Home Projects

Carrie’s small bathroom was lacking style, with a basic vanity and overpoweringly avocado walls. For little more than $100, she brightened the space with a farmhouse twist: The fresh white paint and rustic wood touches really make the small space feel welcoming. Carrie added a plank wall on the left using plywood, and gave the vanity a distressed look with chalk paint.

If you remember this Before & After project, then you know Kristen of The Painted Hive is not messing around when it comes to furniture transformations. She’s especially good at taking run-of-the-mill laminate furniture and turning those pieces into polished projects you’d be proud to have at home. After prepping the cabinet, Kristen resurfaced the entire face with small wooden hexagonal squares, added a base, and painted the sides black.

Depleted after a long distance move, Bryna was thrilled with this free kitchen island. It proved the perfect piece to practice her DIY skills and also add an unexpected hue to her space: From Bryna: It turned out to be the perfect piece to try my hand at rehabbing furniture; since I didn’t know what I was doing, I would have been too afraid to experiment (read: potentially ruin) with a piece I’d purchased.

Jason & Jeff love to entertain. Jeff, a biologist, is the resident mixologist, and Jason, the office manager for Facebook Boston, is a born host. Their Cambridge galley kitchen had this small eat-in area, but with their dining table in the multipurpose entry just behind, this space sat unused as their limited kitchen cabinets overflowed with glassware and spirits. On their first-ever trip to Brimfield Antiques Market, Jason & Jeff found this gem of an industrial cabinet.

Kelly’s new home was trapped in the 80s; In the family room, the fireplace stuck out— literally. As you can see, there were two protruding brick supports that perhaps once held a mantel. When Kelly decided to get rid of them and update its look, she made it worse before it got better. But get better it did—much better. Can we also talk about that bold choice to hang art under the window?? Loving it!

This $10 filing cabinet didn’t look like much, but Jordan had an idea. Its rusty paint job was not up to snuff, so he stripped it down and gave it some style: From Jordan: The cabinet was in great working order, but the facade was pretty beat from the wear and tear over the years, and had some rust damage to boot. After seeing the cabinet, I decided to go a more industrial look.

Arron’s Catskills retreat had great bones, but felt closed off and was in need of updating. The after is a picture of modern rustic perfection: From Arron: The first part of the project started with painting the kitchen cabinets white. We added crown moulding to the contractor grade cabinets to give them a “higher end” look. We replaced the laminate kitchen countertops with John Boos butcher block.

Erica inherited a living room with a sponge-painted fireplace and an olive paint job. She had planned a pallet wall, but realized the time (and tools) it would take was not realistic. Until she found a quicker solution: From Erica: After hunting down a few pallets, I realized that the effort and time (and tools that we didn’t have) to find, dismantle, sand, wash, and then nail the boards to the wall just wasn’t worth it. I was downtrodden until I discovered Stikwood!

John and Jami’s 1925 Craftsman had a kitchen that hadn’t been updated in any significant way since the 1950s. The couple hired local tradespeople to renovate the room and acted as apprentices on the job to keep costs down and acquire some renovation skills… First up: the cabinets. Upon moving into the house, there were mouse droppings in the uppermost cabinets and it was apparent to John and Jami that new cabinets were the way to go.

In terms of basic overhead lighting, Alison’s fixtures were unoffensive and unobtrusive. But that didn’t mean she didn’t want more style from them.

Maïla’s tiny Paris apartment was lacking both a dining table and counter space. When her woodworker father heard she was thinking of going without a proper place to eat for more prep area, he came up with a genius small space solution: From Maïla: I am a keen cook and I pointed out to my dad (a woodworker by trade, and a very skilled one at that) that I’d rather have more counter space and storage and eat on the sofa.

Inspired by string art, Ryan took this blank wall in his loft and transformed it into what looks like a wireframed wood of birch trees: What a great use of a little wall! Here it is up close: From Ryan: A quick look on the internet showed my friend’s cute little Ohio-shaped project was all over Pinterest. I wanted to take mine to the next level and create something that was fresh, beautiful, and had never been done before.

