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This $10 filing cabinet didn’t look like much, but Jordan had an idea. Its rusty paint job was not up to snuff, so he stripped it down and gave it some style: From Jordan: The cabinet was in great working order, but the facade was pretty beat from the wear and tear over the years, and had some rust damage to boot. After seeing the cabinet, I decided to go a more industrial look.

Arron’s Catskills retreat had great bones, but felt closed off and was in need of updating. The after is a picture of modern rustic perfection: From Arron: The first part of the project started with painting the kitchen cabinets white. We added crown moulding to the contractor grade cabinets to give them a “higher end” look. We replaced the laminate kitchen countertops with John Boos butcher block.

Erica inherited a living room with a sponge-painted fireplace and an olive paint job. She had planned a pallet wall, but realized the time (and tools) it would take was not realistic. Until she found a quicker solution: From Erica: After hunting down a few pallets, I realized that the effort and time (and tools that we didn’t have) to find, dismantle, sand, wash, and then nail the boards to the wall just wasn’t worth it. I was downtrodden until I discovered Stikwood!

In terms of basic overhead lighting, Alison’s fixtures were unoffensive and unobtrusive. But that didn’t mean she didn’t want more style from them.

Maïla’s tiny Paris apartment was lacking both a dining table and counter space. When her woodworker father heard she was thinking of going without a proper place to eat for more prep area, he came up with a genius small space solution: From Maïla: I am a keen cook and I pointed out to my dad (a woodworker by trade, and a very skilled one at that) that I’d rather have more counter space and storage and eat on the sofa.

Inspired by string art, Ryan took this blank wall in his loft and transformed it into what looks like a wireframed wood of birch trees: What a great use of a little wall! Here it is up close: From Ryan: A quick look on the internet showed my friend’s cute little Ohio-shaped project was all over Pinterest. I wanted to take mine to the next level and create something that was fresh, beautiful, and had never been done before.

After Meghan impulse purchased these workout leggings while traveling, she decided they were too crazy to wear again, but too cute to toss. Good thing she found those pineapples a new purpose: We’re digging the less intense, but still happy pattern and the neon edging! From Meghan: I bought the pineapples pants as a joke since I knew my friends would get a kick out of them. I had no intention of wearing my pineapple pants after that weekend.

Most of us would probably overlook the above Craigslist ad, but not Ryan. He brought this battered dresser back to life, and now it looks better than ever: From Ryan: The first thing I did when I got it home was disassemble each drawer. After years of use and some time outside in the southern humidity most of the original glue had broken down and almost every corner was loose and wobbly.

With a strange paste and layers of paint, this table looks almost unsalvageable. But Laura was determined to replace her card table on her student budget, and $5 was the right price.

When Jelena wanted to create a place to work from home, she turned to the garden shed. Using colorful and fun coworking spaces as her inspiration, she transformed this storage space into an energizing place to get stuff done. From Jelena: Looking for a solution to solve that problem I resorted to the Internet and came across a few solutions that I could adapt to my own situation.

IKEA’s KALLAX storage is so versatile as is, that it just makes hacks all that more wonderful. Astral wanted closed storage for her craft room and office, but also needed it to be modular in case her space requirements changed. The after adds a little height and a lot of personality: From Astral: The plan was to make a modular credenza for storage.

What to do if you have a coffee table, but would like a console table? Make like a magician and saw it in half! See how Letisha pulled this one out of her hat: From Letisha: Boy Oh! Boy! Was this a fun project. The best part is I got to cut a table in half. I found a pretty cool coffee table at my local thrift store for $35. I knew it had the perfect line for the console table I wanted to build. This project really can be summed up in 5 steps.

We love when people add some style to utilitarian spaces. Alisha’s laundry room was making the chore even more of a drag, so with a weekend and $100, she gave the space a refresh. From Alisha: With 2 kids under 2 we do a lot of laundry – and our drab, impractical laundry room was making laundry a chore. By removing/painting the dated wood cabinets and adding a simple pattern this room brightened right up!

Sarah bought this table without seeing it in person. Though it was in rough shape and under decades of paint, she discovered something lovely when she stripped it: From Sarah: I’d been looking for a furniture makeover project for a while, and I found this beat up, dirty little end table on a local trash and treasure website. The photo of it was dim, and the table was covered in grime and a mound office supplies.

If you’re a caffeine junkie, coffee stations are a great way to streamline your morning. Yet, Anna wasn’t jiving with her java setup. So she gave this area a free makeover by removing things and shopping her home: From Anna: The original look of our coffee station wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great either. I loved the bar cart, but the wood surfaces, brown mirror, wooden objects, and wood floor was just too much brown!

