The Best Home Makeover Success Stories of 2019

Whether your pet peeve with your present digs is a lack of light, wasted space, or a regrettable wall treatment, you can choose to live with (and lament) it, or you can creatively reimagine it to achieve your dream home. Resourceful DIYers around the country did just that in 2019, seizing the opportunity to transform their outdated or ordinary dwellings into residences that reflect their unique tastes. Click through for our picks of the most awe-inspiring before and afters of the year, and then roll up your sleeves and get started on your own.

White wall paint, a cheery pink on the door, and a thorough power-washing of the floor immediately pepped up the space. But it was the addition of a slinky sectional, a picnic table with pink chairs, a geometric trellis, summery ceiling fans, and string lights that clinched the reborn carport's status as party central.

Related: 20 of the Best Pieces of Advice from Home Makeover Shows

While red and gold can be a regal combination, the wallpaper in this half bathroom from Home Made by Carmona had faded to a vaguely mud-and-mustard palette, which wasn't particularly brightened by the dreary cream-colored vanity.

Instead of completely hiding the older elements, the duo opted for a balanced modern farmhouse design by exposing and refinishing the original wooden floors, painting the walls white, and giving the cabinets and countertops a face-lift. A textured tile backsplash, a star-shaped ceiling light, and floating shelves lined with potted plants, wicker baskets, and dinnerware add dimension that makes the space pop.

Related: 10 Total Kitchen Makeovers—and What They Cost

Following a fire on the rooftop, Todd and Dianna’s 1910 co-op emerged mostly unscathed, but there was just enough incidental damage to walls and floors to inspire them to finally tackle the renovations they had wanted to do since they had moved in three years earlier. Their targets for improvement included the worn floating staircase, the outdated appliances and tired cabinets in the kitchen, and a bathroom with insufficient storage and a pitted tub.

Slim new appliances and clean-lined cabinets create a wider walkway and ease the passage to the dining room. By moving the refrigerator further into the kitchen, the couple were able to extend an oak countertop into the dining room, connecting the two spaces and achieving an open-concept look. White paint, a subtle gray tile backsplash, and a white Corian countertop better reflect light, making the kitchen look more luminous and airy.

With nothing to cut the visual monotony of the pockmarked merlot-colored walls, this high-ceiling bathroom, which belongs to the blogger behind In Honor of Design, lacked proportion and light.

The reimagined fireplace now sports a more cohesive look. The white-painted wooden lattice surround makes the room look brighter and larger, and marble subway tile on the hearth and in the surround adds texture and complements the gray walls. 

Mood-killing flax-colored walls and dated matching floor tiles cramped the style of this tiny laundry room of The Polished Habitat blogger, while a large top-loading washing machine and dryer left only enough room for a countertop, and not a sink as well. 

The cookie-cutter cream-colored exterior of this 1920s-era wood-framed house made it indistinguishable from any other on its block in Queens. Gary and his husband wanted something different.

With the goal of re-creating the home’s exterior as it appeared in a 1939 tax photo, the couple enlisted contractors to put in dramatic black shingles and shutters, sage green siding, black-framed windows, brown-red gables, and a radiant burgundy door to turn heads in the neighborhood. 

Although Jen Woodhouse’s parents’ laundry room had a working washing machine and dryer, it had a lot of wasted wall space and a complete lack of storage. 

Swapping out the two old machines for elegant gray high-efficiency units and then tucking them beneath luxe quartz countertops created a work surface for stashing or sorting clothes. Shaker-style cabinets above the countertop make use of the wasted wall space and provide storage for cleaning supplies, while a chrome shelving unit along the opposite wall holds folded linens.

Related: 10 Simply Genius Ideas for Laundry Room Storage

This functional but dreary side-by-side refrigerator from A Piece of Rainbow brought down the aesthetics of this kitchen and may even have suppressed a few appetites.

Starved for color, the DIYer sanded and primed the fridge, then covered it with a pastel teal latex paint in a satin sheen to invigorate the kitchen. Gold spray paint on the fridge handles and vent cover add a touch of glam, while a potted plant and a display of fruit turn the kitchen into a tropical-inspired retreat.

Related: All You Need to Know About Painting Appliances

Working in this characterless attic with sloped ceilings and wasted floor space forced the Four Generations One Roof blogger to hunker down at a stark desk in the single bright spot of the room. Adding to the general lack of charm, insufficient storage led to clutter on the floor.

By embracing the angles of the space, the DIYer was able to add a closet with French doors, instantly curing the floor clutter. A low-profile sectional defines the loft's play zone, which also features a chocolate brown console table and TV, a coffee table, and a side table. Lighting was added to brighten the cheerful space.

Related: Under the Eaves: 21 Arresting Attic Rooms

Want to step inside old, new, bold, beautiful, weird and wonderful homes around the world? Subscribe to the House Lovers newsletter today!