Decor & Accessory Before & Afters

Televisions bring so much beauty into our lives — the natural wonders of Planet Earth, the edible masterpieces on The Great British Bakeoff, Terry Crews’ majestic strength on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the general splendor of Tahani on The Good Place — but tvs themselves are often an eyesore. Let’s explore how this wall went from functional but flat to functional and fabulous . . .

This is a Very Serious Dresser, and while it is certainly beautiful and worthy of preservation, how does one incorporate a dark, gravitas-filled antique into a home that’s decidedly not all stained glass windows, turrets, and gargoyles? Don’t worry—the answer is not “paint it white.

You are currently gazing upon a floor that is not only old linoleum—it is the old linoleum floor of a fish-gutting room. Is there any hope for this room, or is it doomed to be forever haunted by dearly departed stinky fishies? The old, fishy floor has been replaced with a watery blue dream; it’s like a river you can walk on. This stained plywood floor was created by Tanya of Dans le Lakehouse, and I’m in awe of her vision.

Ah, the ever-reliable IKEA KALLAX: a timeless, affordable shelving unit that’s available in a variety of sizes and colors and is useful for holding books, records, storage bins, objets d’art, snakes, and so much more. Yes, of course, snakes… I have to say, the wood of the KALLAX looks pretty beautiful with all the organic matter, and the plants and rocks inside are all well chosen and arranged.

Here’s a story from an intrepid Redditor, who kept getting packages stolen off their porch. Many people can relate: one third of Americans have reported having a package stolen outside their home. So this crafty person turned to a DIY fix. Here’s what this project involved, according to this Redditor: My solution was a lot cheaper and went up in less than an hour! Not permanent, but will do for now.

A reader moved into this trailer without realizing how much work it needed, and it’s always so much more difficult to renovate a space when you’re already living in it—especially when your home is essentially one room. It took some serious determination and a bit of boldness, but this trailer is now home sweet home.

This backyard is a great size and appears to have excellent views, but it must be admitted: There’s a bit more rubble than one might hope. And a few more rats than is ideal, too, apparently. That’s right, rats: Our yard was a high-maintenance relic of an avid gardener. Looking for a way to hide an ugly garden shed, the previous owner thought it wise to build a six-foot concrete wall directly down the middle of the small yard.

When Bonnie Christine found this 55-year-old travel trailer for sale, it was already in pretty damn good shape, but it got majorly upgraded into a gorgeous glamper that’s more elegant and luxurious than many stationary homes. She had been looking for one for a decade when they finally found the perfect specimen: A 1962 26-foot Airstream Overlander.

Anyone can do this.

Before and After transformations just never get old, especially when the results are utterly unrecognizable. Case in point: Back in 2013, we posted a project about an empty stairwell space that was transformed into something unexpectedly wonderful. Cut to five years later and it’s been viewed almost four million times. We recently went back to see just what made the project resonate so much with our readers.

It’s been two years since readers gave Laura advice about increasing the curb appeal of her rental property and she’s back with an update. Her plan was to make the lawn healthier and add some shrubs. She was also considering painting the shutters or siding and asked readers to help decide what color might go nicely with the yellow. So, let’s find out how this house looks now and which advice Laura ran with!

Project by: Ashlea Location: Red Deer — Alberta, Canada We purchased a 1940s farmhouse complete with just about original everything. While our little home was big on charm, it was also big on orange, lacquered wood trim, doors, floors and cabinets. Our dated kitchen cabinets were cute, but the swan and fruit basket decals weren’t quite our thing.

Here we have a perfectly ordinary drop leaf dining table. You’ve seen its ilk at thrift stores, and maybe one is in your home right now. This particular one, however, has been totally transformed by a talented Game of Thrones fan into something you might see in The Red Keep. Get the look: How amazing does that look?? It could basically be used by Daenerys to take the Iron Throne. The step-by-step was posted to Imgur yesterday by smife0, whose brother updated the table.

