How to Update a Home Without Remodeling (My Before and Afters)
Easy and affordable ways to update your home that require no power tools
I just approached my 6 year anniversary of my blog. It’s hard to believe it’s been 6 years.
I’d say I would do a post on how to start blogging but I still have no idea what I am doing.
Technology and I are not friends.
But I love decorating and redecorating and then redecorating again.
I’m sure my husband has had about enough of me redecorating
I have spent 6 years updating our home. Some rooms (ok most of them) have been redecorated a few times.
It’s what I do.
And some rooms haven’t even been touched yet. Home definitely takes time. Since it’s been 6 years though I thought it would be a good time to make a giant blog posts of all of my before and afters.
I’m a sucker for before and afters. I love them.
The one thing you will notice is that all of my afters are purely cosmetic. No giant renovations were done. My whole house was updated on a budget with limited power tools.
(And one annoyed husband)
(This post contains affiliate links. You can see my full disclosure policy here)
Kitchen Before and After
Oh the kitchen. What can I say about my kitchen? Let’s start off by saying it’s a very nice kitchen and I am very fortunate to have this kitchen.
Is it my style? Not really
But I made it work.
I spent the most money in this kitchen than anywhere else in my house. But it’s the room I spend most of my time in and the one room in my home I clean 64,698 times a day.
Out of all of my rooms in my home, the kitchen was the closest I got to what I would consider an expensive renovation.
I did a few DIY projects right when we moved in to hold me over for the more expensive updates.
I painted the backsplash and made DIY pendants.
After a few years I slowly started chipping away at what I knew I could do in my kitchen that would update it without having to sell a child.
I replaced the pendants
I replaced the counters
I replaced the backslash (and removed the microwave).
Here’s the kitchen shortly after we moved in.
Kitchen Before
And here we are today..
Kitchen After
I still have some work to do with the microwave area but for now this is as good as my kitchen it going to get.
Pendants//Barstools//Backsplash
It’s amazing what new counters and a new backsplash can do to a space.
One day I should just write a whole blog post about this kitchen.
Replacing our counters turned out to be a nightmare
Let’s just say I learned more about kitchen countertops during that nightmare than I ever intended to
I originally had installed Quartzite Counters…had to replace them and went with Dolomite Counters.
So far my dolomite counters are holding up well for those that care.
I did a whole Kitchen Counter Comparison blog post too.
I love our backsplash. Funny enough, I had a sample of this backsplash leaning up against my old backsplash for TWO years before I finally had it installed.
This kitchen took forever to get where we are and I feel like there was much more I could have done.
I’ll save all of this for a blog post one day.
Let’s move on…
Family Room Before and After
It’s funny to think that dark brown walls are trending in 2025. If only I knew these walls would be trending again, maybe I would have left them brown.
Actually I didn’t mind the dark walls but this brown paint did have glitter flakes in it and that is about where I had to draw the line.
Family Room Before
Family Room After
Rug//Sofa (purchased our sectional at the outlets)//Sconces//Mirror/Fireplace Tile//Ikea Curtains//Coffee Table//Curtain Rod
The first thing I did was paint the walls Silver Drop by Behr. The majority of my house is this paint color.
“What colors are your walls” is one of the most popular questions I get asked.
But I do love this color and I haven’t even thought about repainting this room…which says alot because I love painting.
This family room went through a few looks over the years and I won’t bore you with the all of the changes I made.
But I will mention one of my favorite DIY projects I did and that was updating our fireplace surround with peel and stick tile.
Those peel and stick tiles have been rocking it on my fireplace for years now and I have not had one problem with them.
**Update**
The family room got another makeover and you can read more about it here. It was a quick and easy makeover…just how I like them.
Just some paint and DIY box molding over the mantel
Hallway Before and After
Here we are again with the brown glittery walls….
Hallway Before
Hallway After
Minka Vase//Sconce//Art//Console (Similar)//Ottoman
I also painted the hallway Behr Silver Drop and added board and batten to one wall to give my entryway some interest.
I added some DIY sconces to my gallery wall as well.
