Happy August lovelies!!! Today I’m back with my sweet friends Pam of Simple Details, Jennifer of Dimples & Tangles and Kris of Driven By Decor for My Five Favorites!
Our guest host this month is definitely one of my favorites, none other than the insanely clever, crafty DIYer Shelley of Crazy Wonderful! You guys, seriously, if you’re new to Shelley go check out her beautiful home, and while you’re there keep in mind that many of the things you’re seeing, Shelley built, created, hacked or designed! (I’ll wait for you!)
That gorgeous mirror? Yep, Shelley made it! Oh but then there’s this one, what??? Shelley has so many amazing DIYs and projects, and we’re all so happy she’s here to join us to talk about our favorite before and afters!!
As of yesterday, we’ve lived in our current abode for 7 years. We came from a big young house that didn’t need any work, and believe it or not I WANTED a project house and somehow talked Mark into it, so our life here has been one big work in progress with many, many before and afters along the way!! I’ll be sharing whole room transformations over the month of August but here are a few of the projects along the way. Affiliate links are included in this tutorial for your convenience. Read more about affiliate links here.
FOYER STAIRS
Our stairs were super orangey and covered with vile carpeting that I couldn’t wait to pull off. Even after stripping and sanding the treads, they were in such bad shape from pet stains (I know, so gross) that I ended up staining them really dark. It was a great alternative to replacing all the treads!
before
after
You can find the herringbone seagrass runner I used for a DIY installation here. Read more about this staircase makeover in these posts:
How to install a seagrass stair runner • How our runner has held up
Tips, tricks and resources for installing a stair runner • Installing board and batten
MAKEOVER OF THRIFT STORE CANE BACK CHAIRS
The funny thing about these chairs is that we used to have a formal dining room set in our previous homes, and when we moved here I sold it. And then I went to a thrift store and bought formal dining room chairs. Except these ones had a gross finish and holes in the caning. But I knew they had potential!
before
after
See the original post about these chairs and read about my attempt to recane one of them here.
Check out some more of my favorite thrift store scores here!
DINING ROOM TABLE DOUBLE MAKEOVER
I looked at new tables as well as at thrift stores forever before finally finding this gem on Craigslist. The top is solid oak and has two leaves that allow us to fit 14 people comfortably…..
before
,,,,,and it also came with this gorgeous 60s-70s speckled finish 🙂
I stripped it and then stained the top walnut and the base black…..
after
….and then a few years later I stripped it AGAIN and gave the oak an aged, limed finish and a white base.
We liked the dark stain, but the lighter look is perfect for our house!
The walnut and black table makeover can be found here, and you can see more of the newly limed table here. Read the tutorial on how to give a piece of furniture a limed oak finish.
FIREPLACE REMODEL
When we moved to this house I LOVED that our fireplace had built in shelves and cabinets on either side of it (beautifully done, by the way). I did not love the peach paint over the brick, the orange oak, or the mantle that was super high.
before
I painted everything in sight white, but in no time the hearth looked terrible so I painted that black, and we lived with this for several years.
Eventually I got around to making this over….
after
In addition to the marble surround and hearth, I added moulding and rebuilt the mantle and cabinet shelves (which I desperately need to style because this hodgepodge below makes me CRAZY, but at least it’s better than where we started!)
One last look at the before and after….
The fireplace reconstruction • How to tile a hearth • How to tile a surround • How to seal marble
THE BACKYARD
Last but not least, we have really been enjoying this before and after these last couple of years! Check out the view from the right corner of our deck when we first bought this house. The backyard really wasn’t a yard at all; trees covered one half of it,
before
and on the other half was this fenced-in area, great for the former owner’s dogs, but not so great for throwing the football or hosting a barbecue.
We love trees but ones that are so close to the house that they cause the deck and roof to rot, not so much!
after
Eventually grass and my little seagrass garden grew in along a stepping stone path to the deck.
Last year I added a pea stone patio and fire pit, and here is the view from the corner of our deck today. The edge of the grass along the top of this photo is where the fence once ran.
It’s all still a work in progress but this before and after is one that will be evolving for many years to come, a little at a time!
