Learning to set up a home can be difficult. Unless you have a degree in design, you probably don’t know a whole lot about light vs. dark, organizing rooms into sections, or playing with patterns, colors, and decorations to add visual interest. If you’re like most of us, you’re just going with your gut about what looks and feels good.

Sometimes, that can lead to design disasters, including cramped and dark rooms or those set up so awkwardly that you can barely move around. Let’s face it: not everyone’s a natural designer.

The issues come up slowly as trends become, well, un-trendy. Take a moment now to visualize your grandmother’s house. Is there carpet over the hardwood floor? Is there a lot of wood paneling? Are there floral or sheer curtains? All of those things were fashionable at one time, but now, they make houses uncomfortable.

With the right design tools, however, you can make a room look completely new. In fact, if you don’t know much about design, you’ll be amazed to see just how much the right choices can change a place. If you doubt it, check out these 35 rooms that went from outdated to modern.