Minneapolis designer Jay Nuhring has another no-shopping makeover for us. This time, his client has a huge living room, three of the same sofa, and a wall of books that looks a bit bland. Jay applied the use-what-you-have motto and created a whole new space within a space! From Jay: This project was really easy and really affordable. Nothing new was purchased for this living room makeover. Everything was shopped and sourced from what the homeowner already had in the house.

When you live in one place for awhile, rooms will begin to need a refresh. Such was the case for Sarah’s bedroom, and she enlisted the help of best friend and former roommate Katie to help give the small space a makeover. From Katie: My best friend Sarah has been living in the same rental apartment for over 6 years, and it was time for a refresh. I used to live in this apartment with her, so filling holes in the wall was therapeutic for the both of us!

Abigail’s fixer-upper stood out—and not in a good way. Sometime during its 100-year history, someone had slapped putty-hued vinyl siding on the front, which would be less jarring if it wasn’t one of many attached brick rowhouses! See how she and her husband restored the curb appeal: From Abigail: When we bought our hundred-year-old fixer-upper in downtown Frederick, Maryland, the first thing we planned to revitalize was its exterior.

Seduced by the siren song of free, Angelica scooped up this cabinet—as the panels started falling off. Not to be deterred, she took some fabric remnants and transformed it into a versatile piece: From Angelica: This modest wine cabinet was a free find. It looked like all it needed was a fresh coat of paint and it would become a great piece for extra storage in our home. But as I got it out of the car, the panels started falling off. I could not complain as it was free!

These blah shutter bi-fold doors appear in many a rental, and Jessica’s was no exception. While she decorating her daughter’s room, she had an idea to transform them into something a little more glam: What a difference! From Jessica: While redecorating my girl’s room, I had a big Ah-ha moment.

IKEA’s VITTSJÖ line is a sleek and modern staple as is, but Lidia took hers and gave it a minty fresh look. From Lidia: Being a a big fan of interior design, I find myself in constant decorating mode. I really enjoy bringing to life an idea or creative project and recently found myself doing it with our small living room. After painting the walls and rearranging the furniture, I noticed my small living space could fit a coffee table and would be more inviting.

We love a good “shop your space” room transformation. Jay is a Minneapolis-based designer and this bedroom project was completed in a day (another benefit of using a lot of what you’ve got!). With a few new elements and a shift in the space, there’s now a blissful new bedroom: From Jay: This bedroom redo was really fast and really easy.

Since they’ll eventually sell this house, Kelley didn’t want to spend too much money in updating the place. So when this bathroom was feeling a little bit country, she set a short budget, and made the existing vintage tile shine: From Kelley: We live in a small cape cod house built in 1951. We love it, but can’t stay here forever because the layout and size doesn’t really allow for a family in the future.

While she was overseas with their daughter, Jeffery decided to surprise his wife with a total living room transformation. See the new room—and read about her reaction—after the jump! From Jeffery: My wife and daughter went to the Philippines for 3 months. I wanted to surprise my wife with a living room makeover, which I tackled in the two weeks before their arrival home. Our living room was boring. The last owners had a thing for wood grain and dull colors.

A vintage cart from a friend came with a challenge that Monica readily accepted: try to make it modern. See how she did after the jump! From Monica: A good friend of mine passed along an old, brassy, rickety cart with the challenge to revamp it and modernize it. We immediately agreed it would make an awesome bar cart for my new Milwaukee apartment! Challenge accepted. I started by removing the trays and setting them aside. I spent a nice day outside with gloves, a cloth and a can of Brasso.

Sarah scooped up this basic rattan chair for $10, but thought it could use a little more interest. She tried her hand at recreating a classic pattern for the chair back; see how it came out: From Sarah: After finding a plain rattan chair for $10 at the thrift shop, we transformed the boring back into a Chinese Chippendale inspired design. Using thinner dowel rods from the home improvement store, we measured, cut and secured them in place to create the Chippendale look.

What to do when you have a nasty old rug that you can’t replace? Sarah decided to paint hers, using a technique she usually reserves for getting paint out of the carpet! From Sarah: I needed a way to bring some rock-n-roll attitude into this music room, and I couldn’t afford to replace the nasty old beige carpet.

Kristi’s guest bedroom is a walk-through room, so a regular bed just doesn’t work. But neither was this plain futon, so she decided to build something more functional. So stylish, and we love that it’s on casters! From Kristi: Our guest bedroom is a small room, and a walk through from the kitchen to the back of the house, so a traditional full-sized bed wouldn’t work.

