Laundry Room Rookie

There's just something wrong about a grimy laundry room.  That's where you go to make stuff clean! It should be clean too!  It's like when my daughter went on a preschool field trip to the grocery store, and came home and told me she saw a pet gerbil there. Why management keeps a pet gerbil at the grocery store is information I'd like to have. Doesn't that seem ... wrong?  Maybe she made that up.  Who knows. 

Anyway, Dee Dee had herself one gerbil of a laundry room when she first moved into this home.  Just about every single surface got a makeover in here, and look how much space they gained by stacking the washer and dryer. Enough to add a little countertop with plenty of storage underneath. Great job from someone who calls herself a "DIY rookie!" 

Lot's more to see on her blog Clover House.

 

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Springy Things!

Dreaming of spring?  Meeee too.  Here's a few cheerful yellow makeovers to get you in the spirit!  

Dacia at Lemon Drop Life needed two things: a changing table for her impending baby, and a dose of color in an otherwise neutral nursery.  One trip to a creepy guy's house who was selling this on Craigslist, one heavy application of Lysol, and a few light coats of Macaw by Valspar, and mission accomplished!

Elaine also envisioned something sunny and storagey with this freebie dresser.  She used Sun-Kissed Yellow by Benjamin Moore and stuck it smack dab in the bathroom, which makes total sense when you realize that this bathroom was meant have a bathtub there.  But, being the fourth bathroom, a tub wasn't necessary, and being close to the entryway, shoe storage was.  Win!  See more on her blog Visual Meringue.

And lastly, Alina at My Yellow Umbrella rescued this terribly sad chair with a happy chevron fabric.  I don't think I've ever seen a sadder chair.  Who on earth was sitting (or standing, or jumping, or storing bowling balls) in that thing?  Look how much closer the seat cushion is to the back cushion in the after!  Ahh. All is right with the world again.

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Bygone Berlin Bath

I'm excited to share Better After reader Imke's bathroom makeover with you today, because I've never seen anything quite like it!  Imke lives in Berlin, and bought an apartment to rent out in a building dating back to 1903.  Back then, no one had the luxury of a private bath; each floor shared a bathroom that was located in the stairway between floors.  YIKES.  I can't even imagine.  I can, but I don't want to. 


So, Imke had only the tiniest of tiny spaces to work with in what she calls her 'tube' bathroom.  It was a only 35 inches (INCHES!!) wide, and split into separate rooms.  The shower was entered directly from the kitchen, and the restroom from the hallway. 

Imke tore everything out and made one (still tiny) room, with the shower in the back. The electricity had to be redone, as it was formerly just nailed right on the wall.  She beautified it with mosaic tile on the walls and a fabulous Italian black tile on the floor.  I think she did a stellar job.  Thanks for sharing Imke!

Here's the shower, directly off the kitchen. 

 I'll just let my soup simmer while I take a bath, don't mind me.

And now, stunning!

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Stark and Warm

If you have an old piece of furniture that's been sitting around waiting to get a makeover, but you just feel stumped, well, I am happy to unstump you.  Perhaps you've considered painting the whole thing black, but that just seems too heavy.  Maybe you'd like to refinish just the wood, but also crave more pizazz.  Well, why not combine the two?  Black and wood! It's crisp, it's classy, it only lacks a name.  Black and wood!  That's all I got. 

This poor buffet had been relegated to the garage after its owners ruined the top with a hot pan, then decided to just get rid of it. Sad! Luckily Margo and Chris swooped in and restored the walnut top, stripped, restained, and lacquered the doors and drawer, then painted the frame – you guessed it – black. 

See more from Margo and Chris on Facebook at Second Chance Furniture Iowa.

Michelle had purchased a dream of a mid-century-modern teak table at a vintage shop, but could only dream of the $400 chairs (each!) she desired to go with it. Unwilling to settle, she just used this old office chair and a little stool instead.  Handy for dining, but only if you happen to be feeding your accountant and a child.

Then one day, her mom showed her a similar table in a magazine that had black glossy chairs, and surprise! Michelle loved the look of the stark black against the warm wood. She scored a sweet little set of chairs at Salvation Army, fixed them right up, and now she has a perfectly stylish and functional dining room.  See more on her blog Sweet Suite 10.

