Home Projects

Natalie’s been rockin’ this chair for about a year — she picked it up at a yard sale for only 10 bucks. But when the already-worn seat fabric began to develop huge tears, she knew it was time for a revamp. She ditched the old, ripped fabric in favor of two different ikat prints. She stripped and sanded the wood frame and then stained it a warm, deep brown.

Erin inherited her grandparents’ dresser set but due to 30 years of wear and tear, it needed some love. Cut to: she’s ankle deep in supplies with no idea how to proceed and ready to throw in the towel. We’re so glad she persevered because, well, check out her results. It took a year and lots of help from her dad (who even brought his palm sander across five states to give to her), but she was able to strip, sand, stain and clear coat this beauty.

Mandy and her husband had been living in a rental duplex that was built in the 1920s for two months, faced with the previous owners’ “strange paint taste.” Though they tackled many of the other home’s spaces, the bathroom had been in the back of their minds, not quite sure what color to choose. Mandy and her husband didn’t do much to this rental bathroom to change the look (and they wish their landlords would do something about the bathroom tile floor!

This dresser had great bones and even some fun details, but was falling apart in a few places and had some missing drawers. Liana didn’t tackle this DIY project for awhile after she found this piece, but when she did, her ideas (including a free element anyone could use) really transformed the entire look into a functioning piece that works for her just the way she needs it. From Liana, I love the idea of restoring furniture, this is my second attempt.

This “dark and dreary” dining room just begged for a makeover to not only brighten it up, but also to make it a space that might actually get used. Inhabited by folks who love to entertain, this small room needed more seating and storage as well as a redesign to utilize space better. From Amy: The first thing we did was sell all the existing furniture on Craigslist (and surprisingly, people bought them!).

Martha calls this a “hardworking piece of furniture” because it’s got no unnecessary design elements and is just a sturdy, plain piece of furniture that does a good job. In this case, as a dresser. But while hardworking, it wasn’t quite Martha’s style, and she added a few personal details for a simple but darling transformation. From Martha: I gave it a super durable paint finish that keeps in line with its personality.

Rita wanted to really go bold, but keep her dining table and chairs at the same time (she lucked into these four chairs and table at a garage sale for just $6), so she found an ingenious way to spice up the set. Gorgeous! What an ingenious way to add lots of pattern and brighten up the room. From Rita: This material is what inspired me to paint the living room navy in the first place. I knew I wanted to make this fabric the focal point in the dining room, but I wasn’t sure how.

Modern nurseries on a budget can be tough. Since changing tables have such a short lifespan, Whitney didn’t want to spend too much money on something that wouldn’t grow with her babe and when she saw this wood sideboard at a thrift shop for $25, she had a flash of vision. Wow, what a style transformation. With just a little cash, Whitney completely changed the look and feel of this piece and made it work for her family. Great job.

Lucky Kaycee scored these two Kofod Larsen Lounge Chairs on Craigslist for $225 each. The chairs came without cushions (and with a very strange patio-chair replacement for the original webbing) so Kaycee was able to put her own spin on these classic chairs. Kaycee paid around $200 per chair for professional upholstery — including new cushions, upholstery and webbing — and $140 for about 7 yards of fabric.

Aniko’s in the middle of a major master bedroom makeover but she’s not one to eschew perfectly functional furniture, so she found a super cheap and super chic way to revamp her 6-year old IKEA Malm headboard and make it worthy of her new space. Whoa! Crafty Aniko made herself an upholstered masterpiece without the huge price tag usually associated with such a stunning look.

Every once in a while, we need a change. My husband and I loved our bedroom before: clean, cozy and colorful, it made us happy every time we were in it. That is, until I decided I was being smothered by it. When an apartment feels cluttered, regardless of space, sometimes it’s more about your own emotional issues with the space itself. Here are a few simple tips and tricks that can help to open up a space and give it the breath of fresh air that it (or you) so desperately needs. 1.

You may think that at $25, Lesley overpaid for this sagging, stained chair (she called it, “well-worn”), but she seemed to have an inkling that those good bones deserved a second chance. Turns out Lesley was right — that cheerful and patterned fabric really highlights the chair’s great shape. What a vision.