Amanda’s late father collected over 10,000 pennies in his lifetime. She turned those cents into a gorgeous patterned floor inspired by Paris. From Amanda: Ever since visiting Parisian cafes, we’ve always had a thing for hex or penny-tiled floors. It just so happens that my late father left a collection of over 10,000 actual pennies. Four years ago, I started packing my carry-on full of them each time flew across the country to visit my Mom.

The previous owners had covered Lesley’s plaster fireplace with faux stone and a mantel. She decided to restore it with nods to her home’s Spanish and Art Deco styles. From Lesley: We bought our first home two years ago. It’s in a neighborhood full of period revival homes from the 1920s-40s. Ours is not Spanish or Tudor but has some elements of both styles.

Vintage card catalogs are just one of those items you have to grab if you see them for a reasonable price. Beth snagged a pair that stacked, so she decided to give the lower one a top so it could be used separately. From Beth: These card catalogs are like the holy grail of vintage finds! If you can find them, the prices are usually enormous. I lucked out and found two of these for a pretty good price. They were identical pieces with one sitting on top of the other.

Jill snagged this basic chair for a buck, and decided it could use some style. Instead of reupholstering, however, she made it a custom slipcover instead: From Jill: Comfy and functional but nondescript in style, this chair was the perfect piece for a makeover project. I picked the chair up at an auction for $1, my hubby fixed the one spring that had ‘sprung’ and I used it as my sewing chair for a few months.

Kathy saved this little cart from the trash, and decided to give it a new job, and a new (removable!) top! From Kathy: This vintage TV stand was on its way to the garbage when I rescued it. I was inspired by the printed side of a coffee bean burlap bag to create a coffee cart ideal for a small apartment or office. A little spray paint can go a long way.

Reeves wanted to add a touch of visual interest to this vintage dresser that needed a little love. She’s also got a great tip for painting on wood that will prevent color bleeding: From Reeves: I picked up this Dixie dresser from a local furniture sale. While I loved the mid century look and style of the piece, the finish needed some work and I felt that the piece needed a bit of color and a geometric design to add some visual interest.

Noticing there was a lot of unnecessary stuff (and wasted space) in her son’s closet, Ashley decided to clear out the clutter and add some fun. This just might be the coolest closet ever! I spent a lot of time reading in my closet as a child, and if it had looked like this, I’d never have left! From Ashley: The closet in my son’s room wasn’t useful or well organized.

When roommates outnumbered bedrooms, Brooke opted to take the garage. Now that she cleaned it, cleared it, and spruced it up, we bet the others are super jealous of her fab “glamping” space. From Brooke: I moved in to a three bedroom house with four roommates, and I opted to take the garage as my bedroom. I saw potential in the structure, regardless of its state. And I have always wanted to live in a barn… this is what it reminded me of.

Meghan inherited a hand-me-down dining set for her new home. While the table got a classic twist, the chairs now bring the wow factor: From Meghan: Having bought a new house, money was on the tighter side when it came to buying brand new furniture. My mother-in-law was nice enough to give my husband and I her old kitchen table. When I saw it, I knew I wanted to paint the chairs and redo the table. To start my makeover, I sanded and stained the top of the table in a walnut finish.

Handed down from Bryce’s grandmother, this headboard’s mid-century stylings are hard to ignore. With a little modernization, it has a happy new home in the family. From Bryce: My gran recently down scaled and passed this headboard down to me. She couldn’t believe my interest in such an old piece of her furniture. I immediately saw its retro mid-century potential and spent the weekend giving it a fresh look.

Aimee wanted a home office, but was short a spare room. So she transformed an extra master bedroom closet, small as it might be, into a super organized and fully functional area for crafting and work: From Aimee: I was in desperate need of home office space, but we don’t have a spare room. Luckily, I have two closets in our master bedroom, and only needed one for clothes. I was able to turn the second closet into a functional work space that is extremely organized.

In redoing a bedroom for his mother, Gonçalo worked in some family heirlooms that in a way that preserved memories, but created a soothing atmosphere. Check out the transformation: From Gonçalo: We live in the countryside around Lisbon, Portugal. We had this old furniture from my grandparents, brought from Africa in the ’70s. I wanted to surprise my mother with a new room… but keeping the family memories!

Dee’s new house was dark, having been painted chocolate brown with dark trim throughout. She decided to start at the beginning— and transform the entryway first. From Dee: About a year ago, my fiancé and I bought our first house together! While I was excited at finally having my very own home, I completely underestimated the amount of work involved in getting it to look like my “dream” home. Luckily for us, the changes have all been cosmetic so far.