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Isle get around to it.

Some people want an island getaway, and some people want to get away from their island.  I want both.  My kitchen island – which I've surely whined about before – drives me bonkers.  It looks very similar to Emily's here: basic, builder-grade, and featuring those stupid veneer sides that don't come anywhere close to matching the rest of the cabinetry.  Oh, and mine has some attractive water damage too.  Don't be jealous.

Well, while I continue to whine about mine, here is what Emily did about hers.  She painted it white, covered the sides in beadboard, and topped it off with half-newel posts typically used for banisters!  Genius.  See more from Emily on her blog On The V Side.

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A New Bed for the Newlyweds

Either A.) This couple was hiding a family of cats in their bed, B.) they had destroyed their mattress by endlessly tossing and turning about the boring state of their bedroom, or C.) they just didn't make their bed very well that day. I don't know. But probably B.

So, they called up Abby from A Delightful Design, who helped add some color and life plus one beautiful headboard into the mix.  Being newlyweds, they were on a tight budget, but it doesn't look budget at all!  Great work Abby! 

Want more?  See Abby's own living room transformation here.

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Entry Switch Up

This before entryway had a lot of things going for it.  Like ... um ... that switchplate.  And ... uh ... the door?  Alright fine.  It was a mess.  An eyesore.  Probably haunted. It was so bad Abby's realtor tried to talk her out of even looking at this house, let alone buying it. 

But buy it she sure did, and painted and polished it into the gem it is today. And did you notice she kept the switchplate? I knew it!  I'll be sharing more from Abby and her renovations soon!  More to see on her blog Morning by Morning Productions.

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Hot and Pinky

Whether you like your pinks soft and girly or hot and graphic ... er, that got weird quick.  What I mean is ... pink can go both ways.  No.  Not like that.  There are just lots of shades of pink.  Ok?  That's all I meant.  Let's try again.  Today's pink and pretty makeovers are sure to please!

Sarah at Funcycled decided on a demure look for this set of furniture headed for a baby girl's nursery.  She finished just in time, as the baby decided to be born a month early. Whew!

And Shanna at Restoration Redoux went bold and graphic with this little end table: hot pink and black and white stripes. Pink is such a versatile color, wouldn't you say?  I can't think of another color that has such a wide variation, although I've only been thinking about it for about eight seconds or so.  Can you?
 

PS: Check out my most recent Sunday Sweets post on Cake Wrecks!

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Nine Red Winner!

Congrats to our Nine Red custom art giveaway winner Colleen Marsten!  Yay!  

Congrats Colleen, I will be in touch ASAP.

Don't be sad if you didn't win, you can always order your custom art from Jesse right here at Nine Red!

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Soul Much Style!

Hey local gals!  Are you attending The Glitter Academy tonight in Tempe?  Me too!  I'd love to meet you.  I'll be the one wearing red.  (Haha, lame inside joke.  Everyone is wearing red.)

But happy Friday to you, whether you are going to The Glitter Academy or not, and please enjoy this trifecta of makeovers from Tracy at SoulStyle. There's actually only two, a bathroom and a bedroom, but there is no such word as a twofecta.  (UNTIL NOW.)

Anyway, lets get to it with this master bathroom makeover she did for a client.  I think your socks are about to be offed. First, take a good hard look at this teensy shower and ginormous corner tub, like that makes any sense at all.  I would bet that the ratio of showers vs. baths taken in an average household is 364:1.

But I would be a bathing fool in this thing! Wooo!


Now, the other side: Peachy and plain. And only one lonely sink on that eternally long vanity.

Now? Double the sinkage and quadrillion the style.

And it makes no sense to update the master bathroom while ignoring the master bedroom, so of course that got Tracy's magic touch too.  Isn't it dreamy?  I want to like, win the whole thing in a contest or something. 

I've always scoffed at the idea of a sitting room in a bedroom, because why do I want to sit around in my bedroom?  I hereby take it back. 

See more of this gorgeous room on Tracy's blog SoulStyle.

LAST DAY to enter the Custom Art Giveaway from Nine Red!  Do it here!

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