The Latest

When a local mill was closing down, Ashley snagged their stock of industrial carts. See how she refinished one for her living room: From Ashley: These carts were in rough shape when I got them and were in desperate need of a deep clean. This was the kind of job for a power washer. However, it is important not to get carried away with the power washer to the point where it starts splintering the wood. Once the cart was clean I sanded the whole thing down.

This old dresser had lovely detail and potential, but badly damaged drawer fronts prevented a traditional restoration. Some fresh coats of glossy white later: From Nicole: This dresser had a badly worn veneer with chipped edges and deeply scratched surfaces. The drawers were in bad shape, so they were sanded, patched and painted. The top was in decent shape so it was sanded and oiled along with the legs and decorative trim on the drawer fronts.

Jenna Sue tackled this wall as part of a larger makeover of her entire master bedroom. The entire room lacked any special features, yet she wanted to make it a rich, interesting, and inviting space. With that in mind, she set out to make this wall a focal point of the room… Previously flat as a pancake, the wall now has texture and architectural interest, and elevates an otherwise bland bedroom into a sophisticated space. The gray adds a lot of warmth, making it cozy and relaxing.

Carroll really wanted a narrow cart in the kitchen to act as a coffee station. When finding something already made was going to be more than she wanted to spend, the decision was made to DIY, starting with this table that was a little on the short side. From Carroll: My projects almost always start with a functional purpose.

Aniko’s white IKEA wall unit worked fine in the dining room. But the second she saw West Elm’s reclaimed wood buffet, she knew she could refresh this basic piece into a showstopper—and save over $1,100 in the process. Aniko got the wood for free from a local business, and spent $17 on stain and lacquer. That’s a pretty hefty savings! Check out her blog, A Place of My Taste, for more photos and a tutorial on how she made the oversized art that hangs above her new buffet.

We know that some of you have very…err…strong opinions about painting wood furniture, but the owners of these dramatic before and after projects might disagree with all you naysayers. Especially on damaged or cheap wood, a coat or two of paint is an easy, cost-effective and super-cute strategy to refresh tired pieces. Watch me prove it seven times. Claire’s campaign nightstands got a new blue and a new purpose in another room.

Malcolm and his parents have been all over the world, collecting souvenirs like this Brazilian rug. When he moved away from home, Malcolm took it with him and initially hung it behind his bed as a pseudo headboard, then decided to find a more permanent home on the wall as art. The rug is pretty big, and somewhat heavy. Which raises the question: how does one hang it?

This children’s rocker had definitely seen better days… like during the bygone decades when marbled vinyl was a thing. Charlotte plans to reupholster a lot this year, and thought she’d literally start small and tackle this kids chair. See how she did: From Charlotte: I’ve had this yellow vinyl rocking chair in the basement for… a while. But 2015 is going to be the year of upholstery for me so I decided to start out on this little piece.

A $20 IKEA “as-is” bed frame had served its purpose, but Kerry decided to give it a new use. By adding cushions and wrapping the mattress, she now has a sweet reading spot: From Kerry: I’ve had this ultra bland Lillehammer IKEA twin bed frame for several years. I’d gotten it in the ‘As Is’ section for only $20 to help stage our home when we sold it.

After facing decades of moves and time in storage, Sheila decided to restore this chair her husband’s parents bought in the 60s. It’s now ready to take on another 50 years: From Sheila: My husband’s parents bought this chair around 1960 shortly after they were married. It eventually landed in my husband’s childhood room and then followed him as he grew up. During most of our life together the chair was stored away.

A simple shoe cabinet was becoming a dumping ground for recycling— and not much style. Jeremy decided to use temporary wallpaper to transform this little corner into something more rustic mid-century: From Jeremy: I bought the shoe cabinet from Wayfair to, obviously, reign in our (fab) shoe collection. While it’s been great and done its job admirably, it’s not very attractive (and it ends being a place to dump our recycling!).

Many might have passed over this sad vintage sofa, but not Janet. She had glam plans for this junk shop find, including a BIG seat refresh: That oversized seat cushion makes it all the more glamorous, don’t you think? From Janet: I found a fabulous, battered, worn out vintage French Louis XV-style sofa at a local junk shop. So I stripped it down, sanded and painted the woodwork and reupholstered, with a little help from YouTube and my Dad.

When Rachel found this chair in her parents’ garage, she just had to save it. Once belonging to her great uncle in the 1940s, this former home for mice had such stunning arms, it needed a new lease on life. From Rachel: I found this chair in my parents’ outdoor garage a couple of years ago. I was immediately drawn to it because, just look at those gorgeous arms! It looked like it had been a house for mice for a while.