Sometimes the simplest projects are my favorites, especially when they provide dramatic results. I’m such a wimp when it comes to sanding; I just don’t want to put in the time to do it, and I know I end up passing on a lot of potentially great pieces because of it. It’s nice to see…
I love hanging cabinets and shelving units because of their dual functionality as wall art and storage. You can tell from a mere glance that this shelf has potential, and its owner Tiffin has capitalized on the modular aspect of the piece to transform it into a cheerful, graphic display unit for her milk-glass collection….
The more painted rugs I see, the more convinced I am of the concept’s brilliance. I’m not saying that we should be dumping paint on our hand-knotted wool rugs instead of cleaning them, but it’s great to see the ugly-yet-durable flooring of the world receive a new lease on life. During her home renovations, Jennifer…
Much like Grace, I’ve never met a stripe I didn’t like, and the design on this painted dresser from Carol is no exception. Upon discovering that the wood was in very poor condition, Carol decided to give the mid-century piece a neutral stripe design. I love the use of such a wide chevron shape and…
After being discovered in a garbage heap, this table received an exciting new look in the capable hands of Nicolaich, a designer based in Athens, Greece. The lovely striped pattern inspires me to be more adventurous when painting old furniture. The mix of solid stripes and natural wood; the vintage-inspired color palette; the white-dipped feet…
Sturdiness aside, I love the look of little legs on credenzas, tables, sofas — you name it. Actually, I’ve owned a few mid-century pieces of this nature and I can attest to the fact that while they may look wobbly, little legs do their job perfectly and look cute doing it. As someone with little…
I really like it when graphic designers take on furniture renovations; they always find a way to add a beautiful graphic twist to the project. This cabinet from David is a perfect example. David loves typography and letter forms, so when it came to fixing up this cabinet abandoned by his home’s previous owner, he…
i know a lot of people out there hate ikea and all it stands for. however, i think it would be unwise to discount the amazing role ikea has played in the diy design universe. in fact i think ikea should be hip to the trend and start selling products that support the hacking of…
i get a little nervous when it comes to purchasing large, heavy pieces of furniture, especially when they need a lot of work. my anxiety stems from the memory of a 15′ long solid wood table that i purchased on whim at a local bookstore’s closing sale. with no plan for where it would go,…
we’ve got a PACKED before & after day today so i wanted to kick things off bright and early with emily’s credenza makeover. emily, an art teacher and designer in denver, received this old credenza from her parents’ house and decided to give it a “lighter, cleaner” feel with some new paint, a bold purple…
today is before & after day so i thought i’d start us out nice and easy with some fun and simple paint + fabric makeovers. first up is ana’s bookcase makeover. orange is probably my favorite accent color for almost anything, so i loved seeing this simple makeover on a piece of furniture that just…
i’m in the middle of trying to create a tiny office space in our bedroom so i’ve been trying to find pretty filing cabinets that fit the rest of the room. i haven’t found anything yet but when i saw d*s reader abha rao’s file cabinet makeover i decided that a diy project was the…
it’s always nice to see how a bold coat of paint can liven up an older piece of furniture. d*s reader shirin painted this vintage trunk a gorgeous bright red and it now brings just the right pop of color to her room. thanks for sharing shirin! [stay tuned for a new diy project at…
unhappy with her traditional wardrobe, benita larsson decided to take matters into her own hands. after deciding that she would paint her wardrobe, she chose a plain orange paint. after she finished painting she decided it was a bit too dark so decided to add the trellis pattern. using painters tape to mark off her…
our intrepid craft editors derek and lauren from the curiosity shoppe are reporting from sunny hawaii today! their simple but stunning shelf makeover will be the first diy project of the day, followed by our four diy contest winners! i will post 4 winners, one an hour, starting at 10 am this morning. each project…
d*s reader amber blakesley turned in this great project for the d*s diy contest. though it didn’t fake the final round, i thought it was way too beautiful to go un-celebrated. using simple tools, orla kiely wallpaper and a variety of ikea billy bookcase components, amber created these gorgeous bookshelves designed to hold books, objects…