Project by: Dona Location: Shelter Island, New York My husband’s hoarding habit paid off. Once I learned that the bed of a truck is the same size as a queen mattress we took his rusting 1965 Chevrolet truck and turned it into a guest bed! We worked on this project together, it required sawing the cab (now it’s the headboard) in half; sawing the tailgate off the truck body; wire brushing the rust off , etc. We carried the pieces into the house where we put the truck together again.

Eric’s Eames chairs were sitting stylishly in his dinning room for years, complimenting a blue cloth on his old table. After picking up a Saarinen style table and ditching the cloth, he found himself missing the pop of color. Rather than cover up that lovely marble table top, he found a fresh and inexpensive solution. From Eric: Sometimes, buying a new piece a furniture can make other pieces in the room feel mismatched.

Innovative DIY projects are always inspiring, but even more so when they’re budget-conscious! All of these Before & After DIY projects can be done for under $50. So pick your favorite and get to it!

There are only so many changes you can make to a kitchen you do not own. Jess Bunge, Senior Market Editor for Emily Henderson, faced many of the classic challenges of a rental—dated floors, lackluster countertops, an oddly shaped floor plan—but brilliantly worked around them to make the space one to sigh over. The real star of this new kitchen is the countertop cover. With help from her dad, Jess cleverly cut plywood to fit over the gray granite, and built a matching backsplash.

If you need closet inspiration or just a soothing image to gaze at for a moment, this is the closet makeover for you. See how this walk-in went from disorganized to dreamy in just three weekends. But first, some words from this closet’s owner, who had this to say about the space before: This space was dark, disorganized, and cluttered. It barely stayed neat and the constant mess made me feel like I had nothing to wear.

Meet Benny the Boler, a 1974 vintage fiberglass trailer built in Peace River, Alberta. Reader Ali and her husband Bryce transformed this 44-year-old cutie camper into a happy little home. Here’s how Ali describes the project: We bought him in 2017 and the plan was to renovate him with a light and bright attitude, for the love of taking something destined for a scrap yard and making it usable and beautiful. We have a real passion for working together and restoring something so functional.

This bathroom was described as “pretty bare and utilitarian,” but since it’s a rental, the options for enlivening it were limited. Fortunately, the clever renter came up with a solution that both highlights the room’s lovely details and ensures the swift return of the security deposit. This is perhaps the highest impact per square foot wallpaper job that we’ve ever seen.

Here we have a perfectly nice entryway console, adaptable to nearly any style with the right knobs. But its owner had something a bit more special and a lot more specific in mind… This is absolutely delightful and I wish it were available in a dress, or perhaps a dress/shoe combo. Pink and green go so well together, and they both pair wonderfully with gold, so the trio is totally fabulous.

After 20 years, this living room was ready for an update. It didn’t need a gut job, just a refresh, a lightening, and perhaps even a brightening. Now the room still has all of its best elements, plus a few new ones that suit the space—and the times—perfectly. This is so streamlined and sophisticated now. It’s a clear evolution of the aesthetic seen in the image before, which is fascinating to see.

Hanging up some wall shelves is one of the best things you can do for a room, and even a shelf you don’t adore is a good thing to have. However, if you can take an ordinary, affordable shelving unit and transform it into something remarkable for just $5, why not?

Reader Anne’s home featured these somewhat overwhelming teal-shuttered cabinets, and while they provided a ton of storage, they made this petite hallway feel dark and crowded. They also trapped a dark secret in place… The cabinets were thoroughly installed, making it impossible to remove what lies beneath. The nailed-in wooden wardrobe covered a shabby 33-year-old carpet. There was even a newspaper from 1985 hidden under it! A time capsule!

Haven’t we all had a kitchen with this floor at some point—a faded, yellowed, aggressively patterned linoleum that’s nearly impossible to decorate around and incredibly expensive to replace? What kind of floor should it be replaced with that would be worthy of that beautiful paneling, table, and chairs? A concrete floor is a fabulous solution! But installing a concrete floor is surely a major undertaking best tackled by a professional, right?

