Home Projects by Room

Read this before you attempt yours.

When a DIY enthusiast moved from British Columbia to Toronto to be with her husband, she knew something had to be done about his nearly empty bedroom. Perhaps some bedside lights and a few throw pillows? Or would an entirely fresh start—new marriage, new city, new home—be more appropriate? Now this is a breath of fresh air! This gorgeous makeover was conceived and executed by Kamaldeep kaur Jawanda of Get Kamfortable, and the result is so airily gorgeous.

After living in her Upper East Side studio for almost 20 years, Jill decided her kitchen was ready for a facelift. The problem? Her kitchen is tiny. Like, really, really tiny. This is a true small space success story — how one woman created her dream kitchen in only 56 square feet. The new kitchen has the same layout as the old one, with a few important changes. Jill chose to swap her old 24″ stove for a 20″ wide model.

From disjointed and funky to completely enviable.

The idea of a vintage bathroom sounds very nice, but sometimes the reality is less than appealing. The bathroom in Mary Ann and Frank’s Upper West Side apartment was what Cher Horowitz might call a Monet: “from far away it’s okay, but up close it’s a big ol’ mess.” The bath was completely unchanged since the building was built in 1929, and its age was starting to show, with missing tiles and permanently icky grout.

The Danish fashion designer Stine Goya definitely has a unique style, so it’s no surprise that her kitchen is equally distinctive. What is surprising, though, is that all those cabinets are IKEA. Last year, I created this roundup of kitchens you won’t believe are IKEA, but I was a little flummoxed at first to see that IKEA cabinets come in GOLD.

Maxing out every inch of living room space isn’t a new idea, but these days that can mean working to turn a rarely used space into a cool new Airbnb to rent out for extra income. Redditor monkeegod recently shared his recent basement conversion, which included turning a small laundry area into a fully functioning kitchen. He turned a space that’s smaller than most sofas into a rental rockstar. The laundry area was a perfect spot for this transformation.

After living in their downtown Brooklyn condo for almost five years, Emily and Trey were ready for a kitchen overhaul. The lack of countertop space made cooking for a family of four difficult, and a loft above made the kitchen cramped and dark, as well as encouraging them to keep things they didn’t really need. “We put stuff up there that we hardly touched the entire time we have lived here,” Emily admits.

Your entryway is one hard worker, and the gatekeeper to the rest of your home. Mail, grocery bags, shoes, and gear regularly come and go, and your home’s well-being depends in part on its ability to filter out the clutter and prevent mess from trickling into your main living space. A good hardworking entryway bench is the ultimate secret weapon, combining style, seating and storage to keep everything clear of chaos and mess (and to look good doing it).

The materials in this kitchen appear to all be of high quality — stainless steel, pretty wood cabinets and floors, granite countertop—but I can also understand why reader Devann referred to this kitchen as “bland brown-on-brown-on-brown.” Sometimes even the most beautiful finishes need contrast in order to shine! Here’s a full-length shot of the original kitchen and Devann’s description of it: Before, our kitchen was very monotone.

This shoe storage had its issues — scuffs, unpainted areas, general ricketiness — but it’s still better than my Heap O’Shoes. Can the less-than-ideal but serviceable shoe storage racks be improved upon? Is attractive, accessible, adaptable, practical shoe storage actually possible? We shall see. This is amazing! It looks incredibly cool, and the shoes are within easy reach of both the door and the shoe-putting-on bench.

Here’s a perfectly fine, perfectly plain bathroom! The sink is cute, the walls look like they’re freshly painted, everything is fine—but could this bathroom perhaps become something beyond fine, maybe even fabulous? This is so fun! Small bathrooms—this is a half-bath—are the perfect place to go bold and go big.

This project has so much going for it: it was done for less than $200! It was done in a rental! It features faux DIY granite countertops and a covetable KitchenAid! (Mixer obviously not included in the $200 total.) Click through and get dangerously inspired. I love this! The pink + celadon + white + gold combination is comfortingly and charmingly vintage, but the clean lines of the cabinet doors, handles, and subway tiles keep things modern.

Having two sinks in a master bathroom is either a nice little luxury, or a total relationship-saver, depending on how much your schedules overlap, how well you share space when they do, and just how messy you both are. Would anyone turn an extra one down? Turns out this set up does have a couple of drawbacks however, which might give you pause. There’s lots to love about having his/his, his/hers, or hers/hers sinks.

