Home Projects by Room

If you're upgrading your kitchen, you definitely want to still like it down the line. Here are the 7 picks designers swear by.

It's inspired by "Psycho"—yes, that "Psycho".

Wait until you see the herringbone backsplash.

This 1906 Craftsman house in Los Angeles got a kitchen remodel, but instead of stripping away ALL the vintage charm, they refreshed the space and honored previous eras.

Skip these and you'll save on future plumbing costs.

Just wait until you see the massive kitchen island.

A dark bath gets a technicolor redo—for free!

No hammers required for this redo!

You know when something doesn’t quite fit. For Violaine and Gaëtan, the style of their country kitchen just wasn’t a reflection of their preferred industrial style. A Belgian architect now living in Montreal, Gaëtan designed the new kitchen himself in his spare time. They sold the old cabinets, tiles and appliances on the internet and grabbed a hammer to start renovating. The result is unique and simply gorgeous.

These remodels are ahhh-inspiring.

You're going to want to pick up a paint brush after seeing this!

This is one project you can totally DIY. Here's how.

If the pros won't do it, why should you?

Yes, F-R-E-E.

No reservation required.

Name: Graeme & Rebekah Molloy Type of Project: Kitchen Remodel Location: Chautauqua Park, Des Moines, Iowa Type of building: 1920 Tudor The Renovation Diaries are a collaboration with our community in which we feature your step by step renovation progress and provide monetary support towards getting it done in style. See all of our Reno Diaries here. Graeme and Rebekah crossed the finish line!

Designer Gina De Pasquale renovated this Las Vegas residence that needed a little updating throughout. Her work is most impressive in the bathroom where she did a great a job of mixing high and low pieces, all while staying true to the mid-century aesthetic.

I am giddy over my new pretty, pretty pantry shelves. Just days ago, they were a hodgepodge of mismatched boards and faux-wood stickers. It’s amazing what a little paint and the old switcharoo will do! When we started working on our new house, I was pleased to find a set of shelves in the pantry. They were nothing to write home about, but they would hold things and they were free and they were fine.

This ruddy red (marsala?) room color is quite nice, but perhaps not entirely suited to its 2-year-old occupant, Vera. Her mother, Petra Probstner, took a big risk and painted murals on all four walls mimicking the urban landscape of Chicago that lay outside the windows. The result is, frankly, breathtaking. Amazing, right?? As you can see in the progress photo below, she taped the mural off and then filled it in with grey, mint green and peachy-pink paint. Thanks for sharing, Petra Probstner!

The bedroom should be a haven, a place that makes you feel peaceful and happy when you land there at the end of your day. If that’s not the case for you right now, check out these bedroom makeovers and let them inspire you to make your own changes! 1. Kristen’s bedroom evolved over time, and transformed three times since she started working with interior designer, Lindye Galloway. Kristen was frustrated with the layout of her bedroom and was ready to leave the dorm room style behind.

Sometimes I come across an adorable kid’s room on Pinterest and get the urge to spruce up my girls’ rooms a bit. Unfortunately money is tight these days and spending money on a new lamp or cute print is just not in the budget. That’s when I usually start getting creative and try to come up with projects that I can complete on the cheap.

A "before & after" bonanza of reader-submitted projects, organized by budget.

I love Before and Afters that feature something hideous or lackluster transformed into something beautiful and creative. This is not that kind of Before and After. This is a perfectly nice guest room completely overhauled to become a “big boy” room for a 2-year-old.Amanda wrote to share this house project with us. The carpeting stayed, but that is about the only thing that didn’t change, including the paint on the walls.

Not one to shy away from color (or DIYs), Chelsea took on the task of creating a striped wall in her office niche. Her take on a painted accent wall transformed an otherwise plain white wall into a statement that gives the whole space new dimension.Chelsea has made a few updates to her home since it was featured on Apartment Therapy. In this case she was able to incorporate pattern and color without using a whole lot of material.

The challenge (and fun!) of small space living is finding the best use for every inch. Even though tiny apartments are usually short on closet space, a place to stash your suitcases is less useful if what you really need is an office. Melissa put her closet to work for her — for only $130!Melissa Massello is the Stealfinder in Chief of Shoestring Magazine, and with a title like that, you know she’s looking to save a buck.

When Lee moved into his apartment rental, the kitchen was stark white and sterile. Check out what some color and black and white self adhesive floor tiles can do…With the help of a hair dryer, he removed the old, cracked vinyl tiles, and replaced them with Armstrong self adhesive floor tiles (cost $90). By positioning them at an angle, he created a diamond pattern that helps to distracts the eye from the railroad apartment’s “long & skinny” shape.

