Furniture

Anyone who’s inherited a weird nook, corner or odd-home-thing might appreciate this simple but successful recessed bookcase mini-remodel. Shonee’s list of needed home updates since buying a 1950s house last year is long, with many projects often turning out more complicated than originally thought. Thankfully this small project — updating an outdated bookshelf — was simple and came out pretty sweet!

Griffin calls this project, “simple but transformative.” Her goal? More storage in her mom’s office. She started with this basic, industrial shelf (found in the garage no less) and a vision. Lovely! The new color really changes the whole feel of the piece. In gold, the once industrial features look almost lacy. Great job.

Christina was never bothered by this radiator in her kitchen, but then she had a flash of genius and made one smart change. Warning: you’ll want to copy this idea immediatly so clear your schedule. So smart! What a chic and simple way to hide that beast. Christina says, “We made a cover for it that doubles as an extra surface in our small kitchen. I can’t believe we didn’t do this earlier! It makes a world of a difference in this small space!

Kristen called her guest room, “an eyesore,” and tells us that when the sun shone on this yellow wall it was the equivalent of a neon sign. Yikes! So she found a way to ditch the yellow while adding some architectural charm worthy of her 100-year-old home. Wow! Kristen was able to easily and inexpensively create this faux board & batten panneling . And we especially love the touch of dark grey contrast which highlights that textured wall even more.

This project is a great example of how even not-so-splurge -worthy yard sale finds can have amazing potential. Robin and her roomate Nat had been on the hunt for the perfect bar cart and, lucky them, they snapped this one up for only $10. We’re loving how their bold color choice really highlights that sexy shape. Great find! Robin says ,”After a quick clean and two coats of yellow enamel spray paint we had a revamped bar cart worthy of vintage accessories and summer parties.

Angela happened upon this hutch at a tag sale in Connecticut recently. The price was “ridiculous in a good way,” and when the sellers threw in free delivery, she just couldn’t say no. Angela says: I contemplated long and hard over whether or not I should paint this. Here’s a few reasons why I did. First, I wanted to replace the broken and missing hardware and would need to patch the current holes to do so.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

We often turn to IKEA for cheap storage options, which makes their basic wardrobes a popular item in a lot of homes. Clever DIY projects and hacks pop up as people discover ways to upgrade the units to look more expensive and custom-built in their spaces. Here are 8 great projects to think about yourself: Designer Tommy Smythe updated his PAX doors with molding and vintage knobs. Combined with the sleek black paint, this new storage looks high-end and beautiful.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Landon paid good money for this chair — a whole five bucks! A stamp on the bottom said it was manufactured in 1954, and from the look of things, it’s been sitting outside since shortly thereafter. Who knew that old chair had so much life left? We’re loving how the patterned fabric livens up the simple silhouette. Landon says: The fabric was more like parchment paper that turned into powder at the slightest touch. Let’s just say the dust mites had done a thorough job.

Patrick is an avid DIY’er, but you’re about to see the toughest job he’s ever taken on. It wasn’t for the faint of heart, and he should’ve asked friends to help, but after a week of hard work, he transformed his hardwood into the floors he always wanted… Can you believe he planed his entire hardwood floor BY HAND? No, neither could I. But plane it he did, and therefore Patrick wins the award for DIY endurance. Hands down.

This fireplace lived in Patience’s little house by the sea, but it was old and dated so she waved her magic wand and presto! She tells us, “I wanted wow!” We’d say she got it. Her contractor demolished the top of the hearth and replaced it with a thick slab of bluestone. The rest of the brick was covered with stone veneer. The mantle is made from an old beam from a demolished barn. She kept the original screen but cleaned it up and painted it with a high-heat spray paint.

After moving into her 480 square foot apartment, Maura looked for a creative solution to solve two separate studio space challenges: how to create a space that a 70lb dog and two cats can all enjoy in peace and how to create a somewhat separate sleeping space so it didn’t feel like she was throwing cocktail parties in her bedroom when she entertained. Her DIY solution is smart and sweet.

Kristen calls herself a, “habitual renovator.” This particular 1920’s house was falling apart and she gave its kitchen some major love, much to the chagrin of the previous rodent residents. Says Kristen, “The mice were angry when we forced them out of the dishwasher and claimed back our kitchen!” The heart of this kitchen is the five burner Capital stove which Kristen tells us, “makes entertaining fun.

