11 Wonderful Ways to Use Wool Around Your Home

Wool has a deep, warm, rich look and a long history. This fabric dates back to earlier history was recorded, when people found that sheepskin would keep them warm when the weather was cool and cold when it had been hot, and would absorb moisture without feeling wet. When it would be difficult to duplicate a fiber with the attributes that wool has, modern technology has enhanced some of its undesirable traits: Now’s wool creases well and is shrink resistant, mothproof and even stain resistant. Because of these technological improvements, wool stays a very popular option today.

CWB Architects

Plain blankets. Warm in winter and cool in summer, wool is a great solution for blankets. It’s also more resistant to fire than other natural fibers.

Dyed blankets. Wool fabric holds dye well, so the color lasts longer. Regrettably, it needs mothproofing.

ducduc

Rugs. Wool fibers’ antistatic properties and natural resistance to soiling makes them a desirable selection for rugs. But when wool will not get dirty, it is not as easy to wash as some synthetic fibers.

lynn-anne bruns

Toilet accessories. Much like when it’s on a sheep, wool is hydrophobic (resists water) and resists odors, so it performs well in the bath area.

Niche Interiors

Sheepskin throws. A sheepskin throw adds a romantic touch and a welcome layer of cushion to furniture.

Watch more manners with sheepskin throws

Stern McCafferty

Sheepskin rugs. The natural sense of wool in its natural state makes a room feel cozy and comfortable. Do not worry about the long fibers — wool resists crushing.

FORMA Design

Felted accessories. These felted wool stones by Vivaterra add a unique flair to a space — and also show off the diversity of wool fibers.

Tracery Interiors

Wool throws. Wool is considered hypoallergenic, which makes it a great fabric for a throw cover. But, washing pure wool with alkaline detergents can harm it.

Ryland Peters & Small | CICO Books

Knitting. Wool in its natural state has a crimp into its strand, which generates a flexible property when it’s woven into yarn. The elasticity makes it more lasting and a wonderful product to knit or crochet with.

Gaile Guevara

Upholstery. Wool is a great selection for upholstery since it resists piling and breaking, meaning it’s extra durable.

AIA, mark English Architects

Bedding. Wool’s wrinkle resistance makes for a beautiful bed cover. The fabric can feel very soft when the organic lanolin isn’t eliminated from the fiber.

See related

6 Custom Features for Distinctive Cabinetry

When it comes to cabinetry, a little imagination can go a long way toward earning your renovation a real talking point. Aside from the profiles we all know and love — elevated, recessed and flat panel — there are a few other tricks up your cabinetmaker’s sleeve that can give your home a truly special appearance.

Tobi Fairley Interior Design

Tracery, initially curved and spanned lines made of stone, was used in church windows throughout Gothic times. These days it is cut more from timber or metal. Traditional tracery always had glass inserts.

When you’ve got a room that needs a focal point, personalize your cabinetry with tracery. Based on the degree of difficulty, the price tag is often similar to a solid timber, raised-profile cabinet door.

Within this setting, the glass supporting the lovely circular timber pattern has two purposes: It hides all of the bits and bobs the homeowner doesn’t want the entire world to see, and it makes the tracery visually pop.

Pinto Designs and Associates

Fretwork on cabinetry can sometimes be confused with tracery. Fretwork is an interlaced decorative design, carved to a solid foundation or cut away. Contrary to tracery, fretwork doesn’t generally have glass inserts.

Originally fretwork was in a grid and lattice design. These days we see many different layouts, from designs which replicate the rectangular Greek fret to more intricately intertwined designs. The cost is dependent upon the design — with MDF and painting the unit yourself can lower the cost.

Like tracery, fretwork is cut with a fretsaw, coping saw, jigsaw or scroll saw. Machines are used by some bigger cabinet businesses.

T.A.S Construction

Traditional muntins are timber or metal strips that hold and split panes of glass in a door or window. Diagonal muntins are known as diamond muntins.

Decorative muntins are used more as an overlay. 1 piece of glass illuminates the solid door face, and the muntins sit on top of the glass. This tends to be much cheaper approach to the conventional muntin style.

Muntins work nicely in the event that you need more light or wish to show off valuable objects. Adding cupboard lights will enhance the muntins.

Branca, Inc..

Embellishments on cabinetry can make a lovely room feel even more unique. Leather, metal and even glass can be used to step a look a notch.

This dressing room has timber drawers with a recessed profile. The easy rail and stile design looks amazing alone, but with all the leather strapping, you immediately know a gentleman uses this room.

