B&A: Dark Kitchen Goes to Bright and Charming
BEFORE & AFTER
VIA SARAH GUNN
This amazing open-concept kitchen transformation is by Sarah Gunn from the spring ‘19 One Room Challenge® event. She started with a great but generic base, and really made it her own without doing any demolition at all. The lovely light blue paint on the island gives the space a big splash of personality. Also, check out those great light fixtures.
VIA SARAH GUNN
This rarely-used desk was transformed into a very inviting window seat, which Sarah built herself. She also designed the wallpaper herself after not being able to find any that matched her vision.
VIA SARAH GUNN
The finished product is an absolutely lovely and charming kitchen that reflects Sarah’s style!
We want to feature your amazing before & afters! Send us photos or videos from your One Room Challenge® project via this form.
Carol (@carolpham) took on the spring '26 ORC by tackling what she affectionately dubbed "the most awkward wall in my house", a partially recessed half-wall that never quite pulled its weight in the room. Her goal from the start was to turn a space that "always felt a little unfinished" into an intentional cozy nook with shelving and a small seating moment.
Jeanne (@littlejoymarket) tackled her primary closet during the Fall 2022 ORC, with the goal of building a fully custom, floor-to-ceiling closet and dressing room, complete with cabinets, trim, moulding, and a rolling library ladder to reach it all. The result of this massive undertaking could not be more stunning.
The room Cathy Balsom transformed into an absolutely beautiful nursery during the spring '24 ORC started out with zero closets or storage space. Cathy's solution was to build custom built-ins that embrace the room's slanted ceiling rather than fighting it, turning what could've been wasted, awkward space into a fully functional and beautiful storage wall.
It feels kind of insane to say marble and other natural stones are having a moment right now, since they’ve been “trending” for quite literally centuries, but the past couple of years really have seen a boom in marble, marble alternatives, and natural stone in kitchens and bathrooms. Here’s our guide to marble, marble alternatives, and how to choose, featuring some amazing past ORC projects.
Color is one of the most nuanced elements in any design, and the English language doesn’t make it easy. We have maybe a dozen everyday words for color, but color itself has dozens of distinct properties. The result is a lot of “you know what I mean” conversations that somehow end in the wrong wall paint.
The good news is that you don’t need a degree in color theory to fix this, you just need to master five concepts.
I've been working on a guest bedroom transformation for a few months now, and my vision for the light fixture was specific enough that I knew I was going to have to get creative.
To nobody's surprise, the ORC community has produced some incredible garage glow-ups over the years. In my opinion, garage transformations are some of the most satisfying before-and-afters out there. Seriously underrated.
Good eclectic design is more than just mixing lots of elements. The best eclectic spaces feel surprising and remarkable due to the juxtaposition of eras and styles.
I've tried aging terracotta with garden lime before, but it's surprisingly hard to pull off. Getting that authentic weathered look rather than an obviously painted-on whitewash is genuinely challenging.
Let's talk about how to protect yourself and make sure you can keep DIYing for years to come.
If you’re hankering for some extra warmth in your space, be it temperature or vibe-wise, here are just a few ways you can infuse a bit of coziness into any room of your home.