The Home That Launched an HGTV Star

Years before I started hosting Bargain Mansions, I fixed up one of my own. In 2008 my husband, Bill, and I bought a 5,800-square-foot home that was in foreclosure in Leawood, Kansas. It needed a ton of work, and our budget was tight, so I DIYed as much as I could to cut contractor costs. I sanded, stained, built shelves, removed the old floors and carried in every single piece of new hardwood. For furniture, I took my kids to garage sales, then painted our finds in our driveway. Soon, neighbors wanted to buy those pieces from me, and friends started asking me to help with their makeovers. Eventually I took on clients and became a full-blown designer — and it’s all because of this house. If we’d bought a move-in ready place and all new furniture, I wouldn’t be talking to HGTV Magazine!

Recently I gave some rooms a refresh — but I had more help this time. While I don’t think I’ll ever be finished working on our home, I’m ready to show you around.

Our siding is painted a version of Iron Ore by Sherwin-Williams (I had them remove the maroon tones). The paint store will tweak any color — just ask!

The island was once the nuts and bolts counter at a hardware store. I thought, This will work until we can afford a new island, but now I love it too much to ever switch it out. I love thrifted furniture because it can save you money and add character. The open shelves I built in ’08 are still holding strong. The lower cabinets used to be white, but when we got a new dishwasher last year, I painted them black to match.

(This is my dad, Ward. When I was growing up, he fixed everything himself and I’d help. Now he helps me on my show.)

I had these shelves built to the ceiling, then I made them extra-pretty by backing them with tile in a geometric pattern from Daltile and adding delicate knobs and pulls from Modern Matter. If you’re short like me, get a cute step stool you can leave out. Pro parenting tip: Fill clear canisters with cereal so kids can help themselves.

One thing you should know about me is that I’m resourceful. I had just enough of this Thibaut wallpaper left over from another project for this room. (Thank you, wainscoting, for taking up the bottom third of the walls.) The dining table and chairs are vintage, from my husband’s parents. I like pairing old with new, so I brought in the buffet from my shop, Growing Days Home, and a modern chandelier by Kichler.

There’s almost always a puzzle on this table, unless we’re about to host a dinner — or do a photo shoot!

If these walls could talk, they would say, “Remember when you sanded and stained every inch of trim?!” I’ll never forget the dated orangey color of the wood when we moved in. We decided against a TV in here; we just lounge on the comfy velvet sofas, which I sell in my shop. The black rug is by Kaleen. Dark colors work magic. I like using them to ground a space. I knew this room could handle it because it gets so much natural light.

Painting the ceiling blue and adding buffalo check wallpaper made our room feel cozy but still bright. (Try Bluesy Note by Sherwin-Williams for a similar look.) We’ve had this tufted bench at the foot of our bed since we moved in. I got it on sale at a local furniture store called Nell Hill’s. It’s as wide as our king-size bed, which I love.

Until recently, this bathroom off our main bedroom was carpeted. (Ew, I know.) The new floor tile, by Daltile, is one I used for a project on my show and just had to have for myself. I chose different shapes for the wall tiles, but for consistency, everything is Carrara marble. I laid a lot of these tiles myself with help from my kids.

My daughter has very strong design opinions — I wonder where she gets that! She wanted an all-white room, but I convinced her to bring in light colors in the accessories and the wallpaper from Thibaut. The pattern looks like pool water, and when sunlight hits the crystal chandelier, it makes rainbows on the wall. It’s like summer magic. Plus, her hanging chair is the best seat in the house.