The Latest

These $5 Windsor chairs are just about in every thrift store I stop into. This one had a nice simple silhouette and narrow tapered spindles. I’ve been swooning over modern shaker style furniture for some time now and it was finally time to stop wanting and start doing. I was planning on spray painting the whole chair neon yellow, but as I started, I notice the beautiful gradient and continued to paint only the front half of the seat.

Naomi moved into her Edwardian UK home a year ago and has spent nearly the whole time planning renovations to her small bathroom. Her biggest goal? An easy-to-clean space with minimal areas for dust to gather. We hear you, Naomi. She introduced a little luxury with a sink crafted from Welsh slate, an extra wide bath, and stainless steel towel warmers which she tells us were worth every penny. She kept the walls and ceiling bright white and fell for those grey tiles, “the moment I saw them.

Carithanne says, “Who knows how long this chair sat abandoned in a forgotten basement before my dad rescued it for our next restoration project?” This particular piece was extra exciting because of its classic mid-century design, complete with a production date on the bottom from 1953! The upholstery needed a total overhaul after more than 60 years, but this piece had solid maple bones just waiting for the right person to come along and give it some TLC.

Kimberly of Swoonworthy and her partner Wayne did a great job renovating their old kitchen, but Kimberly wasn’t entirely happy with the results. She is a girl who requires more drama from her interiors. A couple of simple DIY projects later, she’s added some glitz and glamor to this space. And here it is, in all its sparkling glory.

Architectural designer Teddy desperately needed to update this kitchen but had major budgetary restrictions. No matter. See how just $300 worth of supplies made a huge difference. Wow, what a difference. We love how, even though all the major elements are the same (cabinets, backsplash, countertop), the color change and the addition of small details totally transformed this space.

Looking for the inspiration + resources to transform a boring bathroom into something that wows? Darlene Chimaliro and Caty Tillman of Studio MOD(ish) were tasked with adding some personality to a boring condo for a young fun couple. The two bathrooms were transformed, each to match the style of either spouse. The guest bathroom — dramatic and over-the-top — was designed to reflect the wife’s bold tastes, and Darlene and Caty shared the resources they used to create this look.

You know how earlier today we shared real advice about how to be patient and take your time when decorating a home? This Before & After perfectly highlights that idea. See this living room go from full of uninspiring hand-me-down furniture to a living room that, after taking the time to discover their tastes, is now a sophisticated, lovely space that matches their personality!

Meredith was looking to spice up the boring blinds in her daughter’s room. She wanted to add a pop of color without breaking the bank, so she got really crafty with something that’s probably hanging around your junk drawer right now. Duct tape to the rescue! What a clever and thrifty idea. Bravo. From Meredith: I started to look into painting the blinds but found that incredibly cumbersome and messy. I decided I could be a lot more in control if I used duct tape.

Bari has been working with a local design firm to decorate her home in Philadelphia, and the most recent space to be completed was her guest bathroom. She loved the original clawfoot tub, but she wanted to make the walls more fun since it’s the bathroom everyone uses when they come over. From Bari: The wallpaper is dark and bold, but the hot pink ceiling really is a great contrast, and plays well off of the black/white striped floor.

Charlotte’s youngest child’s room doubles as the guest room, so her new changing table needed to fit with its funky aesthetic. This $40 dresser from Craigslist fit the bill: solid construction, the right height, and good storage space. It just needed a little update. From Charlotte: I double checked for any maker’s marks or signs of antiquity before giving it a coat of Annie Sloan Napoleonic Blue chalk paint.

Natalie’s been rockin’ this chair for about a year — she picked it up at a yard sale for only 10 bucks. But when the already-worn seat fabric began to develop huge tears, she knew it was time for a revamp. She ditched the old, ripped fabric in favor of two different ikat prints. She stripped and sanded the wood frame and then stained it a warm, deep brown.

Erin inherited her grandparents’ dresser set but due to 30 years of wear and tear, it needed some love. Cut to: she’s ankle deep in supplies with no idea how to proceed and ready to throw in the towel. We’re so glad she persevered because, well, check out her results. It took a year and lots of help from her dad (who even brought his palm sander across five states to give to her), but she was able to strip, sand, stain and clear coat this beauty.

Mandy and her husband had been living in a rental duplex that was built in the 1920s for two months, faced with the previous owners’ “strange paint taste.” Though they tackled many of the other home’s spaces, the bathroom had been in the back of their minds, not quite sure what color to choose. Mandy and her husband didn’t do much to this rental bathroom to change the look (and they wish their landlords would do something about the bathroom tile floor!

This dresser had great bones and even some fun details, but was falling apart in a few places and had some missing drawers. Liana didn’t tackle this DIY project for awhile after she found this piece, but when she did, her ideas (including a free element anyone could use) really transformed the entire look into a functioning piece that works for her just the way she needs it. From Liana, I love the idea of restoring furniture, this is my second attempt.

This “dark and dreary” dining room just begged for a makeover to not only brighten it up, but also to make it a space that might actually get used. Inhabited by folks who love to entertain, this small room needed more seating and storage as well as a redesign to utilize space better. From Amy: The first thing we did was sell all the existing furniture on Craigslist (and surprisingly, people bought them!).

Martha calls this a “hardworking piece of furniture” because it’s got no unnecessary design elements and is just a sturdy, plain piece of furniture that does a good job. In this case, as a dresser. But while hardworking, it wasn’t quite Martha’s style, and she added a few personal details for a simple but darling transformation. From Martha: I gave it a super durable paint finish that keeps in line with its personality.

Rita wanted to really go bold, but keep her dining table and chairs at the same time (she lucked into these four chairs and table at a garage sale for just $6), so she found an ingenious way to spice up the set. Gorgeous! What an ingenious way to add lots of pattern and brighten up the room. From Rita: This material is what inspired me to paint the living room navy in the first place. I knew I wanted to make this fabric the focal point in the dining room, but I wasn’t sure how.

Modern nurseries on a budget can be tough. Since changing tables have such a short lifespan, Whitney didn’t want to spend too much money on something that wouldn’t grow with her babe and when she saw this wood sideboard at a thrift shop for $25, she had a flash of vision. Wow, what a style transformation. With just a little cash, Whitney completely changed the look and feel of this piece and made it work for her family. Great job.

Lucky Kaycee scored these two Kofod Larsen Lounge Chairs on Craigslist for $225 each. The chairs came without cushions (and with a very strange patio-chair replacement for the original webbing) so Kaycee was able to put her own spin on these classic chairs. Kaycee paid around $200 per chair for professional upholstery — including new cushions, upholstery and webbing — and $140 for about 7 yards of fabric.

Aniko’s in the middle of a major master bedroom makeover but she’s not one to eschew perfectly functional furniture, so she found a super cheap and super chic way to revamp her 6-year old IKEA Malm headboard and make it worthy of her new space. Whoa! Crafty Aniko made herself an upholstered masterpiece without the huge price tag usually associated with such a stunning look.

Every once in a while, we need a change. My husband and I loved our bedroom before: clean, cozy and colorful, it made us happy every time we were in it. That is, until I decided I was being smothered by it. When an apartment feels cluttered, regardless of space, sometimes it’s more about your own emotional issues with the space itself. Here are a few simple tips and tricks that can help to open up a space and give it the breath of fresh air that it (or you) so desperately needs. 1.

You may think that at $25, Lesley overpaid for this sagging, stained chair (she called it, “well-worn”), but she seemed to have an inkling that those good bones deserved a second chance. Turns out Lesley was right — that cheerful and patterned fabric really highlights the chair’s great shape. What a vision.