Historic Home

This savvy DIYer used bright colors and cozy textures to bring life back to her living room.

"Our son cried the day we moved in as he thought that’s how his room would always look!" this homeowner says of the before.

"With a bit of creativity and some resourcefulness, you can revamp a space in a few days with DIY," the owner of this apartment says.

This bedroom got an update befitting its history.

The existing beadboard feels totally new in the "after" — and so do those one dingy-looking floors.

Classic meets contemporary in this stylish bedroom makeover.

Restored floors and fresh white paint make the "after" unrecognizably airy and bright.

The new tile in the bathroom looks like it's always been there.

A unique paint job brought out the best in this bedroom.

It went from overwhelmingly blue to a cool and modern green, black, and white.

A narrow and very beige dining area becomes a bright, light-filled space the whole family flocks to.

Now, the home's original features truly sing.

The original Craftsman details sold this DIYer on her home, but they needed some major restoration work.

The reno includes luxe touches like heated floors.

This 1935 bedroom got some of its vintage groove back.

Now, it looks much brighter and bigger — not to mention cleaner.

The color helps liven up this 138-year-old living room.

These intrepid DIYers looked past the shag carpet to see the beauty beneath.

This kitchen went from drab to dreamy.

The tub, toilet, and standing shower are seriously dreamy.

This bathroom reno has tons of DIY elements, including a Facebook Marketplace dresser-turned-vanity.

Better yet? It's packed with secondhand finds and DIYs.

It's become the ultimate lounge spot.

Not all closets are created equal. This redo swapped a cluttered one for something way more practical (and beautiful).

It started out plain, but now it's packed full of charm.

The renovation pumps up the charm in this teeny 1943 kitchen.

Some key changes made a huge difference in the look and feel of the space.

The homeowner was able to keep the retro features she loved without sacrificing style.

Simple changes made the space feel so much larger.

This bathroom goes from beige to bold.

Ditching the dark paint did a lot to help this bedroom feel bigger and more welcoming.

It's old made new again.

It took a lot of "woman-power" the homeowners say, but the end results are worth it.

Colonial-style houses come with many gifts, like great windows, symmetry, and tall ceilings. But like any place built over 100 years ago, homeowner Katrina’s 1900 Colonial Revival house needed some updating — especially in the living room. While it had large windows, the space felt dark and uninviting because of the old gray carpeting, dark valances, clunky ceiling fan, and striped beige ’70s-era wallpaper.

It's still got some vintage flair, but now it's brighter and more functional.

It's still tiny, but now it's functional.

This bathroom went from dreary to dramatic.

It's all happy vibes in the after.