This shoe storage had its issues — scuffs, unpainted areas, general ricketiness — but it’s still better than my Heap O’Shoes. Can the less-than-ideal but serviceable shoe storage racks be improved upon? Is attractive, accessible, adaptable, practical shoe storage actually possible? We shall see. This is amazing! It looks incredibly cool, and the shoes are within easy reach of both the door and the shoe-putting-on bench.

This is another in a series of bravely honest closet photos that have been submitted lately—such as this one—and we cherish each and every one. Keep sending your unfiltered closet pics so the rest of us can be wildly inspired by your brilliant closet makeovers! But before we admire the closet now, let’s get a full-length view of the closet before . . .

What a lovely placemat! It would be great for protecting a table or beautifying a table or . . . that’s pretty much it. A throw pillow, you say? Well, now I’ve heard everything! This is so pretty! I’m now convinced that placemats (which I generally have no use for) are made to be pillows. They’re generally nice and sturdy, as well as being just the right size.

There are tons of IKEA furniture hacks out there—always fun!—but this is one of the subtler, classier ones we’ve seen. Individualizing the ubiquitous MICKE desk is a totally approachable project—and just as affordable as the desk itself. This linen-wrapped desk (less-costly cotton could also be used, of course) was featured on Lark & Linen, along with extremely thorough step-by-step instructions.

This unassuming patch of hallway was the first thing this family saw when they walked in their home, and not only was it less attractive than they liked, it wasn’t as practical as it needed to be. Over three weekends, this space was transformed from Massive Shoe Pile to Fabulous Entryway.

Medina and her husband Vince inherited this built-in closet when they moved into their current rental, and had to find a way to make it work — especially since the tiny bedroom doesn’t allow for much more storage. They removed its ugly outdated doors early on in their tenancy, but that just left them with this awful view of red faux wood grain, which Medina especially couldn’t stand.

If you’ve just spent hours assembling your child’s new dollhouse, or are still pulling things together for Christmas morning, then you might not want to see this. Because mom Melissa just turned this generic brown Costco playhouse into a winter wonderland of beauty.

Regine’s backyard presented a bit of a conundrum. She wanted to create a space for lounging and hosting, but a large part of her backyard was taken up with the driveway to the garage. Not to be deterred, she got creative and over the course of three summers, created a backyard oasis on a budget. From Regine: Our backyard before was begging to be made into something pretty.

Sometimes going out of your comfort zone has a beautiful result.

Anam’s paint splattered, wobbly bookshelf was on the verge of being recycled after some new built-ins took over its role of craft supply storage. But Anam decided to sturdy the piece up and give it a bright, brand new look. From Anam: I’ve had this bookshelf for almost a year and bought it for super cheap off Craigslist.

Anika spotted a daybed on the side of the road, and not being possessing superhuman strength, was forced to leave the heavy daybed but took the drawers as a consolation prize. They lay fallow in her garage for awhile but then she repurposed them into a cute, kicky little bar cart. From Anika: I found these old drawers on the curb almost a year ago. They were actually a part of a daybed which was too huge and heavy to carry home so I brought home four of the drawers instead.

Frances wanted a backyard that she could use for entertaining and her segmented, fenced off space was not quite up to the task. Sacrificing her weekends to the DIY gods, she was able to create a space that is much more welcoming and way less gray. From Frances: When we bought the house the garden was separated into three small sections, so all you could ever see out of the window was a mass of fencing and gates!

Krys was ready to upgrade her bar cart situation and was on the hunt for something bigger and better. She found this unit (above) at IKEA but thought it was a bit unforgettable. However, the price was right so she decided to get creative and transform it into the swinging ’60s-inspired bar cart of her dreams. From Krys: I needed something bigger than the bar cart I had been using and decided to look for a cabinet instead and make a sort of cocktail corner in my living room.

