Renovating & Remodeling Skills & How Tos

There were some great things that happened, design-wise, in the 70s, but this bathroom was not one of them. Molly and Jonathan had a few projects in mind when they purchased their Ditmas Park one-bedroom, but they knew that the “sunburn-colored” stripes in their bathroom needed to be the first thing to go. The problems with the bathroom went beyond the cosmetic.

Amanda’s cramped main bathroom was in desperate need of two things: light and space. After patiently waiting for two years, she got to work and created a bright & stylish space. From Amanda: We bought our 1925 Sears Kit home in December of 2014 and have slowly been renovating room by room. We started with the rooms that were deemed “unlivable” by us and let the rest stay as they were. Our upstairs bathroom was one of the rooms we learned to live with for almost two years.

When Christina and her husband moved into their historic row home, they waisted no time (seriously, no time) getting to work on renovations. During that time their guest bedroom took a back seat to other spaces and became a storage area. When it came time to get around to the guest bedroom, however, Christina went full force on DIY projects, smart planning and beautiful design choices.

When Nole and her family moved into their home, their sole bathroom was dark, cramped and falling apart. After overhauling the main fixtures and lightning everything up, they have a much happier spot! From Nole: This is the only full bathroom in our home. When my husband and I first toured our home, we immediately identified the bathroom as needing a total gut renovation.

About a year ago, my partner and I purchased our very first home. It’s a darling 1920s house with tons of curb appeal, but it still needs a lot of renovation work on the inside. And, while much of the house retains its original charm, the kitchen leaves a lot to be desired. After a bit of sleuthing, we learned from past building permits that the previous owners did a complete kitchen overhaul in 1970.

Isadora finally found the farmhouse of her dreams and set about creating a modern, Scandi inspired look in the dinning room, while sticking to a small budget. Putting their previous DIY skills to the test, Isadora and her husband created a bright and stylish space that is warmly welcoming. From Isadora: My husband and I have been dreaming of getting a farmhouse in Sonoma County. We spent a year and a half looking for the right property at the right price.

Erin wanted to pack a lot of style into her small bathroom. With her eye on function and organization, she upgraded, replaced and customized her way to a space that really makes a statement. From Erin: The old bathroom was basic and old. Because I had a small space to work with, I wanted to make a statement in my bathroom. I removed the old cast-iron tub and opted for floor-to-ceiling oversized subway tile to draw the eye up and brighten the windowless space.

Erin’s old kitchen looked straight out of Stranger Things and she knew before she moved in that she’d be going to battle with the demigorgon of outdated design (end of reference, I promise). By knocking down the cabinets and updating the kitchen with crisp, modern design she was able to make her galley kitchen functional and beautiful. From Erin: I recently bought a dated condo with hopes to make it my own. The obvious issue in the small galley kitchen was the lack of natural light.

Emma and Matt bought a home in Ipswich for its old world character and its affordability. But most of the time “character” often comes with a huge list of DIYs and needed renovations. This home had a particularly dated living area and kitchen that, despite the big windows letting light in, felt quite dark. The living area and kitchen of their home was very dated with the yellow walls, green trim, not to mention the dark wooden ceiling and kitchen cabinets.

We can’t all live in a gorgeous Haussmannien building on the left bank of the Seine. In fact, some of us have to live in effective but uninspiring homes with little to no architectural detail whatsoever. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do. In fact, there’s a lot you can do, even if you live in the most boring of houses, to add a little character to your space. Check out these 7 DIY projects. Add a ceiling medallion.

Lauren’s a big fan of cooking and entertaining, but her cramped galley kitchen was getting in the way of her following her bliss. So she enlisted some professional help and totally transformed her kitchen into a stunning, open space. From Lauren: I recently completed a 3.5 month apartment renovation. The driving force behind the project was my kitchen. I enjoy cooking and entertaining and the confines of the original galley kitchen was not conducive to the way I lived and entertained.