We’ve had a great year of bathroom before and afters. From the controversial orange bathroom redux to the double renovation of a studio apartment bathroom, we’ve seen a lot and found inspiration even if we didn’t agree with every single choice someone made. I don’t think I would have had so much courage to tackle my own projects this year without Re-Nest and Apartment Therapy, so hopefully these will embolden someone else to do the same.

Brooklyn to West‘s Ariele has done it again. In my opinion, she’s the junkyard, dumpster diving, demo-ed house DIY Queen. This gal finds discarded household materials throughout Brooklyn and transforms them into artistic, thoughtful, and beautiful everyday objects. Most recently, she’s taken floorboards and changed them into cheese boards. Genius? YES!Ariele never ceases to amaze me.

Here's what you need to know.

This IKEA hack has the look of custom woodwork—but costs a lot less.

Here's the great reason why.

White kitchens have their place, but these might just be better.

And neither should you.

This unexpected marriage transforms a utilitarian bathroom or kitchen into a bold style statement.

Flamingo wallpaper—enough said.

You may have to give up your gas range for the greater good.

This one is going nowhere.

Tired of your stuff? Here's how to refresh what you've already got so it feels brand new again.

It makes a huge difference in the look of your cook space.

With disaster comes the opportunity to rebuild.

Hello, better efficiency!

A different kind of shower enclosure is picking up steam.

These stunners will have you running to the paint store on the double.

Consider these drawbacks.

Spend less, and still absolutely love the result.

Money-saving and seriously stylish? Sign us up.

This was the year of statement-making tile, and these redos are the best of the best.

Add these easy tricks to your to-do list and reap the rewards.

This budget-friendly trick is timeless, and these stunning projects prove it.

These bedroom redos are snooze-worthy, in the best way possible.

Renovation by: Kristyn Location: Pittsburgh There was nothing WRONG with the kitchen when I purchased my first home except that it wasn’t me. It didn’t fit the 1920s Tudor Revival style of the house or my preferred bright, colorful, organic modern look. Although I don’t love bead board, there was no reason to replace the clean and sturdy cabinets. So I embraced it, adding more to the side and back of the island that separates kitchen from dining room.

Renovation by: Patti Location: Phoenix, AZ We moved into our fixer-upper exactly one year ago and finally finished the last room – the kitchen. I think the previous owner must have fantasied about being a princess because every single room was painted pink (including ceilings and doors!) and had wall to wall purple carpeting.

Renovation by: Laura Location: Oak Park, Illinois My husband Michael and I just purchased this 1892 gothic Victorian home in outlying Chicago’s historic Oak Park. (land of Frank Lloyd Wright and Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace.) I own a jewelry boutique called Gem Jewelry Boutique and Michael is a general contractor. The home is perfect with its nearly 10 foot high ceilings and elegant moulding, original marble fireplace and gothic windows.

Renovation by: Katie Location: Canada For Christmas this year, I decided to update my grandfather’s living room as my present to him. My grandmother passed away last February, and he needed a change – something that he could see everyday that would make him happy to remember his life with her. They had kept their 1960s furniture in near perfect condition, so I knew I would just need to update the styling of the room with fabrics and some interesting wall art.

Renovation by: Heather and Mike Location: Phoenix, Arizona We are Phoenix, Arizona natives that have never left our little neighborhood of Arcadia. Born and raised in such a gorgeous and historical area of the city, we decided to buy the perfect ranch-style home (in serious need of some TLC!) in our citrus-filled area of town 8 years ago. We’ve had some serious adventures in renovations, and the master suite was the last piece of the puzzle!

We recently moved into a charming 1913 American Foursquare home in Joplin, Missouri. Our first major remodel was the upstairs bathroom. It was replete with plumbing issues (missing a sink), sporting stick on floor tile and press board wall “tile.” Our desire was to make things functional and restore it what it may have originally looked like, while adding our own sense of flair. From start to finish, the project took about a year and cost $2500.

Sometimes a little unexpected “trouble” can go a long way toward creating a beautiful room. You start out with the plan of simply changing up a few decorative elements and find yourself in the middle of a full-on makeover. It happened to Renato, and he not only lived to tell the tale, he’s got a great looking room to show for it. Take it away, Renato… Tired of living with a bathroom falling apart, one day I woke up with design school ended, no jobs and nothing to do.

