I love sharing “before” and “after” room makeovers and I sure have a LOT of them with all of the renovations we’ve done on our home. Today I’ve narrowed them down to the five “before” and “after” home projects that are my favorites! (post includes affiliate links – full disclosure statement available {here}):
The Power of Paint (and Plates!)
When we first moved into our house, it had a light blue, yellow, red, and green color scheme going on that was sooo not me. Our dining room and living room were two of the first rooms I painted because I knew before even moving in that I wanted to reuse the same color we had at our old house (a tweaked version of Sherwin Williams Keystone Gray).
Our dining room was a total bear to prep because the top half of the walls were a textured faux finish and it had a wimpy chair rail that I wanted to get rid of so I removed the chair rail, patched it, skim coated and sanded the entire room (worst job ever!) and finally finished up with paint. It ended up going from this:
to this:
Dining Room Sources: Wood bead chandelier | Table & chairs – no longer available | 13″ Rattan chargers (similar) | Green & white plaid napkins | Table runner (similar) | Wood vases – no longer available | Faux pink tulips | Faux white tulips | White wall plates | Patterned wall plates | Drapes – no longer available
We reused all of our dining room furniture from our old house so didn’t have to buy a single new piece. Our drapes were transplants too! The only new things we bought were the chandelier and the plates that I hung on the wall as art.
Statement-Making Art Walls
I’ve always loved a good gallery wall but before moving into our current home, had never attempted one. The idea of creating a gallery wall totally intimidated me! But some friends invited me to be part of a group design challenge and before I knew it, I had committed to creating a gallery wall in our home office. I won’t lie, there were some moments of serious “this-is-going-to-be-an-epic-fail” panic in the week before the big reveal but somehow it all came together in the end. This is what that wall in our home office looked like when we moved in:
and this is what it looked like after:
Obviously a few other things changed along with adding the gallery wall – the biggies were painting the walls (Benjamin Moore Nightfall) and adding a new credenza that I scored on Craigslist. I kept our gallery wall the exact same, only changing up what sits on the console, for the rest of the time we live din our home. That’s speaks volumes for a girl like me who is typically always changing and rearranging! You can check out {this post} on our home office for more pics!
A year after creating our home office gallery wall, I decided to add a second art wall to our home – this time in our family room. I went with a more tailored, grid arrangement which transformed this big blank wall:
into a statement-making feature wall:
Sources: TV console (similar) | Chandelier (satin bronze) | White tasseled pillow cover | Blue linen pillow cover | Green & blue block print pillow cover | Faux fiddle leaf fig tree | Rug | Pair of floor poufs | Art prints (details in {this post} | Acrylic coffee table (similar) | Coffee table tray (28″ square) | Black and white striped box (on coffee table) | Brass cricket (on coffee table) | Wood beads | Basket planter | Rattan chair
I was pretty psyched with how it turned out considering I ordered everything at the last minute as part of my One Room Challenge makeover of this space and if it hadn’t worked out there was no backup plan in place. Most of you guys who come over to to the blog regularly have seen this space several times before but if you’re new here, you can check out the entire before and after transformation of our family room {here}, including a complete source list.
Our Drab Closet Turned Fab
Number three on my list wins the award for best functional improvement of my makeovers. Our master bedroom closet used to drive me CRAZY! It was a decent sized closet but with the center divider and the two sets of bifold doors, about ⅓ of it was pretty much inaccessible. Plus, when we opened the door to our bedroom, if the closet door was open it slammed right into it.
As part of the One Room Challenge makeover of our master bedroom, I had my contractor remove the center divider and bifold doors and I added IKEA drapes on a brass rod (a sprayed plumbing pipe!) to create a new glam closet that was 100% accessible:
I’ve had several people ask me how I like having curtains instead of doors and after living with it for several years I have to say that I truly loved it. To be honest, 95% of the time the drapes just stay open and it’s super easy to grab things with no doors clanging into each other. And if we’re having guests over, it’s quick and simple to draw the curtains closed (and it looks nice that way too!). If you didn’t catch it when I made over this room, you can see my full One Room Challenge bedroom makeover {here} and see my more detailed post about my closet makeover (including links to each piece used) {here}.
