Before and After: Whole House

I know how much all of you like Before and After's. A room is a blank easel (even if it has stuff in it) and it always interests me to see the different ways and styles people prefer to outfit the rooms of their homes with.

Fortunately, today we get a glimpse of an entire home makeover. Think the TV show, but with a much smaller budget, less sponsorships, and probably less yelling.

This set of images comes courtesy of Design*Sponge, yet again, and Rey of Rey3 Design Collaborative designed and renovated it. If you're ever in Palm Springs, you can even rent this little beauty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before and After: Bedroom Makeover

I don't recall us doing a Before&After bedroom on SD yet. Mostly kitchens and bathrooms. But today's bedroom is in dire need of it! It appears to be a woodpaneled basement bedroom. We're talking wood paneled walls, ceiling, and almost the floor as well (it's a similar beige tone, not flattering).




This home belongs to Melissa, and she's done what most are doing: embracing in the white, and sometimes also the mustard yellow.



The wood paneling stays! And it should. Simply painting it white gets rid of  an unflattering color but keeps the texture of the wall that the paneling provides. This texture isn't easily seen in the wood initially, but painting it white adds dimension and allows it to become more visible.



Adding some coordinated color makes a boring white room something more powerful.



The best part? This room was transformed for under $100. Check out the rundown at IS*LY for the supplies and how they managed it. Nice work!

Bathroom Inspiration from Hotels (but wash your own towels)

Sometimes all you need is a little inspiration. Today we've got just the thing: hotel bathrooms. If you're considering upgrading or renovating your bathroom, these beauties from various hotels might give you a little to think about. Granted, you'll have to wash your own towels and provide your own shampoo, but at least your bathroom looks good!

 


The Standard Hotel, New York, USA: Comes with maybe the best view a bathroom can get.



The Viceroy Hotel, Santa Monica, USA: Nice subway tiled walls and one of the funkiest vanities I've ever seen.



The Bellinter House Hotel, County Meath, Ireland: Maybe my favorite out of the bunch, the blue walls interacting with the brown wood floor and then the occasional pang of white from the fixtures...okay, I also have to mention the sparkling tile shower. Show stopper.



New Majestic Hotel, Singapore: We're seeing a trend with these freestanding tubs.



Hotel on Rivington, New York, USA: Mini tiles rule in this skyscraping lavatory. Notice also the clash of the sharp corners with the intentionally round mirrors.



Hotel Puerta America, Madrid, Spain: Now this is a crazy one. It looks like a futuristic posh bathroom.



Hotel St. Cecilia, Austin, TX: Hex tiles outnumber everything. More freestanding tubs. It's simple and lovely.



High Road House, London, UK: Who says it has to be separate? Minimize your displacement from bed to bath this way!



Hospes Hotel, Mallorca, Spain: Chrome accessories stand out from marble walls stand out from dark wood flooring. Sophisticated.



Hotel Sigtuna, Sweden: I'm loving the vanity in this one, but I also like the novelty of the heightened toilet tank.

5 Gray Bathrooms for Post Long-Weekend Woes

Three day weekends are a thing of great joy and wonderment. The Tuesday after a beloved three days off is the cause of great misery and remorse. And for that, we've got the color gray! I bet you feel better already!



But Color Expert defines gray besides the cloudy gray gloom and doom we might be used to:

"Gray is timeless, practical, and solid. A longstanding favorite suit color, gray can mix well with any color."



But Color Expert then unloads the common conception:

"Although well like and often worn, people rarely name gray as a favorite color possibly because Gray also is associated with loss or depression."

So where's this all going? Well, when it comes to your home, in pretty much every case, gray will be the timeless, practical, and solid color you're looking for. It's one of those neutral colors that are the easiest to match up with. And to show us how to pull it off, we've got 5 gray bathrooms that make a gray statement, but aren't associated with loss or depression!

Some of these kind of kick the old gloomy gray stereotype out the window by involving a lot of white and a lot of light, like the one above, which uses gray walls to define the blinding white of the rest of the room.

Bathroom Redo: From Wood Paneling to White Palette

Remember wood paneling? I kind of have a soft spot in my heart for the retro, natural (looking) vibe that wood paneling offers. I also have a slight affinity for dive bars, so it makes sense that I'd appreciate the stuff.

But I do know the dive bar is probably where paneling should stay these days. Nobody wants it in their house anymore. Which is why Christie sent her bathroom Before and After into Design*Sponge. I'm picking on the paneling a little bit, because she also redid the window and shower curtains, the vanity, including an awesome faucet, as well as the overall decor of the room. And boy does it do wonders for the space...

This isn't just your simple "throw in a new vanity and change the shower curtain" sort of renovate. Christie transforms the space with artistry, from the fish tile to painting decorative fern leaves on the entrance door:

At the same time, redoing your bathroom in such a way shouldn't be intimidating in the least. Christie plays it safe and sound with neutral greys and blues, and of course weighs heavily on classic white. For me though, the clincher is in the details. The leaves on the door, the small simple vanity...it's all about planning it out ahead of time rather than just throwing it together, and Christie succeeds!