Home Projects by Room

Brady was blessed with a beauty of a blank canvas, and he did not fail to make it special. By mixing a variety of styles, from Boho to classic Hollywood glam, he was able to create a space unique to his personal style and needs. From Brady: I spent months and months looking for the “perfect place” and saw over 20 apartments before I finally landed on this one.

Sometimes it’s not the wall knocked down or the whole room painted that’s the visual impact your room needs — a small detail can pack a decor punch, too! The proof is in Erin and Tobin’s cute Providence condo: I spotted three small but mighty mini DIY projects in Erin and Tobin’s home — the kind of ideas you can do without a lot of time, tools or money. See if they’re small DIY details that could add personality to one of your rooms.

Kate (from Centsational Girl) recently saw her friend’s kitchen remodel for the first time. Although this family originally had grand visions for a new kitchen, they ultimately pulled back, skipped the architect, and decided to save money instead. They kept the current layout and put their time and budget towards making their kitchen reflect their own tastes and lifestyle. From Kate: Over the weekend I popped in to visit some good friends, Dino and Heidi.

A dreamy bedroom on a budget

An incredible, temporary floor makeover.

Stacy’s rental bathroom started out just fine. She had white and grey tile floors, a grey-blue wall color, and a white pedestal sink. The bathroom was tiny, but there was a separate counter and mirror from the sink, with plenty of space to store her products. The only trouble was the green countertops, which made the bathroom feel dark and dingy despite it being light everywhere else.

Eek! Nadya’s bathroom not only had some structural issues, but it was also lined with asbestos. In the midst of another renovation, Nadya had to tackle the issue on a budget. From Nadya: Our small post-war house in Brisbane, Australia was built in 1959, and like many similar houses of the era, had an asbestos-lined bathroom. As you can see, it was dingy and awful, and water from the shower was seeping into the wall. The nasty stuff had to go!

There were some great things that happened, design-wise, in the 70s, but this bathroom was not one of them. Molly and Jonathan had a few projects in mind when they purchased their Ditmas Park one-bedroom, but they knew that the “sunburn-colored” stripes in their bathroom needed to be the first thing to go. The problems with the bathroom went beyond the cosmetic.

Amanda’s cramped main bathroom was in desperate need of two things: light and space. After patiently waiting for two years, she got to work and created a bright & stylish space. From Amanda: We bought our 1925 Sears Kit home in December of 2014 and have slowly been renovating room by room. We started with the rooms that were deemed “unlivable” by us and let the rest stay as they were. Our upstairs bathroom was one of the rooms we learned to live with for almost two years.

When Nole and her family moved into their home, their sole bathroom was dark, cramped and falling apart. After overhauling the main fixtures and lightning everything up, they have a much happier spot! From Nole: This is the only full bathroom in our home. When my husband and I first toured our home, we immediately identified the bathroom as needing a total gut renovation.

About a year ago, my partner and I purchased our very first home. It’s a darling 1920s house with tons of curb appeal, but it still needs a lot of renovation work on the inside. And, while much of the house retains its original charm, the kitchen leaves a lot to be desired. After a bit of sleuthing, we learned from past building permits that the previous owners did a complete kitchen overhaul in 1970.

Erin wanted to pack a lot of style into her small bathroom. With her eye on function and organization, she upgraded, replaced and customized her way to a space that really makes a statement. From Erin: The old bathroom was basic and old. Because I had a small space to work with, I wanted to make a statement in my bathroom. I removed the old cast-iron tub and opted for floor-to-ceiling oversized subway tile to draw the eye up and brighten the windowless space.

Erin’s old kitchen looked straight out of Stranger Things and she knew before she moved in that she’d be going to battle with the demigorgon of outdated design (end of reference, I promise). By knocking down the cabinets and updating the kitchen with crisp, modern design she was able to make her galley kitchen functional and beautiful. From Erin: I recently bought a dated condo with hopes to make it my own. The obvious issue in the small galley kitchen was the lack of natural light.

