A big renovation just isn't always in the cards, since it usually involves a large budget, a lot of time, and plenty of work. But there are smaller fixes that you can make to a dated space while you wait to give it a full reno.

Megan Baker Detloff

Jan 23, 2021

Before and After: A Dingy, Run-Down Bedroom Is Unrecognizable After a Luxe Redo

It's hard to believe it's still the same space.

Christianna Silva

Jan 9, 2021

Before and After: A $2,000 Redo Turned a Dated Camper into a Mobile Dream Home

It's still only just 280 square feet, but feels so much bigger.

Lydia Mack

Jan 5, 2021

Before and After: A Few Small Swaps Make This Dining Room Way More Inviting

Here's proof that little changes add up to big results.

Christianna Silva

Jan 3, 2021

Before and After: An Heirloom-Filled Bedroom's Redo Preserves Its Vintage Charm

It's a fresh look, but still feels cozy and lived-in.

Lydia Mack

Dec 17, 2020

Before and After: A 1920s House Gets a New Kitchen Worthy of Its Vintage Charm

The classic look of the new kitchen makes it feel timeless.

Lydia Mack

Dec 15, 2020

A Philadelphia Home Has Dreamy Exposed Bricks & a Vintage Mix of Furnishings

Sue Eggen is an artist and creative director at Urban Jungle, shares this Philadelphia home with and writer and librarian Nathaniel Eddy.

Carina Romano

Dec 14, 2020

This Already Adorable Home Has the Cutest Holiday Decor Details

This home is cheery year round!

Apartment Therapy Submissions

Dec 8, 2020

The Unexpected Living Room Decor Item That Kicked Off a Family History Lesson

My grandparents' storied wooden trunk from Italy is now the center of my living room, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Alyssa Longobucco

Nov 20, 2020

Two Good Friends Turned an '80s Portland House into a Fantastic "Cougar Den"

"When searching for a home, we knew we wanted something with character, a place in which we could manifest our black cat palace style."

Apartment Therapy Submissions

Nov 19, 2020

Before and After: A $25 Damaged Dresser Gets a Redo with Million-Dollar Style

Some painstaking DIY transformed it from junk to jewel.

Megan Baker Detloff

Nov 17, 2020

7 Reliable Old-School Cleaners This Neighborhood Grocery Store Always Keeps In Stock

To find out what the seasoned crowd couldn’t get enough of, I spoke with John Lind, one of the store managers at Lunds & Byerly’s in Roseville, Minn. Here are some of the products his senior shoppers love.

Ashley Abramson

Nov 5, 2020

An Old School House Attic Is Now a Rustic Yet Modern Fifth-Floor Walk-Up

This couple's home is almost completely furnished and decorated from thrift stores, flea markets, and yard sale finds!

Apartment Therapy Submissions

Sep 30, 2020

Tiny Turkish Rugs Are the Most Stylish, Affordable, and Versatile Carpets

Here are 9 fun ways to use them in your home.

Dominique Gebru

Sep 10, 2020

This App Is the Safest, Smartest Way to Move Furniture

Get ready to win at vintage shopping!

Sarah Lyon

Sep 3, 2020

B&A: Two Students Renovated This Retro 1975 Van to Live, Travel, and Study In

"Living in a van is allowing us to have the world as our classroom and we are so excited that we get to experience a better appreciation for the world around us while pursuing our education, and of course traveling in style."

Apartment Therapy Submissions

Sep 3, 2020

Before and After: $52 Turns a Curbside Find into an Organized Entry Drop Spot

This dresser's dramatic glow-up will inspire you to go curb shopping.

Megan Baker Detloff

Aug 27, 2020

Before and After: I Turned My Great-Grandmother's Hutch into a Modern Heirloom

Family hand-me-downs don't have to be stuck in the past.

Haley Velasco

Aug 15, 2020

This Brooklyn Home Flawlessly Masters an Incredibly Long and Very Narrow Living Room

And they designed it on a limited budget! The result is a sophisticated yet affordable and very livable apartment.

Apartment Therapy Submissions

Jul 31, 2020

A Disastrous Duplex Was Transformed into a Warm and Artsy Montreal Home

When David and Ara bought this house in 2015, it was a duplex, and, more importantly, a complete disaster.

