Rooms

This unremarkable “cherry wood cave with black plastic counter tops” in the suburbs of Chicago was transformed into a dreamy kitchen, full of personality and luxurious finishes. The homeowner spent months searching for the perfect interior designer, someone who would bring authenticity to the project, and the wait was clearly well worth it.

There’s no denying the appeal of vintage bathrooms — but Rachel and Michael’s vintage bathroom had seen better days. The tilework, though charming, was badly chipped, and the tight, walled-in enclosure made showering a bit of a claustrophobic experience. The original vanity, mirror, and lights had been replaced with ones that didn’t quite suit the style of the room, and then on top of it all, there was the color of the walls: a very bad, oppressive beige.

When Kia Designs renovated a house in London that had been previously used as a house share, they knew they had a lot of work ahead of them—especially in the kitchen, which was easily the worst part of the house. They hoped it would come to be the heart of the home, a place that people would love to gather in and hate to leave. To give you a sense of how far this room came, take a look at it in it’s original state: Clearly, mission accomplished!

Zachary Leung’s Toronto kitchen was recently declared the 2017 Remodelista Considered Design Awards Best Amateur Kitchen, and it’s not hard to see why. He lovingly converted this 130-year-old dark and awkward room into a space that’s somehow both timeless and of-the-moment, with room for entertaining, laundry, and cleverly concealed storage. It’s hard to believe this was designed by someone who doesn’t do interior design full-time for a living.

To share a mere 478-square-feet with another human has its challenges. But to share and successfully use only 38 square feet of kitchen space is even more impressive! There were many design dilemmas facing Ali and Chip when they purchased this small Brooklyn apartment three years ago, but none so mammoth as the task of making a teeny tiny kitchen work for two people who enjoy cooking.

There are so many reasons to remodel your kitchen. You just bought a house and you hate what’s there now. Perhaps you finally saved up some money and can afford the change. Or, you plan to sell the home in a couple of years and think new cabinets will appeal to buyers. All good reasons, but do you want to know the most common thing that pushed people to finally take the plunge and redo their kitchens? #1 Reason: Because homeowners just can’t stand their current one anymore.

A few weeks ago, when I wrote about square tile being the new subway tile, the response, from a lot of you, was a hard no. Many people in the comments agreed that subway tile was classic, whereas square tile reminded them of either truck stops or icky, bland ’70s and ’80s bathrooms.

IKEA’s IVAR collection is a very versatile system, with different ways to configure storage, and made of unfinished wood that’s a virtual blank slate for paint. But, in a recent makeover project, the big question became: could it become the centerpiece of an inexpensive rental bathroom makeover? Erika’s bathroom suffered from a distinct lack of style, so I wanted to start with a great vanity in a fun color. One of my first thoughts, when on a strict budget, is usually IKEA.

IKEA’s instructions are in(famous), with their illustrated diagrams, lack of words, and the oddly bulbous “IKEA man.” For the most part, with some head scratching, you can figure them out. But, as we discovered in our recent bathroom makeover, when it comes to installing a sink, the Swedish retailer left out one major detail, which is essential to the job. Read this before you shut your water off and get to work.

For our most recent budget makeover, I was working with a double whammy on the walls: textured surfaces on the top half, and oddly-cut sections of beadboard paneling down below. Combined, everything looked bad and very slapped together, not to mention dingy and depressing. In order to inject some style, I needed an inexpensive solution that was also practical enough to work in a bathroom. My solution? I replaced the awful beadboard with crisp white sheets of pegboard!

Bohemian-style living rooms scream cozy, comfy, and “come sit awhile.” Characterized by lots of green plants, layers of color and pattern and a healthy mix of eclectic furnishings, bohemian living rooms are also budget-friendly! In fact, the more vintage, often the better. Though there are plenty of great examples of bohemian living room lounges in the States…there’s one country that seems to be knocking it out of the ballpark.

If you’ve ever lived in an apartment with an old, crumbling bathroom, you recognize Janna’s frustration with her Manhattan bathroom. “No matter how much we cleaned, it never felt clean,” she said. The small bathroom was dominated by an enormous seven foot tub, as demonstrated by the “before” pic above. In addition to the less-than-ideal layout, the walls and floors were in bad shape, the toilet leaked, and the vanity was beginning to fall apart.