The glass fronts on the large doors and cabinets have leather wrapped in the muntin style. This is a smart way to connect them together with the drawers, giving the cabinetry balance.

Rebekah Zaveloff | KitchenLab

Decorative mesh on cupboard doors turns out an old-fashioned custom into a totally modern look. In the 1800s, mesh or gauze was used to maintain meat and other perishables cool and free of flies. These days a huge collection of decorative mesh is available. Woven mesh has wires woven alternately over and under one another. Welded mesh is a grid made up of wires which are fused together where they join.

Mesh comes in mild steel, galvanized steel, brass and stainless steel. Various thicknesses can be supplied, but most companies specify minimal amounts, so be cautious about expensive waste. Get your cabinetmaker to order samples so you can observe the pattern up close.

JayJeffers

Profiles are cut out with a router piece — a shaped or straight rotary cutting tool used to cut or form substances. There are quite a few types of router bits, and not all cabinetmakers use exactly the very same ones. If you’d like a custom profile not provided, the piece can be manufactured to precise specifications — but take note that habit bits can cost hundreds of dollars. However, this may be money well spent if you are performing an entire kitchen.

See related

12 Signs You've Caught the DIY Bug

Perhaps you have captured the DIY bug when it comes to decor? This infectious disease can spread rapidly — it starts with a chalkboard wall, moves on to terrariums and finishes off with screen-printed accessories.

In case you’re unsure whether you’ve been affected by this ailment already, here are a few telltale signs.

Nina Montenegro

Nina Montenegro

Nina Montenegro

Inform us : Perhaps you have captured the DIY bug?

See related

Hey, Slick: Length Leather Glosses Up the Home

Few things match the supple, mellow feel of genuine leather — and the very best thing about patent leather is that it does not even try. That glossy feel and plasticky shine have the unrestrained, indulgent allure of a childhood pair of Mary Janes. And to get a substance that children can’t get enough of, it appears surprisingly sophisticated in your home.

These spaces interpret patent leather in new and surprising ways. Which one inspires you most?

Nicole Lanteri Design

In a different room this set of red patent leather seats may have shouted of drama and glamour. Here they provide only enough sheen to elevate the matte surfaces at the area.

The Vintage Laundry

Red patent goes in a totally different direction. Sleek slipper chairs along with a zebra-print rug make a bold, complex impact.

Tiffany Eastman Interiors

A glistening chocolate chandelier tops this off pink bonbon of a space like a dollop of hot flashes.

Evelyn Benatar, New York Interior Design

A sweet, stylized flower-shaped headboard goes retro chic under a veneer of white patent leather.

Black patent makes a suitably sassy partner for its mirrored walls, overscale sconces and other art deco elements of this room.

Frank Pitman Designs

Patent leather walls? Nailheads? Outrageous. A caveat: You would need perfectly smooth walls to produce this work; with big lumps and bumps, the look would be cluttered.

Jonathan Adler

Orange Leather and Linen Pillow – $148

Timid about going full-on shiny? Start small. This neutral pillow (linen on one side, leather onto the other) is trimmed in blazing orange patent for a quick hit of colour and gloss.

Horchow

Mirrored Bench – $1,199

A rust-brown patent leather chair makes this mirrored seat worthy of a Hollywood Regency inside.

lavishbymattandjon.com

Pop Louis Side Chairs – $395

What is more fun than a Louis-style seat clad in patent leather? A dab of neon colour in the mix.

Patent Pendant Lamp – $650

How swank is this pendant light? That small glimpse of harlequin pattern lining the inside is simply too much.

Nordstrom

Ted Baker London Ted Letter Quilted Notebook Case – $90

If a plain black notebook bag dulls down your style, perhaps this pink patent variant will do just fine.

See related

Fashion a High-Quality Cutting Board From Scrap Wood

Bigger hardwood furniture jobs always produce scrap wood that I can not bring myself to deliver into the kindling box. I have a little shop, however, so I can not afford to have prized space consumed by little pieces of scrap. So I am often making cutting boards as a means to turn little, mismatched bits into a tasteful kitchen accessory. The best thing about creating a cutting board is the fact that it’s a relatively straightforward and fast project, great for entry woodworkers — especially people with leftover bits from other jobs.

R. Olson Design

A few of the tools needed for creating a cutting board are not common household equipment, which makes this a more complex project, but it’s perfect for aspiring woodworkers.

