Home Projects

This sad chair—IKEA’s ubiquitous POANG—was languishing on a curb, doomed to rot away, dreaming of those good old days when it was useful. Fortunately, someone with a vision (and 20 meters of rope) happened to walk by and oops-a-daisy! Britt Winter of Regroovinator on Etsy describes happening upon this chair, and the makeover time crunch: This sorry-looking IKEA POANG was a curbside find: bare bones and a ripped-up seat. However, those bones were good.

When it comes to our kitchen cabinets, most of us are stuck with what we’ve got. Sure, if you own your place, you can do a full remodel — but even if you’re going the IKEA route, a renovation will easily cost you tens of thousands of dollars. And as anyone who’s ever done it knows, painting kitchen cabinets is an enormous pain. But there is one thing you can do for your kitchen cabinets that will keep them clean, preserve them long-term, and make them look better, too.

This rental kitchen was covered top to bottom with fixtures and finishes from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, so one brave tenant finally gathered the courage to ask for permission to make improvements. Amazingly (and smartly), the landlord said yes and the DIYing was on. While the kitchen looks pretty nice in the photo before, its resident has the real scoop: The kitchen in this rental is a galley-style kitchen.

Painting the bathroom is just like painting any other room, right? Not so much, it turns out. I’ve painted my share over the years and never treated them any differently than any other room, but I’ve been doing it wrong. When it comes to bathrooms, there are a few things that make painting a little trickier than the rest of the house. Sam Ross of Nailed It Contracting was nice enough to pepper him with painting questions when he painted my bathroom recently.

In today’s Before & After, a Berlin guest bath gets a six-hour, $400, low-key upgrade that’s sure to inspire even the least DIY-inclined among us. Here’s a hint: If you can operate a sticker, you can handle this project. Before we ooh and aah, let me just say that the bathroom is already pretty nice. It’s black and white, which is a great palette for a rental bathroom, and I love that little black stripe.

IKEA’s KALLAX is perfect for holding boxes, bins, baskets, and books, but one DIYer saw its potential as an understated entertainment unit—and the results are inspiring. This looks so great. Nicole Witney of Meraki came up with and completed this smart hack, which has so much going for it. Its central position means it is viewable from the kitchen—essential for tedious food prep/cleaning tasks—and yet it doesn’t dominate the space.

This vintage bathroom had a color scheme its renters described as “lentil yellow and seafoam green,” which Pantone probably isn’t going to be announce as the 2019 Color Combo of the Year. But in a rental, what can be done? It turns out that paint is the problem, but it’s also the solution.

When Genevieve Claire of Vieve Claire moved into her home, the kitchen had the same, standard design from when it was built: brown cabinets, dark surfaces, and track lighting. The kitchen felt dark and drab, and it was crying out for a refresh. I started looking into DIY solutions, but unfortunately, there were no shortcuts due to the material and sizing of our cabinets. Playing it safe, we decided to call in some professionals and talk through options and designs.

While dealing with a tiny apartment can be trying, there’s something that’s possibly even more frustrating: dealing with a dark apartment. I’m lucky enough that my little studio apartment has two big, glorious windows (and two smaller ones, which I am also grateful for), but I’m still very aware that, particularly in a space this size, it’s important to maximize the light you have.

This kitchen was super cute and cozy, with beautiful whitewashed hardwood cabinets, bright, cheerful curtains, and platters that coordinate with the yellow paint. But it had been 14 years since this kitchen had gotten a tuneup, and its owner was ready for a fresh look. First, here’s how Emma Rupp described the kitchen and the initial update: Original wood cabinets, tile counters, and range/hood.

This sweet green and pink bathroom is 63 years young, and though it had received a few updates 25 years ago, “It was just time to modernize and freshen up the old bathroom,” according to its owner. Let’s see what a difference 10 days can make in the long life of a vintage bathroom… Ooh, this looks so great! I love how the newly restrained palette—goodbye, pink, ivory, oak!

This is a cute kitchen. It’s petite, efficient, seems to have ample storage, and its white palette is bright and conveys cleanliness like a spotless chef’s coat. However, this kitchen’s tenant was sick of its “bland and boring hardware and countertops” and took an afternoon to do something about it. And now? “It’s so glam and bright!” exclaims Chelsey Brown of City Chic Decor, and I have to agree. The changes are subtle but crucial.