IKEA kitchens—and bathrooms and wardrobes—are super-popular, but sometimes you want to kick things up a notch and move past the ubiquitous IKEA look. These six companies craft cabinet fronts, panels, and more in a wide variety of materials, colors, and styles. Some of them will even work with you to create fronts in custom colors and styles. Design your basic IKEA kitchen layout, and then head to one of these companies to make it the kitchen of your dreams.

When Giovanni purchased his Brooklyn condo, the kitchen had barely any cabinet space — and almost no workspace to speak of. His kitchen was just a drab row of appliances stacked next to each other, adjoining an alcove where a combination washer/dryer sat, visible to the rest of the apartment.

Fall has its beauty, but it can be a little too fleeting. Only too soon are we dealing with winter’s bare trees, slush, and seemingly neverending cold weather. If there’s a season where everyone deserves a little extra self-care, it’s winter. Japanese culture has an age-old way to combat the chill, which we could all learn a lot from.

Mila participated in a recent round of the One Room Challenge, but didn’t want to get overwhelmed by a major hard-core makeover. So, instead, she chose to redo the single wall just inside her entryway, which is also part of her living room. As is, the space was fine, but she was bored with the current gallery wall of photos, and wanted instead to make it as impressive as possible with just a little work and money. Her goal for the end of the project?

If you love pink faux marble Formica, do not click through because you will be heartbroken to see that this counter and backsplash have been (spoiler alert!) ripped out in favor of an impeccable slab of marble. As for the shutters, I have some further bad news… So gorgeous and graceful!

Finding the perfect apartment in New York, for a reasonable price, is no easy task. When soon-to-be parents Fabio and Melina decided to upgrade from their one-bedroom rental, finding an acceptable two-bedroom place within their budget turned out to be quite a challenge. Finally they found a place that fit the bill: two bedrooms, great location, and at a price they could afford. The apartment, which hadn’t been updated in 40 years, was less than perfect. But this couple saw potential.

After a long search, Melina and Fabio finally found a two-bedroom place in their desired New York neighborhood — and at a price they could actually afford. The only problem? The bathroom, which hadn’t been renovated in the apartment’s 40-year lifespan, had seen better days. With its dated vanity, off-color tile, and always-dirty grout, it was definitely in need of an update. The new bathroom looks fresh yet classic, in shades of black and white, with a touch of gold.

When Dana and David bought their home, it had wonky oak builder-grade cabinets in the kitchen, dingy wall paint, and — perhaps most importantly — a lot of shades of yellow. The previous owners were going for “hacienda” and the pseudo-Spanish style just wasn’t working for its new residents. All the other rooms in the house were updated first, and the kitchen was the last one standing — mainly because Dana and David knew it was a BIG job.

You might have already seen my recent bathroom makeover, which I did in the span of a frenzied weekend and shared earlier this week. After all was said and done, I was very happy with how it all turned out. Then, I made one last-minute addition, which was about ten minutes worth of work, and cost less than $10. It made a small, but significant difference nonetheless. And here’s the good news. You can do it too, even if you’re a renter. Can you see the difference?

Chase and her husband bought a 1937 Key West-style house in Palm Grove, Miami and it came with a serious bathroom disaster. In a DIY job gone horribly wrong, the bath had serious structural issues, not to mention some very interesting (ahem) design decisions — neither of which did the home any favors. Chase was also itching to fulfill her dream of designing a room from start to finish, then actually enjoying it as her own. Then Hurricane Irma came.

There are basically three different ways to get cabinets into your kitchen. You can have them custom-built to fit the space. This is very expensive. You can get pre-made cabinets delivered, already assembled, and install them yourself (or have a contractor do it for you). This is less expensive. Or you can order ready-to-assemble (RTA) kitchen cabinets, and assemble them yourself. This is the most budget-friendly option of all.

Eighties design is a fascinating subject of study because of the peculiar arc it’s taken recently: from despised and reviled to avant-garde cool, all within the space of a very short period of time. But with all the love for Memphis and weird ’80s graphics, there’s one particular aspect of this design era I haven’t heard much about: the ’80s kitchen. Is it as terrible as we remember? Has the time for a renaissance finally come? Let’s take a look.

I love tile. I might even be a little obsessed with tile. So the fact that tile, even very bold tile, is making a comeback in the bathroom has me very excited. Lately I’ve been noticing an interesting trend in tiled bathrooms: bathrooms with tile on the ceiling. That, my friends, is commitment. Is this something you would do? Or is it all just a little too much?

