Wouldn’t you love to freshen up your home?
That kitchen island you ambitiously installed is never used anymore.
Or every time you walk past that imposing brick fireplace, it is always sothere.
Jacek Kadaj / Getty Images
Often, the besthome remodelingideas areeasy to do and inexpensive.
Paint, new fixtures, and thoughtful re-organization figure heavily into many of these ideas.
A few dollars for a self-installed thermostat saves hundreds in the long run.
Ramshackle Glam
Brick and cabinets can be painted.
Before: Half-Sized Closet
Most of us want to have a largerbedroom closet.
One problem is that apparently, closets are boxed in on all three sides with walls.
Ramshackle Glam
Walls cannot be moved.
By taking down that middle wall, she instantly doubled her closet space.
On top of it all, the dark kitchen cabinets andpendant lightsmade this outdated kitchen feel gloomy.
Murray Lampert
San Diego builder and designerMurray Lampertwas tasked with turning this kitchen around and making it a showpiece.
An added countertop overhang allows guests to sit closer to the bar.
The cook’s needs, too, are addressed with a sink installed in thekitchen island.
Murray Lampert
Datedpendant lightshave been stripped away in favor of unobtrusive recessed lights.
And clean lines are preserved with thecounter-depthside-by-siderefrigerator.
Before: Energy-Wasting Thermostat
Old-school dial thermostats such as the classicHoneywellRound do have a certain vintage appeal.
Influx Productions/Getty Images
They’re also simple to use and to understand.
But looks count for nothing when it comes to saving money.
Manual thermostats are notorious energy- and money-wasters because they rely on you to physically adjust the temperature.
Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
The lurid red felt imposing and the ceiling seemed too low.
Everything was disorganized and in need of a serious update.
Nothing about the living room felt special or unique.
Driven By Decor
It was just blah, but a lurid blah that had to go.
This expanded storage wraps around the fridge and produces a clean, integrated look.
Slide-out pantry shelves aid in reaching food items sincerefrigeratorpantries tend to be very deep.
Eating Bird Food
Wall cabinets definitely have great utility.
Items are right there, within arm’s reach.
And wall cabinets' doors hide items that are less than attractive.
Eating Bird Food
Yetwall cabinetscan loom over your work area, casting a shadow and generally creating a ponderous look.
After: Open Shelving
Open shelving replaces the former wall cabinets in this kitchen.
Open shelves wipe the kitchen of that dark, heavy look and make everything feel lighter and brighter.
The DIY Playbook
The owner cautions that it’s a move to be made with great thought, though.
Be sure that you already have storage in place for items that will lose their home.
Whatever ends up on the open shelves will be in full display to anyone who walks by.
The DIY Playbook
Kitchen Open ShelvingFromThe DIY Playbook
Before: Dated Brickwork
Should you paint brick or not?
What makes this such a lively debate is that once you paint brick, it is largely irreversible.
Removing paint from brick and restoring it to its original condition is nearly impossible.
House of Hepworths
But what about when you have brick so dated and unattractive that you might’t even stand looking at it?
For this homeowner, that was the case.
Plus, the sheer size of the fireplace only made things worse.
House of Hepworths
After: Fresh Brick Paint Job
Painting brick does not have to be difficult.
The result is afresh-looking fireplacethat is easy on the eyes.
By choosing a light color, she was able to diminish the massive look of the fireplace.
Bigger Than the Three of Us
In this bathroom, the yellow wall was garish and dirty, and the cabinets were chipped.
Due to the size of the bathroom, this nook could never be enlarged.
Still, it needed some decorative help.
Bigger Than the Three of Us
Patios are central gathering points.
Above all, pruning back overgrown foliage is the lowest cost method of sprucing up your patio.
Just one item from before remains: thebar cart.
Pretty Prudent
Thevintage tileonly further dragged down this look of this bathroom.
Then she installed a drop-in bathtub.
To cater to today’s needs, she also added a frameless glass shower.
Pretty Prudent
Frameless glass enclosures make bathrooms feel larger and less imposing.
Maybe it was a little too classic and ordinary.
This owner loved them for many years until she felt it was time for a change.
Sugar and Cloth
Given the highcost of kitchen cabinets, removal and replacement were out of the question.
But there is one solution that is very inexpensive.
Avoid using the jot down of standard interior acrylic-latex paint that you might use on walls.
Sugar and Cloth
Instead, pick acabinet paintthat gives you long-lasting durability.
Check with a contractor or your local building department if doing a large remodel project.
Remodeling the kitchens and bathrooms brings in the highest resale value when selling your home.
Homebody in Motion
Homebody in Motion
Place of My Taste
Place of My Taste