Emma and Matt bought a home in Ipswich for its old world character and its affordability. But most of the time “character” often comes with a huge list of DIYs and needed renovations. This home had a particularly dated living area and kitchen that, despite the big windows letting light in, felt quite dark. The living area and kitchen of their home was very dated with the yellow walls, green trim, not to mention the dark wooden ceiling and kitchen cabinets.

Tamsin’s charming old Victorian blessed her with a renovator’s dream come true — gorgeous hardwood floors just chilling underneath carpet, waiting to shine. After setting her floors free, she set about creating a warm and charming living room. From Tamsin: Our home here in Connecticut is a Victorian house and was built in 1900. There are beautiful features that come with a house of this age, all of which make for an interesting space to decorate.

When they bought their co-op apartment in Brooklyn, Casey and Kumar had a particularly ambitious project in mind: transforming a one-bedroom to meet the needs of a family of four people. Doing so involved some pretty clever solutions along with a full-scale overhaul of the unit’s very small, very outdated kitchen. Since space in their small apartment was at a premium, Casey and Kumar wanted the kitchen to flow seamlessly into the rest of the living area.

Danica’s new house came with an old kitchen, and she knew it had to go. With a nice layout and some Craigslist luck on her side she was able to DIY her way to a gorgeous updated kitchen. From Danica: We moved into our home last year and the first project we tackled was the horribly boring builder grade kitchen. The layout was great but the oak cabinets, white laminate and checker backsplash needed some serious updating.

We featured Josef’s stylish Prague apartment a few weeks ago. Now we get to see how Daniele worked his magic on this tiny and outdated space. From Daniele: Josef gave me full creative freedom when renovating his apartment’s bathroom. The bathroom was old and dark. He wanted to fit in a bathtub, possibly his only request for this project. Given the small size of the bathroom I thought it was a bad idea, but he insisted so we did it.

New home, new projects! Kristina knew that upgrading her out of date bathroom was the first thing she wanted to tackle in her new home. Three months later she now has the bathroom of her dreams. From Kristina: As soon my husband and I moved into the Ravine House, we started on our massive upstairs renovation, which included our master bathroom. It was in desperate need of a revamp!

This vintage kitchen had a lot of brown in it. Brown cabinets. Brown counters. A brown floor. Yep, even a brown oven. Thanks to the DIY skills of this couple in Pittsburgh, their kitchen is brighter and a heckuva lot more modern. Lauren writes: “We did most of the kitchen ourselves and a good bit I did all by myself. I was completely terrified to do it but I’m so glad I did.

We are big fans of Calling It Home’s yearly One Room Challenge, and love to watch all the amazing transformations that happen in just six short weeks. Some are more extensive than others, but all are amazing and inspirational. Above is a blank slate guest bedroom from Pencil & Paper Co. which became a layered, yet fresh and comfortable space for house guests.

This bathroom looks like my childhood, and while that may be heartwarming for me, Tanya was not that wild about the dated look of her space. After saving up and getting down and dirty and doing a lot of work themselves, Tanya and her husband have a stylish and timeless bathroom in their forever home. From Tanya: Technically, the “before” photo I submitted is the before-before, because I gave it a temporary spruce while my Hubby and I planned and saved for this renovation.

It can be hard to feel inspired when you walk into your newly purchased home’s living room and the windows (and fireplace mantel and furniture) are dripping in drapery reminiscent of a doily. But Lauren of Circle G Designs managed to design her Pittsburgh home with class and style, blending modern sensibilities while respecting the home’s 1964-era architecture.

No matter if you have a non-existent entryway or a spacious foyer, this is one of those spots where clutter seems to pile up before anyone notices. Lucky for us, we can always count on IKEA as an endless source of inspiration for team clutter control. Add one of these hacks or upgrades to your entryway and you’ll gain some extra storage space that also makes a great first impression. When in doubt, wall mount.

Andrew Deming and Rachel Gant of YIELD Design Co. transform a drab 1950s living room into a bright and fresh sanctuary, incorporating their mix of modern and vintage design. The difference is astounding, and truly brings this midcentury home to its fullest potential. “When we bought our house last year, the living room was one of the worst spaces.

