Natural Solutions

Tufted ottomans are a great solution for many small spaces that need something that can not only serve as extra seating but also as spot to set a tray down in a pinch – but they are often quite expensive. Over at Five Days … Five Ways they repurposed an old coffee table that had seen better days into a fantastic looking tufted ottoman.Considering that these ottomans usually run new in the many hundreds of dollars the cost breakdown for this project is quite impressive.

This half bath had its fair share of problems: an ugly floor, a water heater in the space and very little style. For only $25, it has been restyled to look much fresher with a cottage feel. Check out the dramatic change after the jump.From dirty and green to bright and blue, this half bath has had quite the intervention. Check out the cost breakdown: Glidden white paint ($7.77 at Wal-Mart) I used 1/2 gallon so cost is $3.89 Five 4′ wood strips at $1.65 each – $8.

Rental kitchens are tough, you don’t want to put too much money into them but there isn’t much incentive for the landlord to make them top notch and gourmet. Here’s a great kitchen makeover that completely transforms the entire look of the kitchen for only $17. You really can’t miss this one.This great makover at HGTV really shows how far you can take $17. As the renters describe: We are renting right now and this kitchen was GROSS! I couldn’t live with it.

Re-Nest reader Cassidy (of the blog Remodelaholic) emailed us her hutch makeover, and we were impressed enough to want to show it to you! She managed to turn what is otherwise a pretty old-fashioned hutch into something crisp and modern.

I know, I know, they did more than just knock out a half wall, but I would argue that it was the half wall removal that really made the difference in this kitchen. If they had done nothing else, the half wall removal would have transformed this kitchen completely. Find out more after the jump.This is a great kitchen renovation on a budget any way you slice it. The surfaces that were replaced were high impact and the surfaces that stayed were easily refinished.

One of the best parts about making do with what you have is the opportunity to make awesome improvements! In the case of these stadium seats, although they were cute beforehand, they needed more personality. Ready to see what they look like now?By using foamcore and fabric, the people behind Maple & Magnolia gave the backs of these seats a bit more punch. With the additional help of some color and wax, the chairs are now ready to take center stage!

When I moved into my home, the bathroom in the studio over the garage was sad and depressing. When I embarked on my very first home improvement project to update it, I was really proud of the work I did, but it only held up to daily use for two years. The subfloor wasn’t level, so the composite floor was cracking, and the cheap composite counter top on the vanity had a corner chipped off.

So many of us have one of these tired footstools. They were cute a few years ago when they seemed light and inexpensive and now they’re just tired and cheap looking. Find out how you can transform it into something fabulous after the jump.The folks from Today’s Nest put together a great to tutorial to help you create the stool-turned-poof.

This before & after project is a great example of how a good imagination is often the key to a great makeover. Kind of makes me feel better about all that daydreaming I did during algebra class.This makeover was featured on Sunset, and I love that this plant stand wound up costing $3.19, the cost of the Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch spray paint in Sun Yellow. If you needed to buy a pot, the project would cost a bit more, but still far less than a wrought iron planter.

BEFOREWalk into any thrift store and you are sure to find framed art prints in all shapes and sizes. While the picture frames section has never been the first area I hit, it will be now thanks to this fresh idea from Tyler of PLASTOLUX. George has never looked so modern. AFTERTyler picked up this framed print of George Washington at a local thrift. He brought it home and – in one easy step – transformed George from ordinary to extraordinary.

It’s about that time to start bringing your plants in from the cold. Take them in, help them adjust, and make them stand out… literally.I wanted to prepare this year by possibly purchasing some plant stands. I was researching online and happened to stumble upon this adjustable pot. I loved the modern/industrial look. The inspiration plant pot resembled an adjustable light. I realized that I could use some of the broken lamps around my house.

Security gates can be a necessity for city living, but, man, they can be ugly. For a little makeover inspiration, check out how much better this window looks with added salvaged molding.Daniel Kanter of Manhattan Nest is no stranger to DIY, but the fearlessness and skill evidenced in this project are especially impressive. When he saw that another resident of his building was discarding a pile of original moldings, he took them into his apartment, nails and all.

A New York couple hit the jackpot when they found this gorgeous 1887 Queen Anne for sale — only $46,000! It had amazing bones, including a completely octagonal room on each of its three stories. But there was a catch — it was condemed — and the bank loan would only work if the couple agreed to complete any major structural fixes and get the plumbing and electrical up to code within six months!The couple’s story is truly inspirational.

October was a ridiculously busy month for me. I welcomed three sets of out of town guests, as well as renovating the studio over my garage. Earlier this week, I posted about the bathroom. The final project was replacing the dingy, smelly carpet with wood laminate.Though the previous tenant had the two year old carpet cleaned before vacating, it had an overwhelming musty odor, an attempted repair where an iron had burned the carpet, and the seams were coming apart.