This laminate cabinet hadn’t seen the light of day in awhile, storing odds and ends in a basement. But when Jessica and her husband moved into their new house and were looking for furniture they could make their own, they decided to try and brighten this dark piece with paint to fit the style of their new dining room. From Jessica: It is a laminate cabinet that I first lightly sanded and then used a glossy surfaced primer on to give it a good base coat.

This heavy kitchen hutch was no doubt functional — with drawers and doors it’s got plenty of storage. But its dark color, outdated look and heavy feel wouldn’t make it welcome in any kitchen, let alone a bright one. That’s why Elise made some changes, and this hutch has been converted to a handy modern kitchen island. From Elise: We re-purposed the base of this kitchen hutch to serve as an island for a kitchen.

Is your home saddled with a blah fireplace mantel and surround? Unless you like flaunting your big screen TV, the fireplace can often be the living room’s main visual focal point. Why not really make it stand out? That’s what Kristi did, reclaiming wood in the process. It took nearly eight hours for this transformation, but the end result is way worth it!

Chelsea loves refinishing furniture, really believing in and being lured by the beautiful process of completely transforming an unwanted furniture piece in to one coveted! Structurally sound, heavy, sturdy and interesting, this buffet spotted at her local Goodwill thrift store had all the characteristics that Chelsea looks for when hunting for a piece to transform. And the $15 price tag was a sweet bonus! From Chelsea: This piece got a complete makeover, starting with hardware.

Scott picked up this dresser years ago, long before he realized he could, “do cool things with his hands.” Just wait until you see what he did. White + gleamy wood has to be one of our favorite combinations ever. Nice choice.

Heather’s master bedroom has a sitting area that was just crying out for a desk, but since she didn’t want to clutter up her sleeping space with visible papers, she began the hunt for a subtle secretary. It was her mom who came to the rescue and found this blue beauty at a second-hand shop. Heather decided to personalize with paint — a coat of white followed by a custom honeycomb stencil and a hand-painted bee motif. What a cute and kicky way to give it a big dose of fun.

After she pulled up the carpet on her stairs, Sarah tried to cover her poor quality stair treads with paint, but she wasn’t satisfied. She really wanted oak, but didn’t have room in her budget so she got really, really creative. Sarah did an amazingly realistic faux bois to mirror the look and feel of wood and she managed to do it super affordably. She chose three paint colors to match the base, midtone, and darkest tone of her floor, and spent just $2.

Erin found this vintage cane shelving unit online for $10. She was decorating her home office and really needed more storage, and the interesting details on this shelving unit caught her eye. She kept the project ultra low-budget by hitting up her garage for the materials for her makeover. Erin tells us she used an undercoat so there was no need to sand, and once dry, followed it up with two layers of glossy, red enamel spray paint. We just love her big, bold color choice.

Who hasn’t dreamed of living in an old, converted firehouse? Aaron and Heather took on just such a massive building in St. Louis (complete with a fire pole in their dining room) and are slowly working on the renovation, room by room. First up is their parking bay, formerly for the trucks and gear…are you ready? Wow. The huge open space is now used for their photography business, and is the perfect blank slate for photo shoots and meeting clients.

Lauren and her husband both have great opinions about home decor, which at first meant it was a bit of a journey finding their shared style. But after tackling their bedroom together and combining both their ideas and tastes, it’s a fun, personal space that’s proof sometimes two styles are better than one! From Lauren: For four and a half years we’ve slept on a boxspring and mattress without a bed frame.

Sarah had been knee-deep in a pile of plywood scraps while tackling a year-long kitchen renovation. There were scraps that were too big to toss, but too small and damaged to make anything of use. Except that Sarah totally came up with a creative way to use them. And a gallon of wood glue was involved!

Danielle fell in love with the dark wood details and trim throughout this 1927 Dutch Colonial house when she moved in last summer. Though the wood is gorgeous, Danielle felt she needed to work to brighten the space to create the warm and welcoming look she was going for. But she was on a budget! She freecycled major furniture pieces, tackled lots of how-to projects and mixed IKEA textiles with vintage pieces to create a palette of soft colors and treasured finds.