Marisa’s living room was feeling a little dark and dated. She knew the carpet had to go and had her ideal fireplace mantel in mind. With a few trips to the tile store and some help from her dad, Marisa was able to make her mantel dreams come true. From Marisa: When we first moved into our ranch-style home, between the old brown carpet and the dingy brick wall, the open concept layout felt dark and small. While some people love the rustic brick wall, I knew that it wasn’t for me!

Some thought Christina, who runs the blog Christina’s Adventures, was taking on a bit too much when she decided to buy and restore a 1902 Victorian house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with her husband. Not only was it quite dated and run-down, but they had a very young kid and another on the way! But Christina saw the potential in this house’s bones, and her restoration has created a modern, bright home with a family-friendly, farmhouse feel.

When we moved into our little 1950’s fixer-upper 2 years ago (you might remember previous progress reports on the kitchen and living room), I thought there was no way I could possibly wash in that grimy, cramped and dysfunctional bathroom. It had no shower, the loudest toilet flush on the planet and extremely temperamental hot water. But we ran out of cash and so it turned out I could live with it. For a really long time.

Christina of the blog Christina’s Adventures had quite the task before her when it came to tackling this historic Victorian home. Though it’s clear Christina is pleased with how the entire home turned out, the kitchen’s makeover—that they took on themselves!—is her proudest DIY. From Christina: “It was the worst room in the house before, and we transformed it into our favorite room in the whole house!

Lesley took a pretty major bathroom problem and turned it into a wonderful design opportunity. She set about putting the “do” back “mildew” (sorry) and ended up with a gorgeous new bathroom! From Lesley: This is a small family bathroom in our 1950s ranch home. It was pretty dated when we moved in but functional…until the floor started rotting and growing mildew, that is.

When Alyssa and her husband moved in to their Echo Park home seven years ago, they were happy to see a lot of the original details from the 1940s bungalow intact, like this blue tile in the bathroom. Though the tile was charming, the rest of the bathroom was dark and gloomy. Alyssa was able to give the space a whole new modern look with a just few small changes—and keep the charming vintage tile!

Dana took her time to truly make her living room reflect the personalities of the folks living there and make the most of a kind of funky layout. From Dana: After years of tweaking, rearranging, shuffling chairs, plants and window treatments, I can honestly say that I’m thrilled with where we’ve landed in our living room. While the kitchen is usually the center of the home figuratively, this living room is literally the center of ours.

Amanda and Mike’s master bathroom was anything but masterful. When they decided to renovate it, they completely gutted the space from floor to ceiling, moved the toilet so they could fit a luxurious, giant shower and updated the fixtures and surfaces to include elements like marble tiles. The result is a bright modern retreat.

Inspired by the gray skies of the Pacific Northwest, Nila and her husband Henryk, DIYd their way to a charming, English cottage inspired kitchen. From Nila: As newly graduated Florida transplants to the Pacific Northwest, our money didn’t stretch as far as we had hoped. We purchased a small home, which we’ve named Corner Cottage, because it is a corner house in a fun part of the city with many shops, restaurants and farmers market all within walking distance.

If you’re short on space, lofting your bed is one of the best ways to magically gain square footage. However, sleeping in the sky is not without its challenges—I’m looking at you, late-night ladder navigation. Here are 14 ways to make your loft bed dreamy. The built-in cubby smartly stores extra pillows and blankets—and books, if you’re me. The addition of a bedside outlet is so helpful, allowing for a phone charger, radio, fan, and more.

Amy’s bathroom was suffering from over-matching-syndrome. It was basically the bathroom equivalent of having your dress match your purse, shoes, scrunchie, lipstick and phone case. With some lucky finds and a lot of work Amy was able to create a calm and cool bathroom, with just the right amount of color. From Amy: My home is a 100 years old, and while the main floor and bedrooms had been recently renovated, the main bathroom hadn’t been touched in decades and was… pink.