We love a good freebie-turned-functional piece, and this one is no different. Taiyo spotted this trunk in the trash and transformed it into a stylish staple: From Taiyo: I noticed this trunk peeking from a pile of other junk that my neighbors had thrown out. My roommate and I carried it back in the dark and hoped it’d look decent in the daylight, which it did. It took a lot of scrubbing to get rid of the grime but it was worth it!

Havalah’s family room fireplace featured an extra-long mantel that also spanned some strange built-ins. With an update, this focal wall becomes much more functional. From Havalah: When we moved into our house, there was this funny looking mantel in our back family room. Then next to the fireplace, there were these two ‘holes’ like cabinets that were completely useless to us. We decided an update was definitely needed.

Anna’s lime green room had won her a teen interior design contest, but three years later, this 19-year-old graphic design major had other plans for the space. From Anna: About three summers ago, I had the honor of working with Pottery Barn Teen as their “student stylist.” As a Student Stylist, I wrote articles and produced pictures and videos for their website, with the focus of the videos/pictures/articles being my room.

Normally a member of the tribe of wood painters, Krizia decided this dresser was too lovely to coat. She did decide to ditch the yellowing finish and give it a refresh, though. See the results: From Krizia: This is a dresser I picked up not too long ago from Craigslist for $60! The shape was so gorgeous and I loved the size and bulk of the piece. What I didn’t love was the dated yellowish finish and there were plenty of scratches and scuff marks everywhere.

The dark-and-orangey fireplace in Amber’s living room was not her style. With a little ingenuity, she managed to give it a lovely light facelift, for under $50. From Amber: When we first moved into our house it was dark! Dark walls, dark trim and a big boxy and dark fireplace with orange tile. Not exactly our style. We’ve been diligently working to lighten everything up, but the biggest eyesore was also the main focal point of the living room – the fireplace!

Aimee’s twin toddlers had done a number on her dining set, but she was hesitant to shell out for something new while they still have an appetite for destruction. Inspired by kitchen counter DIYs, this IKEA table gets a tough new top: From Aimee: I was the sad owner of an even sadder, hodgepodge dining set – Ikea table and chairs, Target bench. The tabletop had taken quite the beating, thanks to the 2-year-old-twins who eat at it 37 times a day.

This small house near Nashville had been left unloved for awhile. Claudia decided to give it the makeover it deserved, including some much-needed curb appeal: From Claudia: This is one of two projects that I just recently finished in the area of Nashville, TN. The cottage had been vacant since 2010 and in a huge disarray.

Jill was looking for a budget-friendly option to add a modern industrial look to her home’s new addition. Enter the IKEA STUVA, a smart DIY tabletop, and just check out the result: From Jill: We just finished adding a little over 300 sq. ft. to our small house, and have now begun the process of furnishing the space. I loved the idea of a wall to wall desk for the office, but I couldn’t find a modern/industrial looking desk that fit both my budget and needs.

How do you balance the need for updates when you’re waiting to do a larger remodel? Ashley and her family faced that exact conundrum when they set out to spend not a ton of money on a bathroom update that’ll get them through the next five years. From Ashley: Our goal with this DIY bathroom update was to modernize it and make it fit us without spending a ton of money. This bathroom will eventually be part of a large scale remodel, but eventually is the key word.

Marlane spotted this broken wardrobe at a thrift store. She decided with a little love, it could be a solid replacement for an IKEA piece. From Marlane: I got this 1930s wardrobe for $50 at my local thrift, broken pieces and all. It seemed like the wardrobe had once been dropped, but other than that it was in good condition. Definitely old, but not a priceless antique. When I got it home, it was a lot more broken than it had looked!

Transforming IKEA furniture — and especially the BILLY bookshelf — has been done before. But when I saw this hack, I was truly impressed. Prepare to have a bunch of superlatives spewed your way, because it’s really that good… Gwen from The Makerista recently redecorated her friend Laura’s living room and, as part of the project, brought someone in to create these remarkable “custom” library shelves, using the IKEA Billy as the base.

This little mid century cabinet had seen a shabby paint job. Nicole decided to fix it up and add a little more functionality to it. From Nicole: This cabinet was badly painted and beaten up. It previously had a door on the right side from what I could tell because there were notches and holes from hinges. The drawer and legs were the best features of this piece and I knew with a little love it could be great.