Becky sent in before and after shots of her master bath makeover. She writes: Our house was beautifully renovated about 15 years ago, long before it was ours. All the important stuff was done perfectly, but a few aesthetics left something to be desired. Like our master bathroom. BOOOR-ING. Square tile on the walls, pinkish-peach square tiles on the floor, builder grade sink top and vanity. Cheap, boring fixtures. And GIANT wall-encompassing mirror.

Renovation by: Takbir Fatima from DesignAware Location: Hyderabad, India This kitchen had been through a lot of wear: the original construction was faulty, causing leakage in the floor, the original design allowed for almost no natural light to enter the kitchen, and previous tenants’ lack of maintenance had made an entire wall stubbornly greasy. Before moving in, I brought down the wall separating the kitchen and dining areas, opening up the space.

When Andi, Dean and their building neighbors decided to re-paint the faded exterior of their Victorian home, it quickly became apparent that the process was not for amateurs. Located in the Alamo Square neighborhood of San Francisco, not far from the famous painted ladies, their building is over a century old.

Project by: Sabina Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania We moved into our house three years ago and it was love at first sight. We loved everything about it—except the fact that it was incredibly outdated. So, after putting up with our dated, depressing kitchen for three years, in June of 2015 we finally started our dream kitchen renovation. We had replaced a few of the appliances with our own when we moved in, so we didn’t opt to get all new appliances during this renovation.

Project by: Christina of andchristina Location: Philadelphia, PA Last year my boyfriend (now fiance 🙂 and I bought our first house (a rowhome in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia) and we’ve spent the last few months transforming the first floor, mainly the kitchen (check it out here!), and also building this breakfast nook in the main living area.

Every so often, someone sends in a project that 100% reaffirms my belief in the power of paint along with good diy and decorating skills. This is one of them. Take it away (and OMG, amazing job!

Project by: June Location: Hertfordshire, UK Our hallway was dark and dull, looking grubby and tired.

Project by: Ana Location: Seattle, WA The one thing I love and appreciate most in life, besides my baby son Magnus and awesome husband Jordan, is working with my hands. The process of creation amazes me every time, and I look down at my hands and thank them for being healthy and strong, then I realize I should thank my eyes, brain and heart for caring on an artistic drive in me year after year.

Project by: Katherine Location: Wichita, KS When we moved into our almost century-old house five years ago we were in the throes of planning a wedding (in the backyard of that house) and so a lot of things got the quick and dirty treatment. The dining room was one of those things. A coat of paint on the walls, a craigslist table and chairs, and a CB2 light fixture and call it good! This past fall, my father-in-law gave us a massive amount of books and along with them, several shelves.

Project by: Karen We just moved into a 1929 Tudor bungalow. The kitchen is small and has only one window. The upper cabinets made the room seem darker. In addition, they were hard for me to reach (I’m 5’2″). So I took them out and replaced them with open shelving in gloss white. The room was instantly brighter. I added storage in the pantry to make up for the lost cabinet space. So I took out the upper cabinets and replaced them with open shelving in gloss white.

Project by: Taylor Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Just days before my scheduled c-section, we were finally finishing our daughter’s nursery. We wanted a room with lots of contrast, personality and DIY touches. We also knew we were working with a small space and so we wanted our choices to be high-impact and make a smart use of our limited floor space.

Project by: Molly of Awfully Big Adventure Location: Austin, TX This project focused on taking my tiny, boring, popcorn-ceilinged living room and turning it into a cheery, comfortable place to come home to- all on a serious budget. Using mainly Ikea, Craigslist, hand-me-downs, and tchotchkes galore, the living room came together and is now a colorful, eclectic space far from the oatmeal box it once was.

Renovation by: Wendy Location: Nevada City We wanted the look of a stacked stone accent wall in our bathroom. However, we were unable to find a stone veneer that would fit behind our toilet. We decided to use reclaimed pine which we got from used pallets. We cut approximately 350 pieces of wood into different lengths and depths all with the same height (2.5 inches). We used a very strong floor glue to adhere the pieces of wood to the wall. After the wall was complete, we painted it a light gray.

Project by: Kate Location: Des Moines, Iowa My husband and I moved into our little house in Des Moines (in a historic area called Beaverdale, full of houses from the ’30s) in July, and were very excited to start bringing some personality into the place! We liked the olive green walls of the living room and dining room, but realized shortly after hanging stuff up that we needed more color in the space.