This blank wall in a home office is about to become its own room, thanks to just $600 and a bit of hard work. The room before is pale and pleasantly beige—and the now is anything but. Let’s pause a minute before admiring the finished product to learn a little more about this space: Before we started working on this room, it was just an office space for my husband.

This kitchen has a lot going for it: a dishwashing window, stainless steel appliances, a beautiful hardwood floor, tons of counter space, and tons of cabinet space. I’ll say that the combination of the beigey-pink cupboards and the yellow walls are not for everyone, but they might have looked a lot prettier in natural light. But, here’s what the space looks like now. This kitchen now looks ultra-clean and is a blank slate for however the owners want to decorate.

This kitchen was pretty cute and had a ton of storage, but it was sadly cut off from the rest of the home. Enter an interior designer–architect/contractor power couple armed with a clear vision and $20,000. Look how incredibly open and airy this room is now! The light from the window can now flow into the next room, the dining room is now conveniently integrated into the kitchen, and it all looks lovely.

When it came time to renovate the orange-hued room in her 1920s Michigan home, Patti Mapes had a vision. She wanted an office that was inspiring, conducive to productivity, and, most importantly, that didn’t look like what she calls, “the inside of a cantaloupe.” Over the course of a year, this teacher transformed her spare room into a bright and organized office space with a hint of playfulness to get her through grading mountains of student essays.

This 50-year-old bathroom had two major things going for it, and they were both tile. All of the other features were perfectly fine, but, after a refresh, the entire room lives up to the high standards of the fantastic original tiles. Reader Kristine Buffa submitted this project and described exactly what was going on before the makeover: The before bathroom was outdated and dark, but the character of the original tile and tub had survived.

These look like they were born there.

This immaculate 1950s pink tile bathroom was completely untouched. Other than a few paint updates over the decades, it had never seen a full renovation. As the only bathroom in a 1,600-square-foot family home, the homeowners lived with the dated look for about four years before they decided to make change. Here’s a slightly larger of a shot, so you can see the space from head to toe: They asked designer Teri Moore of T.

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.

This bedroom, pre-makeover, was very relatable: an assortment of cozy fabrics in interesting patterns, a jury-rigged reading light, and a bit of fun thanks to the dartboard. Relatable, but not up to the high standards of its resident, who’s been passionate about interior design since childhood. That’s more like it.

When I think of Anthropologie, I think of fun and riotous color, mixed patterns and lots of layers. A store where more is more and minimalism is a four letter word— and not necessarily a destination for practical items. I do love to occasionally browse all the store’s beautiful things, and ogle their creative store displays, but there’s actually one thing I go there all the time to buy, something that’s useful for everyone.

Like it or not, house flipping is back: Americans flipped more than 200,000 homes in 2017, the most since 2006. But while there’s an understandable appeal to buying a freshly renovated, move-in ready home, there are some things to think about before you buy a flipped house. House flippers do it to make money—enough to make it worth the considerable risk, effort, and upfront investment. The average profit on a flipped house was $66,448 in the third quarter of 2017.

You probably already own this.

A common point of discussion regarding renovations is that what we consider to look classic now will inevitably look dated someday—possibly someday soon. This kitchen, renovated less than two decades ago, is getting a much-needed (according to its owner) update. Let’s learn a bit more about what this kitchen was like, because photos never tell the whole story: We fitted our kitchen 18 years ago and, although it’s a classic design, it was starting to look very dated.

Marie Kondo is famous for her KonMari method and bestselling book, “The Life Changing Art of Tidying Up“—both of which promise to help you wrest control of the stuff in your home. But what about when you have to take some of that stuff on the road? We recently invited Kondo into the Apartment Therapy studios to demo her new drawer organizing boxes. And while she was here, we challenged her to take on a few of life’s trickiest organizing conundrums.

Kai and Julie are the kind of adventurous couple to take a risk. While walking to get coffee in their Berlin neighborhood, they came across this bus for sale—and bought it the next day. According to Kai, these sorts of buses aren’t commonly found in their area. Not to mention the couple didn’t know anything about converting a bus when they made the purchase.

You’re looking at a pretty standard-fare bathroom, one part of a mostly unrenovated 1950s house where Andrea lives with her family. Since she’s a renter, she decided to make one big temporary change—something warm and fun—that works with the pink tile in the bathroom shower. I think we can all agree this is very fun, and very bold.