What’s your own favorite before and after that you’ve done? It’s so much fun, and so gratifying, to take pictures and then compare your before and afters – I highly recommend it even if you’re not a blogger!
Those are just a few of my favorites – check out the GALLERY for more furniture makeovers, home improvements and DIYs! And don’t miss Pam, Jennifer, Kris and Shelley’s fave B&As are too, they always have something inspiring to see!
Special thanks to Shelley for joining us today!
Have a wonderful day sweet friends!
Catch up on the My Five Favorite series here!
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Calypso in the Country says
Wow, Lisa! I love all your projects! That fireplace makeover really was an amazing transformation – actually they all were! I still have to show my son your firepit. He keeps wanting to have one so we can make smores every single day! Enjoy the rest of your week!
Shelley
Lisa says
Aww you always leave the kindest comments Shelley! Thank you! You would enjoy a fire pit so much with your boys!! The kits that you can buy at Home Depot or Lowes don’t take much time to put together and your boys could help you with it! 🙂
Shelley | Crazy Wonderful says
You are a before and after master, Lisa!! I’m always so inspired by you and your beautiful projects. Every time I see your stairs it makes me want to add a runner. And that fireplace of yours is one of my all time favorites! Thank you so very much for having me guest post alongside you talented ladies!!
Lisa says
Awwww thank you kind friend! I’m so so so fired up that you were our host this month, I adore you and it was so fun to collab!!!
Lauren@SimplyLKJ says
Holy Cow! Shelley has some seriously mad DIY skills. The before and afters are stunning. Can’t wait to hop over and explore more. Thanks for sharing Lisa!!
Lauren@SimplyLKJ says
Ok, seriously my bad. I didn’t realize until after I visited Shelley that the above pics were your gorgeous home Lisa. I should have known because I adore your staircase and have thought about duplicating it in our home. Especially after I got the quote to redo ours!! My apologies.
Lisa says
Oh my gosh, you are the sweetest!! No worries, I appreciate each and everyone one of your visits here Lauren! And isn’t Shelley’s work amazing? I love her DIYs that don’t look like DIYs!
Jennifer Griffin says
You are such a big DIY project wonder woman! Your work is just phenomenal, Lisa. I’m thinking of doing a similar liming project to one of my tables- about to go devour your tutorial!
Lisa says
Thanks so much my friend! I just limed yet another piece…..love that vintage patina it gives to wood!
Jessica says
Lisa I don’t even know where to start! Every one of these is just stunning. I wouldn’t be able to choose a favorite. I think your backyard is so inviting and I love the grasses. Your dining table with the new treatment looks straight out of Restoration Hardware! You are the queen of DIY!
Lisa says
I’m blushing at that RH comment! 🙂 I’m slightly obsessed with seagrass, I love how they blow and sway in the wind, there’s something really mesmerizing about them. And they are inexpensive and low maintenance!
Brenna@Domestic Charm says
All of the makeovers are soooo good! I didn’t realize how much work you did on your yard! It’s amazing!
Lisa says
Thank you Brenna – the yard is still a work in progress but it’s fun to see it evolve one year to the next!
Boganboy says
Many thanks for your article about fixing crooked lampshades. My house was built in 1952, and the light fittings were inserted t;hen. Of course, the lampholder skirt, as they call it here in Oz, won’t keep the simple shades firmly fastened, and naturally it’s also too long to allow the bulb to fit the socket. However, when I saw your nice simple proposal to just insert a washer, I finally realised that I could just saw the the bottom fringe off the skirt and put it in above the shade as a substitute washer. This would also mean that the bulb would actually fit firmly in the socket.
I bow down in respect and admiration before your genius.
PS. I’ve left out all the words I’ve said about this. I’m sure your husband will give them to you if you ask.
Lisa says
I’m glad you think the lampshade trick will work for you!
Lisa says
Sherri thank you so much for your kind words! I totally agree on paint, and it’s one of the cheapest ways to dramatically change a space. Good luck with your table project – definitely try the liming wax, it’s such a great way to add a bit of patina!
Schilly Construction Inc says
These are all wonderful transformations/projects. I fell in love with the new fireplace. Thanks for sharing.
Lisa says
Oh thank you so much! The fireplace tile is still one of my favorite changes we’ve made to our house!