I’ve always been drawn to before-and-after pictures, whether real or fake. There’s something satisfying about seeing the transformation, usually from cluttered to clean, or drab to fab, to borrow a term from all those perky, slightly annoying home design makeover shows. What’s popular today can quickly look dated before the wallpaper even starts to fade.

Far from slick, the most interesting before-and-afters are taken by regular people for their own amusement. (“Hey, remember what this placed looked like when we moved in? Why were we so into ducks?”) So I was glad when I came across a wonderful blog dedicated to all things past and present, which in turn led me to (gulp) the girly magazine CasaSugar, part of an online media company targeting home-loving Carrie Bradshaw types, I was pleasantly surprised by a whole section devoted to my beloved B&A photos.

The site features seven pages of B&A photos and stories, covering everything from a classic aluminum trailer renovation to kitchens, bathrooms and even colour, proving that not all renovations require tearing down and rebuilding; sometimes a simple coat of paint is all that’s required.

On a slightly higher-end note is noted blog Design*Sponge, which features the before-and-after shots from various creative geniuses who reinvent their spaces with things like chalkboards culled from soon-to-be-destroyed schoolhouses and lampshades made from fabric they’ve painted themselves. The only problem? The before pictures often reach a level of put-togetherness that my rooms could only hope to attain.

For those of us still grappling with the before, not able to gaze into the future, there is help online. And check out the Home Renovation Guide’s very own PhotoShare program for a chance to upload your own pictures too.