When Laura Gibson and her husband decided to buy this rental home, they knew a lot of changes would need to be made for it to fit their family’s needs. One of the biggest updates Laura wanted to make was to remodel the dark, closed-in kitchen. To create the open-concept great room that Laura dreamed of, the couple did have to knock down some walls in the home, creating a big open kitchen, dining room and seating area.

When Laura Gibson—who runs the blog Sophisticated Rust—and her husband moved into this rental house, she didn’t see a lot to love. It was small, hadn’t been taken care of, and just wasn’t what she wanted in a home. But her husband fell in love with the property and persuaded her to consider purchasing it. She was finally sold on the idea, but only if they put a lot of work into the house.

A while ago, I wrote a post about how to ventilate a kitchen when you don’t have a range hood or vent. A number of Kitchn readers recommended installing a reversible window fan which, when put on the exhaust setting, can effectively draw smells, steam, and smoke out of your kitchen. I don’t have a hood in my rental kitchen, and for a long time I just ran the ceiling fans in other rooms when I cooked something particularly smelly or smoky. It worked okay, but wasn’t ideal.

There’s often one element in old kitchens that we’re all rooting for, crossing our fingers that it survives the big renovation. For this kitchen makeover, I’m holding my breath that the amazing pink double oven makes the cut. Reader Amanda Schaneman shares some insight into what this kitchen was really like, as photos never tell the whole story: The kitchen before the remodel was dark, dirty, and dated.

This “before” bathroom features vintage tiles, which are beautiful in their own way, but also make the space feel a little dated. To the rescue? Modern wallpaper. The bold print took this outdated 1950s style straight into 2018. The wallpaper has so much tropical flair, and I’m intrigued by the way the green of the palm fronds works with the tile color.

Just because you can improvise something, doesn’t mean that you should. Case in point: this Subreddit thread with quite possibly the most cringe-worthy DIY fails ever—seriously, Pinterest ain’t got nothing on these hacks gone horribly wrong.

This kitchen had a somewhat odd configuration—water heater and washing machine, but not a dryer?—and two of our readers were plumb sick of it. In just over a month, they transformed this slightly confused space into a kitchen that’s as practical as it is elegant. Plus it has a bonus laundry room! This is so different and exvellent.

When reader Erika moved into this house, the living room was musty and dusty. But after four months and a ton of work (and a fair amount of money), this space is transformed and totally fresh. It’s easy to look at that room before and assume the only issue with it is that it might not be someone’s taste. But here’s the truth, from reader Erika Thompson: These are the pictures that were on the listing when we bought the house.

Yes, that’s right: sponge painting! If any of you are old enough to remember when sponge painting (or feather duster painting, ooh-la-la) was the hot new thing, this bathroom is probably bringing back a few flashbacks. While sponge painting is sure to make a comeback any day now, the homeowner was ready for a change—especially from the peeling floors.

When I first saw these dreamy blue tiles, I held my breath that they would survive this bathroom’s makeover. And when I saw the results? Legitimate gasp! This Before & After is so, so fun and incredibly well done. This is glorious! I would never have thought of that wallpaper with these tiles in a million years; fortunately, Carrie Hayward of Disney Travel Babble has a lot more vision than I do.

This ordinary-appearing bathroom was harboring a terrible secret, so a renovation was urgent and 100 percent necessary. And if the finishes just happened to get (majorly) upgraded in the process? So be it… As usual, the Before photo doesn’t tell the whole story—here’s what this bathroom was like before it was gutted: Original floor tiles, missing drawers, and mismatched faucets. This is what our master bathroom looked like when we purchased the home in summer of 2017.

This bathroom was built in the ’30s, redecorated 30 years later… and then used as-is for decades. The new homeowners wanted to give the bathroom a much-needed update without spending a ton, and the results are a delight. First, here’s a tiny bit of backstory: 1931 Craftsman BADLY needed repainting when my then-boyfriend (now husband) purchased the house in 2003… This year we did a “temporary” budget remodel on a TERRIBLE 1960s bathroom remodel.

