Simple Matters

What a great sentiment! I heartily agree!

Jannet Howell is the owner of Better After's newest sponsor, Simple Matters. Losing her job last year made her realize that in an ideal world, she could stay at home with her children while using her creativity and interior design background to supplement her family's income. So that's exactly what she did!

She began transforming and refinishing old furniture for family and friends, and slowly it turned into a "life consuming but incredibly fun" family business. It has been growing ever since, due to her expert handiwork at amazing prices.

(Seriously amazing ... the most expensive item she ever sold was only $375!)

She has a great eye for detail, and I especially love how she re-uses the original hardware. It's a pet peeve of mine to see a lovely, ornate piece of furniture sporting a set of sleek chrome handles that look completely out of place. Jannet has a knack for updating these types of items, while still keeping their character and uniqueness intact.

Her website has a "soon to be transformed" page where you can view unfinished pieces. If you see something you like, you can have it painted however you choose!

Or, if you've already got some furniture, but it could use a little sumthin-sumthin, Jannet is there to help. She can also help with pulling together color schemes for any room as well.

Simple Matters is based in Texas, but they recently started shipping after discovering that it's hardly a hassle at all! Locals can give her a call for pick up and delivery at 832-212-4721.

Isn't this detailing great? Just the perfect amount of distressing.

 

So many great finds over there! Check out what's available for sale right nowHERE, like that black and white beauty above, or go say hi over on the Simple Matters blog!

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Little River Cabin

Doesn't matter if you live in a mobile home or a mansion, your home can (and should!) be beautiful. Kathy from My Little River Cabin had looked for ages for a comfy little weekend home. Priority number one was somewhere near water. Good looking, well that was negotiable. 

 She finally found exactly what she had been searching for and says "I contemplated this old place and decided it reminded me of me ... old and scarred and in need of refreshment ... a major facelift ... only this facelift would be cheaper."

She tackled both inside and out, refreshing the garden area (more like performing major surgery) and adding a great new deck.

Was this bathroom haunted? No silly, just a smudge on the camera lens. Love the after, mixing up some modern design with more ornate elements.

How dark and dismal was this? Look how much light and space were added just by removing that awkward closet and banister, and installing new windows and a glass-paned door!

Goodbye to the grungy gray carpet, faux wood paneling, scary wallpaper, and hello to style! How much do you love that mirror, because I loves it a lot.

 
 After all that work, she has turned her "tuna can" into the perfect homey place to enjoy the nearby river and finally relax! Much much more to see on her blog My Little River Cabin.  Thanks so much Kathy!

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Three Lights

If you're in the mood for a quick and easy update, grab an old lamp and a can of spray paint, what could be easier? Give the shade a makeover while you're at it.

 You could try burlap, like this classy lil' lamp from Allison at Design LIFE.

Or, for a sentimental touch, recycle something meaningful. When Jeanette's baby outgrew her crib bedding, she saved the fabric from the bumper and recovered this little shade!

Or, get your arts-an-crafts on, like Annie, who lightened up this lamp with braided jute, inspired by a Ballard Design lookalike. Check out her blog HERE, her lamp is almost identical!

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Just Peachy

This chair has undergone a few redos in it's lifetime, but I think it originally started out with this dark wood, tapestry-covered look.

 For it's most recent incarnation, Chris from Just Beachy lightened up the paint and recovered it with a bright floral. "Lindsey," you say, "Are you blind? That is not a bright floral, that is delightfully understated and subtle." 

 Well, let me finish, why don't you! Chris, aiming for a more worn and weathered look, turned the fabric around! Paired with the distressed white wood, I think it looks amazing. See the whole darn story HERE.

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Wake Up!

Well, this redo certainly won't be everyone's cup of tea. It's not really even a cup of tea, more like three cups of Red Bull with an espresso chaser. 

 But Ana is allergic to blandness, and simply had to have a shocking dose of color for her physical well-being. I bet Ana is a fun gal, I know I'd love to hang out with a person who paints their kitchen hot-pink and doesn't look back. 

 Thanks Ana, sending us this redo all the way from Spain!

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Painted Countertops

If you are new to blogland, this might be a strange concept to you! But there are a lot of great tutorials out there from ladies who have successfully painted their countertops. This one comes from Martha at So Lovely Creations who had had it up to here (picture me with my hand high in the air) with her capital-B-to-the-oring countertops. 

 Would you believe the after is nothing more than $30 worth of paint and supplies? So shiny! Check out her step by step instructions over on her blog HERE.

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Tenille's ta-ta to tile

I live in Arizona, so tile in every room is nothing strange to me. But Tenille's living room had a tile job that just looked out of place. ("In place" would be somewhere like a public bathroom). And surely you've noticed the glaring wall of brick. Literally glaring. It looks angry at me. 

 So Tenille softened up the room with new carpet and calming colors. The fireplace that was once a demanding focal point became a subtle accent, and the whole room now looks like a happy, serene place to hang out. 

 Take an up-close and personal look on her blog Everyday Moments. Thanks Tenille!

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Laquered up

Yet another imaginative variation of the plain Ikea dresser: Misty needed a storage station for her new baby, so her husband Clint went above and beyond simply staining. 

 He built shelves to surround it on either side and turned a simple 3 drawer dresser into an entire shelving unit! Great idea, and it looks so nice, you would never guess there's a $39 dresser in there! Check it out on her blog HERE. Thanks Misty!

