Inspiring Before and After Room Transformations

Shannon Quinn - January 31, 2021
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Inspiring Before and After Room Transformations
Before, the basement was very much like a bachelor pad. Credit: Dream Home Makeover

5. Shea McGee from “Dream Home Makeover” Gave A Client the Basement Theater of His Dreams

On the Netflix TV series “Dream Home Makeover”, they follow the projects completed by interior designer Shea McGee. My favorite episode was when they featured a client named Ennis, who was originally from London. He loved having friends over to watch movies. When he bought his first home in Salt Lake City, Utah, he wanted to make the basement into a movie room. Unfortunately, the result ended up looking like a college bachelor pad version of his dream. There was a screen tacked to the wall, an old couch, and stacks of unsightly DVD towers along the wall.

Credit: Dream Home Makeover

After the Studio McGee makeover, the basement theater is unrecognizable. They painted the walls in a dark navy blue. They also added a board and batten wall on one side of the room to give it a lot of texture and elevated luxury. Built-in closet space adds storage for his DVD collection, so that everything looks clean and hidden behind closed doors. The leather L-shaped couch offers plenty of seating for guests to come over to watch movies together and have conversations. It truly is something to envy. If you want to watch this episode on Netflix, click here.

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The grand salon of Chateau de LaLande after removing the asbestos. Credit: The Chateau Diaries on YouTube

4. Stephanie Jarvis Had an Unbelievable Grand Salon Transformation

Fans of Escape to the Chateau DIY or The Chateau Diaries will recognize the name Stephanie Jarvis. She is the owner of Chateau de Lalande in France. Buying and renovating a castle is one of the biggest projects any homeowner can tackle. When she first bought the castle, the entire home was covered in asbestos. So before she could do any renovations, that all had to be cleared out, down to the dirt and stone. Once the room was ready to build, Stephanie recycled old terra cotta tiles that she found in the castle’s attic, as well as pieces she found at thrift stores throughout France. She pieced them together to make the new floor, and created a pattern to hide the fact that they’re not all identical. 

The transformation of the Grand Salon at the Chateau de Lalande. Credit: The Chateau Diaries on YouTube

All of the drapes were hand-sewn by Stephanie, and she sourced much of the furniture from a local thrift store. Most people who visit the Chateau de Lalande would assume that the room looked like that for hundreds of years, but it was actually only possible due to the careful research and renovations done by Stephanie. Here in the United States, we would call a “salon” a “living room”. But in a castle, the area is much larger. Now that it’s fully renovated, Stephanie can move the furniture out of the way to accommodate seating for small concerts for the music workshops she enjoys hosting at the chateau. She also has dancing classes held there, and so much more. If you would like to see the full story, watch Stephanie’s video here.

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The airstream’s standard furnishings. Credit: Mr. Kate

3. YouTube Designers Mr. Kate Transformed Their Airstream Into a Home Away From Home

Long before lockdowns were instituted across the world, the interior design duo Kate and Joey, AKA Mr. Kate traveled all over California to film their home makeover show on YouTube. This became difficult once they had their baby, Moon. So they decided the best course of action was to buy an airstream camper van to bring around the country. This way, Kate had a private place to breastfeed the baby, let him take naps, and keep the entire family comfortable while on a construction site. When they first bought the airstream, it had been fitted to accommodate a family in a traditional RV style.

After the remodel was fully complete. Credit: @mrkate on Instagram

There is nothing wrong with keeping your RV as-is. However, they wanted to have a more customized retro look in order to make it feel like a tiny home. This required them to strip everything down to the bare metal. They added amazing pops of color that made the entire space feel clean, bohemian, and happy. This project began in 2019, and it took until 2020 to complete. By that time, they could no longer continue with many of their renovation plans. However, buying this airstream was a blessing in disguise, because it’s necessary now more than ever for the family to keep themselves safe by staying in something like an airstream, rather than a hotel or AirBnB. To see the full transformation video, click here.

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Drew Scott adding accessories to his nook closet office space. Credit: The Lone Fox on YouTube

2. This Nook Became a Tiny Home Office Space

Now more than ever, people are trying to figure out solutions to creating a home office in a small amount of space. On the YouTube channel called The Lone Fox, designer Drew Scott took a small recessed closet nook in this apartment’s bedroom and transformed it into an office space. At first, he painted the inside of the nook navy blue for a dramatic effect. However, he realized that he actually hated how dark it was, because it felt too moody. Most designers will edit that out in the final cut of makeover shows.

The end product of the cute closet office nook. Credit: @lonefoxhome on Instagram

Sometimes, mistakes happen. Part of designing your home is to experiment and figure out what works, and what doesn’t. The nook went back to an off-white color, and Drew had a bright and cheerful space to work in, again. He did a quick DIY on the desk he already owned to give it a stylish makeover. Then he hung light fixtures, plants, storage baskets, and accessories to give it the finishing touch. A project like this is simple, and should only cost $100 to $200 to complete. To watch the full makeover video, click here.

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Wesley’s living room was clean, but lacks style. Credit: Netflix

1. Bobby Berk Helped a Disabled Man Get a House Made For His Height

The Netflix series Queer Eye features “heros” who put others before themselves, and deserve a bit of a lifestyle makeover. The resident interior designer, Bobby Berk, does an amazing job of transforming their homes into something that is better suited for their lifestyle. In Season 4, there is an episode called “Disabled, But Not Really” where we meet a man named Wesley from Kansas City, Missouri who was a victim of gang violence. He is permanently paralyzed, and yet his home was never made to be wheelchair accessible.

Wesley’s new home is masculine and stylish. Credit: Netflix

On the outside of the house, they installed a ramp so that Wesley can easily get through his front door. The furniture is also spaced out so that Wesley can easily move from place to place in his wheelchair. His washer and dryer were down in the basement, which meant that he needed to wait for his mother to help him. Bobby moved the machines upstairs, to make sure he could be more self-reliant. He also moved the kitchen sink, microwave, and table to his height, so he could cook for himself. For those of us who are fully able-bodied, we don’t  think about all of these things we take for granted in our homes. This is an amazing episode, so I highly recommend it. To watch, click here. 

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