Reader Submissions

Many renters hope to add some color to their place, but Mery’s dreams were even more modest — white paint. So before she moved in, she negotiated with her landlord and got permission to paint and update her kitchen. Playing with white paint and how it works with the textures in her kitchen, she made a huge change. From Mery: I moved in six months ago and I am a renter. The first thing I told the owner was that I would rent it only if i could paint the kitchen tiles.

Kari was charged with upping the glam and functionality of the master bathroom for a pair of empty nesters. After re-thinking the layout she added some black and white drama with some seriously high impact wallpaper. From Kari: My company, Kari McIntosh Designs, was hired by a couple whose youngest son had just left for college. They loved their classic Victorian home, but had always dreamt of renovating it to give it a contemporary makeover.

Avery’s 1980s kitchen was dark and dated, but all of the appliances were perfectly functional so she figured she could make some quick and inexpensive updates to transform the look of the space. After much internet research, she decided to go with her gut and chose a color and style that matched her personal tastes. From Avery: Our craftsman style parsonage is full of beautiful, original wood trim, built-ins, and doors from 1910.

After snatching up a thrift store console table, Claire decided to give it a shabby-chic, Pineapple focused makeover. Without going overboard, she peppered the table with Pineapple and the result is a charming and whimsical accent table. From Claire: I have a thing about Pineapples, I think they are beautiful, the king of fruits. I hate to admit it but I’m seduced by lovely packaging and as fruit goes, pineapples come in their own fantastic packaging.

Cate’s living room was closed off, outdated and the victim of some curious decisions made by previous owners. She set out to make the most of what she had, salvaging what historical details she could and making smart upgrades where needed. From Cate: Before our living room and kitchen were two separate rooms.

You know we love good entryway style, so when Leslie sent us her mudroom makeover we had to share. With storage, color, pattern and style she transformed a blah but functional space into a warm, welcoming spot. From Leslie: When I entered my home through my garage, the space always felt unwelcoming and undefined. I wanted the mudroom entry to make me feel joyful when I walked in from a long day at work. I added color and texture to the space using removable wallpaper from Hygge & West.

Joseph took a pretty beige living room and livened it up with some beautiful paint choices, crisp new carpet and a super-special prop from a Hollywood hit. Taking inspiration from the night sky, he proves you don’t have to overhaul a space to give it a totally new feel. From Joseph: We refreshed the living room with new, lighter carpet and layered the area with colors and textures found in the night sky.

After a bit of a vagabond lifestyle, Johanna was ready to put down her roots and settle into a home she could love. She found her house soul mate, and while it needed some improvements, she saw the home for what it could be. And as a reward she got to live out our collective dream of ripping up carpet to discover beautiful hardwood floors. From Johanna: Growing up moving every three years made it difficult for me to find a place where I felt I could settle down.

Jennifer’s pink tile bathroom was a little outdated aesthetically, but more urgently, it lacked function. Like, didn’t have a door, lacked function. For under $3k Jennifer and her husband were able to add style and useability to the space. From Jenn: Our 1961 ranch only has two bathrooms, one of which was this sad pink nightmare. We’d spent six years in a pink bathroom in our previous apartment and 12 with another pink bathroom in this, our first house.

When Mila grew tired of her gallery wall she opted for a big and bold change. Part accent wall, part large scale art piece and entirely fabulous, her vibrant mural is an eye catching delight. From Mila: This wall of my living room needed major help. I was bored of that gallery wall and wanted to try something new, exotic and attention grabbing. This mural was inspired by Robert Murle Marx’s textiles. Florence Lopez, a designer that lives in Paris, had a similar idea for her apartment.

Erin’s guest bedroom is small but makes up for it with great views. She was feeling it was a little too orange-y for her tastes and decided to paint the wainscoting grey. It made a world of difference, but wasn’t totally what she envisioned, so she dove in and gave the room an entirely new look. From Erin: Our guest room is the smallest in the house, but has amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean. It always felt dark and dreary and sad.

Devon and Jessica were tasked with adding personality, style and storage to their friend’s living area. Taking style cues from his favorite cult classic TV show, the duo created a funky and bright space that celebrated the occupant’s interests. From Devon & Jessica: Off in the final frontier, Los Angeles, lives a Star Trek-loving singleton who was anxious to update his one bedroom apartment.

Anne-Claire was on a Craigslist hunt for the perfectly sized and perfectly priced desk for her daughter. After a few disappointments, she stumbled across this desk, which needed a little love but was otherwise exactly what she was looking for. The fixing up process took a little longer than Anne-Claire expected, but the final result was worth it. From Anne-Claire: Now that my daughter is growing up, I started to look for a small desk to replace her little child table.

Megan’s kitchen was dark, didn’t feel like her and was completely lacking storage. She decided to banish all the brown and open the space up to make it brighter and more functional. The result is a charming kitchen that was totally DIY! From Megan: Our ten year old kitchen (new to us) was dark, tiny and unattractive. Dust would settle on the eaves and required us to get on a ladder to clean them, which never happened. Our cabinets were very small and allowed for only minimal storage.

We got a glimpse of Ruth’s home in her House Call but her bathroom reno deserves some special attention. While the old bathroom was not horribly offensive aesthetically, it wasn’t fully functional (and a little stinky). After bumping the project up on her to-do list and getting to work, Ruth found herself with a darkly dramatic space that didn’t break the bank.

Nina helped a family turn their vacation property kitchen from a claustrophobic and kitschy space into a fun and open gathering space. By removing the divider, adding some unexpected color along with classic elements, she breathed new life into the room. From Nina: The owners, a young family, wanted a vacation apartment (that they could also rent out), located in a town adjacent to a European ski area.