R. Olson Design

Materials:
• 3 bar presses
• Belt sander
• Vibrating and/or orbital sander
• Table saw
• Sled or round saw
• Wood adhesive
• Food-safe finishing oil

R. Olson Design

1. Pick and put out your timber scraps. I dedicate a hardwood box particularly for cutting board pieces, so when I have a moment to build one, I am not scrounging around for bits. That doesn’t mean you have to get a lot of scraps lying around, however — you can purchase a few feet of preferred lumber and mill it to size. Boards can be made from a number of hardwoods. The decision is yours and so is the arrangement. Symmetrical, asymmetrical or poetic chaos? You choose.

R. Olson Design

2. Cut your timber to size. Once the arrangement is completed, it’s time to mill the bits to uniform size. I allow the timber I have on hand decide how big the board instead of choosing specific dimensions.

Scope outside the thinnest piece (heightwise) and run the remaining pieces throughout the table saw in that size so that every bit is the identical thickness. Apply the identical process for length.

R. Olson Design

3. Glue everything together. Next comes the gluing. Since cutting boards are vulnerable to moisture, using a waterproof wood glue such as Titebond III is the best option. Going piece by bit, run a bead of adhesive down the bit and spread it evenly with your finger or a brush to ensure a maximum bond.

Often I’ll glue the cutting board in two halves, then glue the two halves together after. This optional process is more manageable due to the short working period of wood adhesive. Ten bits is a lot less of a headache to glue and organize than 20 bits whenever you have a five-minute time period.

R. Olson Design

4. Apply pressure. For this project (and many involving adhesive, for that matter) I utilize bar clamps, because they offer the strongest quantity of pressure and they are easy to work with. It’s best to use stickers, which are bits that are put between the clamp mind as well as also the work piece that prevent pressure marks from the clamps.

With the bits glued, organize them in order into the clamp and start tightening the clamps. To block your board from bowing, substitute the straps between top and bottom. Standard boards need only three knobs, as depicted in the photo.

R. Olson Design

5. Sand your board smooth. Everybody’s favorite part of a project is sanding, of course, which is great because cutting boards need lots of sanding. Starting with a belt sander as well as using 80-grit paper, sand both sides smooth. Pay particular attention to even sanding — it’s easy to remove too far on the edges with a belt sander, and you’ll get a wobbly board.

R. Olson Design

6. Square away your endings on the table saw. Now you have got a fine, flat board, but it’s got a few rough ends which have to be booted up on the table saw. Remember to keep those fingers clear of the saw. Sleds are notorious accident causers due to fingers being put behind the apparently secure sled fence, only to find themselves at the blade’s path. Employing a sled, square one finish. After one end is square, you can use the saw fence for another side and cut into your preferred length. The board in this DIY is 8 by 12 inches.

R. Olson Design

7. Add your end caps (optional). The next step is optional but recommended. End caps are bits connected to the end grain of the cutting board. End grain is more vulnerable to moisture and can result in splitting and cracking. End caps help alleviate this issue by sealing the end grain. (The ending caps in these pictures have a natural, or live, border per petition and are not recommended for ease of clamping.)

Mill your caps somewhat thicker than your board so you can sand them flush with the top and bottom of the board after gluing. To maintain your board square, you want to leave both end caps a hair shorter than the board’s width (as shown in this photograph ) and clamp them short of both sides when attaching. After trimming them flush, cut both sides of the outer board flush with the end caps using the table saw.

R. Olson Design

8. Do one last round of fine sanding. Moving into the home stretch, use an orbital sander with around a 220 grit to finely sand the board. In case you have a router, you can route the border with the bit of your own choice, or you can hand sand the edges.

R. Olson Design

9. Apply a food-safe finish for shine and protection. As soon as you’ve done enough sanding (do not forget those edges!) The actual payoff occurs. Apply a liberal number of food-safe finish such as mineral oil, wiping it on evenly using a rag, a brush or your hands. Stop and admire the color and grain of the timber published by the oil. Let the oil penetrate for 15 to 30 minutes, then wipe off the excess. Repeat the process two to four occasions to get a stronger finish.

R. Olson Design

10. Enjoy! The next step is cooking, and that’s from my jurisdiction.

See related

12 Ways to Celebrate a Fabulous Patterned Headboard

I’m advocating breaking among my design rules. Well, I don’t really believe in strict design rules, but generally I try to stay large investment bits (such as beds) neutral, solid and classic, and bring in prints, designs, bolder colors and fashionable fabrics through less permanent items like rugs, throw pillows, duvet covers and window treatments.

However, these gorgeous patterned headboards have been screaming for my attention, and I cannot ignore them any further. Can you sleep under a patterned headboard? In that case, what type of fabric or pattern would you use? Allow me to know in the Comments section!

