Furniture Before & Afters | DIY, Hacks & Restorations

Hugh Molten, a South Carolina-based real estate agent, didn’t plan for such a big project when he bought this falling-down old church. “I originally had the vision to simply clean it out and live in it basically as-is; create a small shower in the corner, stainless prep tables for the kitchen and call it done.” Today, this 1600-square-foot former house of worship is an incredible industrial modern home, and how it ended up that way was a long and interesting journey.

If, like me, you were hoping that this art hack involved adding enormous sea monsters to this idyllic beach scene, you might be the teensiest bit disappointed, but if you want to see these discount pieces transformed into lovely original abstract paintings, read on! Let’s start with a little backstory: When I came across these pre-framed mass reproduction art pieces at HomeGoods, they were the perfect size for our space but lacked the modern minimal look I was going for.

A reader found this old dresser in an alley and knew right away that she’d hit the jackpot. And after hours of scrubbing and sprucing, this dresser is even more beautiful than the day it was built. Here’s how reader Krissy Gilhooly tells the story of this exciting discovery: I found this piece abandoned in the alley behind our house. When I first saw it, I was expecting it to be rickety and have sticky drawers, as most furniture is when it’s thrown away.

This little stairway landing is so pretty. It’s got hardwood floors, a gracefully placed window worthy of Vermeer, a dramatic work of art, and an intriguing vintage table. Its owner did not feel so positive about the space, however, and saw potential for so much more. Seriously, wow! I love the notion of a stairway accent wall; as you’ll see below, it’s incredibly inviting from below.

When Nicole Goodreau and her fiancé spotted this mid-century Lane cedar chest at their local Goodwill for $30, they knew they had to have it. While the existing army green color and retro knobs didn’t fit their home’s modern aesthetic, they were confident that, with a little elbow grease, they could transform it into the perfect storage piece for their petite city apartment.

The window in this bedroom is absolutely dreamy, but the space below it was a bit of a waste—until inspiration struck, and one room became two. Here’s the scoop on the under-window situation: Before we had two slightly tatty built-in cabinets either side of a Velux window. They didn’t look great, and the space in the middle was wasted. It became a catch-all for junk. Because the home is rented, though, we couldn’t make any permanent changes.

“If you want to try something like painting your walls a zesty color—just go for it—it’s only paint,” advises blogger and DIY master Pati Robins. She’s been living in this rental home for 13 years, and as seen with these before photos, it’s had quite the transformation. “If you don’t like it you can always repaint it—and if you don’t try it, you will always wonder ‘what if?

It looked and worked better than anyone thought.

A reader felt that this “dark, old, manly faux leather ottoman” didn’t suit their apartment’s bright, new, laid-back vibe. So all it took was a staple gun and a colorful blanket to give it a fun, sunny new look.

This home on Chicago’s Gold Coast was originally built in 1892, but was transformed into condominiums in 1978. This particularl unit—a two-bedroom space with one and a half baths—hadn’t been touched since. Covered in old carpet (even in the kitchen, shudder) and in need of a lot of work, Kira Cole wasn’t deterred by the design task at hand when she purchased the space.

This tall, vintage, secondhand dresser needed a little wood filler and a lot of love, so its new owner gave it all that and a gorgeous coat of paint that totally transformed its look. The new owner of this dresser, who bought it on Craigslist for $75, described it as “a glossy cherry wood… ick!” It did, however, have nice lines, antique charm, and plenty of refined details without too much old-fashioned folderol.

This homeowner took her inspiration from the past, including '70s and '80s-style touches.

Lindsay thought she found a “sturdy, but out-of-style wood coffee table” at her local thrift store—but when she got home, she realized she’d been fooled. The ugly veneer made this piece impossible to restore, paint, or reshape. “At that point, I wanted little to do with the table,” Lindsay says. But she’d already dropped $15, so she decided to figure out some solution.And it’s a good thing she kept trying.

Lindi wasn’t sure what to do with this awkward space on the side of her living room. “It didn’t really have a function and was largely unused,” she says. But soon she found her vision: Her home lacked a community work area where her kids could hunker down over homework and Lindi could edit images for her blog. Black vertical shiplap anchors the space, and floating wood shelves in a dark stain add depth—and match the desk.

