Home Projects

Using a $20 garage sale settee as a base, Suesan over at Frou-FruGal wanted to create a family heirloom map furniture piece. Using a drop cloth, some incredible hand painting skills and some elbow grease she has created an unexpected decor element.Whether you like the look or not, this is so much more than just your typical piece of furniture. As Suesan describes, It’s unique to our family and I’m happy with the look. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t fast.

If there’s one thing Small Cool month reminds us, it’s that even a small space can pack a dramatic punch. Beth Beattie, who owns a PR, branding, and event planning business, tackled her tiny office transformation on a tight budget without sacrificing high style.After!Beth’s aim was to create a space that was comfortable and feminine with just the right amount of glam.

At $7.99 the LACK table from IKEA is a popular purchase. Supremely simple in design, this piece looks great in the living room or even as a minimalist beside table. Alas, like all things, the surface inevitably shows signs of wear—and there is only so many times you’ll want to reposition a potted plant or stack of books to strategically cover up scuffs or stains. It’s good to know that there is light at the end of tunnel when its life as a table begins to look LACK luster!

Q: I am hoping to start a container garden on my back patio, but it faces west … is this a lost cause? ~Jenna O’BrienActually, you are totally in luck! A west facing patio or balcony is the perfect spot for a container garden, especially an edible one, because they get plenty of afternoon sun. All plants require a certain amount of sunlight to properly photosynthesize.

当我的朋友瑞秋被这把椅子——交会ondhand hand-me-down from her sister — she was able to look past the ratty old upholstery and worn frame and see its true potential. With a little paint and new upholstery, the chair looks brand new.Says Rachel of the chair makeover: “I got this chair as a secondhand hand-me-down. My sister gave it to me after she had been given it from her older, quirky neighbor who she calls “Mr.

Of course safety comes first, but if you can combine safety with style, all the better. Lindsay wrote us to share a terrific solution her friend, Kate, Stone, came up with to keep her toddler out of the fireplace while adding to the decor instead of subtracting from it.A magnetic chalkboard – nice!! It’s not only leaps and bounds more attractive, but its become a functional playspace. See Kate’s toddler in action using it on Lindsay’s blog, Pink Green & Zebra.

We’ve seen the topic of painting upholstery come up from time to time to time, but this Before & After made my jaw drop. While I may have been on the fence before — one look at the After photo and I’m a believer.the After!Given the option of spending hundreds of dollars to reupholster her Craigslist chair or experimenting with painting the fabric, Kristy Swain of Hyphen Interiors broke out the brushes.

We know there are plenty of good-looking hampers available for sale, but some of them have not so good-looking price tags. And, come on, it’s going to have my son’s dirty socks in it. Couldn’t I just figure out a way to jazz up his old plastic hamper?Sure! I love a challenge, and this is what I came up with. Silver spray paint (with a coat of plastic primer first) and a simple orange drawstring bag.

Getting the most out of a small bedroom closet can be a challenge in spatial recognition akin to playing a game of Tetris. So what if you discovered that you could expand your small closet to create a big, walk-in with enough room for even the most avid shoe buyer’s collection?I am stuck with one small closet that I share with my husband so when I saw this post detailing the expansion of a closet over at Life in the Fun Lane I was insanely jealous!

Glass entry doors can be beautiful introductions to a home. If you’re lucky, the door, sidelights or transoms may boast decorative or stained glass. Glass doors also let in a ton of natural light — but they can also let in unwanted draughts, sounds and can greatly diminish the amount of privacy. There are shades, drapes and portieres that allow you to maintain the beauty of your glass front door!

When I saw this lonely little luggage rack pushed to the back of a Salvation Army store, I felt sorry for it. Unloved and discarded by its former owner, I could see past its current beat up and water stained condition and to the gorgeous little thing it could become. Under my tender loving hands, this luggage rack has been granted a new lease on life.The quickest way to modernize this luggage rack was to spray paint it.

Ginger wanted to hand down her own childhood desk to her daughter Clara, but due to water damage and “the remnants of various stickers I put on there long ago (oops)” she needed to give it a refresh first. See how it looks now:Great job Ginger! We see desks like this all the time at flea markets and usually dismiss them as too dowdy, but bright paint totally modernizes the look.