Laura U, Inc..

Move bold and go for height — lively fabrics and exaggerated verticality on a headboard may change the entire feeling of a room. These brilliant textiles increase the Moroccan style of the home, and the wall behind them painted to chair-rail height tricks the eye, distorting how we perceive the colours and proportions.

Bliss Design

Extend the headboard to fresh heights to show a beautiful cloth on it and your shams. It would have been a design travesty not to show this suzani fabric off.

Tobi Fairley Interior Design

Match a sham or a different pillow to the headboard. This will provide a look vertically , such as those shams do to the bedscape.

Annette English

To tie a bigger area to the mattress, extend the headboard behind nightstands. A daring pattern grounds this mattress with the proper scale.

Vanessa De Vargas

You don’t have to use cloth to do this idea. At the Upward Bound House, interior designer Vanessa De Vargas used wallpaper to create the look of an extended headboard.

You might even use a special traditional fabric. Style Sponge blogger Grace Bonney helped teach the masses about traditional Mexican Otomi embroidery with her famous DIY headboard.

Shop Otomi cloths

Troy Spurlin Interiors

Repeat the pattern on twin or triplet beds. Here, an electric paisley pattern repeated on three bedrooms and window treatments enlivens the room.

Cherie Marcel

Use remnants for a exceptional patchwork design. Creative decorator Cherie Marcel didn’t let her cloth samples go to squander; rather, she used them to fashion a fabulous headboard.

Designs for Living

Allow the headboard headboard to be the celebrity of the bedscape. Maintain the duvet and shams solid and with minimal detailing, such as this hotel-style bedding, and use a minimal amount of coordinating throw pillows.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

Coordinate with a bed skirt or a mattress platform to create continuity.

Tim Barber Ltd Architecture

Pay attention to the way in which the pattern relates to the headboard’s silhouette. Here the vertical stripes highlight the point near the top of the headboard. Note the way the stripes onto the bed skirt and the headboard align.

Bosworth Hoedemaker

If you don’t have a headboard, then create the illusion of one by hanging a quilt on the wall above the bed. It may cozy up a room and create interesting proportions with stunning height.

Read more headboard ideas

See related

A Backyard Getaway Emerges In a Grain Shed

Emma Lyndaker always desired a hideout. So when her Ohio farmhouse came with a shed used to store grain, she convinced her husband, Art, to assist her transform the area into a cozy escape.

Art utilized a lift to transfer the building throughout their land, where it would have better views of the countryside. When it had been situated, they eliminated two inside half partitions and refinished the floors. A salvaged tin roof, fresh paint on the walls along with a good power wash gave the room new life. As it came time to decorate, Emma hunted high and low for the best classic pieces. “Half of the fun is collecting things and then putting them all together,” she says.

At a Glance
Location: Plain City, Ohio
Size: 112 square feet (8 feet by 14 feet)
That’s interesting: The classic bed was purchased for only 50 cents at an auction.

Julie Ranee Photography

A peek inside the 112-square-foot space shows Emma’s love for antiques.

Julie Ranee Photography

Emma found the drop’s cupola at a neighbor’s home, where it had been about to be picked up by salvage collectors. It now proudly sits along with her hideout.

Julie Ranee Photography

The kitchen and dining area sits on the right of this door. The two seats once belonged to Art’s parents. Others in the community have painted their porches exactly the same minty green, therefore Emma fondly calls the chipping paint color “porch green”

Julie Ranee Photography

Emma made the mosaic design of this window using sea glass she gathered during walks along the beach in Key West, Florida.

Julie Ranee Photography

Emma bought this classic Quick Meal Stove at an auction, thinking she would set it into a cabin. The stove was outfitted with electrical burners before her purchasing it, and she’d love to eventually run electricity into the shed.

Julie Ranee Photography

A vintage shelf in the corner houses some of Emma’s jadeite dish collection, together with other paintings picked up at auctions and garage sales.

Julie Ranee Photography

Emma bought the three-quarter-size classic bed for 50 cents at an auction. The dimensions, between twin and full, is typical for an antique bed.

Julie Ranee Photography

At Emma’s childhood home, this classic washstand served as a location to fill kerosene lamps. She stripped it down to the bare wood and eliminated the veneer at the top.

Emma loves taking Sunday-afternoon naps, relaxing and reading in the area. “I love being here,” she says. “It is nice and quiet to read or pray.” She also gives the area to be used by ladies from church and the neighborhood.

Julie Ranee Photography

This window, outfitted with a bit of stained glass, sits over the mattress. The blue ceiling and whitewashed walls add to the area’s calming feel.