After spotting this bright pink, approachably Boho IKEA hack on the internet superhighway, we knew we had to share it with you. After hitting up the IKEA ‘as is’/clearance section, Becky and Kelsey (aka The Sorry Girls) knew they could make something out of this compact, but slightly boring desk situation. They snatched it up, took it home and worked their DIY magic! From Becky and Kelsey: We started by priming then painting our set pink.

"Multiple layers of paint were evident on the chipped and scarred wood and the vinyl cushion was crunchy, mildewed - and smelled really, really bad."

Meghan needed a new dresser but couldn’t bring herself to buy one, when her gut was telling her there was a used one to be had floating out in the universe. She found one, and it seems like it had one hell of a previous life, since it was covered in rhinestones and wallpaper. She decided that with just a little love and attention she could spiff the dresser into a piece that was more to her tastes. From Meghan: I found this chest of drawers at the Salvation Army for £10 ($13).

Courtney found herself in a bit of a design lurch when she ordered a new dresser for her daughter, but a month later got word that it had been cancelled. Instead of shaking her fists at the heavens and cursing the retail gods, she hopped in her car, drove to IKEA and snatched up a Hemnes dresser. With a little DIY know-how she transformed the dresser into a totally glam, Old Hollywood-inspired piece. From Courtney: If you are not familiar with it, this is the Hemnes dresser from IKEA.

Not all bathroom projects have to be major upgrades, sometimes a simple change can add a little bit of extra functionality and a lot of charm. Claire needed more storage but wasn’t particularly keen on running out to the store for a quick fix. After fate threw this vintage drawer into her path, it became clear that she was about to find her storage solution. From Claire: This was an old drawer that I had picked out of a dumpster on my daily dog walk.

Robin found herself dreaming West Elm dreams while on an IKEA budget. Luckily, she’s an intrepid DIYer so she set out to turn her standard headboard into an upholstered leather masterpiece. All it took was one weekend and a little inspiration to create a chic new look for her bedroom without breaking the bank. From Robin: I started with the IKEA Hemnes bed frame. While it was a great inexpensive bed frame, it needed some sprucing up.

A big blank wall. It could easily be a source of inspiration or anxiety. For Becky, it was inspiration first, contractor-related anxiety second. She seized the opportunity to use her large amount of blank space as an opportunity to go above and beyond a standard media center and add some built-in charm to her living room. The results are a stunning nod to farmhouse style, will remaining understatedly chic.

Krys’s DIY project is almost too internet-friendly to be true. An IKEA hack? That’s millennial pink? All for the low cost of $300? Think of all the extra money she saved for avocado toasts and Netflix subscriptions and other things millennials enjoy! In all seriousness, Krys’s project is majorly cool, relatively inexpensive and after a bit of trial and error, pretty easy.

Bethany lived through one of the in-the-middle-of-a-huge-project-fears that keeps renovators up at night, one of her contractors ghosted on her! Ever the intrepid and resilient DIYer she spent the time scouring for deals on patio furniture, planning even more DIY projects and finding folks who could actually come through on the project. The result is a backyard that makes the most of a generous amount of space, creating a very chill and welcoming vibe.

Charlie’s mother was holding onto her old wicker chest for sentimental reasons, even though it was super damaged. After languishing in storage for a year, Charlie stepped in to give this piece a new, pet-focused purpose. From Charlie: My mom had this wicker chest for almost 25 years now. It had served as a decorative piece with storage in its glory days (the ’90s!). But as time went by, it had become beaten up and old.

In an origin story worthy of Antiques Roadshow, Ariana spotted this lovely little number on the side of the road, amongst a group of other discarded chairs, and decided to snatch it up and see what was what. Turns out it had its original tags and she was able to verify that it was made in the ’20s. She decided to restore this beaut back to its former glory by spiffing up the bones and adding a new gorgeous fabric.

