Better After

8 In bathroom

Making Room in the Bathroom

People ask me all the time, “Lindsey, how do I know when a room in my home is ready for an update?”

I will usually say something like, “Does the room in question have hunter green faux-marble peel-n-stick vinyl flooring? And if so, is that flooring the very best thing about that room?”

If they answer both questions with a ‘yes,’ then I can confidently assure them that their room is overdue for an update.

This conversation has happened exactly zero times in real life. But that’s what I would have said if Stephanie from The Styled Soul had asked me about her before bathroom. Behold:

Is there really anything great happening in here? I think no. That rug is cute.

But Stephanie is no fool. She got all up in this bathroom’s business, gutting and redoing nearly everything, like ditching that peel-n-stick tile for legit tile-tile, and trading in the boxy vanity for a streamlined sink. And an even cuter rug. The only thing I would have done differently would be to flip the toilet to be on the same wall as the sink, but I imagine that would have required a lot of plumbing witchcraftery.

Besides, that’s not an awkward toilet.

(Read this next line in Crocodile Dundee’s voice)

This is an awkward toilet:

I mean, there’s just no getting around it. Literally.

But Tricia had bigger and better plans for her space. Believe it or not, you are looking at the same view!

She moved the vanity area to the opposite wall, I don’t know what the heck happened to the window, (she swears she doesn’t miss it!), and the toilet?

The toilet has a happy ending, moving into this spacious little nook where the old shower had been. See the whole configuration breakdown on her blog 724 South House.

May 28, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

3 In tables/dressers

Knot even kidding.

If you’ve hung around here long enough, you know all about my irrational fear of knotty wood. It’s not a full-blown phobia where I’d run out the room screaming if I saw it or something, but it’s just enough to make me weirdly super uncomfortable.

For instance, I can’t make myself look this dresser in the eyes. Because that’s what it has. Knotty eyes of evil staring into my soul. Ugh, I really feel nauseous. Quickly now, let’s scroll our way to the after.

I said quickly! Step to!

Whew. Muuuuuuuuuuch better. This is way less evil. Angelic even!

See more of this cutie from Wendi at H2O Bungalow.

May 27, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

8 In kitchen/dining

Silver Lining in a Storm Cloud

Holy smokes, there is some wild weather happening out there in the country! Tornadoes, flooding, heatwaves, YIKES. I sincerely hope you are staying safe.

Better After reader Dani experienced a bit of a flood herself last year when a pipe burst and destroyed 75% of her house, which then had to be ripped down to the studs.

By doing a lot of the work herself and spending months hunting for bargains, she was able to stretch her insurance money to allow for way more than just reassembling the old kitchen. She opened up the wall to accommodate a new island, updated the appliances, and added a window. Just look at how much more light that brings in! I’d call that the rainbow after the storm, wouldn’t you?

May 26, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

6 In chairs/ottomans/seating

A Lemony Loveseat to Love

Sometimes life hands you lemons. And those lemons are shaped like loveseats. And those loveseats are covered in fabric that make your eyes bleed. But, as the saying goes, don’t look a gift-horse in the lemon. Or something like that. You know.

Shanna inherited this loveseat when the previous owners of her home left it behind. Unwilling to discard perfectly good free furniture when she needed furniture, she decided to reupholster it herself. Can you believe this is her FIRST attempt at upholstery? I’m so impressed!

See more from Shanna at Taart es Goed.

And a side-by-side for funzies.

Happy Memorial Day to you, and an eternity of thank yous to all the soldiers and their families who have sacrificed to make our nation what it is today.

May 25, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

5 In desks/hutches/buffets/ tables/dressers

Forget 50 Shades

Do not adjust your monitor. You ARE seeing everything in black and white.

Ok, not yet. But when you scroll down …

Bam! Now you are! I love this dresser from Redoux Interiors. I really just love anything black and white. Ninety-five percent of my wardrobe is black and white. Some of the best things in life are black and white. Pandas. Penguins. Zebras. Ok, those examples are only animals, but I think we can agree that they are some of the best animals. No one goes to the zoo to see the prairie dogs, amIright?

Other cool black and white things: old movies, Oreos, tuxedos,

… and this fabulous hutch from Kellee at The Charmed Workshop. Almost as cool as an Oreo tuxedo. (Please someone make that exist in real life).

How about a black and white photo of Ryan Gosling in a tuxedo?

Just proving my theory.

Reeves at The Weathered Door also agrees that the best things in life are black and white, which is what inspired her to painted this dresser black with white knobs.

I don’t know if that’s really true, but we’ll say it is. I love and need those knobs in my life.

Very old and haggard things often look better in black and white – for instance, my selfies — and also this sun-faded dresser from Sarah at FunCycled.

She looks half her age!

Jen was asked to give this desk a black and white ‘French feel’ for a client’s daughter, and she delivered with decoupage.

Check out Girl in the Garage for a step-by-step tutorial just in case you need more black and white in your world.

May 22, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

5 In decor/ miscellaneous/ tables/dressers

Coral n’ Cowboys

Coral is such a pretty shade. I would describe it as kind of an orangey pink, which is funny because actual coral, like from the bottom of the ocean, comes in trabillions of colors. That would be like taking a particular shade of yellow and naming it “Rainbow.” I have a piece of coral from the Bahamas. It’s black and looks like a dead weed. I don’t know where I’m going with this other than to say, hey look! Here are some coral-colored makeovers for you today!

Up first is this dresser from Stephanie, which she painted … you guessed it … coral. Coral coral, not dead weed colored coral. I love the simple new pulls, gold and coral together are always a sure bet!

See it at The Styled Soul.

And speaking of gold, if you need a place to easily store yours, why not use this wild-wild-west-themed shelf? I sense your stares of dubiousness, but scroll onward and you will see how Kelly sent the cowboys riding off into the sunset by flipping it upside down and covering the mirror with fabric and chicken wire. She added paint and mini tart-pans, and faster than you can say ‘get along little doggies,’ it’s a jewelry storage system! Yeehaw!