When Emma bought her current home, she inherited one weird hallway. It was, in her words, “a giant monstrosity.” Along with four different types of scruffy, threadbare carpet on the stairs, it featured chipped white vinyl tiles downstairs, and yellow and orange “woodchip” wallpaper on all the walls on all three floors — even on the ceiling! When the 1970s called and wanted its decor back, Emma was more than happy to oblige.

This “Before & After” involves a beautiful Brooklyn brownstone with a bathroom that had seen better days. While certainly not as dire as some “before” bathrooms we’ve seen it had an uninspired design, a clunky sliding metal door that broke up the space, and a distinct lack of storage — especially for a bathroom of this size. Before we focus in on the other charming aspects of this bright new bathroom, let me just say: I love that floor.

This kitchen had issues, to say the least. We’ll gloss over the linoleum floor (not horrible, but not great) and the counter top, which sagged where it shouldn’t (never a good thing when you need a functional surface). Instead, we’re going to jump right on over to the stove, which had to be plugged in with an extension cord! Combine that with a fridge that was eating up floor space, and you know it’s time to rethink the kitchen layout.

This bathroom had everything: mauve jacuzzi! Mauve marble! Hexagonal sinks! Add in black walls and an abundance of glass block and you’ve got one very sexy early ’90s beast. You know this bathroom was A++ in its day. It’s just that its day was 25 years ago. A note: few of the before and after photos line up perfectly, so please use your spatial imagination to place yourself within the room. That being said: WOW!

The designer of this renovation described the kitchen before as, “dark, oddly angled and with what looks like fast food restaurant tile on the floor.” The client wanted to brighten and update the kitchen while making sure that it fit in perfectly with the rest of the 100-year-old home. The results are fresh and airy yet utterly classic, and the brand-new kitchen has achieved the dream: it looks like it’s always been there.

The bathroom in the Brooklyn apartment that architect Brian Kaplan shared with his family was one of those “it’ll do” jobs. The space, last renovated in the ’80s, was a bit tired and dated — but perfectly serviceable. But when a leak from the bathroom upstairs ruined the ceiling, Bryan took it as a sign that it was time for an overhaul. Rather than updating the bathroom to look super-modern, Bryan was instead inspired by the past.

Every little bit helps.

It may seem strange to Americans, but they also make a lot of sense.

I can get behind a design trend just as fast as the next person. Exposed brick? Sliding barn doors? Reclaimed wood? Check, check, and check! I dream of a farmhouse sink and a subway tile backsplash and am about to do the all-open-shelving thing in our kitchen. But there’s one seemingly mandatory design decision that I have zero interest in making: adopting the open kitchen. In our 1890 home, the kitchen is at the back of the house in a textbook-style late-Victorian floor plan.

In its previous iteration, the bathroom in Meredith and Jason’s Chelsea home was the epitome of late ’90s truck stop chic. A fancy truck stop, mind you, with a stone countertop, fancy mirror, and mud-colored shower tiles in a staggered configuration. But it just wasn’t working for them.

Jennifer’s new house was definitely move-in ready, but she was still eager to make some key changes to better suit her style, and quickly put all her collected Pinterest inspiration to good use. We featured her bathroom renovation already, and today it’s all about the changes she made to the kitchen. Again, the old kitchen wasn’t horrific, but it wasn’t ideal either.

This kitchen is great on paper — granite countertops! Stainless steel appliances! But in reality, it didn’t suit the homeowner at all. In just weeks, the kitchen went from black, tan, yellow, and brown to . . . well, you’ll just have to see! Wow! We see so many whitewashed renovations —which I always love, to commenters chagrin —so it’s fun to see a room that’s been redone in bright white and a bold, unusual color.

It’s rare we get a makeover project from a renter, with all the complications and limitations that entails. Wendy Carwardine has helpfully provided the budget, timeline, and logistics behind her awkward bathroom’s “weekend facelift.

Hannah was stuck in an impasse familiar to many of us: “For the seven years we’ve been in the house, I’ve always wanted to change the kitchen but thought it would have to be a massive, expensive project that would leave us without a working kitchen for months.” When she finally decided to tackle the room, she did it in stages with creative budgeting and a strong DIY spirit —all of which made the renovation much more approachable than originally predicted.