Katherine‘s master bathroom was filled with wasted space, with a wall of closets and a separate room for the toilet and tub contributing to the cramped floor plan. In order to reveal this space’s true potential, “we pretty much had to start from scratch,” Katherine says. “It was in need of a major facelift.” They started by ripping out everything: unnecessary walls; the dark, gloomy builder-grade cabinetry; even the toilet.

Erin‘s small, square master bathroom was cramped and outdated, with brown tiles and a builder-grade sink that offered no inspiration. But a trip to Italy did: “I kept talking about how I envisioned a master bathroom that looked like it belonged in a boutique hotel in Italy, and my partner surprised me with a vacation to one of my favorite cities in the world! Rome!” Erin says.

Cat and her boyfriend, Brian, seriously lucked out: His family’s hunting lodge in southern Utah is the perfect weekend retreat. But over time, the cabin has transformed from a yearly hunting haven for the boys to a family vacation home. “Naturally, it was in need of some decor and interior design,” Cat says. Cat and Brian’s upstairs bedroom had an awkward slanted ceiling and standard white wall.

The end result is cheery and modern.

The power of paint can’t be denied – we all know how it can transform a room, but the effect is also powerful when it comes to projects that involve the application of paint to furniture and cabinetry. Here are ten examples from the archives (including one where the “furniture” didn’t even exist prior to the paintjob!); check out the befores in this gallery and then click through on each for the always-fun-to-see afters.

Ashley Crites, one half of the team of Relative Renovations, described her master bedroom as “bland, gray, and the dumping ground for old furniture”—not exactly an ideal place to spend a third of your life. So when she had the opportunity to take part in the One Room Challenge, she knew exactly which room to choose. Inspired by Brady Tolbert’s gorgeous tufted headboard, Ashley chose a deep green velvet to upholster headboard panels that span the width of the room.

This north-facing, low-floor unit lacked natural light, but Paige replaced blinds, ripped out a built-in bookshelf, and painted the walls a bright, fresh white.

This garden-level space was the home’s entrance, office, guest room, and living room all in one, and though it was full of intriguing art, fantastic patterns, and great furniture, it needed a little something to make it as welcoming and cozy as possible. Removable wallpaper to the rescue!

The ubiquitous white cube shelf unit is affordable, attractively minimalist, and endlessly useful, but occasionally it needs a bit of a twist to fit in with the rest of a home’s decor. This particular unit—similar to this one from Target or this one from IKEA—needed some real TLC: I had this six-cube shelving unit in the playroom. It has several scratches on top and stickers on the sides but it was still in good shape.

A talented DIYer bought this old desk for $11.25 and managed to transform it into a dead-on knockoff of a $1,299 Pottery Barn desk while adding a clever upgrade in the process. Our intrepid DIYer needed a new desk, but wanted to spend less than $100: I picked up this desk for $11.25 at my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

These stairs were intensely carpeted, too small to be very useful or accessible, and generally less-than-ideal. Rather than simply removing the carpet, which would have been a nice upgrade on its own, the stairs were reimagined completely—and moved. When asked to describe the stairway pre-renovation, the homeowner sums up its character in just two chilling words: Death Trap. Honestly, there is no other way to describe it.

Thanks to a blush of color and a clever installation job, the ubiquitous blank-slate PAX wardrobe from IKEA gets a major upgrade in a graphic designer’s Copenhagen apartment. Four IKEA PAX wardrobes are now painted the same pink as the surrounding walls, giving them the appearance of a built-in closet. Michella Laura has turned pink into a sophisticated neutral that sets off the white bedding and trim to great effect and allows the stunning white-and-blue vintage Murano light to pop.

One of the Dr. Oz Show’s backstage dressing rooms was neglected and nearly empty, but it needed to become camera-ready in a very short amount of time, for a fairly small amount of money. All it took was a style guide, Amazon two-day shipping, and some major glam, and this room is ready for its closeup. The space before is not very inspiring, but it turns out the room was even worse in person: Bland, boring, and plain UGLY!