How do you revive a dark and dated room without completely eliminating its original character? I gleaned quite a few ideas from the 2011 DC Design House where some of my favorite DC designers brought fresh sophistication to their spaces by simplifying and lightening — perfect inspiration for spring!• 1-3: The Pool Room: Erin Paige Pitts Erin was charged with the task of making the rather gloomy pool room into a functional and inspiring retreat.

You may be looking at this thinking, “I have that exact same stroller at home.” While yours is also likely pink (the non-pink doll stroller is akin to the Holy Grail), you’re probably referring to the state of disrepair this one is in. From how quickly they fall apart, you’d think these kids were pushing around bowling balls not little baby dolls.

啊,空间——这些值列表ely subterranean areas that often consist of dirt, cobwebs and feelings of claustrophobia. Even though we may try to avoid them, improving an existing crawl space is actually an important step in greening your home. Retrofitting these areas not only addresses energy efficiency and moisture problems, but for those living in a small home, they can also be turned into valuable storage space!

Heidi is a hoarder. She doesn’t have dusty stacks of newspapers lying around or dozens of cats, she hoards her son’s artwork. And who can blame her! Determined to display his cute scribblings and paintings, she strung a small line of rope and hung his artwork with clothespins. Finding this inadequate, she took a tip from another blogger and went big. Really big. Find out what humble material has solved her problem:Yep, chicken wire!

When I saw this little file box at a Salvation Army, it practically called to me from across the store. “Jason,” it called out to me, “please take me home and give me new life. I’m only five dollars!” How could I possibly pass it up?The original gray finish on the file box had definitely seen better days. Even after a thorough scrubbing, the finish was marred with years of tape and dings and scrapes. Nothing a little spray paint won’t fix!

Ah the power of a few coats of paint! This little side table looks like it’s way past its prime but with a little elbow grease, sanding, and a fun new paint color, it is transformed!The sunny yellow paint color transformed this table from a scarred old relic to a shiny new treasure!Denese at Plum Life blogged about this table makeover. The table itself has been in Denese’s possession for some time, hence its well used appearance in the before photo.

Closets are often the spaces that get neglected in even the most stylish and organized of homes. As I get ready to start my spring cleaning, I’m pulling some inspiration from Sara’s coat closet transformation.After seeing what Sara over at Russet Street Reno did with paint and an old vegetable bin, I’m not surprised to see that she was able to transform her coat closet from plain to cute with a just a little color.

I love to watch the evolution of people’s spaces. As soon as you remodel or paint one thing you begin to think about what you would have done differently and what you can do next. Katy from Mom and Her Drill has documented her kitchen as she painted it, and repainted it over time. Without any major renovations she had changed up her kitchen in a sustainable way more than once. Check it out after the jump.Immediately after moving in Katy knew she needed to make a change.

Closet envy usually involves admiring another woman’s shoe collection, but I’ve never been into shoes. I am, however, into clever uses for small spaces and it’s been on my mind lately as I look to create a spot at home for my my bedroom-less, playroom-less son to call his own.

Used as a rental for years, Gregg Olsen, the owner of this 1960 split-level in Boulder, CO had a vision to add a second story to his home. When that plan promised to cost $100,000 – $150,000 more than he had budgeted, a change of plans was in order. The new concept included energy efficiency and modern design elements.Mr. Olsen hired VaST Architecture to realize the extensive renovation on his home.

Out of all the cool houseplants, useful herbs, and indoor trees available, grass isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when you’re looking to fill your indoor spaces with living greenery. But even though this type of plant is usually related to backyards and landscaping, grass makes for a great indoor container garden option that can be both decorative and useful and is quite easy to grow.

This family may not have a big entryway but they have a wide staircase which they turned into a mudroom of sorts with tons of storage for every family member. See how great it looks now:Even seeing other people get organized makes me feel good. I imagine these cubbies will fill up a lot more over time and not look quite as pretty, but what a great way to maximize this space along the stairs.