Marti’s master bedroom makeover was a slow and steady labor of love. Her first move was to tackle the too-bright purple paint and choose a color that was a little more serene. After that, she mixed DIY projects with budget finds for a chic and calm bedroom. From Marti: We’ve lived in our house for a little over one year now, and our bedroom has come a long way. There was certainly nowhere to go but up!

Danielle added style and interest to her living room with a few simple and small touches: replacing the curtains, adding some light fixtures, and slapping on a new coat of paint. And then she made a big change, adding color and interest to the space in a major way. From Danielle: When we first moved into our family home, the living room was covered in brown and beige from floor to ceiling.

Lindsay and her family moved into a wonderful new space in a neighborhood they loved. But there was one snafu: the old and outdated kitchen. Lindsay has a food blog so a clunky kitchen just wouldn’t do. They gutted the entire thing and started from scratch, and the results are a fun and functional space that’s perfect for family life and blog life. From Lindsay: The biggest change we made was to the location of the sink and the removal of the existing island.

This little kitchen was in need of a lot of spiffing up and a little bit more space. Christina gave the space a fresh new look with a smart layout, some classic tile and a coat of paint in a lovely light color. From Christina: We recently finished up our project in Redondo Beach. This was a smaller house that was in serious need of a face lift. It had so many colors happening as well as some issues in the kitchen.

Michelle stepped in to help a grad student create a stylish and functional space that she could love for all of her harried, paper writing years. She added color and fun without creating a room full of distractions. From Michelle: This grad student was moving into an apartment that she would live in for the next five years. Mina had a small budget, but a lot of style. Her space was a blank canvas, as she was starting from scratch.

This master bath had plenty of space but not a lot of function. Kendra set out to not only upgrade and maximize the utility of the space, but to create a calm and serene atmosphere. From Kendra: This master suite had taken on minor renovations before, but nothing that allowed it to shine and become a truly functional and relaxing oasis. This space had an outdated standing shower, no access to the walk-in-closet and overall lack of functionally.

Ashley wanted a bathroom update that was stylish, full of storage and helped maximize the space of her small bathroom. By pulling in a surprising piece of furniture and painting the space a calming color, she created a bathroom that blends form and function. From Ashley: The tiny half bathroom connected to the master bedroom was original to the 1972 house and in desperate need of an update.

IKEA Pax wardrobes can be a godsend for creating closet space out of nothing and here is an exquisite example of how they can not only provide a massive amount of storage but appear like they were built just for your space.

The size and scale of this fireplace is striking which means that changing its look has a big impact on this space. The homeowners also opted for a new wall paint color. Together, these changes give off a whole new vibe. Take a look: From Christina: I am not a big DIY person so I spoke to the amazing contractor Adrian at Craftsman Construction that we worked with on this project, about how they were able to change the multi-colored stone fireplace into the clean white look that we finished with.

We’ve seen Natalie’s 19th century home before and this time she’s tackling her dining room. Not happy to just strip the floors and replace the chandelier, she put her artistic talents to good use and painted something gorgeous on the walls. From Natalie: My husband and I bought a circa 1870s house in Pittsburgh nearly three years ago. The house has a wonderful lived-in feeling and great bones, but it needed an infusion of style.

Heather’s kitchen was outdated, but not unlivable, so she and her husband opted for a few smart and thrifty updates to add some style to the space before a big kitchen remodel. From Heather: My husband and I recently purchased a 1960s home. It’s in great condition, but most everything is original to the house.

Natalie’s home was originally divided into apartments, so she had the not-so-small challenge of turning it back into a cohesive space. After experimenting with new paint colors, and switching up the floor, she finally found herself with a moody library full of quirky, personal charm. From Natalie: This room has changed over time as my husband and I have lived in the house. We bought our circa 1870s Pittsburgh home nearly three years ago.

When Marti set out to revamp her bathroom, she knew that a full tile update wasn’t in the cards. She didn’t let that deter her, however, and went ahead and made some really smart and stylish changes that created a less dated, more classic space. From Marti: My goal was to replace the glaring features that made the bathroom look really dated/cheap: most notably, the paint, mirror, and sink.

Sarah found herself in an all-too-familiar predicament: she had a bland bathroom and a strict landlord. Not wanting to force her bathroom to live a colorless life, she got creative and found a stylish and temporary solution. From Sarah: Last spring we moved from Manhattan to Northern Virginia, where we’ve been living in a beautiful rental house.

When Amanda moved into her boyfriend’s home, she brought the furniture from her college apartment along with her: a bunch of mismatched hand-me-downs that didn’t fit the new house. After a year of making no progress, Amanda came up with a new plan and transformed their random living room into a dreamy escape that feels like home.

Debra’s home had gorgeous mid-century bones, and her renovations made the most of them. With some stunning tile and beautiful pictures, she turned her bathroom into a breathtaking beauty. From Debra: We recently finished renovating two of our mid-century home’s bathrooms. Since they are adjacent to one another, my first inclination was to combine them into one large space.

Courtney found her ideal furniture at a thrift store, but it needed a little work. Combine DIY skills and a very generous birthday present, and you get a very cool dream come true. From Courtney: I’ve always loved and coveted two kinds of tables: a formica table and a pedestal table. As luck would have it, I found both on the same day at a thrift store.

Rebecca saved this totally unassuming display from the trash and turned it into an unrecognizably stylish addition to her living room. With a little cash, and some ingenuity, she helped this piece make a total 180. From Rebecca: We were throwing away an old gift wrap display at the stationery shop where I work. I took a good look at it and flipped it over, I thought it would make a great addition in my living room.