Better After

7 In bathroom

Toodle-oo Tiny Tile!

Tiles for miles! That’s what Corey was up against in this bathroom remodel she did for her aunt. Tons and tons of tiny one-inch tile. The shower was tiled, the tub was tiled, the weird little area in the corner of the two was tiled. Let’s talk about THAT for a second. What on earth?? I’m so curious what it was used for. I can’t even make a semi-plausible guess. It has a drain in it so … yeah I have nothing. Watering plants? Washing a dog? Literally there is no activity that would make sense in there.

Let’s see how she conquered the problem …

Problem? What problem? All I see is a gorgeous bathroom. It looks so good in fact, that as was reading about it on Corey’s blog, I kind of passed over the after pictures, thinking they were inspiration photos from a magazine or something, not the actual bathroom itself!

She capitalized on the natural lighting, while everything else around it was updated with a very zen, spa-like vibe. (I’m guessing this house is in a very secluded location, otherwise the neighbors are capitalizing on that natural lighting too…)

Previously, her aunt couldn’t even use the tub because of a leak, and the shower was broken too. Maybe THAT’S what the strange little corner nook was for. Backup. But now thanks to Corey, not only can she soak and shower, she can do it in style!

I’d never leave! See all the details from Corey at Hey There, Home.

November 19, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

8 In decor

Just Beachy

I’m dreaming of the beach today because it’s a FREAKING POLAR VORTEX here in Phoenix and I’m freezing to death. Yes, it actually gets cold here. Yes, 60 degrees is cold. Is too. I even got out my coat. The PUFFY ONE. It’s serious.

So maybe some coastal-inspired makeovers will help us endure this frigid season of freezingness, or at least inspire someone to take a second look at that sketchy cloche in the thrift-store:

From grandma’s basement to your best friend’s beach-house! You could run in any direction with this idea. Cloche’s are rather easy to find. Not so easy to say. Closhhh? Claw-shay? Clockguhhuh? <– that’s how I say it and I’m absolutely certain I’m correct.

I have no idea. But I do know that you can see more from Marianne at Songbird.

How about a countertop cabinet? Could this countrified cutie ever be beachy?

You bet your buns it can. Christy gave it plenty of coastal charm with a transferred ‘beach’ graphic and a fresh set of doors made from pieces of her old fence. Grand total: $8! Wow! See it at Confessions of a Serial DIYer.

And lastly, this boob-light from Heather that definitely did not have a beachy vibe happening at all. Not the beaches I go to anyway, I don’t know what you’re into.

She dismantled it, de-shined it, and de-boobed it by simply attaching a capiz-shell shade that she already had with zip-ties. Don’t have a capiz-shell shade lying around? Did you know you can actually make a knock-off version with wax paper and an iron? There are tons of tutorials online, I’d google it for you, but my hands are literally frozen.

Anyway, you have to check out Heather’s post on her blog The Heathered Nest, if not for the litany of boobtacular boob jokes, but also for her ingenious and hilarious suggestions for reusing boob-lights. Oh, the possibilities …

November 18, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

10 In desks/hutches/buffets

Thrift-store Whisperer

Some people have a special talent for finding secondhand treasures. These thrift-store whisperers possess an innate knack for sniffing out the best deals or or seeing potential in some dirty, broken piece of furniture where nobody else could. My sister-in-law Kalli is one of those people.

I am not.

What I have is a knack for finding the stupidest stuff at thrift-stores and taking pictures of it to put on instagram.

Like this gem:

HA! This thing is hilarious. First of all, who saves up to buy videos? I was around when they weren’t totally outdated, but I don’t ever remember desperately scrounging up my change to buy a video. Second of all, it’s such a strange shape. So tall and narrow. You could cram as much money as possible in there and only be able to afford one video. Thirdly, somebody made this, with their bare hands, for the sole purpose of hoarding VIDEO MONEY. It could have been a vase. Or just any old bank. But it’s not a vase. It’s not a bank. It’s for VIDEO MONEY, so don’t you forget it. This thing is amazing.

Know what else is amazing? This bookshelf makeover from Shanna at Restoration Redoux.

Ka-POW! Isn’t that a beautiful color? And paired with the pink accents? Mmmmm, perfection.

Shanna is clearly one of those thrift-store whisperer people too. Maybe she’ll teach me her secrets someday. Or she could make a video …

November 17, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

4 In living room

From Stakeout to Standout

I’m just going to assume that the previous owners of Tasha’s home were some kind of elite armed-forces unit secretly stationed in unsuspecting suburbia. Because who else is going to paint a room army green with beige trim? NO ONE ELSE.

But the call of duty obviously called them somewhere else, so they moved on and Tasha moved in.

The wall color was one of the first things to go, along with the beige carpet and the monstrous stone fireplace. But don’t worry!

She didn’t rip it out, she just gave it a cement makeover for … you’ll never guess. Ok, try to guess.

$3000? No, even though that’s what she was quoted by a few companies she researched.

$1000? HA! You are still way off.

$100? Surely that’s not possible. Is it?

YES. It really truly cost her $100 to turn that heavy stone fireplace into the sleek contemporary cement version you see before you. Read all about it on her blog Designer Trapped in a Lawyer’s Body.

November 16, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

4 In bedroom

Hi-Beam Bedroom

Espresso and oatmeal. Perfect for somebody’s breakfast. Rather un-exciting as a color scheme in a bedroom. I love me some neutrals, but this was neutral overload. The walls, bedspread, carpet, heck even the lampshades were all the same color, contrasted with heavy brown and nothing more.

Anna-Lisa knew it needed a big dose of personality, so she turned to her friend Katie to pump (clap) it up.

When you think of adding ‘personality’ to a room, you might think that means crazy colors and wacky patterns and a chandelier made from a garden hose or something, but that’s just not true. No ma’am.

All you really need is a bit of color, contrast, and texture, like Katie gave the walls here with paint and wainscoting. She also used plaint white bedding, which sounds like the opposite of ‘adding personality’ but actually gives you more room to play with accessories and provides a sharper contrast to help the other objects in the room shine. And how about those faux beams?! I love how they tie in the dark furniture and make the room feel complete.

The result feels pulled-together and serene, which mirrors Anna-Lisa’s personality exactly.

I actually don’t know if that’s true. BUT …

… I DO know that both Anna-Lisa and her husband are big readers, which is reflected now in their space thanks to this built-in bookshelf and other pieces of art Katie used around the room. You can see them all on her blog at Reclaiming Home. (Spoiler alert: one of them is the wreath over the bed made out of book pages!)

November 12, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

1 In decor

A second chance at storage.

Oh, boxy entertainment centers. Have you outlived your usefulness? Are your glory days over? Have you been relegated to the basement? Or the dump? Do you find yourselves huddling in packs at the thrift-store, swapping stories of sudden abandonment by the families you served so well for so long?

I feel for you, I do.

But despair not! There’s still hope! Sure, no one buys big bulky TVs anymore, and no one wants you around for ‘entertainment’ purposes, and you are probably kind of ugly and worn out at this point (I’m going somewhere with this, I promise) but you know what families will ALWAYS need?

Storage. Glorious storage. A convenient place to corral hats and mittens and shoes and backpacks that still looks good enough to keep out in the open. And that could be YOU.

Don’t believe me? Check out what Corey did with her old entertainment center:

It’s back and better than ever! And sure to outlast the next wave of technology, unless someone invents invisible backpacks.

See more from Corey at Sawdust 2 Stitches.

PS: Happy Veteran’s day! Sending a huge THANK YOU to all our vets and their families for their sacrifice and support. Hug a vet today!

November 11, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

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