With so many things that really ought to be done by a professional when it comes to home improvement, the temptation—the need if you don’t have deep pockets—to DIY the simple stuff is totally understandable. And first on that list has got to be painting. All you do is grab a brush and go to work, NBD. Right? Well, it’s true that most anyone can do it. Doing it well, on the other hand? Maybe not so much.

I don’t know about you, but on hot summer nights I don’t want anything remotely close to me, unless it’s the frigid, steady breeze from the AC unit. I’ve been known to draw an invisible boundary line down the center of our bed (not unlike the line that separated my sibling and me in the back of our parents’ car on long trips when we were kids), restricting my husband to “his side” so his body heat stays as far away from me as possible.

This master bedroom was perfectly nice but understandably neglected, having been low on the family’s priority list for years. But it finally got its much-desired makeover, and the hotel-inspired results are totally worth the wait. This is so dreamy and calm! I’ve never stayed at a Four Seasons hotel, but now I want to know if the rooms are anything like this. Stephanie of Olive and Tate is responsible for this excellent bedroom upgrade.

Why are we showing you a photo of a kitchen in a post allegedly about an entryway? Well, because the wall you see is about to disappear, opening up the entryway in a major way. Kimberly Smith of Turning It Home helpfully describes the situation: In our home was a non-load bearing wall that separated the entry way/dining room from the kitchen.

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They aren't just for closets.

This poor old dresser was dated and unwanted, until one intrepid crafter, armed with only a vision and an impressive drawer pull collection, took it in and made it over. The results are fantastically impressive. I actually squealed a bit when I saw this—and I don’t even really like purple! This is a piece that is 100% practical (storage), while somehow also being 100% fun (tassels!).

As a renter, I love this product and think it's easier than the real deal.

This vintage trailer had been sitting neglected for years, but was finally rescued and restored by someone with a dream. It’s now as darling as you could ever hope a vintage trailer would be, with a sassy twist. Here’s a bit more about what the trailer was like before its makeover: The trailer is a vintage Layton travel trailer. This trailer had been sitting on a family member’s property for as long as I can remember. It was a mess but it had “good bones.

The project is super easy to complete.

This guest room had beautiful wooden floors, a cool old radiator, and some pretty delicious blue paint, but it was gradually becoming “kind of a neglected spot.” This renovation-free redo transformed the room from an accidental storage space to basically a boutique hotel, complete with a commissioned mural.

While this bathroom might not have looked bad at all before, its owner described it as “by far the worst bathroom we’d ever owned,” full of safety, sanitary, practical, and aesthetic issues. Two months later, the only issue with the bathroom is that it’s not mine. This is so stunning. I am an absolute sucker for those starburst tiles—and an equal sucker for vanities that look like (or began their lives as) furniture designed for other rooms of the home.

Whether about polka-dot blouses or gold hardware, you know what they say: Trends come and go. You may hate that Pepto-Bismol pink bathroom in your fixer-upper, but we can all but guarantee the original owners installed it because it was in fashion, and not the cheapest tile in the store. So why do tastes change so much over the years? Aqua blue was everywhere—cars, refrigerators, toys, stoves, bathroom tile—in the years following World War II, explains Claire E.

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.

Every home has its trouble spots, and clothing piles are a big one in many bedrooms.

One of the most fun aspects of these makeover posts is getting to see all the ’80s decor, especially 1980s bathrooms. Here we have a wall-to-wall frameless mirror, wood towel bar and light fixture, orange-y wood in general, and, most importantly, a cream marble seashell sink. Perhaps those will come back into fashion, but for now, it’s gone! Let’s explore how else this bathroom was updated.

Lack of counter space is up there on the list of tiny-kitchen frustrations. Even if you’ve KonMari-ed your kitchen and tucked all your usual space-hogging suspects away, it’s possible you’ll still come up short. Still, it’s easier than you might think to increase your work surface area. Here are eight solutions in order of difficulty from super simple to more involved (read: some degree of handiness required).

This family kitchen had a lot going for it—tons of windows, seating, and storage—but its owner described it as “SO dark. Dark counters, dark cabinets, dark lighting.” As magical as dark lighting sounds, the family felt this kitchen was due for a makeover and made it happen in just six weeks.

Read this before you install.

This kitchen is only 6 x 16 feet, but its owner managed to make it as roomy, practical, and inviting as possible. Spoiler alert: They even managed to squeeze in a ultra-cozy sitting area. This “bit of copper with a dash of pink theme” kitchen was completed by Kat of Rock N Roll Bride in four weeks, and I think it’s a major success.