Wow. This is one of those makeovers that you can’t believe was done on a budget. The results are so impressive, and the new bathroom looks like a million bucks. We shouldn’t be surprised, however, since Kristine has shared some equally impressive DIY projects in the past, including this gorgeous dresser refresh and jaw-dropping cabinet transformation.

Although Charlotte says, “A full kitchen renovation was never in our budget,” you’ll be astounded by the changed appearance of this “renovation-free” kitchen. With a few clever moves and a lot of paint, it went from super ’70s to marvelously modern. Check out what it looks like now… Wow! This makeover was done by Charlotte of At Charlotte’s House, and the most dramatic changes were the painting of the cabinets and walls (au revoir, chartreuse!

In another real estate market, you might take a pass on that otherwise perfect place with one or two not so great features. But not in New York. When, after almost a year of searching, Gall and Ingrid found this stunning Upper East Side apartment, they knew they were onto something good — even though the kitchen left a little bit to be desired. Look at those bay windows! There were three in the living room, and one in each of the two bedrooms.

This kitchen has an enviable amount of storage, but that same storage — the hanging cabinets — make the room feel a bit claustrophobic and dark, and make the counters less accessible than would be ideal.

This bathroom was an afterthought—the cottage didn’t have a bathroom for decades!—and it’s finally gotten the love and attention that every room should have. Watch it go from “the cheapest materials available,” exterior paneling (!), and a very casually laid linoleum floor to a bright, inviting room full of mid-century modern charm . . . It’s so cute now!

Those of you who are absolutely sick of white bathrooms with white floors, white walls, and white fixtures are going to LOVE this renovation. However, all you fans of black sinks are in for some heartbreak . . . This is an astounding makeover! The geometric tile is completely irresistible, and I love the playful choice to apply it to the floor and one wall. The mid-century modern vanity and fascinating tub pop against the blue backdrop; the hues are perfectly complementary.

Melanie bought a house that was previously a rental for many years, and the bathroom was just not loved and cared for all that time. Not only was the space ugly, it had some real issues, including potential mold. When she and her husband renovated, the only thing they kept was the tub (and even that was refinished) … Wow! The bathroom is now so graphic and modern, that little sink is the cutest thing ever, and the vanity is ridiculously cool.

Touring Mona Hamilton’s 650-square-foot Montreal apartment is very inspiring. Not only is it a soothing, lovely space with enviable elements (the removable wallpaper in the kitchen being one of them), but it also features a hack that could be a great space saver for small kitchens or kitchens that need more counterspace. And the source of this hack’s furniture elements is rather surprising. Hacking IKEA components is NOT a new idea. (We have even published one or two or 100s before).

In the Queens neighborhood of Elmhurst, Romuald and his wife have something that most New Yorkers can only dream of: a whole house, and even a backyard. But after living there for ten years, there was one thing they knew they wanted to change: the kitchen. The home’s previous kitchen, while not small by any means, felt a bit tight when you factored in two avid chefs.

The kitchen in Meredith and Jason’s Chelsea apartment, while much larger than your typical NYC apartment kitchen, still had its share of issues. Style-wise, it was stuck in the late ’90s, with heavy mahogany cabinets that sucked the light from the room. A wall of cabinets partially blocked the light from the room’s one window, while a slightly raised floor made for a tripping hazard.

We feature a lot of amazing kitchen projects, but this kitchen makeover might just have the very best dollars-to-damn ratio yet. It went from oh-so-’70s to totally timeless, thanks to some hard work, tile bravery, and some stickers. So charming! I love the interplay of the hexagonal tiles of the backsplash and the ornately patterned floor tiles. The combination of black, white, grey, and stainless is fresh and modern, while the wood counters add warmth and coziness.

Scuffed mauve toilet, periwinkle walls, mauve sink, pebbled glass shower door, yellowed shower stall—what’s not to love? Well, perhaps a few tiny updates might be in order here… Ahhhh, much better! I know there are those of you who dislike white-centric makeovers (I always love them), but in this case, the interplay between the mostly white walls and the mostly black floor is so fun and vibrant, and the room really pops.

We featured Medina’s closet makeover the other day, and now we are back to show you the rest of her bedroom, which she recently redid to take full advantage of every inch of the space. It’s a small room, so she had to get very creative…. This isn’t true before photo, but you can picture a standard rental bedroom with bland cream-colored walls, beige carpet and that ugly melamine wardrobe that Medina and her husband weren’t allowed to get rid of.

