Better After

4 In bedroom

Pretty in Polka Dots

Have you ever watched a movie with a young girl, maybe a kid-sister type, and she’s cute and everything, but it’s not until the movie flashes forward a few years, and you see her all grown up, and suddenly everyone is like HOLY SMOKES WHERE DID THIS BABE COME FROM!?! I can’t actually name a specific movie like that, but surely there’s one out there.

No matter, because this bedroom illustrates exactly what I’m talking about. Before, it was ultra cute, youthful and fun. But who could have predicted …

… this stunning transformation? WOWWWWZAAAA. This is the scene in the movie where everybody stops and stares, jaws all on the floor. And all the mean bedrooms that ignored this bedroom in high school are kicking themselves and wishing they were half as cool. Or something like that.

Shay is an interior designer and created both the adorable before room and this Kate Spade-inspired polka-dotted after room for her daughter. (YES, it’s the same room!)

The bed is now at the top of the loft, and there are about a million more awesome areas of this room that you need to see up-close over on her blog IBB at Home. Check out the bathroom, it’s DREAMY! Also the closet. Also, everything.

March 21, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

17 In desks/hutches/buffets/ Uncategorized

Blasts from the past

Would you believe that Better After turns seven years old this year? Seven! That’s like a thousand years old in blog years. This old blog has seen a lot over the years, with the archives to prove it. There are more than 3,000 before and afters featured right here in this little corner of the internet. That’s really a mind-boggling number to me! Mind=boggled.

And just when I think I’ve seen it all, something new and wonderful pops up in my inbox. And just when I think everything that can possibly be made over has been made over, I get a REmakeover or two, too. Congratulations if you managed to followed that last sentence at all.

What I mean is that sometimes an ‘after’ gets to be made into an even better ‘after.’

Jenn knows what I’m taking about. She sent me this project ages ago. (The original post is here).

That was then, and here it is today:

In my original post I mentioned that the butterfly fabric could easily be updated for a more grown-up look, and that’s exactly what happened, along with a black and white gallery wall to really punch your eyeballs with awesomeness.

Jenn had also sent in another cabinet makeover, which I originally shared here. She had painted it and changed the handles, and streamlined it by removing the feet and mounting it to a wall, which I loooooooved.

I still love that look, but I love it even more in its current incantation:

She changed up the handles yet again and wrapped in in dark wood. It’s simply fabulous. And I still adore that watercolor world map too. More to see of this project on her blog Heim-elich.

*sniff* My little better afters are getting so grown up!

March 17, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

3 In living room

Bringing in Spring

Is there a better time of the whole year to refresh your home than in spring? Nay, I say. And the beauty of a ‘refresh’ rather than a ‘redo’ is that you only need a few small changes to make a room feel brand new.

Corey’s family room is a perfect example. If I had walked into her house for the first time, I would have probably squealed, “Ooh, your house is so cute! I love this and that and this,” and walked around petting her stuff.

But let’s see how it benefited from a quick refresheroo:

So much more color and life! Now we can see how the before room was dominated by squares and straight lines: the photos on the wall, the coffee table and rug, and the blunt lines of the chair in the foreground. It was altogether a bit heavy and monochromatic.

The after look still features those nice clean lines, just softened and brightened! The rug adds color and pattern, the coffee table is elegant and airy instead of boxy, and the splashes of color all around the room bring it to life.

And don’t forget the easiest way of adding literal life to a room: plants! Even if you don’t have the budget for new furniture or accessories, you can always head outdoors and snip a few branches to display. I did this a few days ago with my bougainvillea, and I still get a little thrill at all the punches of hot pink scattered around my house. It doesn’t take much to bring in spring! (Or to amuse me, I know).

March 16, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

4 In chairs/ottomans/seating/ tables/dressers

Dearly Distressed

At some point in recent history, furniture makers thought it necessary to attach tiny little railings to much of their furniture. Perhaps it was in case of tiny little earthquakes. You wouldn’t want your knickknacks to scoot to a sudden death if it could be prevented, right? Wrong. Sorry. There is no logical reason for these things to ever exist.