Julie Ranee Photography

Emma makes these decorative flowers with meals from garage sales and sells them locally.

Julie Ranee Photography

The shed-turned-hideaway sits behind the main house, overlooking the Ohio countryside. The couple expects to add a pond.

telephone:have you got a converted outbuilding? Discuss it with us!

See related

Sculpt Your Own Window Appearance With Ornamental Lambrequins

Lambrequins, once utilized in drafty castles to conserve warmth, are now usually reserved for insides. These highly ornamental versions of cornice boards decorate not only the upper part of a window but the sides also. But like cornice boards, these fashionable window treatments can be utilized together with draperies, wooden blinds or cellular shades to get a layered look.

Have a glimpse at those eight great examples of lambrequins to find out whether this conventional look will fit in your home’s style.

Leland Interiors, LLC

Full-length scalloped. Perfectly symmetrical in layout, these floor-length lambrequins dress up and decorate this very traditional bedroom. The soft top and the side scalloping divert the eye from all of the hard edges of this bedroom. The blinds with tapes would be the background.

Style tip: Coordinate the fabric of your lambrequins to your wall colour so your furniture remains the focus. Let the scalloping of this lembrequins turn into the texture in the room.

Harrison Design

High layout. Perfectly designed, the lambrequins revealed here lie just over the conventional draperies, including a layer of modern flair in addition to conventional design for a stunning look.

Style tip: Use the symmetry of a set of lambrequins to flank any image window. Sometimes more is better than less.

Maureen Rivard Fawcett Design

Uniquely rustic. This very ingenious homeowner utilized a salvaged doorframe to make lambrequins. The framework was cut in two to make a pair which flanks the focal point window.

Style tip: Adding the rustic worn wood of this lambrequins along with the sleek lines of this couch was a risk, but it pays off. Do not be scared to follow a new idea in regards to your own window treatments.

Kirsten Nease Designs

Stepped-inside corners. This matching pair of box-style lambrequins covers the whole sides of the windows and puts an accent on the inner corners using a design.

Style tip: Consider using self-welting (fabric-covered cording) to line the top edge of this lambrequin for added detail. Consider matching the fabric of your lambrequin for your bedspread to get a cohesive space.

Amy of Maison Decor

Half scalloped. This elegant lambrequin travels only halfway down the window, acting as a crown to the paired, one-sided drapery. The ornamental tieback brings to the general elegance.

Style tip: Add fringe to the top of your lambrequin to get additional texture and detailing.

Jerry Jacobs Design, Inc..

Wood. A sculpted wood lambrequin is a spectacular way to add character to a traditional-style room which may be missing its architectural elements. Instead of having your lambrequin covered in fabric, consider painting it. Insert your crown molding to the top for a really finished look.

Style tip: Paint your wooden lambrequin exactly the same colour as your walls for increased drama. Bring more fabric in your room by installing your draperies on the outside of the lambrequin instead of inside.

Traditional. This very formal great room employs an extremely traditional-style lambrequin produced from a tapestry. Heavy layering is the key to achieve this look — first the lambrequin, then a drapery and then sheers.

Style tip: By including a lambrequin and many layers of curtains, you can make the window look larger.

The Interiors Workroom, Inc

Highly sculpted. These highly stylized half-length lambrequins make a decorative statement in this dining room by giving a swag-type layout and feel over the floor-length sheers. The paisley print is a great option here.

Style tip: A great way to tie any window therapy in your space is by matching your fabric with pillows. Small bolsters with accent plaid at a dining room are always sudden and visually appealing.

See related

24 Dramatic Kitchen Makeovers

We asked you to show us your kitchen remodels, and the outcomes — out of Edwardians to cottages in India and renovations — have been in. All these users wanted a few critical kitchen makeovers, and if they did all the work themselves got a little help along the way, their investments paid in updated spaces that reflect their lifestyle and fashion.

Get motivated to tackle your kitchen remodel with ideas and inspiration out of 24 kitchen transformations out of your fellow ers.

1. Beautiful and Efficient California Remodel

AFTER: user clairedial bought this 1950s house two years ago and remodeled the kitchen right away. Produced by her husband and a friend having a diploma in interior design, the new area is outfitted with each of their must-haves and much more. “We love everything about our remodel,” she states.

New kitchen size:14 by 28 feet
Budget: $65,000. Produced by her husband and a friend who studied interior layout.
Location: Modesto, California

2. Elegant Update in California

AFTER:
user mwillis42 built her home in 1990, when flats were frequently black, white and contemporary. About five years ago, she grew sick of it decided to upgrade the countertops with granite. Of course, the appetite for new cabinetry soon followed, but since she’d placed in new countertops (and did not really feel like ripping them out), she found a painter who painted the old cabinetry in a dark cherry color — a much less costly option to refacing.