Vi’s garden apartment came with a standard, if somewhat underwhelming kitchen. After getting their landlord’s blessing, they painted over the yellow cabinets that were giving the space a somewhat grimy patina and called in the help of one of our favorite renter friendly products…peel and stick tiles. From Vi: When we first rented this Brooklyn garden apartment, I absolutely was dreading the kitchen. It was dark and dull.

As the popularity of mid-century modern furniture has risen, so have the prices. Finding an “MCM gem” for anything less than a few hundred bucks has become rare, so I practically did a double take when I stumbled on a Facebook listing for a four-drawer, tapered-leg dresser for a shocking $20. But on closer inspection I saw that the price was indicative of severe damage.

Kenya bought this IKEA stool in the As-Is section for a song and swiftly realized it was in need of some serious flair. Working with her mother, she was able to put some fabric she’d been holding onto to excellent use. From Kenya: I purchased an IKEA HENRIKSDAL bar stool from the clearance section that was in really good condition. The only thing wrong with it was the the footrest was missing and the seat covering had been removed. I had a vision for this lovely chair!

Lindsay spotted this piano bench at a yard sale and even though the bench wasn’t her style as-is, she knew that with a little DIY muscle she could mold it into her ideal accent bench. Using only products she had on hand, she gave this thrifty find a whole new look in very little time. From Lindsay: This piano bench was a steal at a yard sale. Benches are great because you can use them for so many things. A piano bench has an added bonus because there is storage under the seat.

Sure, there’s something exciting about purchasing a brand new piece of furniture – it’s dust-free, scratch-free, (sticker-free if you’re parent to a toddler) and demands the spotlight of attention when you walk in the room. But what if I told you that you could have the same feelings about a previously purchased piece picked up from the local consignment store?

In my personal experience, “first time’s the charm” doesn’t always apply to DIY projects. It usually takes me about three tries to create something presentable, but not Kayla! She was drawn to this chair at a garage sale, pulled in by the mix of metal and fabric, and figured this would be the perfect opportunity to dive into the re-upholstery pool. The resulting chair looks much spiffier, comfier and more put together than the original find, so job well done!

A tale as old as time: you move into a new space and have to live with the questionable design choices of the previous tenants. Medina inherited a built-in closet/ wardrobe that left more than a lot to be desired. She got rid of the ugliest aspect almost immediately and tried to make do, but eventually enough was simply enough and she gave the closet an easy and affordable DIY makeover. From Medina: The before is a picture of a built in wardrobe in our bedroom.

Claire’s patio sofa was understandably looking a little worse for the wear after battling the elements for seven years. She decided to give shibori a try, with a backup plan in case things went south. Lo and behold there was no need for Plan B and now the sofa cushions are bright, fun and totally revitalized. From Claire: I bought this IKEA Ammero outdoor sofa over seven years ago and I’m very fond of it.

Bekah spotted this dresser on Craigslist and saw past the scuffs and marks to the mid century modern potential. After picking it up for a bargain, Bekah and her dad spiffed and shined the piece to its former glory. From Bekah: I found this beautiful four-drawer dresser on Craigslist one day while wasting time. The guy was asking $80 but when my boyfriend went to pick it up, he was able to get it for only $60!

Linda’s sewing table had been relegated to the forgotten pile in the garage for a few months until inspiration struck. What if she used the sewing table not for sewing but for…drinking. Enter the world’s cutest and most unexpected DIY bar! From Linda: I suddenly remembered that under a mountain of randomness in the garage I had an old sewing table that I picked up at a garage sale back in the fall.

Christine’s pepto-pink guest room had a lot of potential but needed a ton of work. Wanting to create a space for out-of-towners that is as interesting as it is welcoming, she set off restoring as many original historic features of the room as she could, while making updates to the space to ensure comfort. From Christine: Even before moving into our Edwardian house in Manchester we knew that we had a lot of home improvement work ahead of us.

