Better After

10 In kitchen/dining

Elementally Advanced Kitchen

Erin’s kitchen makeover is so beautiful, I seriously want to invite myself over for Thanksgiving dinner. But not actually make or eat dinner because I would hate to dirty up that fabulous kitchen, so we would probably just stand around and admire her kitchen for a few hours, and then go out to eat at Denny’s or something. So yeah. Those are my Thanksgiving plans. I hope Erin’s cool with that.

Besides, how much more inviting is this new entryway off the front door? It’s practically begging for uninvited guests to come in!

Much more to see from Erin on her blog Elements of Style.

November 13, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

7 In chairs/ottomans/seating

Chair Flair

Scared by chairs? Don’t be. They can be some of the simplest and most rewarding makeovers of all.

See this chair from Jen at Girl in the Garage? Two steps, people: #1 Paint. #2 Recover seat. DONE.

(Minus all the mini in-between steps like “clean chair,” “unscrew seat,” “evacuate spiders” and all that.

And this one …OK, maybe not so simple with its tufted cushion with piping and wacky armrests, but Beck figured it all out, right down to the fabric she chose. Living in Razorback country, she knew red and white would sell fast! See more on her blog Beckwith’s Treasures.

November 13, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

33 In kitchen/dining

A Panel of Judges

I recently participated in a Facebook discussion with a friend who was wondering what to do with her paneled walls. She was getting all kinds of suggestions. There was some talk of venetian plaster, stenciling, and sponge painting.

Ok, I’m sorry if you love sponge painted walls. They can look fabulous and even timeless if done well. But most of the time, they end up somewhere in this territory:

source

And on a paneled wall no less? Yipes. That’s when I chimed in and suggested that she simply paint the paneled wall. Paint it white! It looks really, really good, I swear.

But then all the other commenters started attacking me! PLAIN PAINT? On PANELING? You must be crazy. How tacky. That will NEVER look good. (This was on my personal Facebook page, not my Better After Facebook page, where people are much more open-minded to such a zany thought).

Well, naysayers, may I offer Abby’s dining room as proof?

I mean, c’mon. This is SOOO much better. It looks amazing.

How can you argue with that? You just can’t! (Unless anyone is up for the challenge of finding a picture of a sponge-painted paneled wall that looks better than this, and we can all vote on it). (PS: Good luck).

You can see more from Abby on her blog Chapter 37.

November 12, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

9 In tables/dressers

It’s Black. It’s White. Yeah, yeah, yeah!

I just love black and white, both the color scheme and the song by Michael Jackson. (Which is technically titled Black OR White). Did you know he died on my birthday? That was a bummer. Anyway. These black and white makeovers are both flashy and attention-grabbing, so MJ would probably approve. I know I do.

First, Better After reader Sonya dressed up this side table with black and white checkerboard and touches of gold for extra flair. Ch-mon! It looks fantastic.

And Suzan at Simply Vintageous wanted to make the world a better place, so she took a look at this dresser and made a change! Woo! Woo! Na na naaa, na na naaa, na-na na-na.

(That was me channeling my inner MJ, if you couldn’t tell). (Also, this paragraph has been hijacked by italics and I can’t for the life of me turn them off. Maybe it’s MJ’s ghost! He DOES approve!)

November 12, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

5 In bedroom

Master(bedroom) Cleanse

Looking to make your bedroom feel smaller?

Step one: purchase a large furniture family consisting of a matching bed, dresser, mirror, two nightstands, and a trunk.

Step two: position them in such a way that they block any natural light in the room, and take up almost all square footage.

Step three: enjoy!

On the other hand … If you’d like the reverse effect, try Shelley’s solution. She rearranged the layout, swapped the mega-bed for a handmade headboard, painted the nightstands to add even more light, excused the rest of the furniture to go live somewhere else, and topped it off with some soothing colors and accessories. Ahhh. It can breathe again! Beautiful job Shelley.

Take the whole tour of the rest of the room on her blog Slipcovers by Shelley.

PS: Sending out a big, heartfelt thank you today to all of our Veterans for their sacrifice and service. Hug a Veteran!

November 11, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

10 In chairs/ottomans/seating/ decor/ desks/hutches/buffets/ tables/dressers

The Turquoise Treatment

Did you know that in feng shui, turquoise is used for attracting wealth and money? It’s also used as a cure to improve one’s health and well-being, and has a calming energy, making it a perfect choice for children’s rooms, home offices, and the family rooms.

So stick a turquoise-colored something in the south-east corner of your home, and boom, you’re all wealthy and healthy and stuff. And if not, you at least have some cute furniture. Like this dresser from Shanna at Restoration Redoux. Oooh, ombré!

And how fun are these chairs from Better After reader Amy? Zesty orange fabric paired with our soothing color, it makes me want to sit down and dance!

Party continues on the back!

Obviously this buffet wasn’t attracting any positive powers into the world, other than the power to positively give you splinters, but Better After reader Hanna changed that with a loving coat of aqua. She sold it to a family planning to use it as a media center, and they’re probably just rolling around in health and wealth as we speak.

If you don’t have room in the proper feng shui quadrant of your home for a large item, an accessory should do the trick too.

Here’s an easy vase makeover from Lesley at Grateful Plummers. Pairing it with a cow painting harmonizes the energy even more; a surefire path for attracting more moo-lah. Ha! Get it?! Oh, nevermind.

Beth at B & B Build a Life was crazy about this Pottery Barn box she found at a thrift store, but so much the shiny red.

She turned it into a health and wealth generating machine with some super-cute (and calming) contact paper. Nice job lining up those edges perfectly, Beth!

And I adore these twin tables from Jen at Girl in the Garage. They can come to my house and feng my shui anytime. That sounded weird. Anyway, they are just lovely, and the gilded gold edges are the perfect touch. I feel healthier just looking at them!