New kitchen size:roughly 20 by 30 feet
Budget: $17,000. Updates were done by the owners with time.
Location: El Centro, California

3. Colorful Washington Update

AFTER:
Colorgal gave a bloated and dark 1970s ranch a facelift with painted cabinetry, a high ceiling and replacements such as unflattering fluorescent light. Stainless Steel appliances, new hardware and splashes of green added color to the cool palette, using wicker accent lighting for extra warmth.

New kitchen size:10 by 10 feet
Budget: $15,000, such as eat-in nook. The homeowners did their own layout.
Location: Kelso, Washington

4. Modern Texas Kitchen

AFTER:
user morelights and her husband changed this previously outdated and sunflower-covered kitchen into the modern space she wanted. Glossy black paint covers the oak cabinets granite covers the counter and the island. A gentle blue-gray was chosen for the walls and the island, and a flat slate backsplash and stainless steel accents gave the room a sleek touch.

New kitchen size:14 by 16 feet
Budget: $17,000. The homeowners designed the kitchen and did the job.
Location: Midland, Texas

5. Sweet Massachusetts Lakeside Kitchen

AFTER:
“We did not intend for the home to be a entire gut occupation, but it quickly became one,” states user alilly. The moment the preparation began, it became apparent that they would need to start from scratch.

The kitchen has been completely redesigned with quartz counters, a butcher block island and Kraftmade closets. Best of all, the island has been reoriented to confront the beautiful lakeside view outside.

New kitchen size:8 by 11 feet
Budget: The kitchen has been a part of a full home remodel. The owners came up with the layout, and a builder did the CAD drawings.
Location: Otis, Massachusetts

6. Sleek and Modern in Canada

AFTER:
This condominium was constructed in 1981 and hadn’t been remodeled until user annabauer chose to take it on. Green wall-to-wall cherry and carpeting blossom subway tile floors were torn up and replaced with sleek hardwood. The very small kitchen, limited by a serve-through countertops, was opened by removing the walls so it tied in with the dining and family rooms.

New kitchen size:9 by 13 feet
Budget: $30,000. A fantastic buddy, Samantha Sacks, did the layout.
Location: Toronto

7. Green and White Remodel in India

AFTER:
This kitchen in a small Indian village wasn’t much to speak of initially — the 40-year-old home was rather dilapidated. user srivatsan24 designed the new space himself, focusing on a clean, easy and efficient layout. A local carpenter helped him apply the new look.

New kitchen size: 10 by 12 feet
Budget: Around $4,000. The proprietor did the layout and hired a carpenter to do the woodwork.
Location: Pondicherry, India

8. Broad and Open Utah Layout

AFTER:
Built in 1980, shoyal’s new home happened to be the house her husband had grown up in — sadly, it had never been updated. With the help of a great cabinetmaker, they redesigned the distance to be more open and flow easily. A corner wall has been removed, and a French door has been inserted for more mild and outside access.

New kitchen size: 575 square feet
Budget: $40,000. The owners did the design.
Location: Orem, Utah

9. Major Massachusetts Remodel

AFTER:
Bonmio’s original kitchen has been unbelievably outdated, to say the very least. There were not any built-in closets in this area — only a dual 4-foot standing sink in a back pantry and a random freestanding hutch. Everything required to be redone, so she installed Ikea countertops that she sanded and stained. The appliances were where she ended up splurging, and she installed easy open plywood shelving for extra storage.

New kitchen size:21 by 7 feet
Budget: $18,000. An architect checked the owners’ layout. They hired a plasterer and a plumber but did everything else.
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

10. Tennessee Ranch Kitchen

AFTER:
Although she had been intent on renovating the flat attached to her stable, user prtiris understood she needed to work on a tight budget. Buying salvaged cabinetry and reusing and replacing virtually everything in the original space helped her save some serious cash. Some of the flat’s original cabinetry was used to rebuild and build the island. Leftover poplar planks from the ceiling were painted, waxed, stained and nailed on top of their older cabinetry.

New kitchen size:11 by 12 feet
Budget: This DIY kitchen cost $5,000.
Location: Wild Heart Ranch, Sewanee, Tennessee

11. Simple and Clean New York Space

AFTER:
user bpharber wanted a conventional look for her 1950s house, using a clean, contemporary feel. Since she’d lived in her home for eight years and understood its quirks indoors and outside, she decided against hiring a designer and instead worked with a buddy who made cabinetry. The smart cabinet designs gave her room and extra storage without any interior walls being transferred.