So much of the successful end result of design projects depends on the ability to take risks and think “outside the box” when in the planning stages. Being able to consider the idea of making one big shift opens up many possibilities. This was the case with the story of the redesign of the entrance and facade single family home in Chicago…… featured in the current issue of Chicago Home + Garden.

Faced with two sets of mismatched cabinets in her otherwise dreamy kitchen, Alana decided to paint the lower deck of cabinetry to complement the upper deck. After a lengthy color selection process, Alana dived into the project and the results are gorgeous!The upper deck cabinets in Alana’s kitchen are the vintage windowpane variety that were original to her bungalow — but the lower cabinets are all new.

Arren Williams’ home in Toronto is also his ongoing project . With his long list of design skills, each room is an opportunity for some wow-level end results, which he, luckily for us, shares on his blog. A basement room, especially one that was converted from a drive-down garage can be a challenging space to decorate; dark, with low ceilings and a lack of windows. But that didn’t deter Arren……and the After!

After living with this bedroom for awhile, AJ decided it was a little drab. He started the room’s makeover by changing out the bedding and it all went fabulous from there…AJ blogged about his recent bedroom update at Handjobs (For the Home). The overhaul has been an ongoing process. AJ started with a new bedspread, which went a long way in improving the room. But he didn’t stop there.

Q: Is a locally made sectional that has no formaldehyde, no fire retardants and no chemical stain treatment but does have polyurethane foam OK? I am having a hard time finding furniture without spending a fortune, and this seems like a good option — except for the foam. I have a 4-month-old and a 2.5-year-old, which is the main reason for my concern.Asked by AmberEditor: Here’s what our friends at Green Home Guide say.

Laura, a regular Apartment Therapy reader was on the hunt for an affordable ottoman. When nothing suitable turned up, she took matters into her own hands and went the DIY route. Here is her story…and the great looking finished results……and the After!Laura writes: I wanted to share my simple and cheap ottoman makeover.

What happens when water invades your living room and you have to take the carpet out? Well in this case you do great things while staying within a budget. Curious to see what this boring concrete floor looks like now?Over at the blog TwentysixFiftyeight there’s been some serious transformations happening. After having to remove the carpet in their home due to some unforeseen water issues, Merritt and Cris were left with a slightly uneven, yes solid concrete slab.

This thrift store find has great lines, but the rest of the piece needed a bit of work. Kate from Centsational Girl put a little bit of love and a whole lot of elbow grease into fixing this piece up. Check out her cane chair transformation into a timeless piece for her living room.First things first, she took apart the chair until only the frame was left. Then she gave that a good coat of glossy white paint. For the fabric, she went with a soft yet durable fabric in a taupe color.

I recently had the idea to replace the photographs which hung above my couch with several images from one of my favorite picture books, Caps for Sale. Five dollars for the book, a few cuts with an X-ACTO, and I have six beautiful images that add new life to the room.Since I already had the frames, this was a very cheap and easy way to do a quick change to the room.

When you are redesigning or remodeling your kitchen, if you’ve got the possibility to choose gas range stoves, then you should most definitely go for them. They make cooking that much nicer, especially if you’re a food enthusiast. Here are some luxurious gas range stoves that we’ve found.1. Smeg Symphony Smeg makes iconic appliances, and their Symphony gas ranges are no exception. It includes a versatile oven system, with 3 different doors allowing you to cook many dishes.

Nancy from Marcus Design took the Rast dresser from IKEA and DIY’d it into a Dorothy Draper-inspired Hollywood Regency accent piece for her bedroom. Check out her step-by-step instructions and try this at home! Nancy’s first step was to prime the surface of the dresser and spray it with two coats of black lacquer spray paint from RustOleum.

When I posted How To Make a Block Print Rug Using a Welcome Mat, I promised a full reveal of my den’s before and after, and while ideally there are a few tweaks I’d still like to make, here it is. Since our budget was virtually non-existent — as in free— everything in it was borrowed from another room, salvaged, handmade, or secondhand.Ideally, we’d like to redo the addition where this room is housed.

