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From Spotlight: DIY Your Way to the Perfect Style for YOU

Just Imagine! 10 DIY Room Makeovers to Inspire You to Buy

Just a little imagination and a few tools could make that listing your new home.

Bright living room with brick walls and wood floors
Image: Mandi Gubler / Vintage Revivals
Contributed By

This article was contributed by Mandi Gubler, a DIYer and home decor blogger, who writes “Vintage Revivals” and believes “your house should look like you and no one else.”

When you’re dreaming about buying a home, you imagine everything being exactly how you want it from the start. You don't dream about outdated cabinets, bad flooring, or popcorn ceilings. 

So when you actually start looking for a home, finding homes that are less than perfect can be a bit of a reality check. Unless you have a pretty penny to spend on exactly what you want, chances are you're not going to start out with your dream kitchen. But that’s no reason not to pull the trigger on a new house.

Related: Easy Ways to Personalize a Cookie-Cutter Home

While house hunting, keeping an open mind and imagining what a space could become is key. Sure, it might not be perfect right off the bat, but most aren’t! This is where I come in. I’m your DIY Fairy Godmother — just substitute sawdust for sparkles and a drill for a wand. I’m here to show you what can become of those less-than-ideal spaces with a little hard work and creativity.

Here are a few of my favorites. Keep in mind that all of these spaces are DIYed and most have tutorials for everything you see.

Kitchens

In my opinion, the kitchen is far and away the most important room in the house. It’s where you’ll invest most of your time and, to be honest, most of your money. We’ve all seen what a difference finishes and design details can make in a kitchen. Things like cabinet color and countertop materials are huge. 

1.  Improved functionality. I’m beyond obsessed with Gwen from The Makerista’s kitchen renovation. It’s like all the hopes and dreams of the world manifest themselves in one perfect space. But it didn’t start out like that. It started out with outdated oak cabinets and a tile countertop.

Gwen Hefner's pre-makeover kitchen with outdated cabinets
Image: Gwen Hefner / The Makerista

Gwen completely gutted the space and updated it with new tile that her husband installed, a mirrored backsplash, and trendsetting new cabinets.

Updated kitchen with green cabinets, black and white floor
Image: Gwen Hefner / The Makerista

2. Dated no more. Blogger Julia’s kitchen was full of oak cabinetry and not much else. Over the course of two years, Julia completely overhauled it using IKEA cabinetry and DIY concrete countertops.

Outdated kitchen with wood cabinetry
Image: Julia Marcum / Chris Loves Julia

After the renovation, it doesn’t even look like the same house.

Updated kitchen with black cabinets, white countertops
Image: Julia Marcum / Chris Loves Julia

You’ve got to see the whole space on Chris Loves Julia. It’s going to blow your mind!

3. Maximized size. Blogger Corey’s kitchen was nothing spectacular. The one thing it had going for it was size. But there were loads of things that were dragging down the style, like that giant wall.

Dim carpeted living room next to kitchen
Image: Corey Decker / Sawdust 2 Stitches

Now check it out after the reno:

Kitchen with white cabinetry, white-washed brick wal
Image: Corey Decker / Sawdust 2 Stitches

Amazing, right?! The faux brick wall and new flooring are doing wonders! And did you realize the ceilings were that high from the first picture? Check out the entire series on Sawdust2Stitches.

4. Vintage TLC. If you’re lucky enough to find a cottage built in 1938, don’t let a bad kitchen derail you. Vintage homes are full of personality that just can't be replicated. Sometimes they just need a little TLC. Here’s what the kitchen looked like over the years:

Outdated kitchen with teal walls and wood cabinetry
Image: Stacy Risenmay / Not Just a Housewife

Here’s what it looks like now:

White kitchen with wood floors, white and black ceiling
Image: Stacy Risenmay / Not Just a Housewife

See the full reveal on Not Just A Housewife.

5. Cabinet rescue. Don’t feel bad about falling in love with a house that has a little bit of a beige situation.

Old beige kitchen
Image: Elisha Albretsen / Pneumatic Addict

 Elisha overhauled her kitchen in two months and — wait for it — built her own cabinetry!

Bright white cabinets and a dark wood floor
Image: Elisha Albretsen / Pneumatic Addict

She’s obviously a master carpenter. See every tutorial on how to duplicate this for your own home on Pneumatic Addict. But for those of us who are a little less skilled, try repainting your kitchen cabinets. 

Living Rooms

Let’s talk living rooms, shall we? Creating a space that you love is all part of the home-owning process, so roll up your sleeves and get ready to party.

6. Mix of light and dark. Judging by the before shot of this room, there were two requirements for buying this home. A tetanus shot and guts. Loads of guts.

Living room with dirty beige carpet
Image: Mandi Gubler / Vintage Revivals

Check it out now:

Bright living room with brick walls and wood floors
Image: Mandi Gubler / Vintage Revivals

See all of the tutorials for recreating this space in your own home on Vintage Revivals.

7. Layered living. Sometimes you just have to start fresh, which is what Lindsay from The White Buffalo Styling Co. did. If you can’t or don't want to make the existing situation work, rip it out and start over.

Living room with scaffolding
Image: Lindsay Jackman / The White Buffalo Styling Co.

If you can’t or don't want to make the existing situation work, rip it out and start over.

White painted living room with exposed wood beams
Image: Lindsay Jackman / The White Buffalo Styling Co.

Bedrooms

And who can forget about the bedrooms? Um, no one!

8. Tiny changes, big impact. Have you seen this magic from Almost Makes Perfect?

Empty bedroom with teal painted walls and dark wood floors
Image: Molly Madfis / Almost Makes Perfect

A new paint job and ceiling fan are further proof that you don’t have to spend thousands to make a huge impact.

White bedroom with high ceilings
Image: Molly Madfis / Almost Makes Perfect

9.  Bolder and wiser.  Who knows? Maybe you love color and pattern, in which case this might be the master bedroom for you! Here's what this master bedroom looked like before:

Dark master bedroom with beige walls
Image: Mandi Gubler / Vintage Revivals

And here's what it looked like after:

Remodeled bathroom with orange patterned walls
Image: Mandi Gubler / Vintage Revivals

Everything from the tumbling block wall, to the sliding barn door and giant rug is DIYed. You can find all of the tutorials on Vintage Revivals.

Laundry Room

10. From dull to distinctive. Last but not least, let’s talk laundry rooms. Man oh man, they can just suck the life out of you, right? Especially when they look like this:

Beige laundry room with outdated beige tile
Image: Mandi Gubler / Vintage Revivals

But with a little love and elbow grease (and tile), you can transform it into something like this:

Laundry room with white subway tile and black tiled floor
Image: Mandi Gubler / Vintage Revivals

Updating the flooring and using a sheet of plywood to build the countertop are some of my favorite projects from this space. See the how to on Vintage Revivals.

Feeling inspired yet? Now get out there and find your dream house.

Related: 10 Design Trends to Transform Your House into a Dream Home 

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Mandi Gubler bio photo
Mandi Gubler

Mandi Gubler is the creator of Vintage Revivals, a DIY / shelter blog unlike any other. She loves to share her thrift store finds and inspire her fans with DIY projects.