Marie-Lyne Quirion

Jul 31, 2020

Sorry, Parents: Nobody Wants the Family “Heirlooms”

In a modern world currently intrigued by minimalism, there’s something that all three adult generations can agree on: the problem of dealing with the collections curated (hoarded?) by our family members. From younger boomers and Gen X’ers sandwiched between their aging/dying parents and their own children to millennials trying to gently manage expectations (and their own limited budgets and storage space) without hurt feelings, the message is crystal clear.

Melissa Massello

Jul 18, 2020

The Ten Commandments of Buying Used Furniture

You see a chair on the curb. It’s sitting right in front of your building and it’s free. Or, you’re at the thrift store and spy a cheap sofa. But something holds you back. You’re just. not. quite. sure. If only there were guidelines — holy reminders if you will — of things to keep in mind while looking at used furniture. How do you decide if it’s the right thing to re-do? Or if you should run in the other direction?

Dabney Frake

Jul 17, 2020

DIY Room Decor: Lace Doily Bowls

I’m an accessory junkie, it’s true. I like to make, buy and hunt for new accessories and it’s very hard for me to part with old ones. This simple DIY project is a great way to organize some of your trinkets, and also a great use for all those old doilies floating around in the universe. Whether they’re from your local thrift shop or passed down from your family, this project is a great way to give doilies a new fresh life.

Melissa DiRenzo

Jul 17, 2020

7 Ways to Repurpose a Vintage Dresser (And Gain More Storage in Every Room)

Stylish vintage dressers are a dime a dozen at antique stores and flea markets. I just came back from the Brimfield Antique Show, and let me tell you, those fields were positively brimming with awesome dressers. They seemed so much easier to find than other pieces of furniture, that at one point, I started to wonder why we all don’t just turn one of these dressers into the vanity / kitchen island / tv stand we’re searching for? Turns out, we absolutely can.

Katie Holdefehr

Jul 17, 2020

Emily Henderson’s Flea Market Finds Are On Chairish Right Now

If you’re a fervent follower of Emily Henderson on social media like we are, you probably already know she was just in Round Top, Texas for the town’s massive flea market. The designer and blogger was in the Lone Star State snagging items for herself, for clients, and also for vintage resale site Chairish, where you can take your pick of specially chosen pieces from the show, starting today.

Tara Bellucci

Jul 17, 2020

Make It Last: How to Update & Repair Vintage Wood Furniture

We’ve all heard the phrase “they don’t make ’em like they used to,” which in my experience, cannot be more true when it comes to quality-made furniture. Dovetailed drawers or burled wood veneer seems to have been replaced by the convenience of assemble-yourself, particle-board furniture. Although these pieces are affordable, the poor construction quality makes them practically disposable.

Cate Henderson

Jul 16, 2020

Before & After: Vintage Console TV Converted Into Swank Bar

It’s funny to remember how large, bulky, yet sometimes stylish televisions were before the era of HDTVs took displays from the floor onto our walls. We still remember our childhood 80’s RCA floor console TV taking up about the same amount of room as 40″ HDTV flat panels all lined up. Sometimes you’ll still find one of these wonderful relics of TV’s past in basements, garages or thrift stores, many not in working order.

Gregory Han

Jul 16, 2020

These Are the Best Vintage Shops in Every Single State

Shop small from your sofa!

Sarah Lyon

Jul 13, 2020

Before and After: A Mini $100 Makeover Turns This Dark Kitchen Colorful and Fun

The after's full of great renter-friendly solutions.

Megan Baker Detloff

Jun 17, 2020

Before and After: A Groovy, Statement-Making Redo for a Stark White Bathroom

The project took just two days.

Megan Baker Detloff

May 22, 2020

Before and After: An All-New Bathroom Perfectly Suits Its 130-Year-Old Home

What's old? What's new? It's hard to tell in this space—in the best way.

Melissa Epifano

May 15, 2020

Every Room of This Austin House Has Inventive DIYs & Enviable Secondhand Finds

Noah Marion power washed, painted, scraped, and replaced light fixtures, fans, appliances, toilets to reveal this Austin house's beautiful bones.

Apartment Therapy Submissions

May 1, 2020

Frugal Framing Ideas: Easy Ways to Revamp Thrift Store Finds

Framing art is notoriously expensive, no matter if you’re ordering a custom frame online or picking up a standard-size one from your local store. But if you have a little imagination (and some gold leaf lying around), revamping vintage frames is an affordable way to give your art a good home. Pull out the spray paint and unroll the wrapping paper, these vintage frame refreshes will inspire you to build yet another gallery wall.

