section: before and after
when i saw the “after” shot for this armoire project i was hooked. i know a lot of people hate anything painted, but i think this is such a great example of the power of a coat of inexpensive paint. that seriously sad veneer front on the “before” became something chic and stylish (reminds me of the viceroy hotel and kelly wearstler) thanks to a little black and white detailing. chicago design student emily haan is behind this makeover, which she finished with the help of her husband. it’s always nice to see a couple re-work pieces together- great work, guys!
[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s or in the d*s book? just shoot me an email right here with your images!]
CLICK HERE for ingrid’s before & after chair project after the jump!
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October 1st, 2009 - 11:00am
today’s first before & afters are all about home offices. our first makeover comes from steven and alison. having been on the hunt for a good, functional mid-century office chair for years, steven and alison finally found what they were looking for at restore in lawrence, kansas for only $15. the metal was factory fresh, but the arms needed work so steven scraped, sanded and varnished them back to life. the upholstery foam was shot, so they reupholstered the seat using maharam (465930-005*) fabric. the result is a sharp looking, ready to use office seat. great work, guys!
[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s or in the d*s book? just shoot me an email right here with your images!]
CLICK HERE for amanda’s home office makeover after the jump!
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October 1st, 2009 - 10:00am
today’s final before & afters belong to the seating world. our first makeover comes from julia schafer of l+j industries- julia refinished this great mid century chair in a dotted suzanne tick fabric. i used to work with suzanne and knoll textiles and this was one of my favorite patterns- i see it all over brooklyn now used in scraps as part of patchwork bags. those circles are so cheerful. great work, julia!
[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? just shoot me an email right here with your images!]
next up- a colorful chair makeover from becky, lea and alexis. i love the thomas paul “parasols” fabric they chose- it reminds me of sunny summer afternoons. if you want to pick up this chair, it’s selling right here on etsy….
CLICK HERE for alice’s sofa makeover after the jump!
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September 24th, 2009 - 01:00pm
i’ve been living in paris for just over three weeks now, and after lots of bureaucracy and running around in circles, all i have to say is i have the utmost respect and admiration for today’s before and after meets sneak peek from stephanie of stephmodo. last year (american) stephanie and her husband (along with three young children) got the idea to renovate a house in france. they absolutely fell in love with this 400 year old stone cottage in beynac-et-cazenac in the dordogne region of southern france. i mean who wouldn’t fall in love with this jaw droppingly gorgeous place (see it here!), especially made famous for serving as the backdrop for everafter and chocolat? stephanie has been chronicling all the adventures and heartache on her blog, and today we’re thrilled to be unveiling the finished “la maisonette du coteau.” i know i’m already planning my own getaway to stay in la maisonette! there are many more pictures and rooms here and stephanie will surely will be updating her site with many more to come. {thanks, stephanie!!} -anne
[above: Kitchen + Main Level: What you see in this "before" image is how the kitchen looked when the real estate agent took us to La Maisonnette. We couldn't believe it...no staging here folks! Needless to say gutting the kitchen and starting from scratch was definitely in order. First we knocked down the plaster walls cutting off the kitchen from the rest of the living space on the main level. This turned out to be more of a project than initially planned on since many of the walls were made of reinforced concrete and rebar. They don't make 'em like that in the US! ]
Wrapped around the large table (which is made of one plank of wood!) are three Tolix chairs (anyone who knows me knows I am a major fan of all things Tolix) and an antique pew from a local church in the area. I loved mixing both old and new and felt these two looks complimented each other nicely. We created a sitting area next to the Medieval sink and early 18th century buffet. The beautiful stone work throughout this level is due to the extensive sandblasting my husband did over about 10 solid days. He used a few tons of sand throughout the cottage as he restored all of the stone to it’s original condition. The results are incredible as you can see from the images. You can see some fun pictures from the sandblasting portion of the renovation here.
Master Suite (Attic): This is my husband’s favorite part of La Maisonnette and while I truly love it all, this space is very tranquil and it does boast some incredible views. When we bought the home there was excessive wood paneling throughout the attic. The ceiling hung low, hiding that adorable top window from view) and felt very claustrophobic. Thankfully we had a vision and knew it could actually be the perfect place for a master suite. We added new plumbing and created a full bathroom [below], complete with a claw foot tub overlooking the village and the valley. Because the master suite is on the third level and the beams and slanted walls do not allow for an armoire, we found an attractive portable rack for hanging clothing at Habitat [more images here]. On the opposite side of the suite is the sleeping area complete with a large, comfortable bed (somewhere between a Queen and King–beds measure differently in Europe), two nightstands + pillows from BHV in Paris, lights from But, and an antique etching that is about one hundred years old. The little window overlooks another grove of trees and on some nights you can hear the local owls hooting to each other…it’s so magical to fall asleep in such a beautiful place.
