Better After

11 In bathroom

Lime Bright

Whenever I get submissions from a foreigner, I get excited, because that is kind of rare, and they always seem to approach homes and decor with a totally different mindset than I’m used to. Laundry room in the kitchen? Ain’t no thang.

Whenever I get a submission from a male, I get excited, because that is also rare.

Whenever I get a submission from a foreign male who is not afraid of mega bright colors, well then. It’s party time.

And Javier’s bathroom is certainly a party! Which is a good thing, because it previously looked like an ’80s funeral home. But now it’s all clean lines and sleek touches, and miles of lime green tile, and yes, a laundry room. America really needs to get up to speed with the laundry-room-in-other-rooms idea already. So sensical! (Apparently spellcheck is telling me that ‘sensical’ is not a word, but nonsensical is. Pssh. How unsensical).

See more on his blog Yo No Lo Tiraría.

Even the ironing board got a makeover!

August 14, 2014 By Lindsey @ Better After

6 In other rooms/ tables/dressers

Operation Table

So Trisha is a crafty gal who found a free table, dragged it home, and envisioned it becoming …

… this thing:

Wow! Very creative and DIY-y! But um … what the heck is it?

Perhaps her entryway makeover can answer our burning questions. Before, it was a cramped and bleak space whose most notable feature was that big utility box right smack-a-doodle in the middle of the wall.

And now, it’s a bright and happy welcome home! She disguised the utility box and once she explained to her husband what her vision for the free table was, he chopped it up and reassembled it into a handy shoe storage station, at exactly the right height. Oh, to have a handy husband. If I said “Hey Matt, we need a comfier place to stash our shoes,” he would probably just list our house and try to move us again.

See more from Trisha on her blog Black and White Obsession.

August 13, 2014 By Lindsey @ Better After

2 In chairs/ottomans/seating

Sit & Shine

Makeovers don’t have to be huge. Sometimes things just need a little spit and polish. Erica shined up this sweet little MCM chair with gold fabric and simple gold-dipped legs. Sorry to disappoint you, but no spit was actually involved at all.

But it’s a perfect little chair for this corner, and makes a great companion for her shiny silver Sperry’s. See more on her blog Dwell Beautiful.

Oh hayyyy, there’s a party in the back too!

***There is still time to submit your photo for the Ugly Lamp Contest! Send your original photo to BetterAfter(at)live.com, subject line: Ugly Lamp. Deadline is August 15th. More info HERE.***

August 13, 2014 By Lindsey @ Better After

9 In desks/hutches/buffets

Rollin’ with my homies.

The roll-top desk is time-proven classic, but what’s the harm in updating one to look more modern? None! Absolutely no harm at all. Other than the fact that I bet Lauren shed real tears by the time she was done with hers, because painting three colors on this desk had to have taken F-O-R-E-V-E-R.

“Lindsey,” you are thinking, “you are sleep deprived again. This is simply a white desk.”

No, no my homeslices. I mean yes. I am sleep deprived. But no, look closely, the desk is both white and gray.

“Oh yeah, that is super cute stuff,” you are probably thinking, “And look at the little bulletin board! I’ll bet she stenciled that herself.” (She did). “I like how she changed the handles out.” (Me too!)

“But wait. You said THREE colors.”

Boom! Oh, the cuteness and the misery. That had to have taken so long. But it looks so great. From the comfort of my own chair, I’d say it was well worth it. See more (like the stenciled side of the desk!) from Lauren at The Thinking Closet.

August 12, 2014 By Lindsey @ Better After

2 In living room/ tables/dressers

Gelivision

Here’s a handy tip for everyone: (ok, not everyone. This tip pertains to people who want to stain something without moving it). Does that describe you? If so, keep reading! If not … keep reading anyway!

Jennifer had put in some custom oak trim when she first bought her home. Fast forward a few years, and she was over its honey golden glow. But sweet heavens to Betsy she didn’t want to remove it! What a pain. Luckily, there exists such a thing as gel stain, which is a non-drippy type of stain that made it easy to transform her trim to a deep espresso color, which played a big part in the entire entryway makeover. Better!

She also made over this cabinet, that was not actually a cabinet yet, because she could never figure out how to attach the drawers and doors like she wanted. So she cut her losses, removed the top, plopped it on a set of matching legs, and it looks like it rolled out of the store that way! See more details on that on her blog Owen Family Six.

***We are getting down to the wire! Submissions for The Ugly Lamp are due August 15th!! Submit your original ugly lamp photo to enter! BetterAfter(at)live.com, subject line: Ugly Lamp. More info HERE.***

August 12, 2014 By Lindsey @ Better After

10 In kitchen/dining

You and me and the fridge makes three.

I know a few people who have never used a microwave. Don’t have one, don’t want one. Likewise, many people forgo dishwashers and just do the dishes themselves. (I am neither of those people, by the way. I am intent on creating a home appliance robot army).

But what about a fridge? Errbody uses those. Dorm rooms, hotel rooms, some people even have an extra fridge in the garage! Since the fridge is such a big component in the home, literally, why not treat it like the member of the family it is, with its own little room? Suzan built a nice niche for her fridge, and now it takes up way less floor space and the flow of the kitchen is vastly improved. (Actually, everything was vastly improved in here).

See this and more (like her paneled kitchen ceiling!) on her blog Simply Vintageous.