Today is the first Before & After Friday of the New Year

and, boy, do I have some great photos to share with you.

Winter is the perfect time to undertake indoor updates and makeovers.

It's cold outside but you can heat up the interior with some hot new decor.

Our first example is this sophisticated bedroom 'after it's after':

Before                                                 After 

Decorating Den

And this homeowner charmingly converted a home office back

into a guest room.  Just a little effort produced major changes:

View 1:

View 2:

Before                                      After

Curbly

Here's another example of how a few subtle

changes can bring about dramatic results:

Before                                                     After

Decorating Den

You don't hear much about sisal rugs anymore
but this one looks great in the dining room.

When this house went on the market the

decor was dated and, well, yucky:

So much nicer now:

Design Sponge

Love those hardwood floors.

Doesn't this mud room look so much more organized now?

Sawdust Girl

These next few transformations are the kind I like
best - converting unused space into livable space.

The foyer of this townhouse had a ridiculously
tall ceiling with hard-to-clean windows:

Apartment Therapy
The homeowners cleverly extended the 2nd floor
over the foyer and created a wonderful play area.


The attic/loft of this beach bungalow was
transformed into living space with a view:

A neglected storage closet:

 was renovated into a darling loft bedroom:

Apartment Therapy
Amazing conversion, isn't it?

Nate and Michele are an energetic young couple who purchased their
first home with plans to renovate it from top to bottom, inside and out.

Let's take a partial pictorial tour of their lovely home:

Kitchen

Before                                                        After

Den

Before                                                   After

Powder Room

Before                                         After

Front Porch

Before                                              After

Curb View

Before                                                 After

Such beautiful results after a lot of hard work.  Click here to

view additional photos of Nick's and Michele's renovations.

I've saved the most spectacular makeover for last -

the basement of a New York City townhouse:

 The 'before' is so terrible that I can hardly bear to look at it!

Stunning!  Who could have envisioned such amazing results?

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope your
first weekend of 2014 is productive and fun!

Do you sometimes feel as if you live in an Animal House?!

Not since the Egyptians honored their cats in the pyramids
have as many people decorated with their pets in mind.

This lucky kitty has her own space under the stairs.

Mia's private bedroom is also underneath the stairs:




Sunny Goode

About You

Designer Lou Anne Herget of Little Rock, Arkansas,

created a girly room for shih tzus Heather and Havilland.

You're not the only one who needs a designated home office:

This kitty's owners created an amazing outdoor

playground and his little paws never touch the grass:

Take a look at this intricate hamster housing:

Something tells me that the rodent's young owner
spends a lot of her allowance on home additions.

Frame Your Pet

If we hung a jumbo tron-sized portrait of Archie and
Boswell we would no longer be able to delude ourselves
in the belief that they do not rule the house.

Sequestering pets is often necessary and
gates are getting fancier and more expensive:

     

Frontgate

Pet gates can actually enhance your decor:

Decorating Files

Decorative decals are fun but not permanent:

Beyond The Rack

Fido's doggie door can be framed with a decal:

Lowes

Pet pillows are becoming more personal and much cuter:

Sears

Nothin' is as soothing as a catnip-stuffed pillow!

Even our decorating accessories have taken on a pet-friendly slant.
How cute is this vintage typewriter keys picture frame?

bhg

Old computer monitors are quite inexpensive at

thrift shops and make great repurposed pet beds:

So do vintage stereos and television consoles:

West Elm offers a portable pet center for $129

but you can make your own for much less:

The Nest

There are lots of ways to ingeniously conceal kitty's litter box: 

Home Work Remodels

And there are pet beds on the market to match any decorating style:

Interioholic

Digs Digs

But maybe an organic pet pillow is the best. . . . . .