When one clever crafter gained a larger bed but lost a headboard, a humble roll of washi tape came to the rescue, completing the look without destroying the budget. Here was the issue. Georgina recently replaced her old bed with a much larger super-king, which didn’t come with a headboard. As a result, the plain wall above her bed suddenly looked very bare. She came up with a smart way to elegantly and affordably demarcate the sleeping space.

IKEA hacks are always fun, but this one resulted in a piece that looks more like a high-end mid-century modern credenza that would cost at least 10 times more than it actually did. This BESTÅ is about to truly live its best life. First, a little bit about how Alex Mcclain, the mastermind behind this hack, was inspired by: I really liked a mid-century style credenza I saw from a company called Rove Concepts but couldn’t justify spending the $1,000+ dollars so I had to get creative.

The owner of this space described it as “a very scary sunroom,” and the presence of asbestos alone earns it that designation. After six weeks of hardcore work, it’s now anything but scary. Here’s a bit more insight about what our intrepid DIYer was facing: The before of my sunroom was symbolic of the entire house—unloved, a little broken, but with a lot of potential.

What can you turn a headboard into? Here’s a hint: this decadent blush velvet, channel-seam headboard is leaving the boudoir for the cuisine… I love everything about this: the fantastic floor, the black-and-white base palette, the luscious green, mustard, and blush accents, the enviable bistro vibe, the elegant storage in the benches, and the visionary decision to use a headboard to create a comfy yet glam breakfast nook.

We’ve seen a few IKEA KALLAX hacks before— the room divider, the terrarium, the amazing craft credenza—and they’re all inspiring, and this one is no exception. The secret, magical ingredient? Plywood. Reddit user thehomestud scored some free IKEA KALLAX units with drawers and decided to make the most of this windfall.

This estate sale sectional had its issues, but what it lacked in legs it made up for in mice. Don’t let the beautiful backdrop distract you: This sofa needed some serious (read: professional) TLC to go from threadbare and disintegrating to refined and rodent-free. Here’s how this sofa was acquired: The day before I moved 1,000 miles to my current home, I spotted a mid-century sectional sofa at an estate sale and bought it for my new place.

Jenny McClary and Allie Leepson never originally intended to purchase a cabin in the woods of Vermont… they first looked to buy a home in Joshua Tree. But, after losing out on offers on homes to cash buyers, they decided to change course and take a look in Vermont to see if anything sparked their interest like those in California. Three of them actually did… and they put an offer on this three-bedroom rustic cabin immediately!

This Redditor’s pantry was impressive, both in terms of its size, but also in the amount of food, kitchen supplies, and cookbooks he had stuffed in there. For $250 and some DIY power, he completely revamped the space and made it so much more functional and appealing. I think we can all relate to what this pantry looked like before: Standard wire shelving, jumbled up goods, the works.

This dining room is so graceful and elegant—that delicate molding and beautiful hardwood floor, but its new owner found it lackluster and hollow. IKEA’s BILLY bookcase to the rescue! Well, more like eight BILLYs to the rescue… Reader Oriane Szekelyhidi-Williams kindly shares a wealth of details about the inspiration behind this project and the challenges faced: We purchased our condo knowing we would be doing a BIG overhaul on the space.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!).

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.

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!

Name: Nikki Norberg and Bryan Frank Location: Minneapolis, MN Size: 1200 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned I work at Blu Dot doing a mixture of photo and design, and Bryan is a web developer. Ceramics is something we both find passion in because it is a way to escape the computer screen and create with our hands. Here was our very sad, dingy, asbestos-tile filled basement just a few months ago. We wanted to convert the basement into a usable studio where we felt relaxed and inspired.

A 175-square-foot apartment is a small apartment, but one of our readers has transformed a challenging space overwhelmed by bulky furniture into a serene, seemingly spacious oasis, all for $1,700. Before we move on to the studio as it is now, here’s how reader Emily Barry described it before: The space had a more utilitarian feel before I moved in; it was basically being used only for sleeping, and didn’t feature much more than a bed and a TV.

A daring and dramatic 30-day transformation.

What a nice bedroom! What will it have that’s new? Fresh bedding and/or wall paint? Or perhaps something a bit more dramatic . . . and even dog-friendly? This is so fun! And incredibly practical: additional storage, a nest-like reading/sleeping spot, a large mirror for outfit-evaluating and space embiggening, and a lovely new home for Deacon the dog. This makeover was created by Erica Massey—be sure to check out her Instagram for lots of puppy pics.