When they bought their co-op apartment in Brooklyn, Casey and Kumar had a particularly ambitious project in mind: transforming a one-bedroom to meet the needs of a family of four people. Doing so involved some pretty clever solutions along with a full-scale overhaul of the unit’s very small, very outdated kitchen. Since space in their small apartment was at a premium, Casey and Kumar wanted the kitchen to flow seamlessly into the rest of the living area.

Danica’s new house came with an old kitchen, and she knew it had to go. With a nice layout and some Craigslist luck on her side she was able to DIY her way to a gorgeous updated kitchen. From Danica: We moved into our home last year and the first project we tackled was the horribly boring builder grade kitchen. The layout was great but the oak cabinets, white laminate and checker backsplash needed some serious updating.

We featured Josef’s stylish Prague apartment a few weeks ago. Now we get to see how Daniele worked his magic on this tiny and outdated space. From Daniele: Josef gave me full creative freedom when renovating his apartment’s bathroom. The bathroom was old and dark. He wanted to fit in a bathtub, possibly his only request for this project. Given the small size of the bathroom I thought it was a bad idea, but he insisted so we did it.

New home, new projects! Kristina knew that upgrading her out of date bathroom was the first thing she wanted to tackle in her new home. Three months later she now has the bathroom of her dreams. From Kristina: As soon my husband and I moved into the Ravine House, we started on our massive upstairs renovation, which included our master bathroom. It was in desperate need of a revamp!

This vintage kitchen had a lot of brown in it. Brown cabinets. Brown counters. A brown floor. Yep, even a brown oven. Thanks to the DIY skills of this couple in Pittsburgh, their kitchen is brighter and a heckuva lot more modern. Lauren writes: “We did most of the kitchen ourselves and a good bit I did all by myself. I was completely terrified to do it but I’m so glad I did.

This bathroom looks like my childhood, and while that may be heartwarming for me, Tanya was not that wild about the dated look of her space. After saving up and getting down and dirty and doing a lot of work themselves, Tanya and her husband have a stylish and timeless bathroom in their forever home. From Tanya: Technically, the “before” photo I submitted is the before-before, because I gave it a temporary spruce while my Hubby and I planned and saved for this renovation.

If you hate your floors, but are a little short on cash, I’ve got good news. A new floor can cost a ton of money — but it doesn’t have to. Here are nine budget-friendly ideas for upgrading your existing floors so you can get a whole new look without spending a whole lot of money. This vinyl floor cloth, demonstrated by designer Kerra Michele Huerta in an article from the Washington Post, is a great option for renters as well as homeowners on a budget.

Andrew Deming and Rachel Gant of YIELD Design Co. transform a drab 1950s living room into a bright and fresh sanctuary, incorporating their mix of modern and vintage design. The difference is astounding, and truly brings this midcentury home to its fullest potential. “When we bought our house last year, the living room was one of the worst spaces.

Marisa’s living room was feeling a little dark and dated. She knew the carpet had to go and had her ideal fireplace mantel in mind. With a few trips to the tile store and some help from her dad, Marisa was able to make her mantel dreams come true. From Marisa: When we first moved into our ranch-style home, between the old brown carpet and the dingy brick wall, the open concept layout felt dark and small. While some people love the rustic brick wall, I knew that it wasn’t for me!

Some thought Christina, who runs the blog Christina’s Adventures, was taking on a bit too much when she decided to buy and restore a 1902 Victorian house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with her husband. Not only was it quite dated and run-down, but they had a very young kid and another on the way! But Christina saw the potential in this house’s bones, and her restoration has created a modern, bright home with a family-friendly, farmhouse feel.

When we moved into our little 1950’s fixer-upper 2 years ago (you might remember previous progress reports on the kitchen and living room), I thought there was no way I could possibly wash in that grimy, cramped and dysfunctional bathroom. It had no shower, the loudest toilet flush on the planet and extremely temperamental hot water. But we ran out of cash and so it turned out I could live with it. For a really long time.