Laura had been living in her two-bedroom co-op in Brooklyn’s Windsor Terrace for five years before she finally decided to take the plunge and renovate her kitchen. While her cabinets were still in decent shape, the linoleum floor was not: it “only looked serviceable in the five minutes after it was mopped.” And the original 1960s oven, while charming, was clearly due for an upgrade.

At Apartment Therapy, we talk a lot about dealing with small spaces, but larger spaces can also present their own unique design challenge. When one Brooklyn family moved into their dream home, the oversized living room proved to be a bit of a conundrum — so they turned to a designer for guidance. Before, the family’s furniture — a single sofa and a small dining table — was a bit lost in the expansive space.

Amanda writes: “When we first bought the house, I painted our bedroom this deep, dark teal. I had rented so long, I just wanted to cover every surface with paint and wallpaper! While a pretty color, it made our room very depressing, dark, and cave-like.” When our contractor was taking out the walls and ceilings, we realized we had an awesome pitch to the ceiling. We decided to keep it lofty, and add a faux beam. This room is now so light and airy.

Concrete might seem like an unusual choice for your kitchen, but given the right setting, its rustic, textured look can set just the right tone. Or it can be pink. Alex McCabe, co-founder of beloved Aussie brand Kip&Co, has a kitchen in her Melbourne home that’s as fun as her company’s bedding. Not only does it have glamorous brass cabinets and a standout quartzite backsplash, the island is pink concrete!

It’s kind of hard to believe that this is the same bathroom and even harder to believe that this was a DIY project without any major renovating. Lauren’s paint game is truly next level. From Lauren: I am so excited to share this DIY labor of love. We moved into our house in upstate New York seven months ago. After spending all our money on the bones, we had pocket change left for changes and renovations. Luckily, I was happy with almost everything, except the first floor bath.

I know Annikki personally, so I was particularly excited when I found out that she and her husband were not only expecting a baby, they were also figuring out ways to get their new home ready despite their old furniture. Of big concern was the living room, where their “gloomy” seal brown leather wanted an upgrade. With one stroke, they needed to transform this room.

After living with the dark, dated kitchen in his Ditmas Park apartment for a while (and spending countless hours watching HGTV), Blane decided it was time for a change. On his wish list: lighter cabinets, to brighten up the space, and an island with a worktop, to turn the kitchen’s less-than-ideal L shape into something more user-friendly.

Risa’s bathroom update is such an impressive mix of super sensible (shout out to dark grout!) and totally gorgeous (those fixtures!) in a small space. From Risa: Our small townhouse bathroom (in Philadelphia) was the color of mucus. The kind you see when you have the flu. This bathroom was kind of like having the flu. It made you sick and achy all over just looking at it. No amount of elbow grease could get this thing looking clean.

M. Pettipoole, an Omaha-based interior decorator, writes: “My clients… own a picturesque Cape Cod Colonial in an established Omaha neighborhood. [They] had already beautifully decorated the rest of their home in a traditional-with-a-twist style befitting the 1939 year of their house. She just wanted my help to make a statement in their entryway— where first impressions are made.” From M.

We’ve seen smart & beautiful design from Kevin before, and he’s keeping it up with this gorgeous master bedroom makeover. From Kevin: After decorating most of my father’s house in one fell swoop, the master bedroom was left unfinished and needed some attention.

We don’t all have a mudroom in our home. We don’t even all have an entryway. But nearly all of us have at least one hallway. If you’re looking for stylish and functional design ideas for whatever kind of narrow space you’re working with, find inspiration from this dreamy mudroom makeover.

When Alexia purchased her first house, she got all of the freedom and joy that come with homeownership as well as some very ’80s bathroom tile. With a trip to IKEA, some lucky finds and some smartly shopped tile, Alexia was able to create a soothing space on a budget. From Alexia: My house is from the early 1980s, the bathroom was carpeted when I moved in (I stripped and sanded) and the ‘before’ tiles were the original builders décor.