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Kicking Dated Tile to the Curb
Our house had a lot of dated tile when we moved in, including this yellow tile backsplash in our kitchen that had farm animals and flowers. And while the cow was pretty cute 🙂 I wasn’t feeling the country vibe. Add that to the fact that there were no outlets here (and we wanted to put our coffee machine in this spot) and it was time to say goodbye to the tile backsplash and countertops:
We didn’t want to spend a lot of money so just drywalled the backsplash – there’s no sink or reason for there to be water issues in this spot. And for inexpensive countertops, we used IKEA butcher block that my contractor cut to size and that I then sealed with Waterlox. We ended up turning this little corner of the kitchen into a cute little coffee station:
Coffee bar sources: Coffee chalkboard print | Glass lidded jar | Heart shaped coffee scoop
Of course a few years later we did a full kitchen remodel and I couldn’t love our new kitchen more! Check out our remodeled kitchen {here} if you missed it!
Another tile demo job was in our living room. I actually had a hard time deciding whether or not to tear this tile out because I kind of liked it but it just didn’t work well with everything else that I had in the room (and it was an inexpensive reproduction, not real delft tile). Once our fireplace makeover project was over (we also redid the mantel), I had no regrets because our fireplace went from this:
to this:
I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out and and how the new tile is so much more of a cohesive fit with the rest of our living room decor. If you want to read more about our fireplace makeover see {this post} and if you want a full tour of our living room check out my post on this space and the new paint color (Anew Gray) {here}.
Blue & White Teen Bedroom
I’m wrapping things up with a makeover that wasn’t my favorite because of the way it turned out (although I do totally love it!) but because of how fun the makeover reveal was. Several years back I completely redid my oldest daughter’s room and while she definitely had a say in some of the things I chose for the room, she was willing to let me make a lot of the decisions on my own and surprise her with a big reveal. So I kicked her out of her room for a few weeks and kept all of the progress behind closed doors. The last time she saw her room it looked like this:
and when she returned to it, it looked like this:
Scroll & click/tap images below to shop my daughter’s room:
Her reaction was priceless and it made the whole makeover process so much fun! Other than the obvious redecorating there were several projects that I knocked out as part of the makeover, my favorite of which is the transformation of her flat closet doors:
into paneled doors with inset cork boards. It’s the perfect spot for her to pin and repin things without having to take up wall space with a bulletin board:
You can get the details of this makeover in my post on closet door ideas.
So there you have it… those are my all-time favorite “before” and “after” makeovers. I’d love to know which one you like the best!
Update!: Since the time of this post, we did a master bathroom addition that turned out better than I had ever dreamed! Check out our master bathroom {here} for pics and sources!
Lisa says
I still can’t get over your daughter’s closet doors!!! How funny are those knobs in the before? I love that you added the cork, so clever. And your fireplace still kills me, so beautiful Kris!
Kris Jarrett says
My house was full of fun little details like cabinet knobs for doors – ha!
Calypso in the Country says
Kris, you definitely have done some amazing before and afters! I don’t think I can choose a favorite but I’ve always been obsessed with your beautiful dining room!
Shelley
Kris Jarrett says
Shelley, you’re too sweet – thank you!!
Shelley | Crazy Wonderful says
You have such talent, Kris! Every time I see one of your room transformations I’m always completely blown away and scrolling back and forth going, “there is no way that’s the same room,” 😀 I also can’t imagine you being worried about a gallery wall not turning out, they are perfectly executed when in your hands! Thank you so much for having me guest post alongside you ladies!
Kris Jarrett says
Well right back at ya! Loved seeing all of the changes you’ve made to your home and feel like I could move right in (your style is so similar to mine)! Loved having you do this with us!
