Better After

4 In chairs/ottomans/seating/ kitchen/dining

Animal Control

Where are you on the animal-print loving scale? Way up a the top I-Have-Wall-to-Wall-Cheetah-Print-Carpet level? Somewhere further down the scale? Perhaps the I-Don’t-Mind-a-Tasteful-Girrafe-Print-Throw-Pillow-or-Two level? Or lower? The Animal-Print-No-Yikes-Ack-I’m-Scared level?

If you ARE scared, don’t be, darling. I suggest starting out with a little bit of zebra-print. Black and white, timeless pattern, it’s pretty easy to incorporate a touch or two anywhere for a dash of undomesticated drama.

Better After reader Sonya gave this formerly snoozy table a deep dark stain to complement the new zebra-patterned seats, and it looks ferocious!

But if you still can’t commit to full-blown animal print, how about something in the neighborhood? This stool makeover from Lura features a fabric that’s more ikat than wildcat, but still has that luxe look of animal print, especially against the gold. Rowr!

See it on her blog Domesticability.

November 7, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

1 In desks/hutches/buffets

Hutch It Out

Let’s play a hidden picture game. In the following image, try to find: a black vase, a picture frame, a deck of cards, two bird figurines, and a giant china hutch.

Stumped on the last one? Look closely …

Closer …

Maybe you need a hint. What if Lesley painted it white, would that help?

Aha! There it is.

All it needed to stand out was a fresh paint job and some fabric backing on the shelves. (Guess what? It’s a shower curtain!) Great job Lesley.

And Better After reader Sonya wasn’t about to let this old hutch fade into the background either. She painted hers a happy yellow and dressed up the back too, this time with gift-wrap adhered to contact paper. So clever! What will all you clever-pants think of next?

November 7, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

7 In kitchen/dining

The Emerald Smile

Remember how emerald green is the color of the year? Have you warmed up to it? Better hurry, there’s only two more months left before it becomes obsolete! Ha ha, not really of course. Emerald green is a classic. I admit, it took me a minute to embrace it, but when I first laid eyes on these emerald green makeovers, I was sold.

If you’re digging it too, but aren’t sure how to incorporate it into your world, take a page from Jennifer at Dimples and Tangles.

Her dining room makeover features one amazing green piece accented with a few touches of gold, and easy-going neutrals everywhere else. Gosh dang, what a beautiful room!

Throw in a fun fabric in an unexpected spot or two, and you’ve got yourself a space worth swooning in. Fabulous job Jennifer!

November 6, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

7 In desks/hutches/buffets/ tables/dressers

Duplicate and Exfoliate

Lesley had fallen hard for a solid wood dresser for sale in a furniture store, but she just couldn’t bear to part with the current one she had. Or, rather, she couldn’t bear to part with the wad of cash the brand-new one would have cost. I hear ya, Lesley. So she figured she might as well attempt to recreate the same kind of look on her old dresser, and guess what? You’ve probably already guessed. I’ll tell you anyway. She likes it even better!

See the whole process on her blog Grateful Plummers.

This desk needed to be UN-created, however. Someone had gotten carried away with the decoupage in the past, because there’s nothing like messy stacks of papers on your desk that you will never be able to straighten. That’s like mod-podging Cheerios to the kitchen floor on purpose.

Better After reader Kerry managed to exfoliate it all off somehow, and brought back the sleek and simple style this little desk was meant to have all along. Lovely!

November 6, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

6 In living room

Closed-in for the win!

It seems like backwards logic, but sometimes closing in a room actually makes it seem bigger. Don’t believe me? Well then, hmmph! I’m offended! I would never lie to you!

If you won’t take my word for it, take Jennifer’s. She felt that this ‘open concept’ living room needed to be more defined. It’s not easy to place furniture in a small room with few available walls. So she added a french door divider to separate the living room from the kitchen, while still allowing for airiness and light. Getting rid of those poo-colored walls probably helped in that department too; I think we can all agree on that.

Take the whole tour of this redo on her blog Jennifer Rizzo.

November 5, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

2 In tables/dressers

Feeling Blue

Feeling blue? As in the color OR the mood? I can help with both. First of all, if you like the hue of blue, you will love these blue dresser makeovers. If you are feeling blue, then they should cheer you up too, because who doesn’t love a good before and after? Heck, I couldn’t tear myself away from the TV today when my local news station was giving some lady a new haircut. It must have been a really slow news day, now that I think about that.

First one from Lindsey and her mother at This Delightful Life, who redid this Draper-esque cabinet in a mixture of Annie Sloan Chalk Paints. Check out her blog for a glimpse at what she did with the inside, if the word “Draper-esque” wasn’t a big enough clue.

And Kaylor picked the absolutely perfect blend of colors for this old dresser, the blue, the white, the brass pulls, the stained top, she’s gorgeous!

TIP OF THE DAY: if you find a quality old dresser like this, chances are the pulls are real brass. Such was the case here. Kaylor didn’t paint the pulls at all. She simply polished them up, and was rewarded with mega-shine!

Learn more about how to identify real brass on her blog Fisherman’s Wife Furniture.