This kitchen has quite a bit of vintage charm, and all that white certainly does a great job reflecting the sunlight pouring in from the window. And there’s nothing better than a window over the dishwashing sink, but the room could definitely use a little something. Fortunately, that certain something was do-able in a single week.

This particular kitchen project was a major undertaking: new appliances, new flooring, new cabinetry, new countertops, new backsplashes, and a host of other major adjustments. Despite the dramatic changes, the new kitchen fits into the home perfectly and makes the most of the available space and light. Interiors Addict has done such a lovely job with this room.

Think a new kitchen is currently out of reach? If yours is bringing you down, but you don’t have the means to do a full renovation, don’t give up too soon. These budget renovations all cost under $1,000 (and some well, well under that) and prove beyond a shadow of doubt that you don’t need a wad of money to give your kitchen a brand new look. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of paint, a little bit of elbow grease, and some good ideas. Use these five as inspiration.

Sometimes, when people describe a room as “a nightmare,” they’re talking about shag carpeting or hideous laminate or cheesy ’80s style. Today’s kitchen sounds like the stuff of actual nightmares—read on lest you think I’m talking about the blue-mustard color combo you see here. (But don’t worry—the space now is totally dreamy.) What a difference a new everything makes!

When three friends — Amanda, Kate and Carina — decided to chase their dreams and buy a cabin in the Catskills together, they were ready to start having fun and enjoying their mountain retreat right away. But the home was built in the 1980s, and though the architectural bones were extraordinary, there were still a lot of elements from the era (like bizarre wallpaper, carpeted stairs, funky electrical work, and a mustard yellow shower).

Morgan and her husband recently bought a home and, little by little, are updating each room. First up, the laundry room. One of the things that sold them on the house was having a mud room off the garage, complete with a washer and dryer. As handy as that is, the room was very dark with brown walls, brown cabinets and was desperately in need of an update. More than anything Morgan wanted a light, bright and fun space to work in.

Samantha’s little apartment is only about 500 square feet and it’s a rental. She wanted to make some minor changes, without putting a bunch of money into the makeover. Then she got the best news that an ambitious renter can possible get in their lifetime: when Samantha moves out, the apartment is getting renovated by the owners. Which meant it was carte blanche time! Samantha’s 1925 original kitchen had so much potential, but was a little on the lackluster side.

This headboard idea is So. Simple. It’s an uncomplicated DIY project that adds minimal and modern pizzazz to a bedroom or a guest bedroom. Creating architectural interest, the headboard ledge is now perfectly suited to store and display art, plants, lamps and more. This is the bedroom in Puno and Daniel’s LA loft. Using leftover material from their kitchen cabinet remodeling project, the couple built a headboard with a lip along the top that doubles as a shelf.

This kitchen had so much going for it—high, wainscoted ceilings, gorgeous black countertops, tons of cabinet space—but it needed a little something. Does that something involve pineapples? Perhaps… This renovation by change & co is one of the few Before & After projects we’ve seen recently in which so many of the original elements have been retained. The countertops, faucet, and fridge are all the same, and the cabinetry and island were simply repainted.

The galley kitchen of this Brooklyn apartment wasn’t in terrible shape, especially compared to some kitchens we’ve seen. But the builder-blah ’90s color scheme made the space seem dark and dated, and the wide-set floor tiles left lots of room for grout, which means lots of room for collecting dirt.

About $100 can make a huge difference.

When Puno Puno (yes, you read that right, her name is Puno Lauren Puno!) and Daniel Chin Yee moved into their Downtown Los Angeles loft earlier this year, they knew they’d found their dream home. First, because of all the added space (their previous apartment was a modest 600 square feet to this loft’s 1,500). And secondly, because of the huge amount of light pouring in from the wall-to wall, industrial-height windows that line their corner unit.

A small investment that will make a big impact.

It’s not a problem that many people have in New York, but this Tribeca apartment was almost too big. Sans furniture, the side-by-side living rooms seemed intimidating and cavernous. Plus, the unusual proportions of the space, with windows sitting almost on the floor, made furnishing it tricky. So the homeowners called in Homepolish designer Alec Holland, who transformed the space into a cozy family home, using tricks that anybody can utilitze in a room that feels just a little too large.

Can this outdated, off-white relic of a stove be transformed into a sleek stainless steel beauty? When I learned about a product designed to replicate the look of stainless steel appliances, I was itching to see if it worked — it just seemed a little too good to be true. Could this paint make appliances blend in a little bit more, or maybe look a little less decrepit? Less almond at least? For this test, I bought Rust-Oleum’s Stainless Steel from Amazon which retails for about $30.

