Better After

Firefoxes!

Big bang, not a lot of buck? Bad news if you’re a deer hunter. Good news if you’re redecorating your living room! I love how the simple changes that Christina made to this living room made an instant difference. It wasn’t so much what she added, but what she took away, like the heavy leather furniture and the large rug that were sucking the light out of the room.

She also had to convince her husband that the hunter green fireplace had to go, and that made me laugh, because I just had a similar conversation with Matt in which he claimed not to know what hunter green even WAS. Like, hello? Did you sleep through the ’90s man?

See more from Christina on her blog Christina’s Adventures.

And Better After reader Rita also recently made over a fireplace, specifically, THIS fireplace that had been staring her in the face for 19 years. Finally, the day came when she couldn’t take one more minute of its angry glare and gave it the makeover they both deserved. Is it inappropriate to think that tile is sexy? Shhh. Don’t answer.

November 6, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

5 In decor

Fence Post

Of course you know Beckie at Infarrantly Creative, right? She’s just the best. At everything. Blogging, crafting, DIYing, golfing, flamenco dancing, billiards, platform diving, ok, I’m just guessing now, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

Good thing she’s so darn nice, because otherwise I’d be obligated to hate her. Kidding! Check out what she’s been up to lately, oh, just recycling some old fence wood to construct an inspirational wall hanging to decorate the home she’s fixing up for an underprivileged family from her Bible study. (See what I mean?!)

November 6, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

7 In chairs/ottomans/seating

No Fair Chairs

Michelle at Innovative Interior recently redid a pair of thrift store chairs, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Well, I could be happier. Because they live in her house, not mine. That doesn’t seem very fair. But let’s talk about her fabric choice. Do you love it? I love it so much that I actually tried to DIY my own version of it once. I found a fabric painting tutorial online somewhere, and gave it a shot, but noooooooope. It was what they call ‘not good.’ I tried to convince myself that I liked it for a while, but no. It was nothing like this. Let’s look at it again:

dreamy sighhh

November 5, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

15 In bathroom/ decor

Mirror, mirror … off the wall.

I’m very sorry to assault your eyes this viciously, so early in the morning. And on a Monday! But it is what it is, and what it is is a master bath rocking some really brutal wallpaper. But try to look away before it stuns you senseless, because the real makeover here is the mirror. What? Don’t you see it?

Here, let me help. Amanda at Mommy Is Coo Coo is no stranger to working with mirrors, and knew that even though she didn’t want to keep this massive mirror above her vanity, it was still worth several hundred dollars. So, she hired some expert help to come remove it from the wall, (DON’T try that by yourself!) framed it out, turned it sideways, and now it stands behind her beautiful clawfoot tub, reflecting nothing but gorgeousness.

November 5, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

25 In kitchen/dining/ living room/ other rooms

From Refried to Simplified

Sometimes I come across makeovers that make me want to burn my house to the ground and start over. Camille’s house is one of them. But then, before I do anything drastic, my inner-voice reminds me to remember that Camille started with acres of bland tile, blue shag carpets, brass fixtures, and made a masterpiece, so golly gee whiz, why can’t I?! (I think my inner-voice is a Newsie).

Let’s check out some of her recent work.

My favorite thing about the living room is this fireplace! I’m SOL. (That means swooning-out-loud, not the other thing).

I love how she covered up that depressingly sad little arched nook and took the whole thing all the way up to the ceiling instead.

On to the front room. This whole house was like a shrine to the saddest color of yellow in existence. How can a yellow be so sad? It’s like the color of refried tears. And yet the grey look so bright and happy? It’s breaking all kinds of laws of physics.

This staircase was pretty stunning, as in “I’m stunned that someone would paint the railing the same color as the wall. That’s not even a good idea with an ATTRACTIVE color of paint.”

Ugh. It’s so beautiful, it literally pains me.

The kitchen got a face lift as well. It’s amazing to me that almost all of these changes are simply cosmetic. No large scale demo work going on, just some new paint, flooring and fixtures, and the whole house looks brand new. The moulding on the tops of the cabinets here is such a small detail, but makes a dramatic difference.

If you want to check out more of Camille’s fabulous before and afters, visit her blog Simplify!

She has a craft room that will blow your mind. You’ve been warned.

(Sorry, I’m going to have to shut down comments on this one. You won’t believe all the CHeaP DRugz!!! spam it’s been attracting thanks to the word ‘refried’ in the title.)

November 2, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

30 In chairs/ottomans/seating

Pinking of You

I dedicate this post to my daughter Mia, who today informed me that the only colors she loves are pink and purple. “What about red?” I asked.

“No, I don’t love red.”

“What about green? Do you even like green a little bit?”

“No, I don’t love green.”

“What about blue?” I asked. “The sky is blue, and it’s so pretty!”

“Oh!” she said, “I LOVE the sky! But I don’t love blue.”

So here is some girly glam goodness coming your way, first from Patricia and Andrea, the mother daughter duo at Fiber and Fire. I simply must have this settee in my dressing room. If I had a dressing room.

And how awesome would it look paired up with this zebra print chair from Larissa at House On Harrison? So awesome your eyes would melt, so I don’t advise it.