Nicole and Nate needed this room off of their Chicago kitchen to do it all: function as a home office, be comfortable enough to lounge in, and also be flexible enough to fit in the occasional overnight guest. Here’s how it looks now: Nicole and Nate enlisted the help of online design service Havenly to create this triple-duty room.

After Meghan impulse purchased these workout leggings while traveling, she decided they were too crazy to wear again, but too cute to toss. Good thing she found those pineapples a new purpose: We’re digging the less intense, but still happy pattern and the neon edging! From Meghan: I bought the pineapples pants as a joke since I knew my friends would get a kick out of them. I had no intention of wearing my pineapple pants after that weekend.

Most of us would probably overlook the above Craigslist ad, but not Ryan. He brought this battered dresser back to life, and now it looks better than ever: From Ryan: The first thing I did when I got it home was disassemble each drawer. After years of use and some time outside in the southern humidity most of the original glue had broken down and almost every corner was loose and wobbly.

Lauren and her husband spent their home budget on upgrading the things they couldn’t DIY. So after they moved in, they went to work on personalizing the builder basic areas, like this bathroom—for under $400. Lauren painted the vanity an airy gray, added labels to the drawers to combat clutter, and framed out that moulding-less window. The frameless mirror got replaced with a matching pair found on clearance. She didn’t stop there.

Eugenia Sangiovanni recently moved into a new home in Montrose, California. With two bedrooms and two baths, a full kitchen, formal living space and den to fill… she had her work cut out for her. She describes her style as “eclectic colonial,” drawing inspiration from Kloof Street House, Cape Town, Backstage Hotel and Zermatt Switzerland. She enlisted the help of her friend Nick LaKind to help bring her inspiration to life.

With a strange paste and layers of paint, this table looks almost unsalvageable. But Laura was determined to replace her card table on her student budget, and $5 was the right price.

When Sue De Chiara first saw the butler’s pantry in her (now) new house, this was what it looked like: Storage for miles, dark wood cabinetry, and black countertops. It’s undoubtedly a phenomenal space, but Sue found a way to make it a total showstopper. Leaving the countertops and sink as is, she painted the cabinets a glossy deep blue and switched out the hardware. It just goes to show how dramatic a change can be made with just paint!

Project by: Lisa of Lisa Zager Interiors Location: Nashville, Tennessee The designer says: This bedroom was re-done for a 10-year-old boy, who loved bold patterns and colors. We wanted this space to be very graphic and modern for him, something he can grow up in, with a hint of sophisticated style. The juxtoposition of bold black and whites against his neon, bright colored toys and accents in the room is one of our favorite elements.

When Jelena wanted to create a place to work from home, she turned to the garden shed. Using colorful and fun coworking spaces as her inspiration, she transformed this storage space into an energizing place to get stuff done. From Jelena: Looking for a solution to solve that problem I resorted to the Internet and came across a few solutions that I could adapt to my own situation.

IKEA’s KALLAX storage is so versatile as is, that it just makes hacks all that more wonderful. Astral wanted closed storage for her craft room and office, but also needed it to be modular in case her space requirements changed. The after adds a little height and a lot of personality: From Astral: The plan was to make a modular credenza for storage.

From Veerta: I am an Interior Designer with my own company, Motiani Design, but this project is a little more special to me, because it’s actually my home. I moved in with my boyfriend about six months ago, and naturally of course, we immediately started having decor battles! We needed to convert a portion of HIS penthouse bachelor pad in Marina Del Rey to OUR “his and hers home office” ASAP.

What to do if you have a coffee table, but would like a console table? Make like a magician and saw it in half! See how Letisha pulled this one out of her hat: From Letisha: Boy Oh! Boy! Was this a fun project. The best part is I got to cut a table in half. I found a pretty cool coffee table at my local thrift store for $35. I knew it had the perfect line for the console table I wanted to build. This project really can be summed up in 5 steps.