The bathroom in Katie and Lance’s Park Slope home was not without its quirky charm. But it also had a few odd and even irritating features, like the pedestal sink placed between two tiled storage cabinets, the storage niche with ill-fitting saloon-style doors, and the icky, perma-dirty grout on the floor. When, suddenly, a giant water leak joined the list of less than desirable elements, the couple decided that their bathroom was due for a serious overhaul.

Warm, earthy wood is such a beautiful material to have in your home…until it’s not. There are no rules about how much wood a home can handle, but you know it when you see it. When Carina Romano bought this cabin in the Catskills with two friends, Amanda Jaffe and Kate McCann, the location won them over, but the amount of ’80s-era wood-paneled walls was overwhelming.

We don’t often see hallway/stairway renovations—especially ones as fun as this one. These dingy, mustard stairs — and the dark landing spot at the stairs’ base — are about to get the makeover of a lifetime… WOW! That is so incredibly fun and unique! Natalie Jacob of Arsenic Lace has turned a stairway from a functional necessity to a stunning part of her home.

Sure, attics are known as musty, dark places, but with some imagination, they can be beautiful, inspiring rooms. Depending on how steeply it’s sloped, there might be a lot of square footage hiding right under your roof. For a little inspiration, check out these examples of attics that were transformed into beautiful and useful spaces.

I’m old enough to remember when a black, grey, and silver bathroom with shimmering wallpaper was the very height of style, and while there’s still a lot to love in that look, it is a bit dated—especially when there’s a brown tile floor involved! Let’s see the makeover which involves plenty of tile and zero brown… WOW.

This bedroom makeover is a testament to how an extraordinary piece—in this case, a vintage brass bed—can appear rather ordinary until it is properly presented and lovingly accentuated. This redo centers the brass bed and a vintage rug, creating an elegant bedroom truly worth of the term boudoir . . . Stunning! The results definitely have a vintage flavor, without feeling musty or dusty.

I think the best word to describe the “before” condition of this kitchen would be: ew. Discolored black and white floor tile, sad sagging laminate cabinets, perma-stained countertops, and a fluorescent light fixture like something out of a ’70s municipal building. Again, ew. And then there was the exposed exhaust hose sealed with duct tape. This kitchen was more than overdue for a change. Much better, yes?

When Kiersten bought her home, the kitchen had been recently renovation. It wasn’t exactly her taste, but it was….fine. She debated keeping it as is for awhile, and just making do, but then she started having some issues with the cabinets…. The kitchen looked fine, but only from a distance. In reality, the wooden cabinets had been painted white — without getting sanded or primed first — and the paint was peeling off in sections.

It pains me to say anything negative about a room containing so much gorgeous wood, so I’ll just say this: while this old kitchen had its charms, the new one is bold, spacious, and totally user-friendly. So different! This major undertaking was the vision—and partially the handiwork—of Lovebergs At Home. The wall-to-wall wood has been replaced with bright white upper cabinetry and dramatic black lower drawers, slate floor, quartz countertops, and island.

Lindsay and Tim’s New York apartment had a lot going for it: 9 foot ceilings, windows on three sides, a plum location on Central Park West, and a very spacious (for New York) footprint of 1,500 square feet. The layout, however, left a little bit to be desired. The main area was split between a living room and a rather unnecessarily large dining room, while the kitchen was completely separated from the living space.

Megan’s small powder room is tiny at only 4 by 4.5 feet deep. It’s located downstairs right off the kitchen and family room, so the bathroom gets used a lot. Before, the original builder-grade fixtures and the medium gray wall color made everything feel cramped and dated (hello 1990s!), so it was the first project they tackled after moving in.

When Diane first moved into her new house, she spent so much time and energy remodeling the rest of the home, that the master bedroom was a bit of an afterthought. At the time, she made it bearable by ripping up the wall-to-wall white carpet and purchasing a new bed. Still, even after all those changes, it just didn’t give off the moody, luxe feel she wanted. She eventually gave it the attention it truly deserved.

I think many of us have spaces like this one in our homes: crammed with secret stashes of stuff that, over time, get a little out of control. We often don’t even need most of the things in there, which makes it a colossal waste of square footage. This year, Robin and Ed not only cleaned out their 44″ x 43″ closet, but found a completely new use for the little room. Here’s a hint: it’s not storage any more.

