DIY Remodeling

Our House

The Johnsons are all about DIY. With a primal need to express their creativity combined with a limited budget, they have made DIY a family hobby. Birthdays, interiors, and virtually everything in their world becomes a DIY family project. It is a great bonding experience that becomes a treasured memory. Check out some of the cool things they've done to their house here keep in mind that they live in a neighborhood in Arizona where virtually every house is painted a few different shades of beige inside and out, and interior updates usually involve things like granite countertops and boring beige tile flooring. You won't find that here.

Nearly everything in the Johnson's house was hand made together by the family or found at a thrift store/dollar store and fancied up as a DIY project, resulting in a colorful, eclectic, campy space with a modern-vintage/industrial twist. The Johnsons don't spend much on remodeling because they don't have much to spend. They don't take out loans, charge credit cards or spend much more than about $100 on each room. Each update is something they can achieve on an extremely limited budget, found objects, thrifting, reuse, DIY creativity and hard work with their own hands. Luckily Dad is an electrician and a really handy guy with some natural skill and the willingness to learn new trades.

You won't find a spec of beige, a stitch of carpet, or anything remotely typical here. And if you do, it's just because they haven't been able to get to that space yet. Remodeling is an on-going project in the Johnson house and just when you think one room is done, it might be completely different the next time you see it. Here you'll find pictures from many years of redesigning and some of these rooms may be long painted over and redesigned since then.

