Before & After: This Room’s Awkward Eaves Get Pint-Sized Personality
Gwen at The Makerista has been behind some of my favorite home projects recently. She’s got a great eye and an real-life approach to decorating that’s both polished and do-able — something all of us can aspire to. Check out what she did with this blank room… Gwen made the space into a new room for her son, finding a balance between kid-like desires and a classic look that’s not too juvenile.
May 4, 2019
Before & After: A Cozy Cabin Boy’s Bedroom
Kristi and her family recently moved back to their small hometown in Northern Alberta. After a warm welcome, they were faced with the reality of a house that needed a major makeover. Kristi and her husband decided to tackle their son Carson’s room first and were inspired by their new Northern surroundings to make this room as cozy as a winter cabin. Wait until you see the transformation… Now the room is full of warmth from floor to ceiling with so much wood and so many cozy textures.
May 4, 2019
Before & After: A Cute Camping-Themed Kids Bedroom
For anyone who loves camping, the outdoors, or very cute design details, this Before & After of a young boy’s room is for you. The color palette and designs are young and fun, but will grow with the boy as he gets older. And the room features plenty of steal-able ideas and inspiration for folks of all ages! From designer Lia Griffith, of Lia Griffith Media: Creating a children’s bedroom design that won’t grow old in less than a year can be tricky.
May 4, 2019
Before & After: Turning a Walk-In Closet Into a Nursery
With a baby on the way, Anna and her husband had to decide how they were going to fit a little person in their San Francisco one bedroom. The walk-in closet held the solution. From Anna: We had no extra room for a baby. The only “room” we had was our walk-in closet so we decided to convert that to our nursery. Or what we so lovingly call, a “Closery.” It took us about 2 months to purge all of our stuff and find wardrobes to replace the clothes we were keeping.
May 4, 2019
Before & After: A 24 Hour Nursery Makeover
If you ever feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done, this makeover will make you think again. Monica from East Coast Creative and a small crew took this old and unpolished room and transformed it into a completely unrecognizable nursery in a matter of 24 hours. The finished look is nothing short of amazing; it’s been transformed into a modern, fresh space that will easily grow along with baby Victoria. Aren’t you just dying to see?
May 4, 2019
Before & After: An Art Studio Transformed into a Dreamy Nursery
Name: Catherine Cachia Location: East Danforth — Toronto, Ontario When we moved into our house two years ago, I was really excited to have a dedicated workspace for the first time in my life. This room gets the best light in the house, which made it a great place to draw, make stuff, and practice my calligraphy and photography. From Catherine: “When we moved into our house two years ago, I was really excited to have a dedicated workspace for the first time in my life.
May 4, 2019
Before & After: From Super Blank Slate to Charming Nursery
For some people, a totally blank slate of a room is just plain intimidating. For Jolie, it’s a joy. See how she built a lovely little nursery in a room that was in need of some serious charm. From Jolie: When my sister-in-law and I first started off on this renovation journey, I don’t think we realized what we were getting ourselves into!
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Long Narrow Room Becomes A Shared Solution
Only a few months after buying our first home and moving into this 1927 fixer-upper, I found out that I was expecting my second child. We knew it was going to be a big project, but we didn’t realize just how urgent it would be for us to transform this darling little house into a home for two little ones. So almost immediately, we shifted gears and got to work on a shared nursery and toddler room for our now 2.5 year old son, Adam, and 3.5 month old daughter, Edie.
May 3, 2019
A Costco Playhouse Gets a Charming Scandi Makeover
Name: The Three Amigos (3 year old, and twin 5 year olds) Location: Vancouver, Canada After Melissa snatched up a pretty cute playhouse from Costco, she started dreaming up an adorable upgrade. Life got in the way, as it so often does, so it took awhile for the playhouse to get an upgrade. Combine one weekend, a super creative mom, white paint and elbow grease and you get the kind of playhouse that childhood dreams are made of.
