Let’s say you want the look of an exposed brick wall in your home, but you don’t actually live in a brick house. That’s ok. There are options. You could try a faux painting technique. Easy on the wallet and … easy on the eyes? Sometimes? Iffy. 

B: You could buy some bricks and go to town. Mortar those heavy bricks all over your wall. Good luck. I hope your drywall can take the stress. It probably can’t.

C: You could give up on all your hopes and dreams. Goodbye forever brick wall dream, you were nothing more than a foolish, fevered fantasy. Continue Reading →

Red accent walls haven’t been popular since Jessica Simpson made edible perfume (side note: I reallllllly want one of those things to come back, I’ll let you guess which), but for some reason they still can be found in abundance. Unlike Jessica’s Deliciously Kissable Belly Button Love Potion Fragrance. Yes that was a real product. For belly buttons. It was a weird time.

So when Jenni encountered the aggressively red walls in her friend’s front room, she was quick to suggest a minimalist makeover. Plus, the family didn’t have a dedicated space to eat, so this red room became an official dining room, and another red accent wall was sent into oblivion. Never to return. Like Jessica’s powerfully scented Powdered Sugar Body Shimmer. Sigh.

The green chairs are the star of this show, so Jenni kept everything else light and neutral, although I see you over there in the corner, Sassy Planter.

What do you think? Decades better, right? Or are you a die-hard for a red accent wall? 

Get all the details on Jenni’s blog, I Spy DIY.

You know that satisfying moment on home renovation shows, where someone takes a sledgehammer to a wall and smashes it to smithereens, and it’s all very dramatic? First of all, that’s not even necessary. Not all of the time.

People thought James was crazy for keeping the original 1930s kitchen cabinets in this makeover, but he knew better. Take a look for yourself. Do you think they should be salvaged or sledgehammered? (Sledged? Sledgehammed?)

Salvaged! James resisted the urge to smash them to splinters and chose instead to work them into this stunning makeover. Yes, those are the same cabinets!

Here’s another look from the same angle as the before pic. Are you loving that copper, navy, and exposed brick friendship? Me too.

And second of all, sledgehamming is no joke. I once tried to dramatically sledgeham a wall, and the hammer simply bounced off undramatically, zero damage done, other than giving me one doozy of a back sprain. Let that be a lesson to you.

See more from James on his blog Flipping Diaries, one of my newest Phoenix-based favorites!