When interior stylist Jaimy and her husband Marcel wanted a quieter place to live, they decided to move to her hometown…where they were able to buy her childhood home. To truly make it their own, the new home needed quite a few updates. One of the most striking transformations has been the attic. The idea was to let daughter Dalí have the master bedroom, so Marcel and Jaimy could inhabit the top floor. It sure is spacious enough, but a lot work needed to be done.

A mudroom is a great luxury to have—a spot to corral hats, gloves, scarves, dog leashes, muddy shoes, boots, and other inherently messy items—but a pretty, even glam, yet still totally practical, mudroom?!? Dreams really can come true. Before we ooh and aah over the space now, let’s see what Leslie Price of Price Style + Design had to say about the unremarkable room before: When I entered my home through my garage, the space always felt unwelcoming and undefined.

I’m old enough to remember a time when sliding shower doors were considered very innovative, and the height of bathroom fashion. When my family moved to Houston, in 1994, our new house had one, and to me that was a very big deal. Fast-forward about 20 years and the shower door in my parents’ house just seems a little moldy and gross.

This project is a great example of how a few dollars and a few minutes can make a dramatic change in your home—and your mood. As Anne described her situation, “Cooking and baking make me happy, but seeing my workspace sulking in the shadows was putting a damper on my spirit.” Let’s see her cheap, quick, renter-friendly, and reversible solution to the baking blues! So much better!

Not only did this kitchen receive a major aesthetic upgrade, the project achieved the Holy Grail of renovation dreams. In the words of the condo owner, “Same footprint, more space.” Hashtag goals indeed. So elegant! Malcolm Simmons of Mas Means More did such a fantastic job on this project. Is it strange that my favorite part is the cupboard above the refrigerator? It elongates the fridge and adds grace to a necessary appliance.

A family of four—including a former professional chef—made the most of this kitchen for four years, but they were eventually able to totally transform the room. Farewell to the “sparkly purple laminate countertops and faded store-bought cabinets” and hello to a gorgeous new gathering space that’s perfect for cooking. Impressed, but confused?

As one of the most intensely-used areas of our homes, bathrooms are popular candidates for remodeling. Though they can recoup a good portion of the costs at resale (usually 56-70%), bathroom renovations tend to be pricey. That’s why it’s important for homeowners to plan their budgets well. Given that more than two-thirds of renovation projects go over-budget, many homeowners could benefit from more thorough, accurate planning. Just how much does it cost to remodel a bathroom?

What’s the solution to two competing patterns of speckled stone in a kitchen? Sometimes the answer is a third, completely different material…. Argh, it’s like a beautiful jewel box! That pantry on the left is my new favorite room ever. And the unique arrangement of the hanging cabinets—is that middle one an ingeniously disguised range hood?—is so graceful, the marble walls are pure luxury, and that wonderful blue brings out such interesting hues in the marble.

Covetable ideas for your next remodel, or just your next weekend project.

Here’s a room with beautiful bones—stunning wood floors, classic fireplace, tasteful paint colors, interesting accent wall, high ceilings—but can it be even better? Here’s how the homeowner kept everything that’s good about this room, while remedying the “big empty space!” next to the fireplace. First, here’s how Lindsay of Indigo & Gray described the situation before the change: We had just moved into our brand new house.

Here’s a lovely dining room that boasts ample natural light, beautiful wood floors, covetable furnishings, a graceful light fixture, and happy plants. It’s nearly perfect! There is, however, the matter of that huge blank wall that somewhat sucks the life out of the room… This is so fun!

This kitchen looked pretty good! It was cute and has charm—but it had hidden issues that were driving its owner batty. Let’s see how far $3,500 went in refreshing this sweet space. Before we gaze upon the new kitchen, here’s how reader Alisha described the old one: The kitchen in our townhouse was adequate when we moved in 2+ years ago, but every day it grew more tired.

Green bathtubs, sinks and toilets — and especially avocado green bathtubs, sinks and toilets— are usually the thing of bathroom nightmares, and the one of the first things to go during a renovation. But we just spotted a recent renovation that might help change your mind about uniquely colored fixtures. This beautiful bathroom arrived in my inbox and caught my eye, with its green fixtures, light blue walls, and marble sections of wall and floor.

This is a very nice living room! If it has a flaw, it’s that it is all a bit…beige, with endless shades of taupe and brown. Check out the renovation that makes the room’s many assets pop — and makes you forget there was ever any beige involved. It’s now so fantastic!