says.

“It 100% paid off,” the homeowner says.

The cabinet was free from Facebook Marketplace.

It's so much brighter.

The gist of this project is straightforward: Assemble a BILLY, then surround it with trim.

The homeowner saved up for four years to make it happen.

Paint for the win!

The tub is the same one as before — just refinished — and the tiles are stunning.

The homeowner wanted to lean into color wheel opposites.