We saw renovators overcome major obstacles (like losing power for days) and others push to meet their deadlines, even in the face of material delays and sky-high wood prices. In celebration of all these great updates, weâre looking back at the renovation stories our readers loved the most this year.
We canât say we were all that surprised that a home office topped the list. But ceramist Veronica Ortuñoâs work zone isnât your typical guest room with a deskâin fact, itâs not in her actual home at all. The artist built a work studioâslashâceramics showroom in her yard from scratch so she could enjoy the feeling of âgetting outâ of the house while still only being a few steps away from her family.
Robert McKinley is skilled at infusing his Airbnbs with zen vibes, and this project in Montauk, New York, was no exception. He applied a fresh take to bringing the outdoors in by hanging a hammock in one of the bedrooms and installing bark-like Heath backsplash tile in the kitchen as a subtle nod to the areaâs wetlands.
Dana Menussi saw the potential in her Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, fixer-upper from the beginning (it was the sheer width that captured her right away). She took advantage of its unused spots by turning the roof over the living room into a terrace for her bedroom, and adding a skylight to the garage breezeway so itâs now a joyful place to drink her morning coffee.
Gone are the days of being intimidated by power tools. California-based DIYerDanielle Guerrero proved to herself that you can take architectural character into your own hands when she decided to turn her plain, squared-off hallway into archwaysâand for just $35.
Handmade doors is a trend to watch in the new year, from woven cord fronts to cane webbingâand not just when it comes to clothes closets. Designer NaĂŻka Andre disguised a familyâs boiler closet with this chic solution that still provides enough ventilation for the equipment to operate.
We love a cabin, just not ones with an old, mismatched washer-dryer set from the â70s; wood-paneled kitchen cabinets; and a plastic-looking, faux timber parquet ceiling. Julie Arnold brought this Minnesota vacation rental up to speed by embracing simple pine shiplap and a subdued color palette inspired by nature.
Hereâs a case for a nonfunctional upgrade. Designer Katie Monkhouseâs clients wanted the coziness of a fireplace without having to pay $5,000 for the gas lines, so Monkhouse installed a marble mantel instead. The sad blank wall is now a focal point (wood logs optional).
Two-dollar-per-square-foot tile never looked as chic as it does at the June Motel. The owners and now seasoned renovators, April Brown and Sarah Sklash, bought the basic squares at Home Depot in baby blue and salmon pink, using it for the kitchensâ backsplash and the double-room bathrooms. A crisp white grout line gives it a contemporary spin, ensuring the tile looks like itâs from 2021, not 1981.
Layout was a top priority for chef and cookbook author Eden Grinshpan, who considers her kitchen her office. Cue the floor-to-ceiling pantry wall and additional storage flanking the living room archway, which allowed her to keep the stove wall almost bare. Coral-peach marble counters riff off the warm, sunburned vibe of the nearby solarium.
Designer and stylist Justin DiPiero didnât have plans to renovate his Brooklyn apartment until his neighbor had a leak and DiPiero came home one day to find his bathroom ceiling in his tub. The disaster sparked a series of upgrades, from exposing the brick walls in the living room to opening up the kitchen and swapping out the cabinets for streamlined IKEA ones. Itâs hammer time.