BEFOREJenny had long wanted a chair to sit in as she gives her girls their baths, and with $4.50, paint, and elbow grease she transformed a sad seat and vanity into something that stylishly fit the bill. AFTERJenny of Little Green Notebook picked up the vanity for free from an auction house that wasn’t able to sell it in its beat-up condition. Jenny realized midway through that it wasn’t worth refinishing the wood, and she refreshed the vanity with her Dremel and a coat of paint.

This basement makeover, submitted to us by Re-Nest reader Sarah of cafe + dish, shows just how transformative a few coats of white paint can be. As she writes: “Living in Boston, space is at a premium. The studio is in a “garden-level” part of the basement, so I used lots of white paint to brighten the space. What once was a very dark and dingy corner of a basement is now one of my favorite spaces…”“The renovation took about a week combined to complete.

A humble tuna can has more possibilities than filler for your recycling bin. Give it another life with a pinch and a pull. Want to see what it looks like now?We checked in with Camilla over at Family Chic and although this craft isn’t a lavish one (heck there isn’t even a hot glue gun involved) that doesn’t mean there isn’t beauty in its simplicity.

Katie bought this table 4 years ago for $30 at a yard sale, and has been using it in all its scratched glory in her master bedroom ever since. Now that she is redoing that room, she knew the time had come for the table to receive a little TLC as well. Unwilling to go through the time consuming process of a full refinish, Katie was able to transform the look of this table with just an hour of work.

When Sausha first encountered this hutch she thought it was too far gone to be worth refinishing. It had been repainted more than ten times and was in need of a major sanding effort, among other things. But instead of trashing it, she took it as a challenge and made plans to repurpose and refinish the piece…Sausha chose to work with just the lower portion of the hutch and began by sanding it down to remove the build-up of paint.

One way to remove the evidence of my, er, I mean ANYONE’S serious Diet Coke addiction is the recycling bin. That way may be eco-savvy, but the neighbors can count, so it’s not terribly stealthy.Perhaps illustrator and character creator Eric Barclay’s way is better. And way more colorful than just green.“Ranjit and Indira,”Eric then applied gesso so that the surface had a bit of texture to it (acting somewhat like a high-adhesion primer).

This before & after renovation stars a once messy, chaotic laundry area in the home of four small children and their busy, creative parents. What’s truly wonderful is that they took an area that’s usually an afterthought, the laundry room, and turned it into a well-organized, cheerfully stylish space.According to Katie from Potluck Love, her old laundry room wasn’t a proper room, but a “hot mess of laundry” crammed into a hallway in the back of their home.

The 80 degree weather we’re having here in Chicago (in March?!) is making me feel a little Alice-in-Wonderland, like suddenly, oddly neat things are possible, like say, Mandi from Vintage Revivals turning old, mismatched thrift store lamps into something utterly modern and so very cool.

Garden pests make otherwise enjoyable gardening frustrating. Whether it’s snails taking over your lettuce or aphids sucking on your roses, a pest infestation is definitely disappointing, but it’s not a reason to reach for harmful, toxic sprays. The sprays might eliminate the pesky culprits, but they are harmful to you and the environment. Instead, try whipping up one of these simple recipes with ingredients you most likely have on hand.

Most of the time when we feature a furniture makeover, it’s been transformed by applying something new to the surface — paint, fabric, paneling, etc. But designer William Dohman shows us that a really impressive project is when a vintage piece has been restored to its former glory.Architect William Dohman, the designer behind Oh Dier, restored this classic mid-century Lane dresser by removing the multiple layers of paint and weird tape that mysteriously stuck to most of the edges.

This is the story of Runaround Sue, the name given to a 1961 Airstream Safari that was lovingly renovated by Prairie Construction. The vintage trailer’s original beauty was carefully restored while making it leaner (more efficient) and greener. This time of year already makes me long to head out for the open roads, and now I’m filled with daydreams of spending the summer traversing the country in Runaround Sue.

Our readers don’t just come to us for home inspiration – they also share their own projects with us, bring the inspiration around full circle. Jude emailed us this sofa transformation that we think is a great lesson in patience and DIY chutzpah.Jude’s small apartment requires a slim sofa, one that is no longer than 56 inches.

Of the many Before and Afters we have featured, this one may take the prize for the biggest blindside, meaning when you click through, you will in no way have figured out what was coming and the ‘After’ photo just may knock you flat. While you can sometimes predict how a thrift store dresser or end table will be saved and transformed, just try it with this box spring. You’ll be wrong. Trust us. Just go look.We told you!

Monica had been on the lookout for an armchair to paint ever since she fell in love with one such project she found online. When she finally did find what she through was the right $50 chair for this endeavor, she then changed her mind. A small tear in the fabric convinced her that reupholstering was the better way to go — until, that is, she got a quote for $300 and decided to revisit her DIY options.

I found this before and after and loved not just the transformation, but the use of reclaimed wood pieces to create an entirely new tabletop. Take a look!Using wood pieces from a discarded trellis found in her garden, Taryn from Design, Dining and Diapers created a fresh, stylish table that showcases the beautiful colors and textures running through the found wood scraps.

