I think a lot of us share a dream of buying and fixing up a little cabin in the woods, but I’m sure that if that dream became a reality, the process of renovating a full home would not be without its stresses or struggles. Long before I pursue such an undertaking, I want plenty…
One of the best vacation experiences of my life was the time my family and I stayed in San Luis Obispo at a beautiful inn called the Sanitarium. Anyone who has spoken to me for about five minutes has almost certainly heard about my love of steam showers — it’s one of those odd obsessions…
I’ve been dreaming of renovating a full home for a long time, and I would hope that when I do get the chance to do this, I would make smart decisions like art director and designer Beth Chapleau has done here. To keep her budget in check, Beth decided to transform some of the existing…
Growing up in New Hampshire, I experienced the joy of curling up by the fire at an early age, and it’s stuck with me to this day. With its amazing houndstooth-painted walls, this living room makeover from Leslie Hickey would be wonderful even without the fireplace, but the strong lines of the stove add a…
In all our years of posting Before & Afters, I don’t think I’ve ever come across this many flowers in one room. The bathtub has flowers on it!! Yikes. Luckily, the owner of this late 1800s Victorian farmhouse, April Cochran-Smith, is a photographer and designer with a great eye for contrasts, color and drama. She’s made a…
I’m sure a lot of us go through favorite color phases. Right now, Grace is loving olive green, and I can’t disagree — it’s a rich, warm, earthy color that’s perfect for fall. Even though we’re interested in dark tones right now, I can still appreciate a pale palette, like in Kristine’s kitchen makeover. I…
I am in full agreement with Peta Mazey, the owner responsible for this wonderful home transformation: Sometimes, as she says, you just have to “throw white at it.” White may not be the most novel color, but as this home proves, white can do wonders for brightening a space and making it modern, fresh, spacious…
There are many rooms in the home where I tolerate, and even encourage, artful clutter: collections of knickknacks, walls covered with art, neat piles of magazines and books. But not so in the kitchen. For whatever reason, I love maximalist decorating in other rooms, but I’ve always dreamed of having a simple, clean, bare bones,…
This one-bedroom apartment renovation from Claire Leger proves one thing: good paint colors can go a LONG way toward transforming the feel of a space. I’ve always been kind of terrible at choosing paint colors — no matter how many test swatches I try, I always make the wrong choice, which causes me to suffer…
I think this bathroom renovation from Omar De Pablo will appeal to many people, not only because of the beautiful peacock blue he’s chosen, but also because he’s managed to totally transform the look of this bathroom (including hardwood flooring!) on a remarkably low budget. Part of his secret was doing the bulk of the…
Over the years I’ve spent working from home, the work/life separation has proven to be the largest struggle. After dealing with this issue in multiple apartments, I’ve learned that carving out a space for myself — whether it’s a small corner of a room, or a whole home studio — is the key to establishing…
A majority of the bathroom projects we share lighten a space with lots of white, so it’s nice to see a dark bathroom makeover every once in a while. Lindsay added a lot of sophistication to this small bathroom with black walls, an eye-catching patterned curtain and a small pop of color with hot pink-framed…
A few weeks ago I was scouring Craigslist for ping pong tables, and somehow I stumbled onto a listing for a 1981 Westfalia van for sale in my neighborhood. I didn’t take the plunge, but since then I have had campers and caravans on my mind in a big way. As we get deeper into…
Honestly, the idea of building one’s dream home seems daunting, expensive and impossible to start. However, after seeing this full home renovation project, I am filled with inspiration and hope. Textile and interior designer Vicki Simon decided to completely transform her small home in Portland, Oregon, replacing synthetic surfaces with all salvaged and eco-friendly materials. The results…
One of the joys of working for D*S is our loyal readership. We love seeing repeat submitters over the years because it means we get to follow their lives a little bit: first home, first office, first nursery, and so forth; it’s kind of like being part of the family. We’re longtime fans of designer…
Oh, lofts. Lovely, light-filled lofts. I will always be envious of people who live in big, airy spaces like these, but after watching Grace and Amy setting up the D*S office, I now have a better understanding of how hard it can be to make huge industrial spaces feel comforting. I think Margot has done…
As someone who sleeps in my apartment’s “living room” and watches television in the “dining room,” I have a soft spot for people who use rooms for completely different purposes than what was originally intended. Interior designer Courtney Agosti was noticing a serious lack of bathrooms in her home, so she decided to turn a…
It’s only May, but lately I’ve been gravitating toward oceany colors in anticipation of the warm summer months when all I want to do is dive into water: pools, lakes, oceans, showers — anything cool and refreshing. I’ve never gone so far as to bedeck a whole room in blue hues, but I’m loving this…
Raw, open spaces like this can be exciting but also overwhelming, especially if they arrive in this kind of chaotic condition. How do you fill the space and make it welcoming but stay within a modest budget? The answer in Renee’s case was lots of fresh, white paint and cleverly repurposed materials to create storage…
If there’s one room in the house that I am dying to tear down and start over, it’s my bathroom. To have a light, airy, clean feeling bathroom? Pure bliss. As a fellow Oaklander, I was particularly excited to see how freelance designer Erin Owes chose to update the bathroom in her 1911 bungalow. Erin…