But Larissa was excited when she found this table, not because she was planning to bring the railing trend back, but because her son had been itching to try a DIY project of his own. She figured this table would be the perfect place to start, and with twelve holes left behind by the spindles of the old railing, it also made a perfect …

… clock face! They filled the holes with dowels and went to town with paint and stencils. Check out her post at Prodigal Pieces to read all about the process, and to see her adorable son being all adorable and proud of his creation. Rightly so!

This next project would be right at home next to the clock table, if that home happened to be a church.

The lovely after version, that is. It looks like it could belong in quaint countryside chapel.

The before version reminds me of the movie theater in the town I grew up in. It may have been the world’s oldest and smallest and grossest theater. I’m pretty sure the rows were only about four seats deep, and the floors were so sticky I literally lost a shoe AND a sock there. Several rows had seats that were missing the actual seat part. More than once I would stumble through the row in the darkened theater, settle down in my seat, and land flat on the filthy floor.

That theater, somehow, is still in business today. Shout out to the El Rio! Stop by if you’re ever in Springerville, Arizona and aren’t too attached to your shoes or tailbone.

And be sure to stop by Jenny’s blog Ava Blake Creations to see how she gave this bench its distressed charm.

March 15, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

5 In bathroom

Just Some Unsolicited Bathroom Remodel Advice

If you are in the process of remodeling a bathroom and unsure of what direction to take the color scheme, let me kindly offer my unsolicited opinion.

YES to light and bright colors. Airy! Fresh! Clean!

YES to deep and moody colors. Dramatic! Impactful! Sophisticated!

And a hearty NO to any middling, halfhearted color in between. Soupy green? Pastel yellow? BROWN? Anything that shares a hue with a bodily fluid should be out of the running. Naturally.

Of course, this is just my humble expert opinion. (I’m not an expert on bathrooms, but I am an expert on having opinions). If you love your soupy green bathroom, you go ahead and rock it hard honey.

This before bathroom was a little pea soupish, but truly not that bad. And I quite like that sink.

Oh, but what a difference being basked in brightness makes. Picture me with a love-struck grin and heart eyes.

This bathroom remodel was actually a job by a team of design professionals over at Décor Aid; but it doesn’t take an expert to see that it’s 1000% awesome. Even with the combination of tile backsplash to the floor and full marble shower surround, it doesn’t look busy, just beautiful.

Hope you’re having an awesome Monday!

March 14, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

8 In kitchen/dining

Fresh n’ French

If you’ve ever tried to convince your significant other that painting your cabinets is not only a good idea but ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO YOUR MENTAL WELL BEING, well here’s a makeover that’s hard to argue with. Just print these pictures out and mike-drop them into their lap, like boom. Then back away silently while their mind gets blown by this French country goodness right here:

Sure, there’s a few other minor changes, like the ceiling, flooring, backsplash, fixtures, appliances, etc, etc, but let’s not focus on the details, darling. Those are the SAME cabinets.

And fine, maybe a wall was removed, and the was fridge relocated somewhere presumably nearby, and some major electrical work took place, and the island was extended, but I bet it all started with repainting those cabinets.

This French country kitchen belongs to Cindy, and believe it or not, it wasn’t quite that easy. She and her husband are in the process of renovating their entire home, which, when they bought it was basically a time-capsule from 1972, with very little updating ever taking place in the last 40 or so years.

And even better, they started out as total DIY rookies! She says “The only “renovating” I had ever done in the past was a little bit of painting and hanging wallpaper. The most hubby had ever done was to pick up the phone and call someone.”

And look where they are today! Sure, it wasn’t without plenty of trial and error, countless YouTube videos, and learning as they went, but they succeeded. I know it’s a cliche, but you really can do anything you put your mind to.

You really have to head over to her blog Edith & Evelyn to see more. So many beautiful details and special touches in this home. Thanks for being such an inspiration Cindy!

March 11, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

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