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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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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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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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!]

i always get excited for thursdays because it means a new we like it wild post from the studio choo girls. so i was especially happy to get an extra bit from jill yesterday- she sent over these gorgeous arrangements styled in yellow owl workshop’s new trophy vase. christine hand-cast this earthenware vase because she, “never excelled at any sporting pursuits that would reward me with victory regalia”- so she decided to make her own. christine’s vase can be purchased here for $65 at the yellow owl shop, or here at studio choo, with a floral arrangement (in the bay area only) for $110. every one could use a little congratulations now and then so if you know anyone who deserves a trophy of their own, this could be just the ticket.

i seriously have to pinch myself this morning- i can’t get over the incredible photoshoots the once wed team has styled for the d*s guest blog this week. today they’re sharing another incredible peach-inspired spread (to expand on tuesday’s peach porch fête) that includes beautiful flowers from amy osaba- whose home we featured on monday!

if their breath-taking peach spread doesn’t make you want to get married surrounded by lace and bushels of peaches, i don’t know what will. the girls have really hit it out of the park today with beautiful event design and floral ideas- click here to check out the full photoshoot and all 20 photos!