There’s nothing worse than those builder grade vanity strips in bathrooms, the ones that absolutely scream “HI, I’M CHROME AND WAS SENT FROM THE ’80s TO DATE YOU!!” As a renter your options are limited, but I came up with a smart way to deal with these common eyesores. Instead of swapping it out with a new light fixture, I decided to instead embrace the challenge and work with what I had. I couldn’t paint it, because that was permanent.

As kitchens go, this one isn’t too shabby. There are really nice white countertops, classic subway tile on the backsplash, and basic wood cabinets that look perfectly sound and in good condition. There’s no horribly dated light fixtures, no crappy peeling wallpaper, or any odd woodwork that needs to be ripped out. Even the walls are white and ready to go. Not much you can do to improve this space, right? So very, very wrong.

See? Wow! Some of the changes in Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth’s living room are ambitious and intimidating—the wainscoting, the (SPOILER ALERT) fireplace—but others are more doable while still having a major effect. Swapping out the art, throw pillows, and accessories made such a difference, and the new sofa and rug turned a cozy living room into a dreamy, airy space.

The holidays are just beyond the horizon, and chances are you’ll have at least a guest or two in your dining room. If your current dining area is old, outdated, or just unattractive, you may feel like there’s nothing (affordable) that can be done…or that you’re running out of time. That’s just not true! And these daring and delightful dining room makeovers prove it. Lisa’s dining room before wasn’t terrible, but it lacked pizzazz.

Chantel’s bathroom had a dark dungeon of an enclosed shower, dated vanity that lacked storage, and an odd medicine cabinet behind the toilet that protruded from the wall. With 35 years of use into this bathroom, it suffered from a grunge she just couldn’t get rid of — not to mention a slight odor and an odd color scheme that she just couldn’t live with. As you can see above, the 1980s was in full effect. The bathroom was originally one large 16′ x 7′ bathroom.

Are your dorm room days behind you? You can still find a ton of inspiration with this tiny, 180-square-foot, concrete-brick room's stunning transformation.

A sanctuary in the city for a young man.

Ciao wall to wall carpet!

Melanie’s rowhome had a surplus of bedrooms and a deficit of bathrooms so the math was easy to do. The actual renovation, however, was not so easy. After an extended timeline and a few plumbing snafus, they now have one newly remodeled bath and one entirely new one.

Mike and Kate’s home office had slowly morphed into a home office slash dumping ground for stuff. They both work from home and felt that they had enough space for a functional office, but they just weren’t making the most of it. They called in their good friend Christina, and she helped the space do a total 180. From Christina: My friends Mike and Kate had a great space for a home office, but the dark paint and cluttered walls made the room feel tiny, especially for two people!

The kitchen in Carrie’s 1950s Chicago bungalow was in desperate need of some updates. By going back to basics and doing most of the shopping at big box stores, she was able to keep the budget to around $15k and save herself the hassle of hiring a contractor. From Carrie: The dark kitchen in our new little home had not been touched in probably 30-40 years. It was horribly outdated, there were soffits galore, and there were a few poorly placed appliances throughout.

Never underestimate the power of well placed chalk paint. Iuliana’s kitchen was in need of a new look and a full-blown kitchen renovation wasn’t really do-able — but she would not be deterred. A couple of coats of sunshine yellow later, her kitchen is brighter, cheerier, and her budget remains intact (which we imagine made her feel bright and cheery, too).

From kids' room to master bedroom.

Chelsea’s master bath was in need of a little love, but funds for a full renovation just weren’t in the cards. Rather than wallow in the depths of an ugly bathroom, Chelsea and her husband decided to make some smart, inexpensive upgrades to give the bathroom a new look without breaking the bank. From Chelsea: When we moved into our fixer upper, I knew we would someday need to tackle master bathroom. It was small, awkward and really hideous.

When Emily went looking for an apartment in New York, she wanted a place with vintage charm, like the beautifully detailed old buildings she had seen while living and studying in Normandy. Instead, she found the next best thing, a fixer-upper apartment in a 1940s building, whose tiny kitchen and bathroom were badly in need of updating (and a little classic character). The kitchen, only six feet wide, suffered years of neglect during the time the apartment served as a rental.

It’s surprising what a difference a nice bathroom makes. Unfortunately, many renters (like myself), have to work with whatever setup our leased homes offer. Usually this is a very standard, neutral, easy-to-clean but very boring space, with minimal function — certainly nothing special. Luckily, there are a few things that you can do to make a bathroom slightly more useful for your needs, and even slightly more stylish.