When Paige and Thorben moved into their San Francisco apartment, they knew they were going to stay put for a while. And though they were renting, the couple made it a goal to customize their apartment to their liking—something they could call home and be proud of. Throughout the years, they’ve tackled many ambitious projects: building a Murphy bed, custom shelving, and “hacking” their kitchen lighting.

This Before & After is all about the pursuit of a beautiful dream. When they bought their co-op in Manhattan, Laura and Peter had a dream, the same dream that animates the hopes of millions of New Yorkers: an in-unit washer and dryer. In pursuit of their dream, they intentionally bought in a building that allowed retrofits of washer and dryer connections.

All this week we’re talking about bathroom renovations, starting with Ashley’s recent remodel, and following up with tons of helpful posts about the process! So you’re well under way on your bathroom renovation, but it’s time to choose a grout. While this step may seem unimportant in comparison to the bigger pieces of the renovation, the material and color of the grout can have a huge impact on your bathroom’s design and function.

Phew. This project was a squeaker. Ashley found out she was pregnant after the renovation was planned and wound up photographing the final space at about thirty-seven weeks. I think she’s pretty happy she didn’t bring her new baby daughter home while the paint was still drying. Take a look at the finished space!

All this week we’re talking about bathroom renovations, starting with Ashley’s recent remodel, and following up with tons of helpful posts about the process! There’s just something about soaking in a huge, luxurious tub to melt away all the stress of the day. When remodeling, the question is what kind of tub should you get: built-in or freestanding?

All this week we’re talking about bathroom renovations, starting with Ashley’s recent remodel, and following up with tons of helpful posts about the process! Changing out the faucet on your bathroom sink can be a pricey project. Fortunately, not every bathroom faucet is created equal. There are so many shapes, sizes, finishes -and price ranges to choose from. So where do you start?

Name Location Years lived in Room Room Size Ashley and her husband moved from Denver to a small town in Illinois a couple of years ago, buying an old 19th Century home in the process. It came with a real doozy of an upstairs bathroom. Since the couple is pretty hands-on (Ashley does a lot of DIY projects here at Apartment Therapy) they planned to tackle the space themselves.

What sounds like a totally stressful situation, moldy walls and dilapidated cabinets, had a silver lining for Kessie. She was able to transform her kitchen into a space she loves, and live to tell the tale! From Kessie: After purchasing our very first home we realized we had mold in the ceiling and part of a wall of the kitchen. The old cabinets were falling apart when we bought the home and weren’t salvageable.

Séverine Piller and her boyfriend Gianfranco loved this Milan apartment from the start—specifically the loads of natural light and great architectural bones. But Séverine, an interior designer, saw ways to improve the space to fit their modern tastes a little more. And one big change was the kitchen renovation. From Séverine: As [the kitchen] is also the entry of the apartment, it needed to be functional and practical but still give a feeling of being spacious and inviting.

Patience truly is a virtue, as demonstrated by Megan’s two phase bathroom remodel. By keeping one eye on savings and one eye on design, she was able to create a tastefully modern space that didn’t break the bank. From Megan: When we moved into our 1960s home seven years ago, the bathroom was an eyesore. The blue tile and wallpaper were original to the home and they needed to go! The problem was that we didn’t have a budget to completely remodel the space.

When Séverine Piller and her boyfriend Gianfranco first walked into this Milan apartment, they knew it was love. The place had great bones and was filled with lots of natural light. However, it doesn’t mean Séverine didn’t see room for improvement. An interior designer by profession, she made some simple changes that streamlined the living and dining area, creating a minimal, bold and graphic space that fits their modern aesthetic perfectly. The stair rail was removed.

Closet space is certainly useful and often a desired selling point when searching for a home, but with an opportunity to trade that for a luxurious master bathroom, Ryan and Joanna opted for the latter. Immediately after moving into their new home, Ryan and Joanna jumped into a major renovation project—turning two relatively small and generic bathrooms into two beautiful custom spaces, losing a closet and a back door in the process.

