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From Apartment Therapy → Before & After: A Fresh Kitchen Makeover For Under $500 A fresh coat of paint, new tile, and a new coating on the countertop were inexpensive DIY changes to this dark and dingy kitchen!
Soffia took a look at the $14.99 HYLLIS shelf at IKEA and thought she could give it an upgrade. A MAJOR upgrade. Check it out. From Soffia: I wanted a Restoration Hardware/Pottery Barn-ish industrial looking shelves for the living room. We used four Hyllis that we cut down to size and spray painted and some plywood that I treated. We got this and we love it 🙂 See more at Skyeytum Hus. Thank you Soffia! Re-edited from a post originally published 11.7.
October was a month full of travel for me; I think I only spent one or two nights at home at a time. It was equal parts exciting and exhausting, but I’m happy to be back home—for good this time. Funny enough, an extended vacation away from your apartment can actually teach you a lot about how you live your life at home. Here are three things you’ll only discover once you’ve spent some time away.
Name: Shelley Worrell and Janluk Stanislas Location: Flatbush — Brooklyn, New York Size: 2,600 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Owned Shelley and Janluk share their home in Flatbush, Brooklyn, a neighborhood home to a diverse Caribbean culture. The colors, sights and textures of the West Indies cultivate tropical kinship in the heart of Brooklyn.
Erin first noticed this “lawyer’s chair” style rocker at an outdoor antique market and kept right on moving. It was covered in flaking paint (what she called “legitimate shabby chic”) and had a water damaged seat so it didn’t seem worth the $85 asking price. But after wandering the antique stalls for a few more hours, she just couldn’t forget it. Though obviously neglected, it had such grand potential. She had to have it.
You know you love the satisfaction of seeing other readers transform their boring befores into amazing afters so join in! We want to see YOUR projects. If you’ve published your project on your own blog already, great! We’re happy to give you a shout-out (and link, naturally!) you crafty blogger you. You can collect the compliments and inspire others to take on their own DIY.
Project by: Heather Location: Denver Our third bedroom is used as a home office/guest room and was in desperate need of a face-lift. It had beige walls, an IKEA desk, a leftover kitchen chair and a butchers rack—a seriously uninspiring space for a home-based creative professional. As with most decorating projects, there were some design challenges to overcome: • This room has two functions—office and guest room.
Amanda spotted this round cupboard while trolling Craigslist and scooped it up for just $25. While it may not look like much to you and me, when Amanda saw it, “a lightbulb went off in my head.” Props Amanda, we would never had thought of this unique use. From Amanda: New dog bed for Mazzilli!! I love the idea of a small little nook for Mazzie that will look good in the middle of the living room.
Makeover by: Stella Location: New York After months of looking for a new place, I came across this semi-attic space covered in wood paneling. I knew I couldn’t sign a lease without thinking first of what my makeover would consist of. After all the makeovers I’ve done in the past, I had to came to terms with the fact that this one would be a whole new deal. It was going to take more than just hanging art or getting new bed linens.
Name: Dan and Sommer Collier, food blogger at A Spicy Perspective, with Ava, 11, Carson, 10, and dog Kona Location: Asheville, North Carolina Size: 2,800 square feet Years lived in: 9 years; Owned As soon as Dan and Sommer walked through the door of this timeless beauty, they were immediately charmed.
Name: Natalie Slyman Location: Saint Louis, Missouri I live in the upstairs of a two family flat apartment in the Tower Grove neighborhood of Saint Louis, Missouri. The flat was built in 1914 and still obtains its original woodwork, light fixtures, gold radiators and character. We get so much space for price in this city and I love that we stumbled upon such a beautiful place in a wonderful, thriving neighborhood.
We’re all about the affordable makeovers that completely transform a room for not a lot of money. And though this kitchen does get a new floor (the price of which is not reflected in the $500 budget mentioned here), pay attention to the rest of the room where the $500 was spent. Alex got creative and outlines everything done to achieve a fresh new look. From Alex: I’ve wanted to redo my kitchen since I bought the house five years ago.
Name: Julia Vallelunga & Bruno Gariépy Location: Montréal, Québec Size: 1,000 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years; Owned Julia is the founder and editor of À la Mode Montréal, a blog about décor, fashion, trends, travel and day-to-day life. Since the beginning of 2014, À la Mode Montréal has its own online store that offers a selection of beautiful handmade objects by international designers.
If you’ve ever not been able to afford a design you spot in a catalog, look instead to your thrift store, and keep your eyes peeled for a piece that shows potential. You just might be able to shape it to look more like your dream furniture piece without spending as much money!
Name: Taylor Gulbins Location: Hoboken, New Jersey My girlfriend and I share a 900 square foot apartment in Hoboken, New Jersey. We moved into the space together five months ago. It is the top floor of a four-story walk up, and has a ton of character and the kind of old-fashion charm that you just can’t find in new construction buildings. Our story with this apartment began with a tough sell.
Name: Jaime Kowal, The Amado Location: Palm Springs, California Size: 3,200 square feet interior space, 11,200 square feet exterior space Years lived in: Purchased and renovated in 2013; opened as a desert chic boutique hotel in 2014. I was heading out to Palm Springs for the weekend with friends; we were nine adults and a half dozen children all in. We wanted some of the amenities of a hotel with the isolation and privacy of a house. The answer to where to stay?