Do you tend to bring home project pieces from the thrift shop simply because you can’t pass up a good deal? We must be related. I adopt pieces of furniture even if I don’t have space for them. When I saw this unloved little ottoman, I knew I had to bring it home. See how this ottoman went from sad to glad after the jump!A close-up of the ottoman before it’s overhaul.Supplies:1 Old Ottoman-$151 Can of Spray Primer-$2.991 Can of Sunburst Yellow Spray Paint -$3.

It’s been raining buckets throughout much of the Midwest for the better part of the weekend and it seems as though my galoshes have never seen so much use! Although I’ve previously mentioned using a baking sheet as a quick boot tray, check out this DIY that all started as a scrap pile of used fence posts!

Re-Nest reader Abigail recently sent us her super thrifty sofa upgrade: A hand-me-down from her parents, she’s been living with the sofa for 3 years trying to disguise it with a floral slipcover and lots of pillows.

During the last year, we focused mainly on fixing up the inside of our house. But 2011 is all about the outside, and we got to work before the holidays so we could eat out of our first food-producing garden come early spring. So far, so good. Take a look!We’re grateful that we have a lot of real estate to work with. Our first raised bed (the one pictured here) is four feet wide, eight feet long, and a foot and a half deep. It needed a cubic yard of dirt to fill it up!

Jarret and Catherine of Bungalow Bungahigh had a classic renovation story play out when rehabbing the kitchen in their Chicago home. What could go wrong, did, and the job took much longer than initially expected. But, I’m sure you’ll agree the results are worth it — just check out the after:Here’s the story from Jarrett and Catherine: We bought our 1931 Chicago bungalow knowing that we’d have to do one major renovation project: the kitchen!

Katherine sent us in photos and floorplans of the update of her West Loop loft. This is a hardworking condo — it is home to a (new) family of three and during the day also accommodates two employees as a live/work space…..and the After!Here is Katherine’s info on the update: We had to overcome a dated warehouse conversion of a beautiful masonry and timber loft building. Views were compromised by the fireplace and tv alcove dividing the kitchen and living area.

It’s ok, go ahead and laugh… and then get your mind out of the gutter. But if rare, unusual statement plants cause your heart to flutter, then the Platycerium is for you. This tutorial will show you how to mount your stag to a piece of wood, then properly care for your new living art! Like orchids, the staghorn fern (Platycerium) is an epiphyte, which means they do not require soil to grow but attach to and gain nutrients from other plants, while not harming the host plant.

In cities that have an IKEA, their furniture is found in many homes. While there’s nothing wrong with this affordable option, that doesn’t mean your pieces have to look like those everywhere else in your city. Check out what these BESTA cabinets after Kris was through with them! Kristina Klarin isn’t one for plain and boring. She is all about making a splash with color and these cabinets were slightly lack luster before she got a hold of them.

The washer/dryer hookup in our apartment is perfectly located right off the kitchen and close to the dining room, where we do all the laundry folding. Since this is our first apartment with laundry inside the unit, we’re quite happy to have it so centrally located. Although the location of our little laundry closet may be nearly perfect, the presentation leaves a lot to be desired. Those louvered bi-fold doors have got to go!

Making over an area like the bathroom can seem like a small project. At first it feels as though only a few things will need refreshing or changing out — but often once things get started it seems as though everything must go. In this bathroom highlighted on This Old House, everything received a makeover from hardware and fixtures to lighting and paint — all for $439!

Peter and Molly’s light-flooded West Village studio was perfect for the two of them plus Hugo, their dog. But when they were preparing for a new baby, they successfully reorganized the space and added a sliding door, creating a comfortable and calm one-bedroom. Initially, Peter and Molly used the larger area for their bed, a comfy chair and storage.

Do you know what kind of looks you get when you go to the hardware store and tell the clerk you want to DIY a sliding door? When they point in the direction of “Doors & Windows,” you know it’s time to take matters into your own hands. I needed a door for a lofted space above our living room, and wanted the sliding effect. However, since it was a temporary solution, its construction needed to be simple and easy to do.

Jarrett and Catherine of Bungalow Bungahigh have tackled DIY projects that make mere mortals shy away, like rehabbing an outdated basement bathroom on a super tight budget. They got creative with their choice of materials and were able to get a whole new look for under $200 – $158 to be exact……and the After!Here is what Jarrett and Catherine tell us about the project: We recently rehabbed our tired basement bathroom.

