#budget-diy

#budget-diy

Marcel's 1940s Milwaukee home, which he shares with his boyfriend, Ben, fell into that first category of being an unfinished space for storing almost entirely forgotten stuff. "It had cinder block walls with chipping paint and some old wood paneling that had been roughly cut out at the bottom from the previous owners installing a drain," Marcel says. "It was cold and full of spiderwebs when we first moved in, and not a place we ever wanted to hang out."

According to Apartment Therapy's trend-predicting Designer Survey, chocolate brown is in, as are dark wood tones, meaning this kitchen redo from Tiffany Brown-Barino (@myeclecticnest) is perfectly on-trend despite keeping its '90s-style cabinets. "The cabinet color is almost always someone's BEFORE picture," Tiffany writes on Instagram. But she shows how to make the oak brown look chic with a few other DIYs. "Our kitchen countertops were in great condition, but I definitely didn't like how dark they were and how dark they made the kitchen feel," Tiffany says of the kitchen before. The counters and the dark tile backsplash changed in a budget-friendly redo - the former for only $95.

Upgrading your home doesn't have to require expensive renovations or time-consuming installations. In fact, some of the best upgrades are budget friendly, easy to DIY, and look expensive AF. From peel-and-stick solutions to storage hacks you'll wish you tried years ago, elevating your home - and your life - can be as easy as clicking "add to cart." Here are some of our favorite products that start at just $8, but are seriously impressive.