New kitchen size: 120 square feet
Budget: $25,000. She did the layout herself gave the drawings to a buddy who owns a custom cabinetry firm.
Location: Buffalo, New York

12. Cozy South Carolina Kitchen

AFTER:
After their refrigerator leaked and destroyed their heart-pine floors, Christie Thomas understood it was time for a remodel. It’s about 90 percent completed right now — and precisely what she wanted. “I had no idea how difficult some of the decision making would be,” she states. “I have an appreciation for designers today and can surely see why folks hire them!”

New kitchen size:18 by 21 feet
Budget: $62,000. Thomas did the layout; her husband awakened the kitchen and did the painting. They worked with a cabinetmaker and a builder.
Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina

13. Midcentury California Bungalow

AFTER:
This 1945 California bungalow’s kitchen was originally closed off from the rest of the home, with small counter space and virtually no storage. Ten years after moving in, user dragonfly95354 was able to remodel it. Opening up the wall into the living space, replacing counter area and updating cabinetry created to get an outstanding transformation. ” this room makes me happy every time I walk into it,” she states.

New kitchen size:10 by 17 feet
Budget: $40,000. A builder did the remodel.
Location: Modesto, California

14. 1907 San Francisco Kitchen

AFTER:
Initially, this 1907 kitchen had an exposed water heater and plumbing, so sharonsf needed a tankless water heater set out to eliminate unsightliness and add square footage. The kitchen’s original stove was kept, and the rest of the kitchen has been completed around it.

New kitchen size:11 by 11 feet
Budget: $20,000 over several years with the Support of a builder
Location: San Francisco

15. Beautiful British Columbia Kitchen

AFTER:
This midcentury kitchen had good character but just wasn’t practical for h2bourne’s lifestyle. The initial cabinets were so reduced that microwaves and other appliances could not be set on the counter tops. New upper chimney, quartz countertops and a new wall shade made a major difference. The oak laminate floors were ripped up to expose the original hardwood floors beneath.

New kitchen size:11 by 12 1/2 feet
Budget: Canadian $15,000. Their update was designed by the owners .
Location: Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

16. Cabinet Facelift in Virginia

AFTER:
This consumer’s original “stick built” custom chimney match the previous style of her 1960s ranch, but she was searching for something somewhat different. To save money, immaggiemae salvaged cabinets once possible by repainting them and incorporating new hardware, setting the money she saved into new appliances and light. She scored a free stove in the kind neighbor.

New kitchen size:13 by 10 feet
Budget: $20,000, working with a builder
Location: Lynchburg, Virginia

17. Modern Layout in the U.K.

AFTER:
Initially, tanyae23’s 1935 cottage kitchen was pine, using a washer/dryer, a display cabinet and an awkward half fridge taking up precious space. This section has been knocked down to put more cabinets, a full fridge and a breakfast bar — all while switching up the style to a compact and contemporary look.

New kitchen size: 3.75 by 3.3 meters
Budget: 10,000 British pounds. She did her own design.
Location: Fleet, Hampshire, U.K.

18. Antique Ohio Remodel

AFTER:
Although the bones of her 1920 home were great, user julia1362 needed a kitchen upgrade. But she wanted it to seem and feel like it had always been there. The cabinetry has been custom made to match the house’s authentic pantry doors, the poplar countertop was refinished and the pantry cabinets were painted a charcoal gray. New green glass tiles also wallpapered accents finish the look. “We mixed the old with the new and are thrilled with the results,” she states.

New kitchen size: 9 1/2 x 14 1/2 feet
Budget: $50,000. She designed the remodel with the help of a friend who’s an interior designer.
Location: Shaker Heights, Ohio

19. Open and Bright in Manitoba

AFTER:
Leslie Kreger purchased this 1968 two-story house in summer 2011 and immediately knew she would have to upgrade the 1990s oak and black granite kitchen. In eight months she reworked the room into a bright and spacious contemporary kitchen.

New kitchen size:12 by 17 feet
Budget: Under $40,000. Kreger designed her own upgrade.
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

20. Vintage and Clean Cape Cod in Georgia

AFTER:
This Cape Cod was stuck using its 1980s kitchen, also lizwparks wished to take it in the 21st century. Everything was updated, including new granite countertops and a layout that more than doubled the original storage and counter space. The island has been even outfitted with a concealed docking station for digital gadgets.