We love when people add some style to utilitarian spaces. Alisha’s laundry room was making the chore even more of a drag, so with a weekend and $100, she gave the space a refresh. From Alisha: With 2 kids under 2 we do a lot of laundry – and our drab, impractical laundry room was making laundry a chore. By removing/painting the dated wood cabinets and adding a simple pattern this room brightened right up!

Sarah bought this table without seeing it in person. Though it was in rough shape and under decades of paint, she discovered something lovely when she stripped it: From Sarah: I’d been looking for a furniture makeover project for a while, and I found this beat up, dirty little end table on a local trash and treasure website. The photo of it was dim, and the table was covered in grime and a mound office supplies.

If you’re a caffeine junkie, coffee stations are a great way to streamline your morning. Yet, Anna wasn’t jiving with her java setup. So she gave this area a free makeover by removing things and shopping her home: From Anna: The original look of our coffee station wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great either. I loved the bar cart, but the wood surfaces, brown mirror, wooden objects, and wood floor was just too much brown!

Minneapolis designer Jay Nuhring has another no-shopping makeover for us. This time, his client has a huge living room, three of the same sofa, and a wall of books that looks a bit bland. Jay applied the use-what-you-have motto and created a whole new space within a space! From Jay: This project was really easy and really affordable. Nothing new was purchased for this living room makeover. Everything was shopped and sourced from what the homeowner already had in the house.

Just because you're only in your place for a year or two doesn't mean you can't make it a home.

While we were discussing mattresses the other day, my partner offhandedly remarked (not about us, just in general), “Since when are adults incapable of sleeping in twin beds?” My ineloquent response included the words “starfish,” “too short” and “fall out!

When you live in one place for awhile, rooms will begin to need a refresh. Such was the case for Sarah’s bedroom, and she enlisted the help of best friend and former roommate Katie to help give the small space a makeover. From Katie: My best friend Sarah has been living in the same rental apartment for over 6 years, and it was time for a refresh. I used to live in this apartment with her, so filling holes in the wall was therapeutic for the both of us!

Well, folks, the long-anticipated day has come. Remember this sadness? Well, it’s sadness no more! After a Saturday spent covered in white paint and a Sunday spent arranging and rearranging objects, our new and improved bedroom has finally come into being.

Gaëtan is a talented architect now living in Montreal with his girlfriend Violaine and their son Hubert. After renovating their kitchen, he took on redesigning the bathroom! From dated to modern, the space is now sophisticated and fresh. The palette is monochromatic; Everything is white, except for the floor which is in a soft beige tone. To cut costs, Gaetan chose to go with white wall tiles from Home Depot, and decided to splurge on the sink and fixtures instead.

Planning a room makeover can be fun, especially when it comes to sorting through inspiration photos and figuring out what elements you like most. But it can also be frustrating: developing a budget, thinking about needs, considering design constraints. It was all necessary, but once the planning was out of the way, the fun part of this makeover could begin: shopping!

Abigail’s fixer-upper stood out—and not in a good way. Sometime during its 100-year history, someone had slapped putty-hued vinyl siding on the front, which would be less jarring if it wasn’t one of many attached brick rowhouses! See how she and her husband restored the curb appeal: From Abigail: When we bought our hundred-year-old fixer-upper in downtown Frederick, Maryland, the first thing we planned to revitalize was its exterior.

Seduced by the siren song of free, Angelica scooped up this cabinet—as the panels started falling off. Not to be deterred, she took some fabric remnants and transformed it into a versatile piece: From Angelica: This modest wine cabinet was a free find. It looked like all it needed was a fresh coat of paint and it would become a great piece for extra storage in our home. But as I got it out of the car, the panels started falling off. I could not complain as it was free!

It’s been over a year since my partner and I moved into our home. There were plenty of things to occupy our attention, such as getting rid of the garish mixture of red and yellow walls in the downstairs living area, installing a new door, fixing some damaged exterior portions, and so on and so forth. But finally, enough was enough, and we decided to tackle the one room that hadn’t gotten a speck of attention: the bedroom. Feast your eyes on that peachy-beige wonder.

