Better After

7 In kitchen/dining

Miles of Tile

To say that Cassie from Design Stocker had a slightly outdated kitchen is like saying that summers are slightly warmish here in Phoenix. (117 today, jealous?!) She had an overwhelming amount of tiled surfaced to contend with, so she replaced the tiled backsplash with non-ugly tile and the tile countertops with concrete. The terra cotta tile floor would have to wait, but it has definitely been toned down.

I love the look of concrete countertops. And she reports that it only cost around $200! I’m sold!

July 1, 2011 By Lindsey @ Better After

10 In kitchen/dining

St. Craig

Don’t you love when you are searching on Craigslist and suddenly you just happen to find the very item you’ve been looking for your whole life? Do you? Because I have no idea what’s that like. All I ever see on my local craigslist are overpriced mattresses “STILL IN PLASTIK!”

Well, Ronda found this old cane bench, which just happened to fit perfectly around the dining room table she just happened to be redoing, along with the matching set of chairs that just happened to have cane-backs too. Ronda just might be the patron saint of Craigslist. See it on her blog Edward’s Lane.

July 1, 2011 By Lindsey @ Better After

9 In bathroom

Eye-melting Green to Serene

Gina from A Sense of Design has shown us some of her glorious makeover work before, in particular, her most fabulous kitchen. Trouble with that gorgeousness was that it didn’t leave much money in the budget for anything else. Like this homage to green that was happening in her bathroom. I love those two randomly placed decorative tiles. And that pink soap holder. And that mirror that may have been stolen from a public bathroom.

But Gina isn’t afraid of hard work, so she tackled every square inch of this green beast with a little ingenuity and a lot of tile paint. You’d think I have been doing this long enough that I would know all about tile paint, but you’d be wrong! Never heard of the stuff, but it appears to have saved the day!

June 30, 2011 By Lindsey @ Better After

8 In tables/dressers

Get it Poppin’

Elle from Banksia Gate Blog redid this weary little chest in a cool blue that makes the gold handles POP like popcorn! I don’t really think they look like popcorn. I think they look like stars. Or suns. Or asteriks. But they sure do pop, eh? I don’t really even like that word, POP! I propose we find a new word that also means “stands out brightly amid its surroundings.” I’ll let you know if I think of one.

June 30, 2011 By Lindsey @ Better After

6 In tables/dressers

A Punch for Lunch!

Well it is mid-day here in my part of the world (not really, it is in the middle of the night! Because that’s when I blog! Because I’m a night owl! Hoooooooot. But I have scheduled this to post at mid-day! Shhhhh, our secret!)

Um, obviously I could do with more sleep. Anyway, it is mid-day! Sure it is! And so here are a couple of visual punches to your eyeballs to get you over the hump of Hump-Day. (That is what we call Wednesdays in my part of the world, just in case they don’t say that in your part of the world and you think I’m some kind of weirdo perv).

First an overly cutesy-pie lil’ heart-adorned dresser gets a chic bird motif makeover instead. From Kristina at Always Springtime Flowers.

And secondly, an overly ugly, big dresser gets a cutesy-pie lil’ makeover fit for a princess. Yes, I do believe I will smile. From Kayla at A Jump Up from Junk.

June 29, 2011 By Lindsey @ Better After

17 In chairs/ottomans/seating

It Don’t Matter if it’s Black or White

Yesterday, a few commenters said they preferred the black and white “before” decor on Anita’s porch makeover. Personally, I loved the serenity of the neutral colors she used that let the views do all the talking instead. But I hear you, B and W lovers! I am lover of the stuff myself. So here is some tasty black and white damask to start your day, yum!

From Better After reader Jessica, who owned these chairs for 16 years. Bet she wishes she had done this about 15.5 years sooner!