Christina of the blog Christina’s Adventures had quite the task before her when it came to tackling this historic Victorian home. Though it’s clear Christina is pleased with how the entire home turned out, the kitchen’s makeover—that they took on themselves!—is her proudest DIY. From Christina: “It was the worst room in the house before, and we transformed it into our favorite room in the whole house!

Lesley took a pretty major bathroom problem and turned it into a wonderful design opportunity. She set about putting the “do” back “mildew” (sorry) and ended up with a gorgeous new bathroom! From Lesley: This is a small family bathroom in our 1950s ranch home. It was pretty dated when we moved in but functional…until the floor started rotting and growing mildew, that is.

When Alyssa and her husband moved in to their Echo Park home seven years ago, they were happy to see a lot of the original details from the 1940s bungalow intact, like this blue tile in the bathroom. Though the tile was charming, the rest of the bathroom was dark and gloomy. Alyssa was able to give the space a whole new modern look with a just few small changes—and keep the charming vintage tile!

Amanda and Mike’s master bathroom was anything but masterful. When they decided to renovate it, they completely gutted the space from floor to ceiling, moved the toilet so they could fit a luxurious, giant shower and updated the fixtures and surfaces to include elements like marble tiles. The result is a bright modern retreat.

Inspired by the gray skies of the Pacific Northwest, Nila and her husband Henryk, DIYd their way to a charming, English cottage inspired kitchen. From Nila: As newly graduated Florida transplants to the Pacific Northwest, our money didn’t stretch as far as we had hoped. We purchased a small home, which we’ve named Corner Cottage, because it is a corner house in a fun part of the city with many shops, restaurants and farmers market all within walking distance.

Welcome to The Stacked Barn project where I lead you through a year-long odyssey that I’ve never been on before: the building of a new house. I’m going to show you how my new home gets built – step by step. This is Chapter Three. I’ve always loved my old house and didn’t want to change the layout too much, but I definitely wanted to use my design chops to figure out how to make it work EVEN better.

It’s almost hard to believe that this is the same room! Becki decided to make the most of the room’s gorgeous natural light and create a boldly white and bright space. Yes—they removed the stairs! As Becki states on her blog, this was an additional staircase, and really, “who needs two sets of stairs four feet apart from each other?

Amy’s bathroom was suffering from over-matching-syndrome. It was basically the bathroom equivalent of having your dress match your purse, shoes, scrunchie, lipstick and phone case. With some lucky finds and a lot of work Amy was able to create a calm and cool bathroom, with just the right amount of color. From Amy: My home is a 100 years old, and while the main floor and bedrooms had been recently renovated, the main bathroom hadn’t been touched in decades and was… pink.

Laura had been living in her two-bedroom co-op in Brooklyn’s Windsor Terrace for five years before she finally decided to take the plunge and renovate her kitchen. While her cabinets were still in decent shape, the linoleum floor was not: it “only looked serviceable in the five minutes after it was mopped.” And the original 1960s oven, while charming, was clearly due for an upgrade.

Welcome to The Stacked Barn project where I lead you through a year-long odyssey that I’ve never been on before: the building of a new house. I’m going to show you how my new home gets built – step by step. This is Chapter Two. The last picture I shared with you is just below. It shows my house nearly, completely gone and the four foot crawl space exposed. This pure and fast destruction took place over a few days in April.

Even if a space isn’t your cup of tea, it’s exciting to hear about folks who had an ideal space in mind and made it happen. Sara and her husband did exactly that, turning a motorhome into their dream home. From Sara: My husband and I spent two months gutting and renovating a 1989 Safari Motorhome to be the tiny home of our dreams. We (my husband and I and our two kids) now live in it full time and are absolutely loving tiny living! Thank you, Sara!

Concrete might seem like an unusual choice for your kitchen, but given the right setting, its rustic, textured look can set just the right tone. Or it can be pink. Alex McCabe, co-founder of beloved Aussie brand Kip&Co, has a kitchen in her Melbourne home that’s as fun as her company’s bedding. Not only does it have glamorous brass cabinets and a standout quartzite backsplash, the island is pink concrete!