We featured Malcolm’s epic small kitchen renovation earlier this week, but couldn’t resist sharing another DIY project from his condo. In less than a week (while being sick as a dog), he installed new wainscoting that transformed a second bedroom into a guest-ready retreat. Not only is it a subtle yet striking architectural statement, but no additional headboard is needed.

Evygenia from Foxy and Brass has a small desk that’s tucked inside an alcove in her apartment, and it’s surrounded by built-in shelving. To get herself organized, she hacked an IKEA SKADIS pegboard to fit the space. Not only does the spot look ten times better, but the project solved more than one small space problem. First she cut the pegboard exactly to size [note: the SKÅDIS pegboard isn’t currently available in the U.S.

After a move that left her with more square footage, but less counter space, Stephanie was on the hunt for something to house her all important espresso machine in a stylish and functional way. Realizing that a good old fashioned IKEA hack was in order, she set about giving her soon-to-be-java-cart a new look. And I think we can all agree, it’s a grande idea! From Stephanie: While most people style kitchen carts into bar carts, we knew our cart had to be for cappuccinos.

Kids rooms can be a tough nut to crack. They have to combine storage and function with style that can be adaptable to the changing and developing tastes of the young one. Jane decided that they could do more to maximize the space of their daughter’s room and give her a space that was more reflective of who she is. Enter, the IKEA hack! From Jane: Our youngest daughter’s bedroom was relatively small and lacked space for additional furniture for storage.

Who among us hasn’t dragged home a $5 garage sale chair or a battered bookshelf left on the curb, convinced that we could make something out of it? Whether by painstakingly restoring it to its former glory or by giving it a major makeover, we just know something special is lurking beneath the cobwebs, scratches, or worse.

Karyn and Jessica’s beach bungalow is an ever-evolving small space. This is what Karyn had to say in 2013: I had just moved to the island of Coronado and had the perfect bungalow apartment in mind. I envisioned something small but homey with a comfortable outdoor area. The universe must have been on my side because not two minutes after making my wish list I found the perfect studio apartment. Being a designer has its perks, especially after walking into this place.

When bookshelves are in OK shape, it can be so tempting to leave them as is. After all, you’re just going to cover them with with books and tchotchkes, right? Sahana had to go and overachieve by putting curtains AND wallpaper on her total steal of a bookshelf duo. From Sahana: We recently moved from New York to North Carolina. While we were hunting for some furniture, we got an awesome deal of two bookshelves for $20.

When I first walked into Thomas’ home, I was struck by the amazing number of creative and personal touches that filled every room. As I got to know Thomas, I quickly learned that most, if not all, of my very favorite parts were designed and/or handmade by him! Against the living room wall, on the far end of a long room, sat an elegant buffet.

When I first looked over a few snapshots of Adrien and Jon’s house in anticipation of shooting their House Tour, I immediately latched onto the palm frond chair. I had been looking for the perfect palm fabric for a personal project and begged Adrien to reveal her source. I was soon on my way to downtown L.A. to scoop up some of the Tommy Bahama (yup, that’s right) Swaying Palms fabric from Michael Levine.

This is one of my favorite furniture flip stories. I found this chrome mid-century modern chair left for dead on the roadside. It was covered with rust, mildew and grime. For a long time, it sat in my garage and just lingered. It took me a long while for inspiration to strike. I live in the country, and happen to have kind of a thing for cowhide. I had wanted a sleek, modern looking cowhide and chrome chairs for years. You know those kind of chairs?

Jess’ rental had a beat up fireplace that was a bit of an eyesore in the middle of her living room. She found the perfect low-cost way to give it some glamour, with a classic renter’s trick that we love: Contact paper!! From Jess: The main materials are contact paper and an exacto (or utility) knife. Prior to doing anything to your fireplace make sure you give it a good wipe down so that the contact paper will stick to the fireplace surround.