Lauren@SimplyLKJ says
I just adore your style Kris. It would be very hard to pick a favorite as all are just amazing, but I have always loved your dining room. You have created a beautiful home.
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you so so much Lauren!
Jennifer Griffin says
Kris, your vision to makeover outdated spaces is remarkable! All of these before and afters are such stars, you’ve put so much love into your home!
Kris Jarrett says
Thanks Jennifer! We sure have enough spaces that need TLC around here! 🙂
Sherri Smith says
I absolutely loved your kitchen counter remake. I love the butcher block look and will definitely be remembering that for my next kitchen remodel. I will say that you have a knack for remodeling. So glad I found your Blog, Kris!
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you so much Sherri! I used butcher block as countertop in my laundry room and love it there too!
Susan says
Kris, you are my favorite blogger! And I wish your home was a B&B. I could see myself lounging in every room while sipping coffee from your elegant station. Each room has a warmth and a surprise. Thank you for reminding us of the start and finish of each room. How do you do it all?
Susan
Kris Jarrett says
Awww…. this comment seriously made my day – you’re the sweetest! I feel like I’m going at the pace of a turtle so it’s fun to look back and remember how far our house has come! 🙂
Jolene says
Wow! You truly have style! I love your makeovers. As I was reading and viewing your photos, I was thinking, “this is my favorite”, and then I would go on to the next, and change my mind, “no, this is my favorite.” By the time I finished reading your post, I just gave up. Your transformations are beautiful! Your rooms are certainly “magazine ready”, but yet they look so comfortable–real places where one really wants to have a seat. Thanks so much for sharing!
Kris Jarrett says
Wow, you are so kind! I appreciate your sweet words so so much!
Garden, Home and Party says
Kris,
I’ve enjoyed and been inspired by every re-do you’ve shared. One of my favorites is your guest bathroom. The stenciled walls are outstanding! But, I love the ones you’ve shown in this post as well. I love your style.
xo,
Karen
Kris Jarrett says
I kinda forgot about that one when I was writing this post! That’s a fave of mine too! 🙂
Jessica says
Loved every single one of these! They are amazing.
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you so much Jessica!
Monique Lawson says
Wonderful! The statement-making art wall is my new obsession! I love the transformation of the closet! Love the idea of having curtains!
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you Monique!
Rachel says
So impressed!! I need your eye when it comes to decorating my house. Love the before and afters!!
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you so much Rachel!
Olivia Marsh says
The closet doors in your daughter’s room were a terrific idea. The prints above the bed were uplifting. A great room!
Kris Jarrett says
Thanks so much Olivia!
Izabela says
Awesome makeovers! I love the drawings around the TV set. The dining area also looks great – I like the neutral colors you have used there.
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you!
Catherine says
Your dinining room is my favorite. I would love to know the paint colors you used in all of the rooms.
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you so much Catherine! I have a whole post on my paint colors here: https://www.drivenbydecor.com/my-homes-paint-colors/
Joan Lockhart says
I love what you have done
I have a very small budget, but you have given me some great ideas
Thankyou
Carla Wilson says
Kris, I like all of your makeovers but the office gallery wall and decor is my favorite, it’s absolutely fabulous. The living room gallery wall along with decor is tied for 2nd place with the new coffee station I love it. You can be really proud of your decisions! I’m just wondering what you did with the “before” mirror that was on the fireplace mantel? It was so unique and absolutely gorgeous.
Jean Jacobs says
I would like ideas to do our lounge using a blue carpet and blue/grey curtains and a large varnished wall unit.
Teresa says
I loved everything. I have same problem with my closet. I only have one door. Contractor I would need. I would put curtains really high, as they do with window curtains, I think?
Kim says
Love your style and tasteful touches! Your daughter’s room turned out beautifully but not too overdone. I love that comforter/duvet. Where did you get it? So inspired right now!!!