These blah shutter bi-fold doors appear in many a rental, and Jessica’s was no exception. While she decorating her daughter’s room, she had an idea to transform them into something a little more glam: What a difference! From Jessica: While redecorating my girl’s room, I had a big Ah-ha moment.

Erin’s dining room suffered the same fate as most of its kind. Hardly used except for special evenings, it was a blah purgatory for clutter and unused stuff. It needed a style boost to get the family to use it more often. And here’s what it looks like today. Erin took her time getting it fully decorated, and gathering things for the walls. She also used a lot of items that she already owned — like the table and rug — and swapped from other rooms in the house.

IKEA’s VITTSJÖ line is a sleek and modern staple as is, but Lidia took hers and gave it a minty fresh look. From Lidia: Being a a big fan of interior design, I find myself in constant decorating mode. I really enjoy bringing to life an idea or creative project and recently found myself doing it with our small living room. After painting the walls and rearranging the furniture, I noticed my small living space could fit a coffee table and would be more inviting.

We love a good “shop your space” room transformation. Jay is a Minneapolis-based designer and this bedroom project was completed in a day (another benefit of using a lot of what you’ve got!). With a few new elements and a shift in the space, there’s now a blissful new bedroom: From Jay: This bedroom redo was really fast and really easy.

The bathroom in Amy’s Brooklyn Heights condo wasn’t terrible or falling apart. But after living there for a while, she started to notice how the finishes picked by the previous owner weren’t in line with the style of the rest of her home, and the vanity cabinet and countertop extension were making the narrow bathroom feel unnecessarily cramped. So she decided to swap out a few fixtures, and replace the tile, to make her bathroom feel bigger and give it a classic, timeless feel.

Since they’ll eventually sell this house, Kelley didn’t want to spend too much money in updating the place. So when this bathroom was feeling a little bit country, she set a short budget, and made the existing vintage tile shine: From Kelley: We live in a small cape cod house built in 1951. We love it, but can’t stay here forever because the layout and size doesn’t really allow for a family in the future.

While she was overseas with their daughter, Jeffery decided to surprise his wife with a total living room transformation. See the new room—and read about her reaction—after the jump! From Jeffery: My wife and daughter went to the Philippines for 3 months. I wanted to surprise my wife with a living room makeover, which I tackled in the two weeks before their arrival home. Our living room was boring. The last owners had a thing for wood grain and dull colors.

It’s not uncommon to work on every room in your home before you get to your bedroom since it’s a room guests often don’t see. This was the case with Autumn and Justin whose Michigan home we toured last year. They felt great about the rest of their home, but really wanted a “grown up” master bedroom. Seems like they saved the best for last… Ta da! Lighter, brighter and with a soothing, calm vibe.

A vintage cart from a friend came with a challenge that Monica readily accepted: try to make it modern. See how she did after the jump! From Monica: A good friend of mine passed along an old, brassy, rickety cart with the challenge to revamp it and modernize it. We immediately agreed it would make an awesome bar cart for my new Milwaukee apartment! Challenge accepted. I started by removing the trays and setting them aside. I spent a nice day outside with gloves, a cloth and a can of Brasso.

Sarah scooped up this basic rattan chair for $10, but thought it could use a little more interest. She tried her hand at recreating a classic pattern for the chair back; see how it came out: From Sarah: After finding a plain rattan chair for $10 at the thrift shop, we transformed the boring back into a Chinese Chippendale inspired design. Using thinner dowel rods from the home improvement store, we measured, cut and secured them in place to create the Chippendale look.

What to do when you have a nasty old rug that you can’t replace? Sarah decided to paint hers, using a technique she usually reserves for getting paint out of the carpet! From Sarah: I needed a way to bring some rock-n-roll attitude into this music room, and I couldn’t afford to replace the nasty old beige carpet.

Kristi’s guest bedroom is a walk-through room, so a regular bed just doesn’t work. But neither was this plain futon, so she decided to build something more functional. So stylish, and we love that it’s on casters! From Kristi: Our guest bedroom is a small room, and a walk through from the kitchen to the back of the house, so a traditional full-sized bed wouldn’t work.