Melissa was looking to add some farmhouse style to her home but didn’t want to break the bank doing so. Enter shiplap! An intrepid DIYer, Melissa added a shiplap accent wall without professional help, keeping it well within budget (but not without a few headaches). From Melissa: Shiplap – It’s timeless and classic. It goes hand in hand with farmhouse style and I’ve been patiently (big fat lie – no patience here my friends!

As with so many romances these days, this one began online. Julie spotted this handsome dresser on Craigslist and knew she could truly make something of it. A mix of the original veneer, a new coat of paint and some gorgeous stenciling turned this tired looking piece into a true showstopper. From Julie: I saw this piece on Craigslist and felt like he was winking at me! I knew I had to go and visit him.

Leanna’s office desk had a gorgeous shape, but the dark wood wasn’t right for her new space. Since she had made the decision to stick with a lighter and brighter color scheme for her new office, she thought a touch of pink would set off the delicate aspects of the piece to great effect. From Leanna: Our previous home was decorated in soft earth tones, lots of greens and browns. At the time it really suited are long, low bungalow.

Not fully ready to commit to a reupholstery project, Emma opted to spray paint her chair and go jewel tone.

We absolutely love our apartment; it has so much character and light, but when we moved in, one thing in particular I knew I wanted to upgrade were the bookshelves. At first glance they seemed fine, but once we started putting our books on them we realized that the positioning of the shelves — with 20″ height between shelves — was not only an inefficient use of space but just looked odd with so much extra height above the books.

Amy was on the hunt for a dresser but it had to fit both her budget and her new space. As luck would have it, her neighbors were selling this long and lean lady and Amy scooped her right up for a first class DIY treatment. From Amy: I found this dresser at a garage sale last month and immediately knew I had to have it!

Honestly, we’re shocked Kyle was able to pick anything out of this muddy furniture pile. Not only does he have the greatest eye in the history of curbside finds, he made an absolutely stunning piece of upcycled vintage furniture. From Kyle: I found this literally in the trash on the side of the road. It looked like someone had cleared out their back shed and threw this, along with many other old pieces of furniture, into the mud. This project took me many months to finally commit to.

Alfredo and Ken found this boho dream of a couch on the street (what luck!) and after letting it sit around for a bit, gave it a major vacation vibes makeover. From Alfredo and Ken: We found this vintage rattan couch on the street, it had no cushions but it was in great shape! We carried it to our house and it was sitting in our backyard for a few months before we knew what to do with it.

Sunny found this mega outdated but well made dresser on Craigslist and knew it would be an excellent fit in her nursery. Some sanding, painting, and drilling resulted in a muted yet gorgeous piece of furniture. Oh, and she did it all while very pregnant. We’re tired for her. From Sunny: This $50 Craigslist wood dresser was just the perfect size for our nursery — but boy, was it ever hideous.

Becky’s kitchen had been previously renovated by a house flipper who may not have been thinking things through. There weren’t any drawers. In a kitchen. Becky tried to make do with that temporary storage cart you can see above, but she knew it was time for a better solution. From Becky: Our kitchen was done by a house flipper in which zero drawer units were included. I had purchased a cart as a temporary solution and immediately discovered it didn’t fit our needs.

Robyn’s backyard was suffering from a lack of both greenery and privacy. She decided to spruce the space up with some plant boxes and a very charming lattice, perfect for dining al fresco! From Robyn: We have lived in our home for almost three years now and I have been on a mission to add character to our home, including outside.

Kevin struck Craigslist gold with this buffet. It had all of the proportions and details he was looking for and it was $Free$. He turned the buffet into a striking piece that brings out the best of the original features while adding some extra style. From Kevin: I found this buffet for free off Craigslist. The landlord of a building in Chicago had posted it, saying his previous tenants had left it when they moved out. The buffet was worn and pretty beat up when I got it.