Carleen’s kitchen didn’t offer much in the way of counter space but it did provide her with lots of poorly laid green tile, which, shockingly enough, wasn’t much consolation. She decided that she’d had enough and set about renovating her kitchen. A mix of professional help, a handy husband and some smart IKEA finds help her put together a chic new kitchen with plenty more counter space to boot.

Christopher took one look at this beige, laminate loving kitchen and thought to himself, “it’s perfect!” His enthusiasm was rewarded as after basically overhauling the entire kitchen, he found himself with crisp white cabinets and counters and a gorgeous wood island that warms up the space with rustic style. From Christopher: We knew that navigating the Denver market would be a tough one. But once we walked into this kitchen we knew this was it.

Did you catch the gorgeous, renovated bathroom in this Philadelphia house? On a tight budget for the whole home, Melissa and John’s bathroom is filled with affordable materials used in fresh ways. And the room’s success is due in large part to the fact that the couple stuck to two strong, simple and complementary design styles: modern and rustic. Below, four elements that make this bathroom so beautiful and affordable to emulate.

Despite the fact that every room in this house was dark and the living room was a deep, almost-brown maroon color, Andrea (a fashion blogger over at Blonde Bedhead) could see this home’s potential. A bold move, considering this is her first house! “I was your typical millennial, avoiding home ownership for years, choosing the mobile life of apartment rentals.

Project by: Jessica Nicolls of Bungalow 56 Interiors Location: Coronado, California There’s something so calming about well done neutral spaces isn’t there? Rather than boring or bland, they’re rooms that relax you just by looking at them. Jessica was able to turn her client’s outdated brown kitchen and bathroom into neutral yet visually pleasing rooms.

Bridgett’s old kitchen sure was something. Which makes her 100% DIY transformation of the space even more mind boggling. Updating the space not just for looks, she added an office nook to the kitchen to maximize the usability of the space. The kitchen is modern and clean, miles away from the blue and beige kitchen they started with. From Bridgett: Our house is old (1963) and the blue stained wood paneling that was floor to ceiling throughout the house totally dated it.

Project by: Leslie Murchie Cascino of Bonnie Wu Design, LLC Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan Leslie’s client downsized into a home that was mostly perfect, save for the cramped and outdated kitchen. After doing some major switching around of cabinets and appliances and making some smart aesthetic upgrades, she was able to create a space with a much better flow that matched the rest of the home.

As a connoisseur of all things vintage, I am certainly not immune to the appeal of an old-school peach-tiled bathroom, but this one had seen better days. The tiles were cracked and patched in mismatched colors, the toilet was one of those tankless numbers where you always feel like you’re going to fall over backwards, and the flooring (almost definitely not original) was more gas station bathroom than mid-century dream.

Spenser saw this mid century property and new that even though it needed some updates, it would be well worth the time, money and effort. Working on a tight timeline, they laid out their vision for a versatile yet stylish kitchen that honored the homes roots and got to work creating an open and breezy space out of a cramped ’80s kitchen. From Spenser: We bought a 1964 mid-century modern home in foreclosure. It was pretty rough, but that didn’t scare me.

Project by: Amy Jameson of Jameson Interiors Location: St. Johns – Austin, Texas Amy Jameson’s client was ready to pass their childhood home on to their daughter, but knew it needed some serious upgrading. They called in Amy to modernize the kitchen and expand the footprint of the home. The addition of an island, as well as a thorough upgrade of almost everything in the space, resulted in a bright and modern new kitchen that is sure to please generations to come.

After making some smaller, manageable repairs and updates upon first moving in, Allie and her husband decided to tackle as full of a kitchen reno as their budget would allow. By mixing in DIY projects along with hiring out a contractor and prioritizing major functional and cosmetic fixes over new appliances, they were able to keep to their budget and walk away with a bright new kitchen.

"It's amazing how much decorating you can do simply by shifting around items you already own."

When Frans and Dalal purchased their studio apartment in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park neighborhood, they knew it would need a little work. The studio, while spacious and bright, had a few downsides, one of them being the tiny, cramped kitchen. Tucked into a little alcove and separated from the unit’s main living space, the kitchen was drab and dark.

I don’t think anyone would use the words ‘glamorous’ or ‘exciting’ to describe toilet paper. Toilet paper is deeply utilitarian, and its intended use is never far from anyone’s mind. But the toilet paper holder — well, that’s a different story.