Amanda’s late father collected over 10,000 pennies in his lifetime. She turned those cents into a gorgeous patterned floor inspired by Paris. From Amanda: Ever since visiting Parisian cafes, we’ve always had a thing for hex or penny-tiled floors. It just so happens that my late father left a collection of over 10,000 actual pennies. Four years ago, I started packing my carry-on full of them each time flew across the country to visit my Mom.

Amy Pigliacampo and her husband Corey Szopinski purchased their Echo Park home two years ago. Their house is a very modern prefab design from Sunia Home, which came with a raw material lined kitchen and open floorpan. “We always knew that we would need to redesign the kitchen. It looked cool, but lacked the functionality we needed for our growing family. Our kitchen is the most heavily used area in our home since we cook and eat at home most of the time.

The previous owners had covered Lesley’s plaster fireplace with faux stone and a mantel. She decided to restore it with nods to her home’s Spanish and Art Deco styles. From Lesley: We bought our first home two years ago. It’s in a neighborhood full of period revival homes from the 1920s-40s. Ours is not Spanish or Tudor but has some elements of both styles.

This family uses their basement for watching movies, playing, and hanging out together. The space satisfied many of these functions, but with its hodgepodge of furniture, beige walls, and random floorplan, it was less than inspiring. With the help of 6th Street Design School, this bland space was transformed to one with patterned wallpaper, bright colors, ample seating, and function-specific areas. Bright, poppy, and fun, this space is much more energizing than its original incarnation.

KitchenAid mixers are a beloved small appliance and, at about $300 each, are the one of the most registered-for items on wedding gift lists. Reddit user LifeWithAdd found an old-school Hobart version on Craigslist for cheap and went to town bringing it back to tip top condition. He documented the whole process to show the rest of us how it’s done, and the finished product is impressive.

Vintage card catalogs are just one of those items you have to grab if you see them for a reasonable price. Beth snagged a pair that stacked, so she decided to give the lower one a top so it could be used separately. From Beth: These card catalogs are like the holy grail of vintage finds! If you can find them, the prices are usually enormous. I lucked out and found two of these for a pretty good price. They were identical pieces with one sitting on top of the other.

Jill snagged this basic chair for a buck, and decided it could use some style. Instead of reupholstering, however, she made it a custom slipcover instead: From Jill: Comfy and functional but nondescript in style, this chair was the perfect piece for a makeover project. I picked the chair up at an auction for $1, my hubby fixed the one spring that had ‘sprung’ and I used it as my sewing chair for a few months.

Kathy saved this little cart from the trash, and decided to give it a new job, and a new (removable!) top! From Kathy: This vintage TV stand was on its way to the garbage when I rescued it. I was inspired by the printed side of a coffee bean burlap bag to create a coffee cart ideal for a small apartment or office. A little spray paint can go a long way.

When planning their kitchen overhaul, Manhattan homeowners Pallavi and Keyur had originally decided to leave their bathroom — which was original to the house and a little the worse for wear — as it was. But as the project progressed, they realized it was important to them that the style of their bathroom match up to the updated look they were pursuing in the rest of the apartment, and that by leaving all the fixture footprints in place, they could save money on the remodel.

Reeves wanted to add a touch of visual interest to this vintage dresser that needed a little love. She’s also got a great tip for painting on wood that will prevent color bleeding: From Reeves: I picked up this Dixie dresser from a local furniture sale. While I loved the mid century look and style of the piece, the finish needed some work and I felt that the piece needed a bit of color and a geometric design to add some visual interest.

Noticing there was a lot of unnecessary stuff (and wasted space) in her son’s closet, Ashley decided to clear out the clutter and add some fun. This just might be the coolest closet ever! I spent a lot of time reading in my closet as a child, and if it had looked like this, I’d never have left! From Ashley: The closet in my son’s room wasn’t useful or well organized.

When roommates outnumbered bedrooms, Brooke opted to take the garage. Now that she cleaned it, cleared it, and spruced it up, we bet the others are super jealous of her fab “glamping” space. From Brooke: I moved in to a three bedroom house with four roommates, and I opted to take the garage as my bedroom. I saw potential in the structure, regardless of its state. And I have always wanted to live in a barn… this is what it reminded me of.