Bianca, an artist, was on the hunt for a slim and small storage piece to stash her art supplies in style. She was about to head over to IKEA to plunk down some cash on a new purchase, when at the last minute she decided to take a peek at her favorite junk shop. She was in luck! From Bianca: I was searching for a slim sideboard to fit some of my art supplies, such as large canvases and rolled prints.

You never forget your first, especially on Valentine’s Day. This sweet little chair was Katherine’s first ever upholstery project, but as the years went by and her design tastes changed, she fell out of love with the shape of this chair. Luckily, Katherine really knows how to spice up a stale relationship. Her eye had wandered over to a new kind of chair, Anthropologie’s Astrid, but she didn’t exactly have the funds to make it hers.

Gem, from the blog Blackbird, recently moved into a new apartment in Auckland with her husband. Because it’s a rental, they did not want to do any big renovations, but they did want to give their kitchen a stylish upgrade. With a little cash and some elbow grease, they turned their kitchen into something they are both happy with. First, with the permission of their landlord, they painted two of the walls with paint they had left over from another project.

Kasey lives on the island of Kauai and tells us that finding non “island” furniture is hard to do. She’s always on the hunt for statement pieces to decorate her beach-style home so when she found this dresser at the local thrift store for $50, she snapped it up. We just love how Kasey completely changed the look of the piece by removing the doors and giving the interior a beautiful coat of oceany turquoise. The white exterior really highlights the scallop details.

When Maggie found this great mid-century desk at the thrift store it was feeling a little blue, but for only $14, she took it home anyway and got right to work. Because of the previous owner’s sloppy, drippy paint job, Maggie decided to strip off the color completely and give this piece a true makeunder. Maggie tells us that, “with new handles and a mix of stained wood and white paint, I have an amazing desk with vintage charm that looks brand new!

Julia’d had a mid-century modern dresser on her wishlist for quite a while, so when she found this beautiful but somewhat beat up piece, she knew it was a prime candidate for a makeover. In order to hide imperfections on the body, Julia used white spray paint, leaving certain wood trim exposed to add dimension. Once polished, that dirty hardware turned out to be gleamy brass, and she added bright pop by painting the inside of the drawer pulls a kicky, neon pink.

For anyone who’s ever had a clear idea of what sort of style they wanted their space to look like, failed miserably, and thought they’d have to live with their failures forever, this before and after is proof that even big design missteps can be remedied. The designer who stepped in to refresh this space provides an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide to how they got this design back on track.

Erin found this 1960s era bar cart on Craigslist and had an inkling it could be restored not only to its former glory, but beyond! Simple, subtle yet charming, the shape of this car reminded Erin of her grandparents’ house and all the cocktail parties they used to throw. From Erin: As most things go, this was a bigger project then originally anticipated as I had to sand and use a lot of steel wool to rid it of rust.

Krista and her husband bid and lost out on five homes before they finally purchased this one. With a kitchen that had “grandma wallpaper,” sad tile floor, and odd painted aluminum cabinetry, this couple kept their spirits up after purchasing by daydreaming about a remodel. But, they’d have to do it on a tight budget. The changes to this kitchen were simple, but the outcome quite a step up from the older, dated space.

Ellen was looking to recreate a clothing store feel in her dressing room, and already had a large kitchen pedestal table in the space. When she came across this “ugly” 80s table at a Savers thrift store for $7.50, she knew she’d be able to use it along with her existing table to create a neat cluster effect. From Ellen: I decided to paint both tables a dark gray top with a taupe/brown base as I had seen something on Pinterest and was inspired to recreate that color combination.

Cheltz and her husband got this giant wooden spool for free and decided to turn it into a rustic-cool (and budget-friendly) centerpiece in their home. Talk about the ultimate upcycling. Since the spool was way too high for a dining table (over 40″), the base had to be trimmed. They chopped off a good portion with a chain saw and reassembled the heavy top. Then Cheltz finished the whole thing with 3 coats of polyurathane. Says Cheltz, “Voila! Free table in a weekend!

A friend of Luann’s recently asked if she could “do anything” with his Grandma’s old bedroom set. He needed to fill an empty guest room and nobody else in the family wanted this old set. Bet they’re all kicking themselves now. Wow! What a difference. She stripped off the old lacquered finish and discovered that the solid wood underneath was beautiful! Surprise!

