Ideas Inspiration

Laken, the college freshman we introduced you to last week, is all moved in and set up, and ready to start classes this week. She took her college blah dorm and turned it into something personal and comfortable. Want to see what she did with her space? Let’s break it down, and see what Laken did to make it work: 1. Configured her furniture, i.e. raised the bed, to allow for more storage. As a result, the dresser, some storage bins and a hamper fit nicely underneath and stay out of sight.

One of the best ways to maximize storage in a small space is to go vertical with your storage. And what better way to accomplish that than with some stylish, handmade shelving? From gold and glam to rustic and industrial, here are ten stylish options to add some storage space to your home. TOP ROW: 1. Minty Gold Shelf Inspiration 2. Under $50: DIY Threaded Rope Shelves 3. How to Make a Modern Pegboard Shelving System 4. DIY Honeycomb Shelves from Reclaimed Wood 5.

The littlest things make a huge difference.

Wall trim is a strong visual signal, conveying the architectural style of a room in a glance. Panel molding and chair rails are most closely associated with traditional homes, but wood trim in geometric and repetitive shapes can easily look modern. Use one of these ideas as an inexpensive way to transform flat surfaces with pattern and texture.

If you read the January Cure diaries, you probably saw my window seats, both bare and then with cushions. If you’re interested, here’s how I made the cushions in about an hour. FoamUpholstery fabricPlywood SheetsThin Batting (Optional) Measuring TapeScissorsHammer or Rubber MalletStaple Gun (with staples of course)Foam CutterKnife, electric or otherwise1. Measure your space and cut foam to the same dimensions.

A different kind of shower enclosure is picking up steam.

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.

Poor ceiling fans- they’re the household appliance everyone loves to hate. Their design, no matter how trendy or modern, just doesn’t cut the mustard in most homes. If we have one, it’s because we need it- and on hot summer days, staring at that ugly household appliance is a heck of a lot better than swimming in a pool of sweat. Here are a few creative options for making the most out of our current ceiling fan situations.

Are those chevron print seat cushions just not doing it for you anymore? Before purchasing a new set and forking over a large wad of cash (seriously, even cushions at the big box stores are pricey!), check out this handy DIY for drawstring seat covers. They’re easy to remove and wash, and can be changed out as many times as you like throughout the seasons. Now, there is a bit of sewing involved but it’s nothing fancy so don’t be intimidated.

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

Project by: Ana Location: Seattle, WA The one thing I love and appreciate most in life, besides my baby son Magnus and awesome husband Jordan, is working with my hands. The process of creation amazes me every time, and I look down at my hands and thank them for being healthy and strong, then I realize I should thank my eyes, brain and heart for caring on an artistic drive in me year after year.

Project by: Katherine Location: Wichita, KS When we moved into our almost century-old house five years ago we were in the throes of planning a wedding (in the backyard of that house) and so a lot of things got the quick and dirty treatment. The dining room was one of those things. A coat of paint on the walls, a craigslist table and chairs, and a CB2 light fixture and call it good! This past fall, my father-in-law gave us a massive amount of books and along with them, several shelves.

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: Taylor Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Just days before my scheduled c-section, we were finally finishing our daughter’s nursery. We wanted a room with lots of contrast, personality and DIY touches. We also knew we were working with a small space and so we wanted our choices to be high-impact and make a smart use of our limited floor space.

Renovation by: Wendy Location: Nevada City We wanted the look of a stacked stone accent wall in our bathroom. However, we were unable to find a stone veneer that would fit behind our toilet. We decided to use reclaimed pine which we got from used pallets. We cut approximately 350 pieces of wood into different lengths and depths all with the same height (2.5 inches). We used a very strong floor glue to adhere the pieces of wood to the wall. After the wall was complete, we painted it a light gray.

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: Emily and Erica Refinishing the main stairwell was just one small component of the year-log, full scale, gut-renovation of our 1900’s Greek Revival house in Providence, RI—but as the staircase is the first thing you see when you come in our front door, we wanted it to be a striking feature.

Project by: Kate Location: Des Moines, Iowa My husband and I moved into our little house in Des Moines (in a historic area called Beaverdale, full of houses from the ’30s) in July, and were very excited to start bringing some personality into the place! We liked the olive green walls of the living room and dining room, but realized shortly after hanging stuff up that we needed more color in the space.

Alison Dahl Kelly shared photos and the story of her amazing kitchen and dining room makeover with us. Take it away, Alison: Purchased in 2009, our artfully restored 1880’s townhouse has been taken apart and put back together again, restoring some old and adding some new. What attracted us to buy this house were the still-intact original details—parquet flooring, tin ceilings, marble fireplaces, built-in cabinetry, his and hers vanities.

I’m a bit preoccupied with black and white. While always a classic pairing, inspirational black and white images have been popping up everywhere recently — like this recent roundup of entryways. Lucky for me, my 1910 apartment has a fantastic vintage black and white bathroom. It also has a bit of an odd 18″ angled wall that was screaming for a DIY solution! I chose to create a wall pocket organizer using vinyl chalk cloth, in part because you can write on it (how fun!

This small space features a music room, guest bed, as well as an arts and crafts corner. Wow!

This apartment dweller gave his space the first-class treatment.