New kitchen size:16 by 18 feet
Budget: $40,000. She worked with two painters, Angel Murr of JMT Builders and Terry Crockford of Rosewood Custom Homes.
Location: Milton, Georgia

21. Broad California Remodel

AFTER:
“We purchased this home with all the vision of what could be,” states user Pam Garcia. Her old kitchen was small and dark, but she and her husband removed the wall so the new area had a very clear view to the backyard. Reconfiguring the layout allowed them to snag a few unused space from one of their garages to make a walk-in pantry with a wine room in the end.

New kitchen size: 13 by 20 ft)
Budget: The kitchen has been a part of a home made remodel. The owners listened to their own contractor and got assistance from friends in the business.
Location: Novato, California

22. Gorgeous DIY Chicago Kitchen

AFTER:
Paulinas bought her first home with her fiancé this past year and renovated it with her dad — saving a great deal of money. The kitchen layout is her own and makes use of every inch of room. The cabinetry was created by her dad, a self-taught woodworker. The couple also got convenient and made the chandelier to the dining room themselves.

New kitchen size: 13 by 9 1/2 feet
Budget: A little over $5,000. Paulinas designed her kitchen with her dad and fiancé
Location: Suburb northwest of Chicago

23. Pretty and Practical Upgrade in Illinois

AFTER:
Stlouisgaltoo moved into this 1930s farmhouse a decade ago and could not stand the kitchen’s outdated style. Stuck with a tight budget, she aimed for functionality and installed inventory walnut cabinets, white appliances, laminate counters and wood-style sheet vinyl for simple cleanup.

New kitchen size:12 by 15 feet
Budget: $12,500. She worked with a Home Depot designer and had everything professionally installed except for the cabinets, which her husband worked.
Location: Lincoln, Illinois

24. Frumpy to Contemporary in Washington

AFTER:
Although user synergylw was able to make do with a mini makeover of her kitchen a couple of years ago, she understood a full remodel wasn’t much in the future. While she loved the layout, the substances needed an upgrade, so she gutted the entire space, keeping up the layout but replacing the chimney, counters, appliances, backsplash and floors. “From frumpy to state to contemporary contemporary,” she states. “We love it.”

New kitchen size:19 by 14 feet
Budget: $35,000, working with a builder to upgrade the distance using the existing layout.
Location: Ferndale, Washington

Your turn: Did you just complete a kitchen remodel? Please discuss your before and after photos below!

Inspired? See how to remodel your kitchen

See related

Hanging Lanterns Twist Porches in the Right Light

In any area, inside or out, lighting is a subtle but crucial way to set the mood and style. Hanging lanterns are a wonderful option for areas that can feel both timeless and modern. As a chandelier welcomes you to a home, a hanging lantern welcomes you to a porch or an outdoor room, and sets the tone to laid-back festivities.

See if one of these strategies for integrating figurines will operate for your porch.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

In regards to outdoor fixtures, the lighter and airier the style is, the bigger it will seem. If you like a more minimalist lantern such as this one, be aware that it will actually appear visually larger than a thicker one.

Dayna Katlin Interiors

Exactly like indoor dining areas, the light fixtures can enhance outdoor dining areas. Traditionally, 30 to 36 inches should hang above the table, which is a great distance for outdoor arenas.

Abbott Moon

Hanging lanterns such as these are generally not proportioned to permit for just one to make a statement on your table. A set, or even three, creates visual interest and sufficient light to see your plate.

ASID, Christopher A Rose AIA

If you aren’t sure what size of lantern is ideal for your porch, use the identical rule of thumb as for picking an indoor chandelier: Insert the length and width of this space. The number of feet at the sum is about the number of inches that your fixture should be. For example, a 12-by-15 porch will hold a 27-inch lantern.

Symmetry Architects

On a porch with a beautiful focal point, such as this mantel, the elevation of the fixtures is very important. Fixtures that hang too low can block the view of the porch’s most important feature.

Tim Barber Ltd Architecture

If you’re between two lantern sizes and just can’t make up your mind, we say it is always much better to go larger. Too-small light fixtures are one of the fastest ways to draw negative attention to a room and make it look ill proportioned.

Whitten Architects

For bigger porches, consider using more than one hanging lantern. At a room where multiple seats areas come together, using another lantern for every spot helps to define the groupings while adding warm ambience for night parties.

Tim Barber Ltd Architecture

For a porch with a view, take care to not impede the sight point by hanging your lanterns too low. In general, make sure you leave at least seven feet in the porch floor to the bottom of the lantern. This way, even the guests can enjoy the view.

See related