May 3, 2019
Before & After: From Burgundy to Bunnies, Custom Wallpaper Transforms a Feature Wall
When Danielle and her family moved into their home, they knew which room they wanted for their daughters nursery but felt it needed some major restyling. After switching up the color scheme with paint and wallpaper, replacing the chandelier with something a little more kid friendly and adding all of the cute touches that make a nursery, they have an adorable space for their daughter that is a fry cry from the original room.
May 3, 2019
Before & After: Carving Out a Playroom in a Corner of a Living Room
Project by: Louise Bradberry of Cait’s Room Interiors Location: Johannesburg, South Africa Transformations aren’t always about knocking down walls or elaborate IKEA hacks. Sometimes they’re about looking at your space with new eyes and giving it a new purpose. Louise did just that for her clients. Wanting to supplement limited outdoor play space for their child, they tasked Louise with creating a play nook for their daughter in a corner of their living room.
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Kids Room Goes from DIY Mess to DIY Success
Meera knew she was going to have to get extremely crafty with her son’s new room. The previous owners had made some questionable (and potentially dangerous) choices that needed to be fixed immediately, and Meera was able to do so with some very cool DIYs and brilliant money-saving fixes. From Meera: The walls and ceilings were covered in poorly-hung textured wallpaper and the room was a DIY mess.
May 3, 2019
Before & After: Setting Up a Nursery is a Family Affair
Allison stepped in to help her sister-in-law set up her baby nursery after the passing of her mother. Her act of love and kindness led to one adorable space for the new baby, with a beautifully bittersweet story. From Allison: After my mother-in-law passed away, I decided to step in to help my sister-in-law with her nursery for her baby girl on the way.
May 3, 2019
Before & After: Building a Baby-Friendly Space, Basically From Scratch
Life comes at you fast. Lisa had been considering this room for a makeover when she found out she was pregnant and suddenly on a whole new unexpected timeline. After gutting the room they got to work adding classic elements to the structure of the room so it was more in line with the rest of the house as well as, you know, getting it ready for a baby.
May 3, 2019
Before & After: A Memphis & Facts of Life-Inspired Nursery
When Jessica and her husband moved into their home they knew that they would need to do some serious updating. They took off the Beetlejuice wallpaper in their guest room and when it came time to turn it into a nursery they decided to go full fun. A little bit of Memphis, a sprinkling of Facts of Life, a dash of FAO Schwartz and you have a super cute, very unique nursery.
May 3, 2019
Before & After: Committing to Color to Transform a Kids Room
Project by: Jessica Davis of Nest Studio Location: South Orange, New Jersey Jessica wanted to give her daughter’s room a new look, something age-appropriate but not overly precious or childish. A large room with good light, the possibilities were endless, but she settled on a rich color for the walls and timeless furniture that her daughter can grow with.
May 3, 2019
Before & After: One Family’s Small Yet Smart Closet Conversion
Reader Tamera is having a baby — yay! Tamera’s rental apartment does not feature a room for a baby — boo! Fortunately, it does have a generously proportioned master closet, and Tamera had a vision to transform this space. This is so very sweet! The accent wall really makes it feel like a room, the pretty mirror adds natural light to the space, and every inch has been used so wisely.
May 3, 2019
There’s a Secret Room Hiding Behind This Wardrobe
When I saw the title of this reader submission, I braced myself for some The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe action, but it turned out to be less Narnia, more Lane Kim. Don’t let your teen see this makeover unless you’re prepared to build them a secret hideout — and you’ll probably be tempted to build one for yourself. Here we see Laura Medicus of The Colorado Nest‘s daughter stepping into a fairly magical vintage wardrobe . . .
May 3, 2019
Before and After: A Dreamy Nursery That Doesn’t Scream “Baby”
Some rooms have a million flaws that need remedying; the problem with this nursery-to-be was there was no real there there. After months of sanding, painting, ripping out, and replacing by a very pregnant lady and her crew, this room was lovingly decorated for its tiny new occupant. The word for this nursery, created by Bridget Matkovich of The DIY Playbook, is dreamy.
May 3, 2019
6 Kid’s Rooms Whose Walls Solve At Least Two Problems at Once
Stylish and functional, and most of all fun.