Katie Holdefehr

Apr 14, 2020

Space Age Meets Scandi (and Shag Rugs) in a Groovy Little 1970s Australian Pad

This Brady couple has outdone the Brady Bunch.

Apartment Therapy Submissions

Apr 2, 2020

How to Make Mismatched Decor Feel Cohesive

Just because you're decorating with hand-me-downs, doesn't mean your place has to look like a hodgepodge of random castoffs.

Danielle Blundell

Mar 31, 2020

6 Discontinued Pieces from Our Favorite Brands We Found Online

Just because it's sold out doesn't mean you can't find it!

Sarah Lyon

Mar 27, 2020

4 Places to Score Vintage Le Creuset Online

Some things never go out of style.

Sarah Lyon

Mar 12, 2020

Colorful Accents: Framed Scarves

I have a bit of an obsession with scarves. I can’t go into a shop without beelining toward the pretty folded squares or colorful looped displays. They’re a year-round wardrobe staple. Though the season for long knitted types will be here before we know it, I’m looking toward the silky square versions for inspiring wall hangings. I’m off to Brimfield for the final antique show of 2013.

Tara Bellucci

Mar 11, 2020

Before &amp After: A Mid-C Modern Bathroom

Designer Gina De Pasquale renovated this Las Vegas residence that needed a little updating throughout. Her work is most impressive in the bathroom where she did a great a job of mixing high and low pieces, all while staying true to the mid-century aesthetic.

Rachel Wray Thompson

Mar 11, 2020

A New York Couple Shares 350 Square Feet

Natasha and Rob somehow make it work in their East Village apartment, despite it being tiny!

Nancy Mitchell

Mar 10, 2020

Don’t You Dare Think About Renovating This Perfect ‘70s Basement in Nebraska

If you so much as lift a finger, I'll be inconsolable.

Madeline Bilis

Jan 31, 2020

The 5 Best Sources for Finding Authentic Art Deco Decor

Get your 1920s style on.

Danielle Blundell

Jan 30, 2020

7 Things You’re Not Doing When You Thrift Shop—but Should Be

If you know, you know.

Sarah Lyon

Jan 17, 2020

10 Easy-to-Find Secondhand Staples (and How To DIY These Thrift Store Finds)

Here are 10 secondhand staples you run into at thrift stores all the time, and 10 corresponding DIY projects to modernize them. Most are simple projects that are both do-able and transformative. Keep them in mind the next time you are wandering around a flea market, or in your favorite Goodwill. Mismatched Plates: These DIY tiered stands are inexpensive to make, and a great way to use old dishes.

Dabney Frake

Jan 16, 2020

Before and After: A Rental Bedroom with Luxe, Hotel-Worthy Flair

Vintage furniture and DIY molding give this bedroom that certain "je ne sais quoi."

Megan Baker Detloff

Jan 14, 2020

Before and After: This New Dining Room Has Major "Hang Out Here" Vibes

This fresh redo proves dining rooms don't have to feel like a Downton Abbey set piece.

Megan Baker Detloff

Jan 9, 2020

Before & After: The Good Old Days Just Got Better – A Retro Reinvention Renovation

When faced with an outdated kitchen, it’s a natural reaction to want to go for the gut and simply start with a clean slate. It takes a a good eye and plenty of design confidence to recognize a situation where not everything has to go and instead, successfully build on the old, seen-better-days bones of the room.

Janel Laban

Dec 19, 2019

Poke Acupuncture’s New Spot On Melrose

Name: Russell Brown // Poke AcupunctureLocation: Los Angeles, CA The last time we visited Russell’s office at Poke Acupuncture, he was at his old location in West Hollywood. Just in the past couple months, he’s moved to an actual storefront and brought his DIY talent to this incredibly curated new office space. Succulents, fine art, books and hand crafted furniture are just some of the truly awesome elements of this acupuncture office.

Bethany Nauert

Dec 19, 2019

Suzy’s Whimsical Mid-C Modern Home

Name: Suzy UltmanLocation: Old Worthington — Worthington, OhioSize: 1,700 square feetYears lived in: 2 — ownedIf you’re familiar with Suzy Ultman’s work, you know her for her playful designs depicting a world populated by grinning apples, thick-eyelashed owls and rosy-cheeked matryoshka dolls, figures rendered with simple details that pack a mega punch of personality.