Lauren recently moved into her first place, a two bedroom condo. The original owners bought it new in ’79 and it had been virtually untouched so 26-year-old Lauren had her work cut out for her. Fortunately, her dad is a recently retired carpenter. She says, “He has plenty of projects to keep him busy now.” See what they did with this side bar. Lauren drew up the plans to convert the unused bar into a built in bookshelf and they got to work.

True story: we thought Jen might be pulling a fast one with this submission. We almost couldn’t believe that this beast of a dresser could turn out like it did. Want to see what we mean? Check it out. After inheriting it from her aunt, this dresser sat in the garage for months. Jen began experimenting with paint color, but nothing looked right. She even dismantled it, only to discover particle board. Yuck! Then, as Jen puts it, “this project got a little more interesting.

Rita was on the hunt for a project where she could turn something unloved into something that could be used, cherished and enjoyed. Rita knew an old, rusted kitchen cart that once belonged to her great-grandmother (that had just been collecting dust in her basement) was the perfect project to tackle to give her space that extra something special. From Rita: I started by using WD40 on the wheels before applying Jasco’s Rust Converter and sanding it down.

Who’s ready for spring? Nora is. She was excited about having some outside space in her new London flat until she saw this terrace. But she invested a little cash and a lot of love and got this space ready for some sunny days. Now we love this cute, color blocked space. Nora pullled up the tiles and laid artificial grass, painted the grey cracked walls a nice bright white and scrubbed up the railings and spray painted all of the furniture fun colors!

Sometimes making a big change can be a fairly simple process if you have the guts to take the leap. When Tanya and her partner purchased their home, the dated, faux stone fireplace combined with “sauna wood” accents just wasn’t her cup of tea, so she made one easy, inexpensive change that had a huge impact. The brick got a thick coat of primer + paint in one (semi-gloss finish) and she spray painted those old gold vents with a high heat enamel spray paint in matte black.

These $5 Windsor chairs are just about in every thrift store I stop into. This one had a nice simple silhouette and narrow tapered spindles. I’ve been swooning over modern shaker style furniture for some time now and it was finally time to stop wanting and start doing. I was planning on spray painting the whole chair neon yellow, but as I started, I notice the beautiful gradient and continued to paint only the front half of the seat.

Naomi moved into her Edwardian UK home a year ago and has spent nearly the whole time planning renovations to her small bathroom. Her biggest goal? An easy-to-clean space with minimal areas for dust to gather. We hear you, Naomi. She introduced a little luxury with a sink crafted from Welsh slate, an extra wide bath, and stainless steel towel warmers which she tells us were worth every penny. She kept the walls and ceiling bright white and fell for those grey tiles, “the moment I saw them.

Carithanne says, “Who knows how long this chair sat abandoned in a forgotten basement before my dad rescued it for our next restoration project?” This particular piece was extra exciting because of its classic mid-century design, complete with a production date on the bottom from 1953! The upholstery needed a total overhaul after more than 60 years, but this piece had solid maple bones just waiting for the right person to come along and give it some TLC.

Meredith was looking to spice up the boring blinds in her daughter’s room. She wanted to add a pop of color without breaking the bank, so she got really crafty with something that’s probably hanging around your junk drawer right now. Duct tape to the rescue! What a clever and thrifty idea. Bravo. From Meredith: I started to look into painting the blinds but found that incredibly cumbersome and messy. I decided I could be a lot more in control if I used duct tape.

Charlotte’s youngest child’s room doubles as the guest room, so her new changing table needed to fit with its funky aesthetic. This $40 dresser from Craigslist fit the bill: solid construction, the right height, and good storage space. It just needed a little update. From Charlotte: I double checked for any maker’s marks or signs of antiquity before giving it a coat of Annie Sloan Napoleonic Blue chalk paint.

Natalie’s been rockin’ this chair for about a year — she picked it up at a yard sale for only 10 bucks. But when the already-worn seat fabric began to develop huge tears, she knew it was time for a revamp. She ditched the old, ripped fabric in favor of two different ikat prints. She stripped and sanded the wood frame and then stained it a warm, deep brown.