8 Room Makeovers & Home Tours You’re Going to Want to Pin Like Crazy (We Did)

We’ve reached that point in the year where it feels like if every post isn’t about the upcoming holidays, we’re failing to be “timely” and “seasonal” and “helpful.” And while I promise we have SO MUCH great festive content on deck, today, we’re taking a little bit of a break from all things merry and bright to oohh and ahh over some good ol’ fashion design…in the form of room makeovers and house tours that have crossed our eyeballs lately that we’re very, very into right now.

Come back later today for all things trees and trimming, but for now, scroll through for a sweet (calorie-free!) visual treat:

Pacific Northwest design darling Jessica Helgerson is good guys. I’ve seen the sitting room (to the left with the green velvet built-in sofa) numerous times on Instagram, but I never saw the house it was in, and oh man, what a mistake that was. There have been many versions of a “dream house” my brain has cooked up over the years, but today, right now, this takes top billing. Besides, any home with a sunroom that gets that kind of light is worth a double-take, in my book.

I don’t know what to discuss first here: that chandelier, that curved sofa or those armchairs? Why pick…they’re all glorious and statement-making enough to keep the eye interested and moving around the room without being TOO showy and stealing attention from the others. Bravo.

This bed is otherworldly. It’s like a bed alcove without having to cut through the wall, and the combination of dark, luscious velvet combined with that stunning wood detailing is enough to make my knees buckle and collapse…right onto that mattress. Anyway, be sure to go see all the photos over on Remodelista.

Next up is a far, far more attainable project by Sarah from Room for Tuesday, who updated her family’s laundry room as part of this fall’s One Room Challenge (Julie dished on another ORC room crush she had in this post from the other week). When I first saw the “afters” (head here to see the super relatable “befores”), I thought “man, marble slab and marble mosaic on floor and walls…pricey!” Until I read through her post and quickly realized she took a far more budget approach to the redesign.

What looks like marble slab on that left wall is actually marble contact paper. The floors? Peel-and-stick tile and some more marble contact paper cut to size. Oh and the marble mosaic is also peel-and-stick. GUYS! Maybe in person it would be more noticeable, but it FOOLED me on camera. Also, to keep it even more budget, she opted to keep her existing cabinets and counters…she just painted them both and swapped out some hardware.

If you read her post, you’ll learn that her original budget was a brave and daring $300, but ended up spending just over $500 because she underestimated how much of the “mosaic tiles” she needed. I also wanted to draw attention to the newly added shelf and bar for hangers that feels like it always should have been there (it wasn’t).

One more One Room Challenge for good measure because I’m always SO impressed by what the participants get done in such a short period of time (mind you, I still have dining chairs stashed in my bedroom that I’ve been “reupholstering” since 2015, so…)

This one comes from Jenni of I Spy DIY and it’s just so dang charming with that whispy garden-y wallpaper (a custom design she had her friend at Chasing Paper print for the project), that inky blue paneling (Behr’s Chimney) and that very dreamy window (which wasn’t there…ALL of this is new…the befores are downright SHOCKING).

I also wanted to show you this bathroom because she used a black toilet and I was dying to hear what you all thought about it. Non-white toilets are totally controversial in the design world, I know, but I gotta tell you, I don’t hate this in here. In fact, I love it, because it “blends” in more to the dark walls and lets the free-standing tub be the stair it deserves to be. There is the very real but very gross factor of never really being able to “see” what, ahem, ends up in there (good grief, I’m sorry I just said that) but my mother-in-law has a black toilet in a powder room and the first time I came across it, I was like “hmm…interesting.” ANYWAY…let’s continue.

Now, it’s time to flip flop back to pure aspiration because we love to torture ourselves.

I first spotted the below oxblood-walled library sometime…last week? I then proceeded to send the above dining room shot to Jess because I know the girl appreciates things like random curved wood walls for seamingly no reason, chucky-legged everything and stone pedestal tables, and she screamed through our Slack DM RYANN HAS TO USE THIS IN THE LINK UP SHE MUST. Ha, too bad Ryann, I found it first.

There are SO many stunning photos from this home on the web-exclusive Architectural Digest feature but these three, in particular, have given me that cardio pitter-patter in my chest. I don’t understand what that fabric on the bench above is, but man do I love it and want it. The satin-y red walls, whoa. I always think I’m not bold enough to do a red-wall situation, but THIS, this convinces me that maybe in the right room, with the right furniture, it can be done.

The bedroom show has chartreuse wall-to-wall carpeting, and—I can’t believe I’m saying this—I’m CONVINCED. Plus, tassel pulls? Alright, I’m done now. Let’s move on so I can resuscitate myself.

I was SHOOK when I saw Erin from Apartment 34 post a carousel side-by-side on Instagram of the before and after of her San Francisco Victorian. Honestly, I straight up could hardly believe the transformation. Here’s the after (but go to her Instagram to see what I mean):

Featured in Domino’s Winter 2019 issue, I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy to see MORE of this house. Her styling and material choices are just so, so good a bit cool-girl Parisian meets California casual in a way that doesn’t feel like a hodge podge of styles.

Erin, you’ve done good…THAT CHAIR…THAT WAVY PENDANT. What an eye on that one, hm?

Another designer with a serious eye is Sarah Sherman Samuel. I’ve been following her home renovation since she moved to Michigan last year and the transformation is finally here:

I WILL be picking up the Winter issue of Domino to also see this, the cover story, because there are far more images than what I’m getting online and I’m ravenous to see them. It’s fun to see how she uses her own products in her home, but also sourced from places like Wayfair and Target (the light fixture in the bathroom above was from Leann Ford’s collection earlier this year and the tub, stool, fixture, and cage pendant are from Wayfair).

The brass kickplate behind the island brings a serious glam factor to the more rustic ceiling, and I always love seeing a “stove nook.”

Now for something a little different in style, this home from Clever.

The design on this one doesn’t scream EHD but once my eyes landed on that window cut out by the bench (and kitty), I was sold. I love how the custom bench curves right into the same surface (just clad differently) as the media console. And the little fireplace and flume…darling. I really appreciate when the design of homes have little moments like that that you don’t really see in other houses.

And also, this bathroom is so, so great. I love the glossy subway tile juxtaposed with the matte cement tile (plus the organic, scattered pattern of the tile is ::chef’s kiss::).

AND FINALLY…

I saw Julia of Chris Loves Julia share this super budget bedroom makeover recently, and I thought you guys would like it!

The “before” of this room is your basic tract home bedroom, but they added so much interest and character just by DIYing some molding and using a large area rug to cover up most of the beige wall-to-wall carpeting.

I love seeing a room that is very, very much attainable and doable for mere mortals like me, so thank you Julia for the inspiration!

And that’s it! Eight house tours and room renovations on our radar right now. I’m curious though…what do you prefer to see from us? More of the real-life home room makeovers or the purely aspirational stuff? I’m guessing it’ll be a split in opinions between the two, but maybe not? Let me know!