This 34-square-meter (366-square-foot) Moscow apartment might not look like too much right now, but its owner saw potential and had it transformed into a rather roomy—bigger than at least two of my apartments anyway—Airbnb rental apartment. Unsurprisingly, the kitchen is the heart of this (temporary) home. This renovation was created by Anna Kovalchenko of Essenziale, who wisely stuck to a limited palette—black, white, and wood—throughout the small space.

Let’s be honest: Unless our bathroom caulk falls out completely, it doesn’t occur to many of us to replace it—clean it, sure, but replace entirely? Are we gross? Are we going to die tomorrow? Let’s explore. Fresh caulk should last quite a while—in the five year range—but a couple of factors can reduce its lifespan: Using the wrong kind for the job, poor installation, and even house settling can cause it to pull away from the wall and lose efficacy.

The original aesthetic of this 1984 home will look very familiar to all of us that remember the year—you can almost smell the cigarette smoke!—but it recently received a totally DIY makeover and the results are sweet vintage perfection. Introducing Myrtle…. This is so darling. It looks like the mid-century modern home of a family of storybook beavers. It’s just so sweet.

There’s no shortage of places to purchase art prints that you love, but sometimes you’re on the hunt for something a little more unique—and maybe a little more affordable. If so, this may be the incredibly easy art hack for you. While this art hack is a great way to upgrade a wall in your home, it also solves another common problem: What to do with your favorite tea towels you don’t want to use because you don’t want them getting ruined with food stains.

Be forewarned: This disco-fabulous backsplash is not long for the world, so enjoy it while you can. The rest of the kitchen was perhaps not worthy of such sparkle—two words: burnt linoleum. Now it’s fresh, unified, and bright. This kitchen is right at home in a 100-year-old house, and the modern appliances are nicely camouflaged against the white cabinetry and tiles.

What a nice living room, with vaulted ceiling, dramatic beams, nonstop windows, and luxurious couches you could sink into for days. But brace yourself for something entirely different. Here’s a full-length shot of the room that really shows off that impressive ceiling and the amazing wooden beams. I love the concept of a living area arranged around a view, but I also love what they did with the space instead: Wow!

This kitchen was very nice—great cabinets, pretty paint, sleek black countertops, fantastic wood floors—but even very nice can use a little boost now and then. Peel-and-stick tiles to the rescue, for a polished, personal, and renter-friendly update. This looks so great! The mini subway tile from Home Depot is delightful, plus the color works well with the new appliances and looks amazing with the orange sink.

This guest room closet was due for an update—it was originally dark brown—but its owner didn’t want to drop a ton of cash on it. After spending a few weeks and $76.69, this closet is now practical and super cute. The makeover by Jessica and Brett of The Mountain and Moon is darling. The new shelves add a ton of valuable storage, the accordion rack is as pretty as it is helpful, and that dotted wall is eye-catching!

This kitchen is perfectly nice—that huge window!—but its owner was able to pinpoint a few weaknesses that weren’t really working for the family. After a gradual transformation, this kitchen is now totally different, and totally wonderful. Here’s how reader Miriam Rogers described the kitchen pre-renovation: Dark wood cabinets and linoleum floors. The room was enclosed with a pocket door. A huge window meant there was not a lot of cabinet space.

A reader kindly sent in this bathroom, referring to it as “the epitome of ’90s glam.” For a moment there was hope that the After was going to be ’90s glam—think of all the Nagels!—but, instead, this is the story of how quintessentially ’90s elements were smartly incorporated into an updated, understated, and affordable makeover. Here’s a full-length view.

Some IKEA hacks are small. A little paint here, some new hardware there—they get the job done. And then there are the IKEA hacks that are so big and so dramatic, they make the room. If you have a wall to fill, or a problem to solve, check out some of these genius solutions. This movable art display wall from Sinnen Rausch has so much going for it, starting with that dusty rose paint job.

Here we have a pretty standard rental kitchen, with the classic beige-ish cabinets, walls, fridge, and countertops. It looks like everything is in pretty good shape, but one renter saw room for improvement—and a chance to try out allegedly rental-friendly home improvement products. Every surface has been stickered!