It’s kind of hard to believe that this is the same bathroom and even harder to believe that this was a DIY project without any major renovating. Lauren’s paint game is truly next level. From Lauren: I am so excited to share this DIY labor of love. We moved into our house in upstate New York seven months ago. After spending all our money on the bones, we had pocket change left for changes and renovations. Luckily, I was happy with almost everything, except the first floor bath.

After living with the dark, dated kitchen in his Ditmas Park apartment for a while (and spending countless hours watching HGTV), Blane decided it was time for a change. On his wish list: lighter cabinets, to brighten up the space, and an island with a worktop, to turn the kitchen’s less-than-ideal L shape into something more user-friendly.

Zach is an all-around creative sort of guy —photographer, filmmaker, art director. Wanting to travel in search of stories to tell, he brought his considerable talent to bear on an old cargo van, making it into a super stylish mobile apartment and studio. He’s now driving around the country, doing freelance work and following his dreams. Zach stripped the van and built it back up with solar panels, working electric, and even a fridge.

Name: Maxwell & Ursula Type of Home: Single-family home built in 1967 Square Footage: 1,800 (Before) Years Lived In: 18 You see that cute house up there? The one I’ve repaired, maintained, painted and decorated for nearly twenty years? I just ripped it down. Want to see? Keep reading… Starting with this post, I’m going to lead you through a year long odyssey that I’ve never been on before: the building of a new house.

Risa’s bathroom update is such an impressive mix of super sensible (shout out to dark grout!) and totally gorgeous (those fixtures!) in a small space. From Risa: Our small townhouse bathroom (in Philadelphia) was the color of mucus. The kind you see when you have the flu. This bathroom was kind of like having the flu. It made you sick and achy all over just looking at it. No amount of elbow grease could get this thing looking clean.

After about a decade with a builder grade bathroom that was fine but not really his style, Jonathan made some gorgeous changes to his space. Turns out patience truly is a virtue, at least when it comes to glamorous bathroom renovations. From Jonathan: I bought my house nine years ago, new, and my master bathroom was complete with builder grade fixtures, lighting, brown walls, brown ceiling and travertine tile, as far as the eye could see.

Aubrey brings up the very important (and totally technical) design concept of finding the right vibes in your space. Sure, you could make some smart upgrades that would save on labor and make the space more aesthetically pleasing, but sometimes when the space just isn’t right you have to commit to a big ol’ project. From Aubrey: I would love to share my story of our newly remodeled kitchen.

One of my absolute favorite elements of our living room design is the IKEA Billy bookcase hack that TJ Breil of Slab Woodworking rescued. I say rescued because we attempted to create a hack of our own, using the bookcases you see here and a shelving unit, to fake the look of built ins. We got as far as putting it all together but the process of making the unit look “built in” was a dud.

Road tripping across the country sounds dreamy enough, but Becka’s gorgeously renovated camper makes the whole excursion so glamorous! From Becka: My husband and I decided that we wanted to invest in memories with our son before he started school so we purchased an older, used 5th wheel RV and gave it a big makeover to take on a cross country trip this summer (that we are currently on!) I want to inspire people to think outside of the box and see the potential in the older RV’s.

When Alexia purchased her first house, she got all of the freedom and joy that come with homeownership as well as some very ’80s bathroom tile. With a trip to IKEA, some lucky finds and some smartly shopped tile, Alexia was able to create a soothing space on a budget. From Alexia: My house is from the early 1980s, the bathroom was carpeted when I moved in (I stripped and sanded) and the ‘before’ tiles were the original builders décor.

I was driving by the intersection of 16th and South Van Ness in San Francisco one day when I spotted what looked like an Eero Saarinen side chair (with metal legs) in a pile of discarded furniture. I turned my car around to take a closer look, and turns out it IS an authentic Knoll Saarinen side chair(!!!). The upholstery was in poor condition with rips and stains, but other than that, the chair looked like it’s in a solid condition.

