Before

When 35-year-old Vikki Smith and her husband, Rodger, moved into their Colonial-style four-bedroom in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1999, she had grand ambitions for a renovation. But construction plans took a backseat with the arrival of twins Allison and Julia that same year. Six years later, the 13-by-13-foot dining room still looked much as it had when the previous owners lived there, and was serving as a craft center for the kids, a workstation for Mom, and a repository for mail. "Since I'm pulled in three different directions, it's difficult to stay organized," Vikki admits of the cluttered, hodge-podge decor. "I was just kind of making it work."

The original drapes still framed the windows, and the furnishings were impractical hand-me-downs from Rodger's family. "The room was unattractive, and the furniture was uncomfortable," Vikki says. "It just wasn't appealing to spend time in there, but with no eat-in kitchen, we had to."

The bulky storage trunk against one wall and the drop-leaf gateleg table served no purpose other than providing surfaces to hold mismatched tchotchkes.