I’ve been on the hunt for a new ottoman for a while now, but like many things in life, the money has been needed elsewhere. I’ve obviously survived, but there might be a new DIY creation in my future! Check out what this old tire looks like now!Nikki over at That Was A What? has turned this trusty old tire into her new ottoman. She had been coveting rope covered versions online, but even inexpensive ones were pushing $500 or more.

When most people see wood pallets they think only of garbage or maybe even kindling. When Olga saw the pallet pictured above she saw possibility. She lugged the pallet home and set about finding a way to use it. After it sat in a corner for a month, Olga finally gave the pallet new life.The cracks, knots and other markings on the pallet were part of what Olga loved about it. So when it came time to make use of the pallet in her home, Olga didn’t want to change the character of it too much.

If the idea of constantly heating your water in a big tank sitting in your basement sounds mighty inefficient and wasteful to you, then a tankless water heater may be the right option for you. I’ve researched some of the advantages of a tankless water heater system, alongside some of the compromises that come with the compact, more energy efficient option. There are many advantages to going with a tankless water heater.

It’s 2012 and we’ve been around long enough to witness several stumps turned side tables, but you know what? We’re still not over it. This tutorial will leave you feeling confident in making your own stump side table while keeping the bark on, the shine high and the wood fully sealed.In many previous stump to side table tutorials I’ve seen, I’ve always been wondering about the presence of bugs, or bark falling off.

Brooke, from the home décor blog Inside-Out Design, started with this run-of-the-mill old coffee table, and with some ingenuity and a lot of handiwork, she and her husband transformed it into a one-of-a-kind hand-tufted ottoman.Brooke used West Elm’s Ikat Print by the Yard fabric as inspiration for completely transforming the coffee table.

I have been eating my way through crates of winter citrus, and recently decided to use some of the peels to make a homemade cleaner. I added orange peels to vinegar, and let them sit in an airtight container for a couple of weeks. The result: a powerful, inexpensive, natural cleaner.

Jenna found this planter at a junk store for just $2. Though it was in rough shape, she saw its potential. See how she transformed it into a totally cute vessel for indoor planting.From Jenna: My apartment is small and I have lots of terrariums around the house, but am always looking for fun ways to bring more greenery inside. I found this planter stand at a junk store for $2 — a new coat of paint in a herringbone print, plus some jars I had lying around and voila!

Today’s Before & After comes from Jérémy, a very talented 16 year old designer from Canada. Here he transforms an old vintage fan from boring to bold with just a paint job. From Jérémy: Old machines are phenomenal artistic works, provided with the refurbishment if they need it. Here’s how an old Eagle Aire fan can be rejuvenated after 50 years without losing its “vintage look.

Marty and her husband found a unique way to upgrade their backslash using reused materials, and it didn’t cost them a dime. You’ll never guess what they did. Marty says, “My husband took some castoff wood from a neighbor’s curb and turned it into a beautiful backsplash worthy of a beach cottage.” They sanded each piece to eliminate splinters and then sprayed the wood with an aerosol primer.

This is a great makeover and a cool story because it involves a mom and son working collaboratively to create a completely new room for a budget of only $150! Take a dip into Levi’s newly nautical bedroom (puns = not my strong suit). I know, wonderful, isn’t it?

What do you do with a three dollar headboard you found at a yard sale? Why, put it in your foyer, of course. Follow me to find out more… That’s exactly what Kelly from A View Along The Way did. She was ready to get her foyer in order and needed a bench. Since the kind of benches she was looking at came with a hefty price tag, she put her creative cap on and figured out a really stunning solution. Her husband took the headboard apart and cut it in half to fit in the space.

Before there were loofahs and washcloths, people used an old fashioned bar of soap sewn into a felted wool covering. The wool was exfoliating and had antibacterial qualities, and the soap created a nice lather without wasting its suds. In the last few years, felted soap has come back into fashion (it’s popping up in lots of Etsy shops as well as Anthropologie, and is a popular gift item this season). Today, we show you how to make it!

This office credenza is all business. It’s gray, it’s functional, but pretty it is not. Owner Joanne took this cabinet to task, refinished it in about 4 hours in her driveway, then found a better place for it. Want to see? What was all business in the front, is now a party in the back. The formerly buttoned-up credenza fits nicely in her nook, and is now the perfect furniture host. It holds drinks, stores glasses and wine, and blends in nicely with the rest of the home.

Kevin rounded up some old wooden pallets by driving around to various warehouses, and through Craigslist. He had a project in mind, and just needed a bunch that were roughly equal sized. Want to see what he did with them? This impressive reclaimed wood backyard deck is the result! After measuring the space, he laid the pallets where he wanted the deck to be. Starting with the first row, Kevin lined up all gaps and used pavers to level and support the pallets.

Whether you’re battling dry skin, tending to a sore throat, or just trying to keep germs at bay, rosemary oil is an excellent remedy for what ails you this winter. Check out just a few of our favorite uses and consider adding it to your health and wellness arsenal! Rosemary has been used medically for centuries as an antiseptic, an aid in digestive and respiratory health, and in skincare.