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Potty Mouth

Oh my. I think we may have a winner in our search for "The World's Most Boring Before Bathroom." That roll of toilet paper is like, "You guys? Um, I'm not like, a decorative accessory. You've put a lot of pressure on me, as the sole item hanging on the walls in here, to perform in some sort of visual capacity, but really, my duty is just ... doodie. So if you wouldn't mind jazzing up the joint, and taking some of the focus off me, that would be great."

Well, Lisa more than delivered. Isn't the after superb? Even the toilet paper shines. And would you believe she did this for $500? She must have some sort of deal with the devil. Except I happen to know Lisa in real life, and she's a super sweet girl, so that can't be it. Regardless, it looks great! Thanks Lisa!

 

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Alligator to Zebra

I know I feature her a lot, but darn it, I just love her work!

  (So, side note, if you've submitted something in the past, don't hesitate to submit your work to me again! And don't be discouraged if you've sent something in that never got posted, sometimes I receive a lot of similar projects, and sometimes I just get really behind and may end up posting your redo months later! Anyhoo, keep em coming!)

Kristen from K.F.D. design was commissioned to paint this plain-jane table and chairs set, and given the parameters of "alphabet-themed" and "gender neutral" from her client, this was her adorable outcome:

 

 
 Check out her blog HERE for more pics!

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Ava's After

Can we all agree that there is something to be said for a sophisticated nursery? Not that a nursery shouldn't be childlike and whimsical, but I believe the days of rubber duckie themed baby's rooms are long gone, don't you? 

 How chic is this lovely baby girl room? It is simple and fresh and full of light. No one is missing what passed for nursery decor in my day, the solitary strip of wallpaper around the wall that coordinated with the Disney characters plastered upon every available surface. Yikes. 

 Thanks to Amy at Our Daily Obsessions for sharing Ava's room redo with us!

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Time to Eat!

Well, this before pic is kinda tragic, but that makes the after so much more delicious, eh? 

 The ladies (not sure which one, there are 4 of them you know!) over at 4 Sweet Peas in a Pod remade this worn out table into a showstopping centerpiece! What a clever idea. 

 Random note: my friend (what up Kiersten!) used to work for a jeweler, and she told me that all the clock faces in advertisments and on display are set at ten to two, because it's the most flattering position of the hands! Ha! Who knew?

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Chic n' Checkered

Who loves black and white? Me, that's who. And Janet does too, check out her black and white kitchen redo, a giant step up from the before. What was going on there, with the cabinet boxes painted the same color as the wall? It gave them a strange floating effect. 

 I like how she calmed down the wall colors and let the kitchen do the talking instead. And that floor! So fun. See more on her blog Cul-de-Sac Chic. Thanks Janet!

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Turquoise Super Post!

Unless you are colorblind or in a coma, you may have noticed that turquoise is one of the hottest colors around these days. It's popping up everywhere. There's even a snazzy blog called House of Turquoise dedicated entirely to the color.

 My take on turquoise is this: "I love!" It can be bright and playful or calm and soothing. And if you've had it up to here with all the almond/oatmeal/eggshell/chicken-bone boring shades of beige in abundance, a soft turquoise can even be nice and neutral.

 The only thing I don't like about turquoise is that it starts to look so weird when you type it over and over. And also, that Ralph Lauren Turquoise perfume smells AWESOME, but is ridiculously expensive.

 So, here are some fabulous before and afters just for you, honoring turquoise!

First up is Melanie from The Frosted Gardener. I love the unique distressing she gives her pieces.

  *** This hutch used to be part of a giant bedroom suite set. Meredith decided it would make for a great TV stand, and after a caseload of Krylon's Bahama Sea, that's what she had! Check out more on her blog HERE.

 

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LeAnn's house had this nice built-in shelf, but it was just too dang boring! As you can see by her after picture, girlfriend likes color. Check out more on her super colorful blog Vintage Sassy!

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Here's another drab hutch turned into turquoise focal-point from Natasha. I like that she worked with the original handles. Really, a plain little knob would have made it lose so much character. See more on her blog HERE.

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This worn out and weathered rocker got a clean coat of blue from Lindsey. (Not me!) This would look great in either a baby boy or girl's nursery, I think. Check it out on her blog HERE.

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Kari from Foreclosure 2 Fabulous streamlined this desk by removing the decorative moulding around the drawers and adding sleek new handles. Then she repaired the damage with a bold, bright aqua! Check out her blog to read more the funny story behind the cigarette lock!

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Gail from My Repurposed Life is always finding ways to clever ways to make ordinary objects into extraordinary decor. Old candlestick + old pot lid + aqua spray paint = funky birdbath! Love it!

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This cute little table is from Hanna at Drab to Fab! What a great idea to remove the drawers and line the interior with beadboard, it really makes it unique.

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Jen got this dresser for dirt cheap, the Anthropologie knobs not so much. Check it out on her blog, Jen Rose, and be prepared to be jealous of her way fun life! Did you know she's a makeup artist and recently worked backstage at the AMC Awards? Jealous!

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Beth inherited this dining set from her sister-in-law and set (her hubby!) to work making it her own. I really love the shade used here!

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Amanda turned this old dresser into an entertainment center by removing the top drawers! Very clever, although I do admit, I liked the character of the original hardware! Check it out on her blog HERE.

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And finally, a bathroom makeover from Andrea from Sisters with Flair. Flair indeed. I love the idea of hanging a mirror on a mirror, but it was looking a little lost in the before. The painted cabinets definitely pulled it all together.

And as always, thanks so much for visiting my blog. Have a great weekend!

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