This is the tiny guest room at the end of the hallway in my house. It started off as an ugly room with paneling and a paint job that was old and worn. It sorely needed a new coat of paint, and since I didn’t love the room to begin with, I felt brave enough to do something bold:The room is seriously small – it really only fits a full size bed. Remembering that small rooms really can go dark, I took the plunge.

When I was growing up, this glass door bookcase lived in the home of an elderly neighbor housing a collection of beautiful hardcover books. My sister and I always considered Miss Matthews a surrogate grandmother, and I was delighted to inherit this and some other furniture pieces when she passed away a few years ago. Though this bookcase wouldn’t work in my library, I knew it would be perfect to house my DVD collection.

image:7066557cf185bf6938ae8e8da12fde914b8fba88 w:540 s:"fit" class_name:"mt-image-center" show_pin_button:"true" show_image_credits:"true" Sorting waste can be a real challenge in a small kitchen. First there’s your basic trash, then there’s recycling (co-mingled if you’re lucky) and compost. Like most people, we didn’t want to give up precious floor space for these bins, so we came up with a semi-custom and affordable solution.

我一直梦想着有一个“夫妇的书桌”。However, every apartment we’ve had hasn’t given us the proper space for this to happen. Luckily, for Valentine’s Day my guy surprised me with a rearranged space and enough room for my dream double desk to finally happen!In the before photo above, you can see our original desk. It housed his cluttered workstation and was large — but not large enough for two people.

BEFOREDreary内政部的做法你下来吗?取一个cue from one of the lovely ladies of Fig & Sage who, after realizing the paint color on the walls made the office ‘depressing and lifeless’ in winter, transformed the room into… AFTER… a soothing, lavender-hued oasis with a wood door tabletop (salvaged from her basement), IKEA shelves and desk legs, two West Elm Parsons desks (scored for $15 each at an overstock warehouse), and neat, colorful organization.

Last spring, when my husband and I bought our first house, we hadn’t painted a full wall between the two of us. That changed within about two days of us getting our keys. We soon learned that the greenest (and most budget-friendly) trick in the book is to work with what you’ve got—so click through to see how our kitchen has progressed from dark and dated to light and lovely on a dime.

Last month I wrote about how my dog’s New Year’s resolution was to ditch the dog food and start on the ‘woodchip’ diet. After she chewed through all of our windowsills, the AT community was wonderful in helping me figure out the best way to fix it! My husband took a reader’s advice and used wood epoxy, in this case J-B Weld KwikWood Epoxy Putty. See the step-by-step results below. First, he removed any splinters and lightly sanded the damaged and surrounding area.

You know the pair of built-in dresser drawers in my master bedroom? Well, there’s a smaller second bedroom that has just one set of drawers on the left side of a similar dormer window. On the opposite side of the dormer, there used to be just a blank wall. It was a blank slate, an opportunity to install a partner to the dresser:My husband and I came up with a shelf design as a complement to the dresser.

白漆,肘油脂,和一些著名ordable accessories, Noreen and David turned a barely-used storage area in their 180-year-old Florida home into a peaceful and comfortable guest room.When I was visiting my parents Florida home earlier this month, I was so thrilled to see that they were transforming an old storage area at the back of the house into a guest room – and they didn’t even know it was Home Project month here at Apartment Therapy!

Over the years I’ve heard many a home improvement tip here at Apartment Therapy, but one idea that’s stayed with me every time I visit a thrift store or cruise Craigslist, is the idea of stripping brass plating to reveal shiny silver underneath. Well, Chris from Style North has discovered an even easier way to get the job done — oven cleaner.

I’m sure in certain parts of the world people are looking forward to the start of Spring and warmer days, but here in Australia it is hot hot hot and there is never enough shade. So I’m making my own! No heavy plasticky shade sails for me… I’m opting for light white muslin to let the light in but take the edge off.MaterialsAs much fabric as you need to cover your chosen area. (As mentioned above, I used muslin.