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Talullah levitating Talullah's Alice in Wonderland room Photo by Larry Alan After Talullah's Alice in Wonderland themed party, there were some really cool centerpieces and decorations that were salvaged and used to redesign Talullah's room. Mom painted the ceiling to look like a floor and a creepy tree silhouette. They added an upside own table to the ceiling with a Drink Me bottle. They painted a glow in the dark chesire smile so at night it looks like the moon and stars. The closet doors were painted like cards.	Talullah in Wonderland Talullah's Alice in Wonderland room Photo by Larry Alan After Talullah's Alice in Wonderland themed party, there were some really cool centerpieces and decorations that were salvaged and used to redesign Talullah's room. Mom painted the ceiling to look like a floor and a creepy tree silhouette. They added an upside own table to the ceiling with a Drink Me bottle. They painted a glow in the dark chesire smile so at night it looks like the moon and stars. The closet doors were painted like cards.	Alice Door Talullah's Alice in Wonderland room After Talullah's Alice in Wonderland themed party, there were some really cool centerpieces and decorations that were salvaged and used to redesign Talullah's room. Mom painted the ceiling to look like a floor and a creepy tree silhouette. They added an upside own table to the ceiling with a Drink Me bottle. They painted a glow in the dark chesire smile so at night it looks like the moon and stars. The closet doors were painted like cards.
creepy tree with tea cup decor Talullah's Alice in Wonderland room After Talullah's Alice in Wonderland themed party, there were some really cool centerpieces and decorations that were salvaged and used to redesign Talullah's room. Mom painted the ceiling to look like a floor and a creepy tree silhouette. They added an upside own table to the ceiling with a Drink Me bottle. They painted a glow in the dark chesire smile so at night it looks like the moon and stars. The closet doors were painted like cards.	Chesire smile glows at night Talullah's Alice in Wonderland room After Talullah's Alice in Wonderland themed party, there were some really cool centerpieces and decorations that were salvaged and used to redesign Talullah's room. Mom painted the ceiling to look like a floor and a creepy tree silhouette. They added an upside own table to the ceiling with a Drink Me bottle. They painted a glow in the dark chesire smile so at night it looks like the moon and stars. The closet doors were painted like cards.	ceiling painted as floor with table Talullah's Alice in Wonderland room After Talullah's Alice in Wonderland themed party, there were some really cool centerpieces and decorations that were salvaged and used to redesign Talullah's room. Mom painted the ceiling to look like a floor and a creepy tree silhouette. They added an upside own table to the ceiling with a Drink Me bottle. They painted a glow in the dark chesire smile so at night it looks like the moon and stars. The closet doors were painted like cards.
drink me Talullah's Alice in Wonderland room Photo by Larry Alan After Talullah's Alice in Wonderland themed party, there were some really cool centerpieces and decorations that were salvaged and used to redesign Talullah's room. Mom painted the ceiling to look like a floor and a creepy tree silhouette. They added an upside own table to the ceiling with a Drink Me bottle. They painted a glow in the dark chesire smile so at night it looks like the moon and stars. The closet doors were painted like cards.	card closet doors Talullah's Alice in Wonderland room Photo by Larry Alan After Talullah's Alice in Wonderland themed party, there were some really cool centerpieces and decorations that were salvaged and used to redesign Talullah's room. Mom painted the ceiling to look like a floor and a creepy tree silhouette. They added an upside own table to the ceiling with a Drink Me bottle. They painted a glow in the dark chesire smile so at night it looks like the moon and stars. The closet doors were painted like cards.	Sarkis' skateboard room bench Sarkis moved his skateboarding room from the Living Room to an actual room in the house and the family pitched in to recreate his skateboard themed room. A bench and shelves were made from skateboards. Trucks and wheels were used as hooks/hangers for hats and more. The bed was made from reclaimed skateramp wood.
Skateboard bench in Sarkis' room Sarkis moved his skateboarding room from the Living Room to an actual room in the house and the family pitched in to recreate his skateboard themed room. A bench and shelves were made from skateboards. Trucks and wheels were used as hooks/hangers for hats and more. The bed was made from reclaimed skateramp wood.	Skateboard themed room Sarkis moved his skateboarding room from the Living Room to an actual room in the house and the family pitched in to recreate his skateboard themed room. A bench and shelves were made from skateboards. Trucks and wheels were used as hooks/hangers for hats and more. The bed was made from reclaimed skateramp wood.	skateboard bathroom The guest bathroom attached to Sarkis' skateboard room is also a skateboard theme with upcycled skateboards made into tiles and a concrete countertop. Sink from Ikea.
Sarkis Skateboarding Room Photo by Larry Alan Sarkis loves skateboarding and owned a skate business called Liquid Chicken Skateboards at age 12. He moved into the family room so he could run his business. Wheels and trucks were used as hooks to hang hats and other objects from. Skateboards were used as shelves. Mom made a quilt out of Sarkis' skate shirts.	Sarkis' old skateboard room Sarkis loves skateboarding and owned a skate business called Liquid Chicken Skateboards at age 12. He moved into the family room so he could run his business. Wheels and trucks were used as hooks to hang hats and other objects from. Skateboards were used as shelves. Mom made a quilt out of Sarkis' skate shirts.	Sarkis' old skateboard room Sarkis loves skateboarding and owned a skate business called Liquid Chicken Skateboards at age 12. He moved into the family room so he could run his business. Wheels and trucks were used as hooks to hang hats and other objects from. Skateboards were used as shelves. Mom made a quilt out of Sarkis' skate shirts.
Sarkis' upcycled shirt quilt Sarkis loves skateboarding and owned a skate business called Liquid Chicken Skateboards at age 12. He moved into the family room so he could run his business. Wheels and trucks were used as hooks to hang hats and other objects from. Skateboards were used as shelves. Mom made a quilt out of Sarkis' skate shirts.	Sarkis' old skateboard room Sarkis loves skateboarding and owned a skate business called Liquid Chicken Skateboards at age 12. He moved into the family room so he could run his business. Wheels and trucks were used as hooks to hang hats and other objects from. Skateboards were used as shelves. Mom made a quilt out of Sarkis' skate shirts.	Sarkis' room: wheels to hang hats on Sarkis loves skateboarding and owned a skate business called Liquid Chicken Skateboards at age 12. He moved into the family room so he could run his business. Wheels and trucks were used as hooks to hang hats and other objects from. Skateboards were used as shelves. Mom made a quilt out of Sarkis' skate shirts.
skate shelves Sarkis loves skateboarding and owned a skate business called Liquid Chicken Skateboards at age 12. He moved into the family room so he could run his business. Wheels and trucks were used as hooks to hang hats and other objects from. Skateboards were used as shelves. Mom made a quilt out of Sarkis' skate shirts.	View into Living Room.jpg Ryan installed hardwood floors. The family all painted the seafoam stripes on the wall. Angela painted the octopus mural. All furniture is vintage.	octopus pillows Pillows made by Angela to go with Octopus wall in living room
octopus living room Octopus mural free hand painted by Angela for the living room	Veiw into kitchen.jpg Pulled up the beige tile and stained the concrete floors. Ryan poured the concrete counter tops and added the corrugated metal detail.	Kitchen closeup.jpg DIY kitchen. Added glass in cabinets, and painted/distressed them. Poured concrete counter tops and added sea glass backsplash.
View into dining room.jpg Scored this vintage couch for $100 on Ebay then Angela made the pillows to match the Octopus mural she painted on the wall.	View into dining room from kitchen.jpg Pulled the tile and stained the concrete. Painted and distressed a country style dining table. Painted seafoam and cream stripes on the wall.	Centerpiece.jpg Found this vintage cage for coasters, and salt and pepper on the dining table.
Lights.jpg Ryan built this cool light fixture for over the dining table out of a piece of old wood, three cage fixtures from Target and some Edison style bulbs.	Hallway.jpg Stained concrete floor and seafoam colored walls with black dollar store frames	Custom Grill Ryan created this custom Grilling counter out of concrete and corrugated metal
Record wall Music Room	Family Room Couch found at Goodwill, chairs from craigslist and tables inherited from Grandparents	Entry hallway
beehive boomerang The living room has a beehive fire place that Angela originally painted with a vintage boomarang print. It's since been painted over with a red octopus.	spongebob room This was Sarkis' room in 2002. Angela free hand painted the mural and made jellyfish from yarn and plastic spheres.	spongebob mural.jpg This was Sarkis' room in 2002. Angela free hand painted the mural.
Christmas Tree.jpg Our vintage christmas tree.