You can see more about my hallway in this post about how to decorate a long narrow hallway
As you will see, the hallway in that post looks completely different than it does now.
I’m constantly changing things…
Living Room Before and After
Speaking of constantly changing things…
My living room gets the award for most changed through the years.
Living Room Before
Living Room After
Rug//Ottoman//Navy sofa//slipcovered chairs//rattan lamp//pleated lamp shade//my favorite cutains
I kind of consider this room a bonus room. For a long time we never used this room.
And then one day I added a TV to this room and just like that, the kids flocked to this room.
We now use this room quite a bit. I hate saying it’s because we put a TV in this room but that’s exactly why.
Lots of movie nights take place in this room.
And I am not sad about it
You can see and read more of this room in this post.
The walls in this room are Light Blue by Farrow and Ball (color matched at Behr)
Dining Room Before and After
Another room that rarely gets used is our dining room but that didn’t stop me from decorating it…
Multiple times.
Dining Room Before
Dining Room After
Rug//Slipcover Chair//Orb Chandelier//Sconce//Dining Table (Similar)//My Favorite Curtains//Curtain Rod//Tablecloth
I never loved this room and I cannot put my finger on why but lately is slowly growing on me.
This room is also painted Light Blue by Farrow and Ball.
I added box molding in this room to jazz it up a bit and added some more fake sconces.
I sprinkle fake sconces all over my house.
Home Office Before and After
The room I should use more is my home office.
This room gave me a fit when we first moved in because it is also our laundry room
Home Office Before
Don’t get me started but I waved the white flag and made it work for me.
Home Office After
Rug//Slipcover Chair//Curtains//Desk//Pendant Light
The washer and dryer are still there, don’t worry. I just somewhat concealed them and pushed them up against the wall.
I recently painted this room Hague Blue by Farrow and Ball (also color matched at Behr)
If you want to see what this room looked like before I REdecorated it you can read this IKEA home office blog post
I do love IKEA by the way.
Kids Bathroom Before and After
I haven’t touched our master bathroom yet, but I made a good dent in our kids bathroom
Bathroom Before
Kids Bathroom After
Light fixture//Rug//Mirrors//Faucets
I had to get to work in this room ASAP to stop the fighting. We added an extra sink in this bathroom. It was a much needed project.
But don’t worry, my kids still fight.
You can see more about our DIY bathroom here and how I painted my cabinets here
Daughter #1 Bedroom Before and After
I haven’t really touched my oldest daughter’s room since I redecorated it a few years ago.
She’s a teenager now so I don’t dare offer any opinions anymore.
I know better
Daughter #1 Bedroom Before
Daughter #1 Bedroom After
She has since changed her room around and made it more “teenagery” (is that a word?). But like I said, I don’t dare open my mouth so it is what it is.
You can see more of what her room used to look like here.
Daughter #2 Bedroom Before and After
My youngest still likes me and still listens to me (sometimes).
We gave her room a makeover a couple of years ago. Her room before I got my hands on was very concerning. There was crap e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e
Daughter #2 Bedroom Before
Daughter #2 Bedroom After
You can read about all of the details of her room here.
I’m still traumatized by wallpapering after I attempted it in her room. I don’t know if I’ll ever do it again.
Boy’s Bedroom (Just an After)
I do have a son but like most boys, his room is always trashed so I rarely (OK-never) get a good picture of his room. But I did add some molding to his bedroom to add some interest.
Front Porch Before and After
When I first started blogging, the front porch was my favorite to share.
I knew this front porch had tons of potential
Front Porch Before
Front Porch After
Technically this isn’t what my front porch looks like anymore but I am actually working on a whole new blog post so stay tuned.
But the picture above was from one of my most popular blog posts a few years ago and even landed in an HGTV magazine.
This front porch will always have a soft spot.
(Update….here is my current front porch. We did end up adding a glass door so the blue door is gone and went black to match the glass door.)
Sunroom Before and After
This might be the only space in my home I haven’t redecorated….yet
Sunroom Before
Sunroom After
I gave this room it’s fist makeover years ago and it still looks like this.
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