When Pallavi and Keyur bought their one-bedroom Murray Hill co-op, it had a couple of pretty common NYC apartment problems: a teeny-tiny kitchen, and a bedroom with nearly non-existent clothes storage. The little sliver of the kitchen that you see in the photo above was all that would fit in the picture — it was really that small. But since there was no way to expand the footprint of the apartment, to make their kitchen bigger, they had to get creative.

We’ve all seen the reality shows where stylists ambush poor unsuspecting souls, insult their fashion sense, and then give them a brand new look by the end of the program. Usually the process involved taming frizzy hair, peeling off layers and layers of heavy makeup, and toning down wardrobe choices. Think of this bedroom “before” shot as the willing participant, and this next “after” photo as the new and improved, more sophisticated, version of its former self.

Meghan inherited a hand-me-down dining set for her new home. While the table got a classic twist, the chairs now bring the wow factor: From Meghan: Having bought a new house, money was on the tighter side when it came to buying brand new furniture. My mother-in-law was nice enough to give my husband and I her old kitchen table. When I saw it, I knew I wanted to paint the chairs and redo the table. To start my makeover, I sanded and stained the top of the table in a walnut finish.

Handed down from Bryce’s grandmother, this headboard’s mid-century stylings are hard to ignore. With a little modernization, it has a happy new home in the family. From Bryce: My gran recently down scaled and passed this headboard down to me. She couldn’t believe my interest in such an old piece of her furniture. I immediately saw its retro mid-century potential and spent the weekend giving it a fresh look.

Aimee wanted a home office, but was short a spare room. So she transformed an extra master bedroom closet, small as it might be, into a super organized and fully functional area for crafting and work: From Aimee: I was in desperate need of home office space, but we don’t have a spare room. Luckily, I have two closets in our master bedroom, and only needed one for clothes. I was able to turn the second closet into a functional work space that is extremely organized.

Kids love a good DIY just as much as big people do, and it’s fun to see them get an opportunity to express their creativity. Last week I had the pleasure of visiting the Alexander Robertson School, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where Colorhouse Paints partnered with CITYarts, a public art initiative in New York, to create a huge mural on the wall of the school’s auditorium.

In redoing a bedroom for his mother, Gonçalo worked in some family heirlooms that in a way that preserved memories, but created a soothing atmosphere. Check out the transformation: From Gonçalo: We live in the countryside around Lisbon, Portugal. We had this old furniture from my grandparents, brought from Africa in the ’70s. I wanted to surprise my mother with a new room… but keeping the family memories!

Dee’s new house was dark, having been painted chocolate brown with dark trim throughout. She decided to start at the beginning— and transform the entryway first. From Dee: About a year ago, my fiancé and I bought our first house together! While I was excited at finally having my very own home, I completely underestimated the amount of work involved in getting it to look like my “dream” home. Luckily for us, the changes have all been cosmetic so far.

We love a good freebie-turned-functional piece, and this one is no different. Taiyo spotted this trunk in the trash and transformed it into a stylish staple: From Taiyo: I noticed this trunk peeking from a pile of other junk that my neighbors had thrown out. My roommate and I carried it back in the dark and hoped it’d look decent in the daylight, which it did. It took a lot of scrubbing to get rid of the grime but it was worth it!

This house might be perfectly nice on the inside but it was tough to get past the beige and boring outside, so these homeowners used some super-smart ideas to jazz up the exterior of their home and give it acres of appeal. You can copy these! So much better! So what exactly happened here? The bare windows got a dose of interest with added white molding, which really makes them stand out. More molding separates the first and second floor (kinda like a chair rail in a room!

If you love vintage decor, specifically vintage lamps, I’m about to make your day. I find so many great lamps in my vintage hunting but I had to start passing them by because as much as I love them, it drives me absolutely nuts trying to find the right updated shade for them. Finding the right shape and size gives me grey hairs. Then I discovered i like that lamp and their DIY Lamp Shade Kit.