Robyn snagged this thrift store table for $50, and with some elbow grease, it became the farmhouse table of her dreams: From Robyn: When I walked into a thrift store and saw a two pedestals and the table top leaning nearby I knew that this was what I had been looking for and bought the table without even assembling it. I was motivated to finish this table and use it right away so refinishing a table this size could be a weekend project for someone who wanted to work long hours.

Rachel’s home hadn’t been updated since it was built in 1975, and it was evident in the dark fieldstone fireplace. Not having the funds for a full renovation, she got creative with paint—and boy, does it look great. From Rachel: We painted the 1970’s field stone fireplace. I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and watered it down quite a bit which allows the texture and various colors to still come through.

Jenny’s ambitious first-ever woodworking project was transforming this scrap wood into a live edge coffee table. Want to see how she did? We’re living for it: That little air plant looks right at home! From Jenny: One of my favorite parts about this table is the amount of detail in every inch of the board: you can see the black epoxy inlay, the knots and natural curve of the wood, and the beautiful grain details.

With a blank wall and no storage, Jane decided her living room needed a long credenza on a budget. Perennial favorite, IKEA’s BESTA, to the rescue. From Jane: For $290 of IKEA material cost, 6 hours of labor, and some problem solving, we’ve installed a 5 unit IKEA Besta cabinet that doubles as a wine and coffee bar! See step-by-step instructions over on A Taste of Koko. Thank you Jane!

Though this old radio is showing its age, it was a bargain at $25, especially given its quality (and that it still worked!). Now, to make it beautiful again… From Anna: The speakers were covered in an old and stained fabric which was really an eye sore. We tore those out and decided to replace them with custom laser cut wood panels, which I designed and cut using the awesome laser cutter at my office.

Have you ever seen a closet with steps? This weird feature made it less useful as a storage space, but Aimee’s toddlers were enthralled. So she decided to turn it into playroom, for just a little over $100: From Aimee: Plastic rain gutters on the back wall serve as book shelves. Homemade cushions soften the giant steps. Cheap Ikea frames with free printables were an affordable wall art solution.

If my freshman year dorm is any indication, at 18, I probably would’ve decorated this poolhouse in Beatles posters. But Kevin, an Atlanta student, went for a more sophisticated look. From Kevin: For more about this project, check out Thou Swell. Thank you Kevin!

This half-moon curio cabinet was missing veneer and generally showing wear and tear. Lisa saw something in it, and decided it would be perfect to add some color to her dining room. From Lisa: The parts where the veneer was missing were very rough and needed sanding down. The detail across the top was removed because of significant damage — and I liked the clean line better.

This plastic thrift store cactus was covered in sawdust and broken Southwestern dreams. When Naomi and Sage were tasked to turn it into something amazing, weaker competitors would’ve folded under this nearly impossible challenge. The after might just send you on a hunt for horrible Goodwill cacti: Mind. BLOWN. From Naomi: We painstakingly cleaned off the sawdust and glue, and then cut off the base and drilled a hole through the top through which we ran a metal pipe.

Carly had held on to her grandmother’s chair, debating whether to fix it up or toss it. Then, after a year of searching for fabric, she found the perfect remnant: From Carly: With the encouragement of my shopping companion, a frantic call to the upholsterer, and the fact that it was JUST over the yardage I needed, I was ready to commit. Plus it was ridiculously affordable because it was a remnant. Bonus.

When Clare and Mike bought this 1950s house in Toronto’s Leaside area, they had just five weeks to transform it into the ideal home for their family of seven. This crowded dining room was too busy for their modern taste so they got to work re-designing the space, starting with the walls. Goodbye wainscoting and French doors, hello clean, modern white! “When we bought the house there was a large, rather ugly kitchen island and cabinets as well as unattractive, dated flooring.

As marketing manager for Eventbrite, Sara is a professional social butterfly. She’s fun, fabulous, and loves to entertain, but her apartment in Boston’s Beacon Hill didn’t exactly reflect that. And, since she works from home, she wanted a space that inspired her. Sara decided to work with designer Victoria Solomon to add some style and cohesion to her place.

An old piano bench and a rug destined to be donated came together to make a stylish statement piece. Just goes to show that you might want to take a second look in your outbox! From Letisha: For step by step photos, check out Blue Eye DIY. Thank you Letisha!