We’re all about the goings-on inside of your closet, but sometimes the outside needs a little love and attention. Anne hits all of the functionality & beauty buttons with her new closet. She not only had the closet fixed to fit the space and her needs, she added some gorgeous color and pattern to her spare room. From Anne: My old closets had ugly doors, and too much space behind walls. I wanted to open up the access and have sliding doors.

Aniko’s living room certainly wasn’t awful, but it didn’t feel like her. With a little white paint, some stylish DIY action and an excellent pink rug she totally lightened up the space and gave it a ton of character. From Aniko: Our poor little family room went through multiple stages since we’ve lived in the house. I tried decorating it many different ways, but we haven’t done any major projects in the room.

This Before & After is all about the pursuit of a beautiful dream. When they bought their co-op in Manhattan, Laura and Peter had a dream, the same dream that animates the hopes of millions of New Yorkers: an in-unit washer and dryer. In pursuit of their dream, they intentionally bought in a building that allowed retrofits of washer and dryer connections.

Meredith moved into a lovely mid century modern home with a decidedly not mid century style kitchen. Ten weeks of living through a renovation with three kids led to a gorgeous, window-grate free update. From Meredith: My husband and I bought this dated, yet lovely mid century modern home in River Forest, Illinois in September 2015 and immediately saw its potential to be something great. He is an architect in Chicago and I am a stay-at-home mom of three with a background in fashion and styling.

All this week we’re talking about bathroom renovations, starting with Ashley’s recent remodel, and following up with tons of helpful posts about the process! So you’re well under way on your bathroom renovation, but it’s time to choose a grout. While this step may seem unimportant in comparison to the bigger pieces of the renovation, the material and color of the grout can have a huge impact on your bathroom’s design and function.

All this week we’re talking about bathroom renovations, starting with Ashley’s recent remodel, and following up with tons of helpful posts about the process! Cement tile is a Pinterest dream come to life. Installing it, however, can be tricky if you don’t plan ahead and do your research. If you’ve laid ceramic tile before, you’re headed in the right direction — but there is still much more to learn before you start.

Phew. This project was a squeaker. Ashley found out she was pregnant after the renovation was planned and wound up photographing the final space at about thirty-seven weeks. I think she’s pretty happy she didn’t bring her new baby daughter home while the paint was still drying. Take a look at the finished space!

The good eyes over at Mignonne Decor were able to overlook the 90s sitcom floral pattern of this chaise and see it for its true potential. They not only re upholstered this bad boy, they used a total unique mix of textiles to do so! From Johnelle: Mignonne Decor is a furniture and design shop based in Berkeley CA. We specialize in transforming the old and unwanted into fun and funky statement pieces! We reupholster, re-stain, repaint and repair, all in house.

There are two groups of people when it comes to cast iron tubs: those who believe in their preservation, and those who believe in the almighty sledgehammer. If you’re the latter, this post is not for you. For those of you who believe in preservation and love a good soak in a nice, deep tub, we think that tub should look its best. Here’s how we took ours from an eyesore to eye candy.

All this week we’re talking about bathroom renovations, starting with Ashley’s recent remodel, and following up with tons of helpful posts about the process! There’s just something about soaking in a huge, luxurious tub to melt away all the stress of the day. When remodeling, the question is what kind of tub should you get: built-in or freestanding?

All this week we’re talking about bathroom renovations, starting with Ashley’s recent remodel, and following up with tons of helpful posts about the process! Changing out the faucet on your bathroom sink can be a pricey project. Fortunately, not every bathroom faucet is created equal. There are so many shapes, sizes, finishes -and price ranges to choose from. So where do you start?

Name Location Years lived in Room Room Size Ashley and her husband moved from Denver to a small town in Illinois a couple of years ago, buying an old 19th Century home in the process. It came with a real doozy of an upstairs bathroom. Since the couple is pretty hands-on (Ashley does a lot of DIY projects here at Apartment Therapy) they planned to tackle the space themselves.