Jennifer Wray

Dec 19, 2019

Jen & Nate’s Upcycled Mix

Name: Jen Selk & Nathan Kalman-LambLocation: Midtown — Toronto, CanadaSize: 2 bedrooms, 800 square feetYears lived in: 2.5 years together, Nate for 5 — Rented Jen and Nate’s two bedroom Toronto apartment proves yet again that you needn’t spend buckets of money to make a home function well, look beautiful, and reflect the unique personalities of its inhabitants.

Abby Cook

Dec 19, 2019

Laura’s Mid–Century Melrose Place

Name: Laura LeonLocation: Kerns neighborhood — Portland, OregonSize: 1,010 square feetYears lived in: 2 1/2 years — rented Laura’s a color and materials consultant, trend forecaster and photographer. Another notch to her freelancing belt she should think of including? Interior designer! With her eye for quality vintage, simple colors and personal details, this woman is an artist with her home.

Leela Cyd

Dec 19, 2019

Elizabeth’s Colorful and Adventurous House

Adrienne Breaux

Dec 19, 2019

Before and After: A Dark, Dramatic, and Totally DIY Master Bedroom

Deep navy paint is MOODY—in a good way.

Megan Baker Detloff

Dec 7, 2019

A 1970s House Has the Best Collection of Secondhand Treasures We've Ever Seen

Jenasie Earl only buys things if they are ridiculously cheap; her home is full of styles over all decades!

Apartment Therapy Submissions

Nov 20, 2019

Before and After: A Total Dining Room Revamp at This Abandoned House

*Blink blink blink.* Yes, it's the same dining room!

Ashley Poskin

Nov 16, 2019

Before and After: A Total Bathroom Redo with a Vintage Spin

This family got the best of both worlds: a fresh new bathroom with a classic old-school look.

Ashley Poskin

Nov 11, 2019

Before and After: A Bright Budget Redo for this Lime Green Kitchen

Lime green: great for slime, not always so great for cabinets.

Alison Goldman

Nov 4, 2019

This Graphic Designer’s Entire Home Has Sunny Living Room Vibes

This home has a bright, window-filled room the homeowners call their "conservatory" with a small sitting area that feels like the coziest reading nook ever.

Viv Yapp

Oct 10, 2019

A 550-Square-Foot Chicago Rental Masters a 'Miami Meets Texas' Look

Inspired by vintage tiki and western decor, Perry and Kenny love thrifting and hunting for one-of-a-kind pieces at flea markets.

Minette Hand

Oct 4, 2019

We Just Discovered a Hidden Section for Vintage & One-of-a-Kind Rugs—And It’s Not Where You’d Expect

Seriously, this is unexpected.

Nicole Lund

Sep 17, 2019

A Chicago Garden Unit Is Bright and Full of Vintage Finds

"Have you ever looked at an apartment in the pitch black without heat? It's not great."

Esteban Cortez

Sep 6, 2019

See Inside This Beautiful India Home Surrounded by Serene Gardens

The front door of this stunning home in India is often left open to let the beauty of the surrounding nature in.

Melanie Rieders

Aug 13, 2019

Before and After: This Pink Powder Room Reno Cost Less Than $600

The powder room didn’t quite make it to the top of Laurel list of must-immediately-make home improvements—until she found out that a wall had to be taken out completely and rebuilt for proper support.

Ashley Poskin

Aug 6, 2019

A Mortician’s “Victorian Naturalist” Los Angeles Home

As a mortician, Caitlin Doughty is dedicating her life to creating a more open conversation about death and dying.

Marisa Vitale

Jul 29, 2019

A 400-Square Foot Brooklyn Studio Is a Cotton Candy-Colored ‘Mermaid Hideaway’

This visual artist describes her style as "shabby chic meets vintage glam inside a kitschy mermaid grotto."

Darragh Dandurand

Jul 19, 2019

Antique Dealers Transformed This House into a Colorful, Quirky Home

This house features bold colors, signs, and other interesting objects... and best of all almost everything in the house is preloved!

Natalie Jeffcott

Jul 16, 2019

A Vintage Dealer’s Seattle Home Is a Quirky, Mid-Century, Desert-Inspired Live and Work Loft

Almost everything in this interior designer and vintage furniture dealer's home is from a vintage or thrift store.

Apartment Therapy Submissions

Jul 11, 2019

This Melbourne Rental Home Is Fun and Pastel Colored

Candice and Eddie's colorful and happy apartment is housed in an old warehouse in Melbourne, Australia.

Natalie Jeffcott

Jul 9, 2019