In NYC apartments, every inch counts, so when Angela and her roommates found their Lower East Side 3-bedroom’s tiny common area dominated by a hulking dining table, they knew there was better way. With a coat of paint and a few carefully-chosen pieces of budget furniture, these ladies were able to create a comfortable space that takes advantage of every inch. It looks so much bigger and brighter!

Today we have an envy-inducing makeover you have to see to believe. Jim bought a pair of mid-century bedside tables at a flea market for $50 each. The tables were heavy and obviously well-constructed so he had an inkling that they were quality pieces worth some love. How right he was! The seller thought they were a walnut laminate but after stripping off the old paint, Jim discovered that they were actually walnut veneer and the drawer fronts were 1″ thick solid walnut. Surprise!

I have to admit it—this area of my home has always been a problem for me. I’ve reworked it, redesigned it, added shelves, painted walls— pretty much everything you can think of— in order to make it liveable without removing that dreaded desk. Each redesign, I was happy with the area for roughly three days, until I realized that I still hated the desk and I still didn’t understand why the previous owner of our condo would glue and screw a desk to the wall.

Tasha tells us that she still cringes when she looks back at these photos of her room. The army green walls, the beige trim, badly sealed stone fireplace and carpet just weren’t her cup of tea. Says Tasha, “No thank you.” Tasha and her husband did the all of the work themselves. They ripped out the carpet and bamboo flooring and put down dark laminate floors, then painted the walls a beautiful dark blue to make this large space feel more cozy.

Lynn and her husband, an energetic couple in their early 60s – 70s, had a dream to “age in place,” and planned to do so in a 27-year-old condo they purchased in its original, uninspiring state: vinyl flooring, wall-to-wall carpeting, almond-colored appliances, Formica countertops and more. They gave every inch of this condo a face-lift, and this cute corner of the kitchen is a taste of their simple but effective updating style.

When Griffin found this old shelf just “collecting dust” at a local thrift store, she knew there was some place in their home for it, perhaps the garage or maybe the playroom. But it was some creative thinking (and not even that much work!) that transformed it into a surprisingly sophisticated storage piece for a dining room! From Griffin: With the help of my husband we started by removing the base which was made up of 2x4s.

With a new baby on the way and no budget to completely gut and remodel this bathroom, Laurie decided to roll up her sleeves and get creative, only using paint, fabric and accessories to make the space look more finished and fabulous. From Laurie: I decided to make do with what I already had and come up with a solution. First that had to go was the blue cabinets that look better in the photo because in real life they were so bad.

Nicole Lanteri worked with this family of five to transform this long, narrow space into a beautiful room that is inviting and much more functional. Nicole says the key was to rethink the layout and size of the furniture to create a cohesive feel in this multi-purpose family room.

We’ll forgive Christina for her blurry “before” snap because we’re so excited to show off her results. Her little powder room is only 3 feet by 6 feet so it was a tricky room to work in, but just look at all that great potential. The narrow room looks so much bigger and brighter with the white walls, grey tile and new rustic-chic details. Here’s how it all came together on a major budget: We were able to do the whole remodel for around $500 because it was 100% DIY.

Fabio and his wife were planning to get rid of this chest of drawers so they put it in their hallway until they got a chance to cart it away. But it proved so handy to have a place to drop keys and other odds and ends, that they decided to make one big change and keep it after all. Do you have an inkling on this one? What a great way to make what you already have work in your space. Great job, you guys. Thank you Fabio!

The Cure “graduating class” of January 2014 is a kickass bunch. They scrubbed floors, cleaned out closets and whipped their wayward fridges into shape. At this point, the sight of an overflowing outbox doesn’t scare them one bit. And, in addition to all of this homekeeping frenzy, they managed to pull off (at least) one project from their wish list too.

Sometimes a chair is just a chair, but if you’re Melissa, you look at this broken dining chair and see another piece of furniture entirely. Bravo! Melissa didn’t get stuck on its original function so she could see a table where a chair used to be. She simply removed the cushion, cut off the broken back, added a hardwood top cut to size and gave the whole thing a coat of bright white. We love it and, more importantly, so does Melissa.