May 3, 2019
Before & After: Moving In and Making a Space Baby-Friendly
Project by: Meena Location: Ashbury Heights — San Francisco, California This converted bedroom project comes from first-time parents who recently bought a house in San Francisco. After spending nearly 10 years on the East Coast, they returned back home to the Bay Area in January to raise their daughter. The family moved in the home when the baby was just two weeks old, so needless to say it was an exhausting and whirlwind experience.
Apr 30, 2019
Balancing Act: A Simple & Fun Game Even DIY Rookies Can Make
One of the greatest intersections of design happens when function and taste meet. Even more so is finding the sweet spot between functional kid-friendly toys and tasteful decor. In an age full of plastic, heavily-branded games, and now fidget spinners and glitter slime, it’s hard to imagine a world where toys and games can double as home decor. Unless, that is, you purchase an expensive artisanal alternative, or make your own.
Apr 30, 2019
This Bathroom Went from Boring Builder Grade to “Wow”
While there isn’t anything inherently wrong with this “before” (it’s clean, it’s white, it’s rocking some fun cabinet hardware and additional storage), we’re saying it: it’s boring. This bathroom could be in just about any house in any part of America. The “after” though…well, we’re smitten (it features one of the most stunning floors seen in all our Before & Afters).
Mar 27, 2018
Before & After: A Mauve Toilet Meets Its End
Scuffed mauve toilet, periwinkle walls, mauve sink, pebbled glass shower door, yellowed shower stall—what’s not to love? Well, perhaps a few tiny updates might be in order here… Ahhhh, much better! I know there are those of you who dislike white-centric makeovers (I always love them), but in this case, the interplay between the mostly white walls and the mostly black floor is so fun and vibrant, and the room really pops.
Jan 8, 2018
Before & After: 3 Years, $1,000 and Many Craigslist Finds Later, This Bathroom Has a New Look
Becky’s bathroom was not only super dated, it wasn’t really meeting their needs, so she set about changing it, slowly but surely. Aside from some plumbing work, Becky tackled most of the updates herself, keeping the cost low (but, occasionally, the stress high). The new bathroom is a moody, glam goth space, the likes of which we haven’t really seen on the site before. From Becky: The before, to us, was, well …. pretty awful, to be generous with my word choice.
Aug 26, 2017
A Boring Rental Bathroom Gets a Totally Reversible Makeover
Ladies and gentlemen, here is what my boring bathroom looked like up until the other day. I’ve lived in my rental for just over two years, and this place looked the same as it did the day I moved in (with the addition of some hand soap, my toothbrush and a toilet paper roll) for far too long. Is it completely offensive? Nah, it’s pretty passable, but boy was it dull.
Aug 15, 2017
It’s About Time: After 3 Years of Beige, My Bland Rental Bathroom Gets a Refresh
I have lived on my own for the last six years, slowly but surely acquiring furniture, art and decor that I really liked, which of course means that along the way, there were empty corners (and rooms) waiting to be filled. Finally, though, my apartment—which I’ve lived in for two years—has gotten to a place where I didn’t wonder if visitors thought I had just moved in. The guest bedroom has curtains (which I sewed and I’m quite proud of!
Aug 14, 2017
Before & After: A Bathroom, Unused for 30 Years, Gets a Gorgeous New Life
Interior designer Laura Breisch of Making Home Interiors took on her toughest client — herself — when she purchased this Detroit home that had stood empty for 30 years and she purchased in a foreclosure auction. Instead of working with contractors, she enlisted her boyfriend and father and the three of them remodeled this bathroom from head to toe.
Mar 4, 2017
Before & After: A Stylish Bathroom Transformation
This is Mattie’s old bathroom, pre Style Cure. Even though she was a little off of the usual Cure schedule, due to some conflicts with work and potty training, it doesn’t make her results any less impressive. The best part? The budget for her entire bathroom redo was a low low $49. After: what a difference a little paint makes! The blue walls, with a pattern of little birds and clouds, lend just the right amount of color and whimsy to this previously drab bathroom.
Nov 22, 2013