Better After

11 In bathroom

Putting the FUN in functional.

Melissa thought her house was in pretty good condition when she first bought it. Sure, there were a few minor issues that needed to be fixed, but otherwise it looked great. Key word: looked. Turns our there were so many fundamental problems with the home that it basically needed to be rebuilt. Bummity bummers. Here’s how things went down in the bathroom.

Out with the old radiator and nonfunctional everything else, and in with the new: toilet, vanity, flooring, mirrors, accessories, and a fabulous new glass-enclosed pebble-floored shower that is way less likely to collapse into the floor below. (This actually happened to my cousin who went through the same kind of ordeal with his home a few years ago). See the whole rundown on Melissa’s blog MSG Fun (which is not, by the way, a loving ode to monosodium glutamate).

July 11, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

16 In chairs/ottomans/seating/ wood

Hot for Teacher

Things might be looking a little wonky around here for a bit; I’m in the process of becoming a grown-up blogger and transferring my blog over to WordPress. Actually, I’m camping right now. The fabulous Kristi from Addicted 2 Decorating is in the process of doing all the technical stuff, so if anything looks wierd, blame her. I kid! She’s amazing.

But anyway, what does this switcheroo mean for you, lovely reader? Hopefully nothing more than a better viewing experience. Better, faster, stronger, cleaner, and what have you. And maybe just a bit of patience while we get the kinks all worked out. And here’s hoping that I’ll be back up to regular blogging speed by next week. This whole dance competition in Vegas followed immediately by a trip to the mountains to visit my family for the 4th, followed immediately by our camping trip has left me exHAUSTed. My husband basically gets two weeks off per year, so we have to cram everything in there we possibly can. By the way, for those of you who have been asking, the dance competition went great! We won top honors in our division and “Outstanding Entertainment” overall.

And for those of you who are tired of hearing me talk about myself, (me!) here is your makeover of the day, from Amanda at Reloved Home Designs. She estimates there was something like 10 layers of paint on this sorry old teacher’s chair, but was patient enough to get to the beauty that lurked underneath. Waaaaaaay underneath.

Stunning!
*insert wolf whistle here*

July 10, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

40 In kitchen/dining

Gimme Gimme More

Kris had an awesome dining room table in her dining room, but that was about it. But seriously, what else does one need in a dining room other than a table, am I right? Well, some matching chairs would be nice. And I wouldn’t shake a stick at a pair of stunning chandeliers either. Of course, what good is all of that without beautiful drapes to soften the natural light?

New paint to really set off the crown moulding would be a lovely touch too. And of course, a large, neutral rug to really anchor the space. But other than that … all you really need is a table, am I right? Of course I’m not!

See more from Kris on her blog Driven by Decor.

July 9, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

10 In desks/hutches/buffets/ tables/dressers

Land of the Free, Home of the Gray

I’m back! I took a longer-than-intended break from the blog last week, so I missed out sharing anything fun on the 4th of July. But who says you can only be patriotic on the 4th of July? Not this girl. So light those leftover sparklers (just kidding, no such thing) and get ready for a little tribute to the red, white, and blue.

First up, the red. Better After reader Ashley and her husband desperately needed a dresser in ANY condition after all their belongings were destroyed in a house fire. So they were happy to receive this one from family members and overlooked its puketastic appearance for years. Then one recent day, Ashley decided, “Hey! I bet I could actually make this thing cute!” And that’s exactly what she did.

Something similar happened to Kate at Bleak to Chic with this makeover. Not the horrible house fire part, thankfully, but the idea that this beat up old dresser still deserved to serve a higher purpose in life. So she turned it into a dresser/changing table for her baby boy. Doesn’t it look so crisp and clean now? And so shiny! Looks so much better in white with the simple pulls. Great work Kate.

And last but not least, the blue, which, not to give anything away, is the color of this desk makeover from Lindsay. A neighbor was GIVING IT AWAY, JUST LIKE THAT, (can you tell I’m a little bitter that this never happens to me?) and so Lindsay happily dragged it home and gave it a lovely coat of Harbor Gray by Sherwin Williams. OK, wait. I just now realized that this thing is actually gray and not blue. So much for my patriotic theme. Hmph. Wait, how about this: Give it up for the land of the FREE! Yeah!

See more on her blog Cobbleston es & Ivy.

July 8, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

15 In chairs/ottomans/seating/ tables/dressers

Lemonade Parade

I’m not a soda drinker. I’ve probably had maybe three entire sodas in my entire life. I just don’t like it, which believe it or not, kind of weirds people out sometimes. I’ve had people actually tell me that they were worried I wouldn’t be friendly or get along with them, because they liked soda and knew that I didn’t. Whuh? And I’ve also had people gaze admiringly at my soda-abstaining self and whisper “You’re so strong.” Also false! Not partaking of something you don’t like is not much of a virtue.

I don’t know where any of this is going other than to tell you what I DO like. Lemonade! Who doesn’t like lemonade? Weirdos who probably aren’t very friendly, that’s who. (Just kidding. If you don’t like lemonade we are still totally friends, you weirdo.)

Anyway, today’s makeovers remind me a bit of lemonade, all cheerful and yellow and refreshing, like this dresser from Stephanie. The poor thing had received at least seven paint jobs in its lifetime, but she undid the damage and gave it a nice fresh coat of white, and dressed up the drawers in yellow. The glass knobs are original! See more on her blog The Painted Cottage.

And this industrial chair makeover from Rebecca is swirl of happiness and colors that look as summery as a suntan. Such a change from the dreary chair of gloom that it was before. See it on her blog Jed and Ivy. And if you really love it, and happen to live in Hawaii, it’s for sale! Or, if you really love it and need an excuse to to go Hawaii, now you have one!

July 2, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

27 In decor/ miscellaneous/ wood

Radio Stay(tion)

Wish me luck! I am headed to Vegas as we speak (type?) to perform in a national dance competition. If you didn’t know, I’m in a dance group made up of moms like me, who love dance, and used to dance, but don’t really have an opportunity to do it anymore. It’s not like my husband’s intramural basketball team needs a halftime show, you know? So we put together a group a few years ago just for fun, and it’s been going strong ever since. But seriously, we are like the oldest people out there. You should start a dance group too, just so we have someone to compete against!

So you will probably be seeing less of me this week with all that going on, plus 4th of July festivities and whatnots, but I did want to share this great little radio redo from Rachel before I go.

She went thrifting in search of an entry table, and ended up dragging this thing home instead. I bet she literally dragged it, because I’ve moved one of those before and they are SO HEAVY. She planned to gut it and replace the radio components with baskets, but then decided she didn’t have the heart to trash that cute little radio, so in it stayed. Looks adorable. See more on her blog The Happy Ladybug.