Jenelle found this abandoned cart in her garage when she moved into her home over a year ago. Using one very key ingredient, she turned it into a brand new piece that she’s proud to display in her new home. She scuffed up the rusty chrome legs and battered yellow shelves with steel wool and then smartly used spray auto primer to provide a durable base for the next layer: hammered brass for the legs and Rust-Oleum London Grey Satin for the shelves.

Maggie’s IKEA MALM dresser was super functional but pretty plain, so she got creative and gave it a budget makeover that adds plenty of glam style. Holy Hollywood Regency! Maggie used overlays to create contrast on the drawers and, as for those cool knobs, she really went all out. From Maggie: The knobs are standard stock from Lowe’s, but for big impact I used a plumbing flange to really make them stand out.

Recently moved into, this home had a small room right by the entryway with great windows but no immediate plans for use. After spending time sitting on the floor talking or looking out the windows, the homeowners decided to move its remodel up on the list and transform it with bold paint and sturdy shelves into a cozy functioning room for chatting, reading or playing music. From Julia: It took us every weekend (and a few weeknights) for a month to make our vision come to life.

Karrie first found this dresser at a local thrift store for $50. She felt it was a bit pricey because of its badly banged-up condition, but she had fallen in love with the lines and the size; it would be perfect in an entryway, used as a side table or in her office as a printer stand. From Karrie: Originally I was hoping to just sand it down and keep it natural with a clear-coat but the wood veneer was in bad shape and breaking apart, so I had to rethink my approach.

After Rubina customized her IKEA Billy bookshelves the first time, they just sort of sat there, half empty. There was something about them that just wasn’t working, but Rubina didn’t quite know what it was. A realization about the patterned paper led to a new creative fix — and a clever customization detail that turned these bland bookshelves to something simple and sophisticated, the perfect backdrop for books and accessories!

When Kim moved in with her boyfriend, she was shocked that he didn’t want to get rid of eight old, damaged banquet chairs. But, the challenge forced Kim to get creative, and a little inspiration from a trip to a retail store sparked a DIY idea. From Kim: Originally I spray-painted them and decided to cover the seat and back with fabric. The first finished prototype made me feel like I was visiting someone’s not so cool grandma’s house, so it was back to the drawing board.

This sweet little side table caught Sarah’s eye at a local thrift shop for its tapered legs and interesting drawer pulls, but it had a laminate top and sides, and a deep stain on the natural wood of the drawers so it was a prime candidate for a makeover! Great job! The natural wood looks so much better offset by that perfect, modern grey (and we’re such suckers for furniture socks).

This sad little piece is about to make a little girl very happy. Jen took advantage of her town’s “free cycle” program where once a year you can put things you don’t want on your curb and then cruise around looking for things you do want. She grabbed this laminate night stand and envisioned it as a good foundation for a play kitchen for her daughter. The final result is a super low-budget, cheerful toy. A breath of fresh air!

We don’t like to constantly brag about how great the Apartment Therapy Classifieds are, so we’ll let Goli do it for us. This hutch came from the classifieds, a little worse for wear but clearly, it wasn’t anything Goli couldn’t handle (and handle fabulously). What a difference! We’re loving how those new gold pulls really stand out against the dove grey Goli chose. And the lighter color really makes the architectural details pop.

You know we always love an IKEA hack, but this one is pure, unadulterated genius. Jacob dismantled his old MALM double bed and was left with two sets of slats. Rather than throw them away, he found a way to upgrade these leftovers into a whole, new project. So awesome! The chest is not only made from repurposed materials but Jacob also cleverly made a table with storage — one of our favorite small space tricks.

When they first thought about how to renovate their kitchen, Tonja and Jon debated for years about how to update their original 1966 cabinets. They finally decided to take on the job of refinishing them themselves. Just wait until you see the stellar results. They learned a valuable lesson about renovating: nothing ever turns out exactly how you think it will. In their case, it turned out better. That beautiful two-toned design? A happy accident!