CLICK HERE for the rest of the before & after images after the jump!
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September 24th, 2009 - 12:00pm
today’s second before & after comes from d*s reader karolina strandberg of sweden. she’s been taking on the renovation of her beautiful home in the woods and i’m loving every bit of it. oh man, to live among all those beautiful trees in a bright white house like that. thanks for sharing, karolina!
[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? just shoot me an email right here with your images!]
CLICK HERE for more before & after images after the jump!
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September 24th, 2009 - 11:00am
i’m kicking off before & after day with this fun bedroom makeover from d*s reader georganne. after moving into a new home in madison, wisconsin georganne decided to overhaul her bedroom with paint, a decorative wall pattern and an ikea dresser makeover inspired by this project! i think the result is fantastic- great work georganne!
[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? just shoot me an email right here with your images!]
September 24th, 2009 - 10:00am
when it comes to before & afters, it’s hard for me to resist a submission with a good pet shot. and these photos from d*s reader charlene in cape town south africa are pretty darn irresistible. charlene’s cat “socks” is modeling her recent chair renovation- which began as a rather worn bubble chair and ended up as a chic red floral piece. clearly socks approves, and so do i. great work, charlene!
today’s final before & after comes from annie at ultra vroom. annie’s office corner was in desperate need of an upgrade so not only did she makeover her little office patch- she built a new desk from scratch! i love the dark wood against the clean white legs- and it certainly beats the tiny ikea table in the before shot! you can read more about annie’s project right here- thanks, annie!
[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? just shoot me an email right here with your images!]
*stay tuned for a fantastic diy wedding bouquet project from studio choo next at 2pm!*
September 17th, 2009 - 01:00pm
this first before & after comes from rebekah of wild ink press. i’m always talking about the virtues of chalkboard paint (especially “mercantile red” by hudson paint) and love this simple fridge makeover rebekah completed for her home. it’s such a great way to showcase her children’s artwork directly on the fridge, rather than clipped onto the fridge. click here for rebekah’s full project instructions (and more images)!
[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? just shoot me an email right here with your images!]
this little jewel of a closet makeover comes from heidi kenney of my paper crane. heidi recently swapped bedrooms with her older son to give him more room (such a sweet mom!) and was trying to tackle the odd corner closet in her new space. the closet was too narrow for a single hanger to hang inside with the door shut so they removed the door, wallpapered the closet and created new wooden shelves to keep their books organized. great work, guys!
d*s reader katie lewis made turned this sad office chair into a happy place to sit by updating the frame with white paint and adding a sunshine yellow striped fabric. total cost including the chair? $7. great work, katie! click here for more details on her project.
September 17th, 2009 - 12:00pm
today’s second before & after post is all about the hard work of three talented women who changed great found and secondhand finds into fresh pieces of furniture. up first is designer kristen f. davis, whose home was on d*s this past june. kristen bought this heaven wooden piece second hand and used leftover paint she had sitting around to give it a face lift. then, inspired by the patterned paper people have been using on befoe & afters, decided to add some pattern to her piece. but rather than using paper, kristen hand painted the dahlia flowers on with a paint pen- and voila! a custom piece of furniture she’ll have with her for years to come. great work, kristen!
[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? just shoot me an email right here with your pictures!]
CLICK HERE to see 2 more makeovers (kat’s hutch and laura’s desk) after the jump!
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September 17th, 2009 - 11:00am
today’s before & after comes from designer stephanie gahm and her husband, photographer and director, taylor gahm. at the beginning of 2009, this daring duo quit their jobs and decided to spend the year traveling and investing in their marriage. they bought a 1977 13′ scamp trailer and renovated it all on their own, from the frame up! here’s a list of the jobs they tackled:
* repairing the actual fiberglass structure
* refinishing and repairing fiberglass interior
* new flooring
* refinished and repaired ensolite interior walls
* custom cabinet doors and new hardware
* new mini fridge
* new track lighting with dimmers
* new electric wiring
* flat screen TV with cable wiring
* built in drawer storage system
* new upholstery and curtains
* new sink plumbing
* new AC window unit
* new camper potty and cabinet that we affectionately call the bathroom
when they were finished they a sweet modern home to take with them while traveling across the country together. you can read more about their adventures (and the makeover) right here, and see more pictures of their trailer makeover right here! thanks stephanie and taylor!
[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? just shoot me an email right here with your pictures!]
 September 17th, 2009 - 10:00am
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