虽然你并不是特别难own frame for a canvas, it can be more work than required. Check out this thrift store painting — not many would consider hanging it in their homes as is — but with a Bambi makeover, I’m all over it!Over at Under The Table and Dreaming, Stephanie Lynn has been hard at work revamping this red barn into something a little more modern and fresh for her space.

Perfect timing for project month! We were happy when an email from Maja, a regular Apartment Therapy reader, hit the inbox. She sent us in these before and after photos of an eBay chair makeover project — from a traditional floral to a bright and bold modern graphic pattern, we love the transformation……and the After!Maja writes: I’m moving to a new apartment in a couple of weeks and have been buying some furniture.

We moved into our home four years ago in a flurry of MA thesis writing and job changes. When we had time, we worked on decorating the bedrooms, living room, and dining area — but we pretty much ignored the loft space at the top of the stairs. We eventually bought a rug and our friend Karen kindly built us pine shelves while staying as a houseguest. Sadly, that was about it until last year, when our home office moved there to make way for a nursery.

Perhaps it’s the combination of the holidays and a winter birthday, or the hunkering-down tendency that rainy days inspire, but all I want to do is get pretty things in the mail. If I received a box full of dwarf conifers or perky succulents, I might be content to stay indoors until spring. Garden Design, my new favorite magazine (my friend passed her most recent copy onto me after she read it), has a very helpful feature on reputable mail-order plant companies.

一点点和蕾切尔加德纳的世纪中期savvy stylists, whether we are about talking vintage or contemporary furnishings— the post that they shared with us for Home Project month proves it. When the search for an affordable mid century sofa kept coming up dry, they did a complete makeover of an affordable IKEA basic to help it fit in smoothly with their vintage style home. The “after” looks like a totally different sofa!…and the After!

Reusing old drawers as shelving is something we’ve discussed here a few times before. In fact, you may recognize one of these drawers from a post on the subject. While I’ve been using drawers as shelving for a couple of years, I wanted to take the concept to the next level.I had already been using one of these drawers as a wall shelf in my bedroom and when I gave the bedroom a makeover, I wasn’t sure whether I would use the drawers again.

I know there are those among you for whom the classic pink-tiled bathroom is a national treasure worth saving at any cost. And while I admire your commitment to preservation and in theory agree with you, in practice I know better — six years ago I bought a pre-War apartment with two pink tiled bathrooms and that turned out to be two too many for me.

Many of us have often stared at the pages of magazines, wishing we could have a designer look on a dime. Those that actually make that dream come true are usually willing to roll up their sleeves and do things themselves. When it comes to this bedroom that couldn’t be more true — the new look includes an amazing handmade ruffled duvet cover, headboard and more!Over at Kiki Creates, there’s been some action in the bedroom (hubba hubba!

There are a lot of options out there for apartment dwellers who want to compost, and like most things it’s not as simple as one style fits all. It’s about finding what works best for you. Try something! And if it doesn’t work for you… try something else! This is an easy indoor compost option for people who need something cheap, customizable and space friendly.MaterialsA container to house your compost. It can be as big or small as you like.

When I moved into my apartment, the built-in cabinet in my bedroom was shoddily painted in yellow and blue with brown “accents.” To make matters worse, there were so many layers of paint that the hinges didn’t work well.Basically, I spent several hours over two weeks chipping away at the old paint — a process I found surprisingly satisfying. Beneath the yellow, blue, and brown, I found pink, gray, and lime green.

If you live in a small space that is short on closets you may find yourself surrounded by a variety of “storage solutions.” Unfortunately, the visual appeal of giant plastic boxes is pretty low, so why not convert your rubbermaids to a relaxing reading nook?It’s amazing what a quilted bedspread, a couple of throw pillows and a faux fur rug can do!

When I moved into my home, only one out of the three units was livable. The downstairs had been gutted and wasn’t much more than a glorified storage unit. You’ve gotten a glimpse of the bathroom via my Ace Hotel-inspired shelving post. Now I’m going to share my mostly recycled kitchen-on-a-shoestring.Diving into this project as a novice homeowner included lot of naivety and the necessity of getting a unit rented ASAP to help pay the mortgage.