Potential can be a dangerous thing. Like when I sell myself on a fixer-upper accent chair from Goodwill, convinced I’ll watch a YouTube video one day and learn how to upholster it back to glory. “But it’s got so much potential,” I tell myself, while the chair collects dust in the basement. Bri of Emerson Grey designs saw similar potential in this laundry nook in a potential new home… Thankfully, her story ends better.

Megan and her husband found this bench at an estate sale, but she almost missed out on it because it was obscured by some bad baby-blue bathroom tile! It was her husband that pointed it out, and they both jumped on the chance at grabbing it up at a good deal. From Megan: I ripped off the old tile and put batting and fabric over the wood. I love the fabric because it’s fairly neutral and has a vintage vibe to it.

When Johnny’s mattress was delivered to him, he couldn’t help but notice an almost dismantled shipping crate that another customer’s bench has been shipped in. When he asked the delivery men what they were going to do with it and they said they’d throw it away, he knew he had the opportunity to salvage this wood for a home project!

Sometimes it’s just a simple decluttering, a few fresh coats of paint and a less-is-more attitude that completely transforms a room from kind of dark to light and bright, as it did in Cortney’s dining room. From Cortney: Our family spends a lot of time at the dinner table. We (mainly me) were looking for a change. I really wanted to brighten the area and free up the wall space that our hutch was on. We found the new dry bar on Washington, DC Craigslist for $20!

A sad, old table handed down to Jessica from her grandfather was a sturdy side table, but lacked the style she was looking for. It was an unexpected designer piece that gave Jessica the inspiration to transform this side table into something else! Jessica spotted a Bernhardt Cabrillo Nailhead Chest in Architectural Digest Magazine and loved the look.

Shanelle scored this this dresser from her parents years ago. She liked the style of the dresser itself but it need a little more flair. She updated the knobs, but ultimately realized a major overhaul was in order. Shanelle used a nice, thick layer of wood stripper to loosen the color and then gave the dresser a good sanding to get the original wood in shape. She sketched with chalk and then taped off her kicky chevron pattern and applied two coats of white to alternating layers.

Rae of Rae’s Days loves incorporating handmade items into her home, and especially playing with proportions or putting an unexpected twist on something traditional. So with that in mind, she created this pillow using some chunky yarn and classic cross stitch.

Emily and Aaron’s spare bedroom was a catch-all, home to Aaron’s bike, a dog crate, clothes, and other random items. The couple would step inside, grab what they needed, and duck back out, meaning that the room never got used for anything but storage. But with some paint, new furniture, and a new space plan, this is now a room that they use on a daily basis.

Architect Alexandria Barker began with this dark and dated pre-war apartment and transformed it into an open, loft-like space with modern detailing. Want to see it now? See more photos of this awesome space at Barker Freeman Design Office Thank you Alexandra!

This DIY art project comes to us from Allison at Simple Silver Linings, who wrote in to share this great idea for making your own custom canvas out of paint chips. It’s not terribly difficult and just requires some patience, a computer, and maybe a few trips to the paint department of your local home improvement store. Here’s how: Paint Chips – lots of paint chips!

Malcolm found this bookcase at a flea market — it had been salvaged from an old barn and treated with polyurethane. He really dug the layers of paint that it had accumulated, so he bought it with the intention of making it a little more polished and intentional. Nice! We love how Malcolm didn’t try to fight the rustic vibe but instead added even more shades of wood for a gorgeous and interesting piece. And those new legs make it feel lighter overall.

I’ve come a little late to the pennant and bunting bandwagon, but I’m here now, and I cannot get enough of adorable banners! They’re perfect for parties or weddings, but I also love to see them jazzing up a bookcase or lending a sassy wink to a traditional picture frame. This miniature banner is a birthday gift for my crafty sister-in-law, so I chose a toned down palette of warm yellows and a pretty mauve in order to make the banner suit her home décor.

Reeves loved the shape of this kicky MCM nightstand, but wanted to add a dose of fun to the boring, brown exterior. What an upgrade! We just love the subtle yet punchy color and how Reeves left a few triangles bare — a nice nod to the original wood. From Reeves: I chose to do a geometric pattern on the drawer, framed by the black on the rest of the nightstand. The geometric pattern goes with the modern style of the nightstand and I love the way it turned out!