What sounds like a totally stressful situation, moldy walls and dilapidated cabinets, had a silver lining for Kessie. She was able to transform her kitchen into a space she loves, and live to tell the tale! From Kessie: After purchasing our very first home we realized we had mold in the ceiling and part of a wall of the kitchen. The old cabinets were falling apart when we bought the home and weren’t salvageable.

Moving from NYC to Chicago we were pleased to find a neighborhood that felt very New York in the Gold Coast. Giving up life in NYC was sad for us, but living in Chicago offered the opportunity of a larger apartment and this apartment specifically offered amazing views of Lake Michigan. A virtual blank slate, the apartment had not been updated in over 30 years.

After buying a home that had been in her family for years, Katie knew there were changes to be made. Her open space updates took her space out of the ’80s. From Katie: My husband and I bought a 1980s ranch home from my grandparents. The home has been in our family for 20+ years. We knew that every room needed to be touched but that idea excited us because it has given us the ability to make our house exactly how we want it! The biggest project to date has been a brand new kitchen.

The previous owners of Amanda’s house had their hearts in the right place, it’s hard to argue with more storage, but the execution left a lot to be desired. Amanda made some super saavy storage decisions, switched up the lighting and got lucky with some surprise hardwood. Check it out! From Amanda: The previous owners of our house closed in part of the front porch to make a huge closet at the front of the home.

With some smart color choices on the walls and the floor, Lisa took her dining room from a little bland, to bold, bright and inviting. From Lisa: My husband and I bought a 1900 American Foursquare over the summer and have been steadily working to make it our own. The house hasn’t had any significant updates since the 90s so the work was much needed.

When we moved into our Victorian row in 2007, it was a pleasant-enough looking house. But my husband and I knew we wanted to renovate—especially the wood-paneled kitchen (even if it was white!). We decided to leave the kitchen as-is until we lived in it for a while and really used the space (we also didn’t have the funds at the time).

When we bought our little Laramie, Wyoming bungalow, we knew with a little work we could take the bland kitchen up a notch with some imagination, rearranging, and color. Given that the main floor is was so small (642 square feet), revitalizing the kitchen improved the vibe of the whole house.

I often think of custom made cabinets as a luxury, but for Maria, they’re a necessity. There’s no IKEA in Serbia, so Maria had to do all of the measurements and design herself, the result is a cool & sleek European kitchen. From Maria: I bought this one bedroom in July 2015 and had only month to renovate it. All major demolition, plumbing and electric work was done by contractors. By the time they left the place, I was almost broke.

My brother and I purchased a 1924 multi-family home just under a year ago. The house was in great shape but definitely needed some aesthetic updates and both kitchens needed a complete overhaul. It was important to me to keep the kitchen era-appropriate while incorporating a modern color palette and materials. We demoed the day after Thanksgiving and took the whole room down to the studs. My dad did all of the electrical work and plumbing and we hired a team to install the drywall.

Sometimes, you get caught up in the moment. Nicola started off with a short and manageable to-do list and then kept adding more to it, in the best way possible. Luckily IKEA helped keep her costs low as her to-do list grew.

We didn’t necessarily love this kitchen. My parents built the house in 1999, but the kitchen had a random, generic feeling to it. Oh sure, Mom dressed it up and tried to make it her own, but it just never felt right to her. We just started calling it “the room with the food” since we knew we could do better for her kitchen-wise. After my dad passed away from a long illness, my husband and I wanted to make their home as comfortable as she liked and exactly as she wanted it.

Oh, Scandinavian design. It truly is a small space inspiration. After Eric saw it first hand he came back revitalized and ready to rennovate. From Eric: I bought a small condo in 2001 when I was a student. I was a single dad and going back to university was a crazy move. But it was cheaper to buy than to rent so I went for it. When I walked into this 1923 building that had just been turned into condominiums, I thought “what is this place…?