A Before and After Home Tour

ByAbby Lawson March 23, 2022

You guys, I never thought this day would come. I think we have officially put our mark on every single space in our house… and it only took almost seven years! 😉 When you see the “before” photos that I have to show you today, I think you’ll understand why it took so long.

This is an incredible transformation of an entire home from ugly and outdated to light, bright, and beautiful! Pop over to the post to see the whole before and after home tour!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

We bought our little 3 bedroom townhouse back in 2009, right after we had Connor, our first baby. It was in sad shape cosmetically, but the bones were good and we knew with a little TLC, it would be the perfect starter home for our family. The previous owner had passed away, and her children wanted the house off their hands, so we got it for a steal and have fixed it up little by little over the past several years.

Is it perfect? No. I don’t think I’ve ever called any house completely “done,” but we are at a place where the vast majority of improvements we’ve wanted to make are finished, and I kind of almost don’t believe it! 🙂 So I thought today I would take you on a little walk down memory lane and give you a before and after home tour!

I should warn you that most of the before photos are from our inspection day and were taken with a cheap point and shoot camera before I knew anything about photography, so I apologize in advance for the quality! Let’s start the tour!

Entry

The entry was probably one of the tamer areas of the house. It was pretty much a blank canvas, but we were able to make it our own. This area has changed a few times since we’ve lived in the house, but this is what it has looked like since our kitchen reno last summer.

{Bench, Basket, Shelf- Hobby Lobby, Framed Wreath}

{Rug, Wall Color, Door Color}

{Gold Pillow, Blue Pillow- Target, old}

You can see the full entry reveal in this post.

Powder Room

The powder room is the tiniest room in the house, but some fresh paint and accessories made a big difference in the look and feel of the space. This is another room that took a few tries to get right, but I’m happy with its current state. 🙂

{Shelf, Basket- TJ Maxx, Towel}

{Vanity Color, Wall Color}

I shared all of the details of our powder room makeover (which was less than $50!) in this post.

Kitchen

The kitchen was definitely my least favorite room in the house from the start, and it was one of the last projects that we tackled. Last summer, though, the time finally came, and we ripped everything out and put in a new IKEA kitchen. This room probably wins the award for most improved!

{Utensil Holder, Hexagon Tray, Pitcher, Flower Pot}

{Utensil Holder, Hexagon Tray, Cake Stand, Pitcher, Stool, Rug}

{That fruit backsplash though… eeek!}

See our full kitchen reveal in this post.

Dining Room

Oh, that light. And it wasn’t even real glass. It was plastic. Ick! And those walls really were pink (as were many others, along with some of the ceilings and baseboards)! Our whole downstairs got a fresh coat of paint, though, along with new flooring, and of course a new night fixture. 🙂 That weird window between the kitchen and the dining room was filled in when we did the kitchen reno as well.

{Hutch, Pitcher, Aqua Dishes- Kirkland’s, White Dishes, Pillows, Tobacco Baskets- Decor Steals}

Living Room

More pink walls + a green beam meant more painting projects for us! We got rid of the faux mantel, too, and placed the couch between the living and dining areas to create more separation.

{Couch, Rug, Chair- Target, old, Small Pillow, Checked Pillow Covers, Lamp}

{Paint Color, L Mug- Home Goods}

The Cs’ Toy Space

The dining room, living room, and the Cs’ toy area are all one big space, and they’ve all certainly evolved over time. One of my first priorities was to paint over the sponge painted leaves on the railing. 🙂 The Cs’ toys sit on one side of the long, narrow living room and our TV watching/hanging out area is on the other side.

{Storage Unit, Bins (Similar), Bookplates, Chair, Tool Bench, Floating Shelves}

I talked all about how I keep this space organized in this post.

Stairwell

Surprise, surprise– more pink! This stairwell was a challenge to paint because of its height, but we were determined! We added a new gallery wall and light fixture to update it a little more.

I talked about my 5 step strategy for putting together gallery walls in this post.

Master Bedroom

Our master bedroom has actually had two transformations since we’ve lived in our house… sometimes it takes a few tries before you get it right! The current look is light, airy, and relaxing, and I love falling into bed at the end of the day in this room.

{Floral Pillow, Aqua Pillows, Bedding, Lamp, Headboard, Board and Batten}

{Rug, Curtains, Accent Wall Color, Main Wall Color, Dresser Color}

{Mirror, Jewelry Stand, Dresser Color, Dresser Accent Color, Vanity Color}

You can see the full master bedroom reveal in this post.

Master Bathroom

Our master bathroom could have given the kitchen a run for its money in the “worst room in the house” competition. I mean look at that hideous accordion door! I had Donnie rip it out before we even moved in, and we used a shower curtain for a while. Then, in the longest project in the history of this house, we ripped this bathroom down to the studs and revamped the entire thing. And when I say “we” I of course mean that Donnie did almost all of the work while I supervised. 🙂 I did do the painting!!

{Towels- Target, Shower Curtain}

{Board and Batten Color, Wall Color}

We shared the full master bathroom reveal in this post.

Guest Bathroom

I once dubbed the guest bathroom “the least offensive room in the house” because it was just kind of bland and boring, and therefore we waited way too long to give it a little refresh. There was no major construction in this room. The original vanity, flooring, and tub surround stayed. I just painted and added a few accessories.

{Shower Curtain- Target, Towels, Rug}

{Paint Color}

You can see all of the details of the guest bathroom refresh in this post.

The Cs’ Room

My little Cs’ room is next! They originally had their own rooms, but when Caleb was ready for a big boy bed we got them bunk beds and moved them in together, and I am not exaggerating when I say that they absolutely love it. Caleb especially. I think he will be heart broken if Connor ever decides he wants his own room. They are the sweetest brothers, and I love that they love each other so much. {Remind me that I said that next time they are fighting like crazy! 😉 }

{Dresser, Wall Color}

{Ladder Shelf- Built by Donnie, Curtains}

{Bunk Beds, Rug, Wall Art}

All of the details about the Cs’ room can be found in this post.

My Office

And finally, I saved the best for last. 🙂 My favorite room in the house is my girly getaway, my home office/craft room! This room has served many purposes since we moved in. It was originally Donnie’s office. Then when Caleb was born, Donnie got moved to the basement and this became the nursery. And finally, when we moved Con and Caleb in together, I got the room all to myself! Yippee!

{Silhouette, Laminator, Baskets (similar), Bins, Bookshelves, Cube Unit}

{Wall Color, Desk, Chair}

{Closet System, Storage Boxes, Scrapbook Paper Organizer, Clear Bins}

You can see my full home office in this post and my craft closet in this post.

So that’s the grand tour! I’d say it has changed just a little bit over the past 7 years! This post was so fun for me to write because it was like taking a trip down memory lane! Sometimes I don’t feel like we’re making any progress, and then I look back at the changes and see how far we’ve come and am amazed! I hope you enjoyed the tour! Have a wonderful and blessed Easter weekend, friends!