I love my rental apartment, but if there’s a room that makes me wish for the chance to own my home, it’s the bathroom. In my mind, it’s one of the spaces that benefit most from even minor renovations. I love gathering inspiration from great submissions like this crisp, sunny makeover from Julie of Belle…
It’s been a while since I’ve lived in a space like this one, but it just takes one glimpse of this “before” image to remember all the decorating challenges that accompany a small city apartment. Niamh of Seek Design managed to inject this space with cheer and energy by adding the right colors and patterns…
Though they have no hope of holding all my supplies, there’s something about the look and feel of these old toolboxes that I just love. Why it never occurred to me to turn such a beautifully designed item into a wall display as Kim has done here, I will never know, but I’m thankful she’s…
It’s funny to me that “bachelor” style has such a bad rep. I equate it with leather chairs that look like massively overstuffed beasts, giant TVs, a sparsely filled modular bookshelf and not much else . . . maybe an unpacked cardboard box or two. A harsh stereotype, I admit, although in my defense, I…
I do believe that there are some irrefutable beauties in the world, and wood is one of them. The greatest part of decorating with wood is that cheap, old, tattered and even dirty wood can look amazing; it has incredible texture, character and color. How many materials can you say that about? This reclaimed-wood backsplash…
I’ve tackled a few chair renovations, but I’ll be honest: caning intimidates me. I’m eagerly awaiting the day that Amanda covers caning in Upholstery Basics, but until then, I’m steering clear. I love this chair renovation from Haley Beham; she’s found an inventive way to mimic the original caning back by weaving strips of cotton…
After seeing Dana’s 3D diamond wall pattern last week, I’ve been brainstorming all the ways to add cool sculptural elements to my walls. I love wood paneled walls, but this awesome studio renovation from Cheryl Andrey is making me seriously appreciate the look of wood alone. I can imagine this looking nice as an all-wood…
I’m not a parent yet, but I’ve spent enough time around babies to know that even at an extremely young age, they love to look at patterns — particularly high-contrast, big patterns. Honestly, with all that exciting repetition and play between positive and negative space, who can blame them? This gorgeous nursery makeover from Summer…
I’ve often dreamed of having a wall like this in my house — a big, open expanse with no molding and no windows so I could do something big with it. I’d probably hang a ridiculously sized piece of art (if I had one), but I also love the idea of creating an entire wall…
Dark walls have been quite popular lately, and I think this bedroom makeover from Molly Molina Crawford provides a perfect example of why this trend is here to stay. The patterned rugs, the gold accents, the colorful artwork — everything just pops against those rich, sultry walls. Colors seem more vivid, whites feel super crisp…
I’m super excited to share today’s first Before & After project for two reasons. One, I’ve been a bit preoccupied lately with three-dimensional wallpaper ideas and other sculptural wall treatments, so this fits perfectly into my current obsession. And two, I think it’s awesome that the creator of this amazing diamond wall pattern, Dana Frieling,…
Sometimes a Before & After home renovation comes along that makes me want to up and move immediately, and this Austin, TX, bungalow from Britt and Dan is one of them. Can I live here, please? The amount of light and the use of space are amazing; like Grace, I am a fan of knocking…
Today’s second transformation provides another jolt of spring color, this time in the form of a gorgeous original 1930s turquoise wood ceiling and a well-chosen palette of plum, white and yellow with complementary gold touches. Monika Merchant designed the space to be a studio and office for her friend, photographer Apryl Ann. Despite its tiny 120 square feet,…
Yellow is rarely my color of choice, but with all the cold, dark dreariness that winter unloads on my apartment, I’m really appreciating the energy of this beautiful, sunny chevron dresser. Courtney and her husband originally scored this dresser off Craigslist and painted it solid, but when they moved to California, Courtney decided to jazz…
This Before & After features one of the dreamiest spa-like bathrooms I’ve seen, and to think it all started in this little 125-square-foot room. According to Branka Knezevic, the architect behind this beautiful renovation, the couple that commissioned it loves art, design and the sleek, modern aesthetic of mid-century architecture. The finished space not only…
There’s a soft spot in my heart for all mismatched furniture pieces, be it dining sets, cabinets, seating, etc. Naturally, this multi-drawer media console by Kara Paslay ranks on that list. By building white MDF boxes to surround each individual drawer, Kara and her husband, Tim, were able to stack the drawers in whatever formation…
This bright, sunny living room makeover is a great example of color shift. I love the transformation a new paint color can yield; the icy blue hue took this room from dim and drab to light and soothing. Interior designer Kirsten Krason was hired to bring boldness and energy to this room, and I think…
I’ll be honest; when I see pieces painted over in this fashion, I usually want to run the other way. Just the thought of trying to tackle a project like this credenza from Meagan Luhrs and her husband, Ryan Thompson, makes me break out in a preemptive sweat. I am amazed at their results and would…
If you’re suffering from the winter blues, then this Before & After should immediately cheer you up with its fresh, springy palette. Ashley Hubbard and Robert Ludlow are the couple behind Fleurir Chocolates. Last April, they decided to plant some roots and open a retail shop, and they set their sights on this charming little…
This might be the first kid’s room I’ve seen that I would actually love to live in myself. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that Meg Spaeth would design a room that is equally suited to kids and adults. As the creator of Elsie Marley, a line of kids’ clothing, toys and accessories, Meg is…
