Better After

5 In bedroom/ decor/ innovative idea/ kitchen/dining/ other rooms

Shiplap Look on Any Budget

Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past couple of years, you are well aware of the trend known as ‘shiplap.’ If your cave has wifi, however, you’ve probably already shiplapped the crap out of it. I bet it looks nice.

If you haven’t heard of shiplap, it’s basically wood paneling, most typically painted white and hung horizontally. It’s nothing groundbreaking or new, but it’s enjoying a resurgence of popularity thanks in part to Joanna and Chip Gaines and their massively beloved show “Fixer Upper.” They are big fans of the shiplap look, and so am I!

Here now are three ways to get the look yourself.

#1: You could actually hang some shiplap.

Chelsea at Creating Cotters Bay used white wooden planks to add some interest to the end of her hallway. Perfect place to add a little detail AND get some practice in before you attempt a larger wall.

If sawing up wood ain’t your thang, you can still get the look like Sarah did below. Can you tell what she’s using on her kitchen backsplash?

#2: It’s vinyl flooring!

Easier to haul, cut, and much thinner than regular boards. And if that’s not enough to convince you, it costs less too. She made sure to space them out just enough by placing a penny in between the planks as she hung them. You want a slight gap to really nail that shiplap look. See her tips for painting and sealing on her blog All Things with Purpose.

Ok, so you can either hang actual shiplap, or you can ‘cheat’ with vinyl flooring, but is there yet another way?

Believe it or not, there is. And believe it or not, it costs zero dollars. That’s right, I said ZERO DOLLARS. Behold:

Can you guess?

It’s pencil! (Insert shocked cat-face emoji)

If you have access to a couple of pencils and a straight edge, you could be a member of Club Shiplap before dinnertime. Head on over to Emily’s blog The Wicker House to get all the details. I believe there is a coat of sealer involved at some point, so the pencil doesn’t smudge, but other than that, ZERO FREAKING DOLLARS PEOPLE.

May 25, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

8 In kitchen/dining

Off the Hook Breakfast Nook

If you’ve ever filled a room with furniture and then looked around and thought … “That just ain’t right,” I’m here to help! The problem, my darling, may be scale.

I’ve seen it a million times. Over-sized furniture crammed into an under-sized room, or tiny apartment-sized furniture trying its darnedest to fill up a spacious room. Neither one will ever scratch that itch of looking quite ‘right.’

This breakfast nook is a classic example. It was full of furniture, but just seemed off. Nothing really takes advantage of the fabulous high ceiling, which leaves the room feeling very flat. The baker’s rack is struggling to fill up the wall on the left, and the wall on the right seems thrown off-balance by the oversized lamps. Plus, everything in here is made from metal and/or glass, which also makes it feel a bit cold. Flat and cold. That’s how I like my pillow at night. Not my breakfast nooks.

But then Suzy from Worthing Court moved in, and brought with her plenty of warmth (and well-scaled furniture)! She framed the wall of windows with curtains and hung them nearly a foot above the casing, which elongates the whole room. Open shelving on the left also extends up, up, up the wall and is filled with a nice mix of accessories, large and small, which adds even more depth and interest. Such a great job! I am giving Suzy a mental high-five right now!

May 24, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

10 In bathroom

Which way to the Loo-vre?

Long long ago, in a simpler world, entertaining yourself in the bathroom meant flipping through a dusty Reader’s Digest or finishing someone else’s crossword puzzle. Or if you were really desperate, reading the label on a can of air-freshener.

Thanks to smart phones, all that has changed. Now you can play games, check facebook, or answer your emails. You can literally take care of business while you take care of business. WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE.

But did you know there’s another option? A number three, if you will? Not many people do, because not many people have art galleries in their bathrooms.

But Eliesa does!

Is that the most stunning little powder room you’ve ever seen? She says that as soon as she saw the dingy old before bathroom, she had a vision of what it could be. Black walls, marble floors and art everywhere. And then she made it happen.

I think you would probably get a little smarter and more cultured every time you used it. Farmville can hardly claim the same.

I also love the little trunk she used for storage. I have a tiny powder room with no cabinet or closet to speak of, and I’ve been wondering how to keep toiletries handy. My teetering tower of toilet paper in the corner has not been the best solution thus far.

Get all the details on Eliesa’s art gallery bathroom on her blog Pinterest Addict.

May 20, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

5 In laundry rooms

Global Laundry

I don’t want to oversell it, but this laundry room makeover looks like

A MILLION BILLION BUCKS!!!!

Lest you think I am exaggerating, let’s look at the before. The most stylish thing in here was quite literally the ironing board.

But holy smoking crap you guys, look at it now! Does it or does it not look like a million billion bucks? And it cost less than half of that!
Sharon at Pretty Practical Home added some major impact on a minor budget to her formerly plain-jane laundry room with just a few changes. She stenciled the wall herself, built a folding area along the back wall and added well-chosen accessories.

Now it looks like a travel destination! She calls the look “global laundry” and I bet it’s a treat to ‘hang’ out in there. (That was my very weak attempt at a laundry pun).

Check out her blog for more!

May 19, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

10 In desks/hutches/buffets

From Butterface to Butterfly

Have I ever told you how glad I am that you come to visit my blog? Because I am. Thank you. I appreciate that you take time out of your day to come here and hang out with me, and I feel a responsibility to make it worth your while. That’s why everyday, with every post, I aim to show you something new or unique, introduce a fresh technique, or share with you a valuable little tidbit of information.

So here comes today’s knowledge-bomb:

Butterflies don’t poop.

Did you know that? Apparently being a butterfly requires so much energy that they never have anything left to waste. Now you are smarter.

And speaking of poop, that’s what this before sewing cabinet looked like. NO! I’m kidding. It was fine. A little worn out, missing a knob, nothing special.

But, like our butterfly friends, it experienced a metamorphosis as well …

Now it’s a colorful showpiece, sure to catch the eye every passerby. Guess what, you’ll never guess. I’ll just tell you. Shanna created this look with paper napkins! See more on her blog Restoration Redoux.

This bombe dresser also emerged triumphantly from its heavily lacquered cocoon:

Super cute right? Those soft colors are doing so much more for its curvy shape.

And if you were worried that it doesn’t fit in with this butterfly-centric post, (I’m sure you were SO worried), check the drawers out:

What a beautiful little surprise. See more details from Kandice at Just The Woods.

Finally, you’ll never guess what Sharon added to this dresser/nightstand set to give it a whole new life. Unless you guessed butterflies.

How did you know??

But did you guess inverted butterflies? White on teal, teal on white? Who could have seen that twist coming?!

Head on over to Sharon’s blog I Restore Stuff to see more. The finish she achieved on this set deserves a close-up look.

May 18, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

1 In bedroom

Neutering the Neutral

Is your bedroom a boring neutral-scape of neutraly neutralness? That’s actually fine. I like a neutral bedroom. Very soothing. Of course, neutral doesn’t have to be boring. But even though I’ve managed to say the word ‘neutral’ six times in five seconds today, that’s not even what we’re talking about.

We’re talking about BLACK and WHITE! And their fun friend FUCHSIA!

That’s was the color scheme Veronica had in mind to de-neutralized her guest bedroom. Did she pull it off?

She sure did! Hot dang! If I was a guest at Veronica’s house, I would wake up thinking I was in some fabulously hip boutique hotel. Then I’d probably start crying because I wouldn’t remember checking into a fabulously hip boutique hotel, and then I would check to make sure I still had my kidneys, because you know how those stories end.