After buying a home that had been in her family for years, Katie knew there were changes to be made. Her open space updates took her space out of the ’80s. From Katie: My husband and I bought a 1980s ranch home from my grandparents. The home has been in our family for 20+ years. We knew that every room needed to be touched but that idea excited us because it has given us the ability to make our house exactly how we want it! The biggest project to date has been a brand new kitchen.

Yasmin hit all of the magic words with this project: DIY, IKEA, Storage. And while it may seem counterintuitive to open up your laundry room to the world, it works wonders for Yasmin’s space. From Yasmin: The laundry situation was not very glamorous before. A stacked Washer and Dryer in a tiny dark closet, with no built in storage space. The potential was great. We ripped out those ugly brown doors that were keeping the space so closed.

Before: My previous kitchen was outdated and nonfunctional. I had a –very!– red textured backsplash with mahogany cupboards, two different styles of floor (red and black tiles and wood parquet) that visually shrunk the space. Lots of different heights and depths among the cupboards created an overall sense of confusion.

When we bought our little Laramie, Wyoming bungalow, we knew with a little work we could take the bland kitchen up a notch with some imagination, rearranging, and color. Given that the main floor is was so small (642 square feet), revitalizing the kitchen improved the vibe of the whole house.

Emily juggles a successful creative business as well as her family of four so having a space to work at home is crucial. She had a large enough room to work in, but it was dated and not necessarily the most functional. First, Emily worked with a professional organizer to help edit her current work space. Add some of her signature cheerful DIY style and this uninspiring room was transformed into a bright and fresh space that will keep her organized with no shortage of creative inspiration.

I often think of custom made cabinets as a luxury, but for Maria, they’re a necessity. There’s no IKEA in Serbia, so Maria had to do all of the measurements and design herself, the result is a cool & sleek European kitchen. From Maria: I bought this one bedroom in July 2015 and had only month to renovate it. All major demolition, plumbing and electric work was done by contractors. By the time they left the place, I was almost broke.

Sometimes, you get caught up in the moment. Nicola started off with a short and manageable to-do list and then kept adding more to it, in the best way possible. Luckily IKEA helped keep her costs low as her to-do list grew.

We didn’t necessarily love this kitchen. My parents built the house in 1999, but the kitchen had a random, generic feeling to it. Oh sure, Mom dressed it up and tried to make it her own, but it just never felt right to her. We just started calling it “the room with the food” since we knew we could do better for her kitchen-wise. After my dad passed away from a long illness, my husband and I wanted to make their home as comfortable as she liked and exactly as she wanted it.

If you’re a color loving renter, contact paper is your best friend. Medina went all out adding color and pattern to her rental kitchen in a security deposit friendly manner. From Medina: I really went all out with the makeover. It is a rented apartment, but that didn’t stop me from decorating and injecting some color into it. The floor is wallpapered which I have a tutorial for on my blog. The cabinets were changed by adding contact racing stripes (all renter friendly).

Oh, Scandinavian design. It truly is a small space inspiration. After Eric saw it first hand he came back revitalized and ready to rennovate. From Eric: I bought a small condo in 2001 when I was a student. I was a single dad and going back to university was a crazy move. But it was cheaper to buy than to rent so I went for it. When I walked into this 1923 building that had just been turned into condominiums, I thought “what is this place…?

This kitchen won’t be for everyone- but I love it to pieces! I decided early on to replace the upper cabinets but to repaint the lower cabinets as they were solid wood. The only problem was which color! I spent a lot of time on pinterest following the ‘OOooooh’ factor. Anything that made me make a noise of desire got pinned and I found myself pinning a lot of dark green kitchens… I’m all for interesting design but that seemed a bit too edgy even for me!

While not lacking in a certain crumbly charm, the bathroom in Colin and Orli’s Crown Heights co-op was definitely not a place where you would want to take a bath. Five different layers of floor tiles, installed on top of each other over the years, made for an unsettling drop when stepping into the tub. The subway tile walls were starting to look far too much like an actual subway for comfort, and thanks to many decades of water damage, the whole thing was falling apart.