From Apartment Therapy → Before & After: A Functional Update for a Cramped Kitchen This inspiring renovation turned an oddly-shaped kitchen into a bright and extremely functional space!
Name: Jennifer Perkins and husband Chris Boehk along with daughter Tallulah (five years old) and Baxter (three years old). Location: Shady Hollow Neighborhood — Austin, Texas Size: 2,900 square feet Years lived in: Owned 1 year We shared some of the great Halloween decor ideas we spotted in the home of Jennifer Perkins (crafter, business lady and really rad mom) earlier this month.
Jean and Ruthie bought these chairs nearly 20 years ago from a mother-daughter duo who were selling the entire contents of their home. The creepy house was filled with an assortment of oddities and at one point they noticed piles scattered throughout the house – only to realize later that they were, in fact, piles of hundreds of wigs! They say, “The whole situation was a bit Grey Gardens.” When they went back the next day, the house was deserted.
Today’s tour is the newest in a collaborative series curated by Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason of Aphrochic for Apartment Therapy. They handpicked homes from around the world to share that capture the culture and style that they celebrate in their book, Remix: Decorating with Culture, Objects, and Soul.
This Verner Panton cone chair surfaced as Andrew’s friend was cleaning his garage. It had been rained on and was in danger of disintegrating beyond repair. Not if Andrew had anything to say about it. In fact, this graphic transformation was also a surprise to Andrew! From Andrew: I rescued the chair, putting it in a dry place until I had the time to restore it.
Welcome to my parent’s spare room, soon to be Man Cave for Snoring Father, or Respite for Tired Mother, depending on which way you look at it. Dad’s official take on the room’s “before” status? “Too much basket.” There’s not really that much “basket,” just a woven chair, laundry basket and tiny basket on the bedside. For a mother and daughter team who love all things woven, is that really too much?
If you’re in a rental apartment, the last thing you want to do is pay a lot of money to make it livable. Perhaps the only thing worse is pissing off your roommate(s) while you’re having loud — ahem — relations, or blasting Gregorian chants from your bedroom on Sunday mornings. Which means you need to find an easy, reversible and affordable solution for privacy, while respecting thy neighbors.
Beth says, “I love a good challenge.” She would have to! She bought this mess of a desk from Craigslist for only 15 bucks. It had been sitting out on a balcony and the wood was in shambles. From Beth: There was no way to save it the bottom portion. The top was stained beyond recognition and the drawers were beat to hell and back. Why did I buy this? It’s how we learn, people! So feast your eyes.
The Style Cure is all about making one room in your home more beautiful, organized and healthy. The outbox concept is a bit of a magic bullet – in one fell swoop, it will help with all three missions. Even though it’s a powerful tool, it will just take you a few minutes to get one in place, so let’s do it today… We’ll be prompting you to use the outbox throughout the Cure to help you get things decluttered and organized.
Project by: Jacqueline Wheeler Interiors Location: Charlotte, North Carolina Clients: Candice Langston and Felix Von Uklanski This family room has one big virtue: its large size, but, as you can see, not a lot of effort has gone into making it an appealing space for the family to spend time in. Jacqueline Wheeler was hired to brighten it up and and bring it to its full potential.
Name: Janice Erlacher & Jacob Riesenburger of Bermuda Dream and Flea Market Safari + cats, Vinny & Kitty Location: Historic Howell Station in West Midtown; Atlanta, Georgia Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 5 months; Renting A friend of mine in New York heard I had been doing home tours in Atlanta, and immediately said I needed to check out Janice and Jacob’s place.
From Apartment Therapy → Why I Love My Electric Stovetop Even though gas is a popular stove choice, here are five reasons why glass electric stovetops have their own redeeming merits too!
Karen found this table skeleton on garbage day and dragged it home. Creative soul that she is, she came up with an unexpected (and free!) solution to make it whole again. We can’t believe we’ve never thought of this one! From Karen: We are lucky enough to have a neighbor who is a flooring installer. He had leftover pieces of hardwood flooring. We chose a variety of wood grains and pieces. My husband helped me attach the flooring boards to the table top.
What to do when you’ve got a spare bedroom on the boring side and are looking for a creative place to work? You tackled it stylishly like Marie and her husband did with their extra room, creating one seriously dramatic, contrasting space to get creative in! From Marie: Our renovation started off quickly because, four days after moving in, a pipe burst in the bedroom’s ceiling and flooded the entire floor and closet.
Name: Jana Roach Location: Fort Collins, Colorado I moved to Fort Collins in search of a rental home with vintage character and charm, and found it in this cozy two bedroom, 1,000 square foot minimal traditional ranch style home. My style is a mix of eclectic, vintage, and new, which has morphed from so many different beginnings! I run a large vintage pop-up market in three states, so my inspiration is often gleaned from our vendors.
Prize: Reverie Sofa in winner’s choice of fabric From: EQ3 Value: up to $1,799 If you’re a devotee of all things modern, then you probably already know, and love, EQ3. This Canadian brand just opened its second CA location this spring, and just launched eq3.com in the U.S. — but it’s been winning over shoppers since 2001 with its contemporary designs for everyday life. (The Herman Miller selection and in-store Marimekko shops don’t hurt, either.
