7 Before + After Transformations That Wowed Us This Year

A Cost-Effective Kitchen, Laundry + Bathroom Makeover

SpaceCraft Joinery have carved a reputation for designing kitchens with colour and character, so when looking to upgrade their Adelaide home with personality, homeowners Dot and Nick knew who to turn to.

This home’s existing stock standard all-white kitchen, bathroom, and barely functioning laundry (see before images at the bottom of this post) are now more practical than ever, achieved through a heap of clever space-saving solutions, and a thoughtful use of materials.

These updates were designed, built, and installed within nine months on an approximate $90,000 budget.

Spacecraft Joinery designer Jessie Stevens shares how each space came to life.

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An Original 1960s Melbourne Apartment, Transformed For $65,000

Architect Nick Sweetland believes in the generosity and potential of older brick apartments, so he purchased an original two-bedroom apartment in a solid 1960s Ivanhoe East building, with a $65,000 budget to make his own upgrades.

What followed was a remarkable transformation over just four months, including a rebuild of the kitchen and bathroom, and removal of a central wall, to create a more comfortable and all-round beautiful space to inhabit.

Nick shares how he did it, and reveals the final budget breakdown.

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A Terracotta + Yellow Kitchen Transformation

Carmel Wylie, senior designer at GIA Renovations, looks to colours in nature when designing interiors, knowing if a colour combination is working outside, it will definitely work inside.

Inspired by the yellow sands and red earth of the Australian outback, she selected a butter yellow and terracotta palette for this Elwood kitchen renovation, transforming a kitchen with a ‘standard white laminate vibe’ into a space brimming with personality.

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This Artist’s Sydney Terrace Feels Like A Fancy Hotel

Sydney-based artist Annalisa Ferraris and Smokebush Studio landscape designer Nathan White felt like they’d ‘struck gold’ when they came across a dated, but light-filled, 1880s terrace in Paddington.

The creative couple has since put their own spin on the Victorian home, drawing inspiration from old-world hotels in Europe to create dreamy personal details — from a blue bar designed for serving martinis, to the kitchen that feels like it’s straight out of a French bistro!

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A Playful Bathroom + Laundry Transformed For $25k

Renovating is never easy, even less so when you have a baby on the way.

But when Almo Troup and Tild Simpson — behind design studio Trouthouse — found themselves expecting, it was the motivation they needed to finally transform the impractical bathroom and laundry in their Melbourne home.

See how they managed the renovation in less than two weeks, on a $25,000 budget!

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A Floral Mosaic Inspired This Bathroom’s Bold Retro Revival

The owners of a 1970s apartment in Melbourne had a few requests for the renovation of their bathroom: there was to be no white, grey, or chrome in sight, and mosaic tiles were a must.

GIA Renovations turned what was a monochromatic ’90s bathroom into a masterful retro revival, designed around sunshine yellow tiles and a floral mosaic reminiscent of a lush meadow!

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This Apartment Is Unrecognisable After A DIY-Driven Makeover

Before renovating his dated 101-square-metre Melbourne apartment, Simon Nankin had never really worked with power tools.

But when an initial quote to knock down some walls came in at $100,000 — the same figure Simon had budgeted for the entire renovation — he resorted to tackling most of the project himself, DIY-style.

Here, he reveals the many lessons behind the impressive 20-month transformation, and exactly how much he spent!

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