Steph snagged three of these chairs for cheap at Goodwill. She happened to have some fabric—another Goodwill find— just waiting for them. See how they look now: From Steph: When the kids went back to school, I knew it was time for a new project. These chairs were 50% off at Goodwill so I bought all three. I thought about upholstering each in a different vintage fabric, but decided to use some yardage I had found a few weeks earlier at another Goodwill.

If Stephanie’s kitchen layout looks a little lacking, that’s because it used to be a laundry room. Thankfully, she had some friends to help her reimagine the space and make it more functional. From Stephanie: This kitchen was a laundry room originally and part of a cozy little apartment. It was difficult to hide things like fuse boxes, verizon hubs, etc. Also layout was a bit of a challenge.

Andrea’s rental kitchen was lacking a backsplash… and personality. Enter Etsy with a colorful (and temporary!) solution that complements her space. From Andrea: I had been looking for an answer to my rental kitchen woes for over a year when I found these removable wall/tile decals by Bleucoin on Etsy. I was instantly inspired to refresh my dark and boring galley kitchen with them.

After hauling this unusual but beat-up chair frame around for 15 years, Tami finally found the inspiration to fix up this old broken heart (-shaped chair!). From Tami: Many years ago (15 to be exact) I was driving my son to school, after dropping him off and looping the block I saw this skeleton of a chair next to the trash. I stopped to pick it up, thinking I would take it on as a project. Well after lugging it around for many moves, neither my skills or budget matched up.

Los Angeles-based designer Patrick Cain sent us these photos of a dingy, neglected South Central apartment that he transformed into a stylish home. Patrick upgraded nearly everything about the apartment, with the goal of creating a look that was equal parts industrial and midcentury, with a little bit of L.A. style in the mix. Patrick owns a fourplex, near USC, that’s over 100 years old.

Ewa and husband Andrew approached their new home’s balustrade in an interesting way. With only a tiny hall closet, they could benefit from some additional storage. See what they did with a trip to IKEA: From Ewa: My husband and I moved into this VA townhouse late summer. We knew we would be removing wall to wall carpeting before our furniture was to arrive in only 4 weeks. We had little time and not a huge budget. We decided to DIY the floors.

This old headboard was glamorous once, but it was in bad shape when Eri found it. She decided to give it a beautiful refresh, with a happy, colorful twist: From Eri: This headboard was found about a year ago in a bad condition begging for help. It had this disgusting old varnish that just made it look dead. It was stripped with paint remover, then used Annie Sloan paint and wax to add some patina and refinish the wood.

Jason’s studio apartment lacked sufficient counter space, so when he saw this IKEA dresser on the side of the road, he snagged it. See how he made it work for his kitchen: From Jason: I was driving home from work when I glanced over to see a couple moving out of their house. Three Ikea dressers were sitting on their front lawn with “Free” signs taped to each. 20 minutes later I had all three loaded into my truck. This is the first one I attempted to tackle.

Lindsay scored this cool vintage wire chair with the help of her mom. It was destined to be a fluorescent accent in her home office, and it sure pops: From Lindsay: When designing my new home office, I had a very specific thing in mind. Unfortunately, I also had a very small budget for my chair. I scoured thrift stores searching for just the right thing. Ideally, I wanted metal, wire if possible and vintage was a plus.

Despite its peeling handles and faux wood shelves, Shannon had plans for this thrift store bar cart. With a little love and crafty touches, it now shines: Besides polishing the brass, she painted and stenciled the faux wood, and wrapped the peeling handles with patterned tape. From Shannon: Before the holidays I found a beat up little bar cart at a local thrift store. It was a little grimy and had lost its luster. Not to mention the ugly faux wood shelves and peeling handle grips.

With chipping wood and torn silk, this bentwood bench was unloved. Lisa revived it into a total statement piece, where it turns heads and causes smiles: From Lisa: My friend fell in love with this gorgeous bentwood bench when it was languishing unloved in a workplace powder room! The original silk covers were torn and the strange olive stain to the timber was chipped and ruined. The boss said she could have it!! How lucky!

This vintage Danish chair didn’t make it through the ’90s unscathed, yet Lisa saw past its poor choice in upholstery and restored it with a more period appropriate style. From Lisa: I recently got this Danish modern lounge chair as a partial trade for something I was selling on Craigslist. It had been re-upholstered in a fabric that was not period appropriate, and it was missing two buttons, but I saw potential.

When Cate spotted this bamboo dresser, it was in bad shape, sporting a dual-finish black paint job and lots of wear and tear. But with elbow grease and a bold new hue, this piece sports a proud new look: From Cate: I found this bamboo dresser hiding behind a clothing rack at Goodwill on a furniture sale day. My first reaction was YIKES.