Tour an HGTV Stylist's Renovated, 1910 East Tennessee Bungalow

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes ... an immediate home reno? HGTV stylist Danielle Boaz and her husband Caleb started their marriage unlike most: in the throes of an extensive old home restoration.

"[We] were about a month off from being married when we bought this house," Danielle says of their 1910, 900-square-foot Knoxville, Tennessee, home. "Then a couple of weeks after we got back from our honeymoon, we were demoing."

"Truth be told, this house is everything that we weren't looking for; it was very unexpected," Danielle explains. "But the opportunity to buy this house just fell into our laps, and because we really love the neighborhood — it's only a couple of minutes from downtown — we just decided to jump on it."

"I remember our first day of demo," Danielle recalls. "My husband was pulling the vinyl siding off the house. I was picking up trash and digging out a million bricks from the backyard. I had the thought: 'Why are we doing this?' 'Can we get out of this?' 'We don't have to do this.' Long story short: My husband is the ultimate optimist and risk-taker out of the two of us and he convinced me that we should [renovate the house]. Now looking back on it, I think this will be one of the best things we ever did together."

"When we bought this house, there were two big walls in this one little living room," Danielle explains. "So the first big project we did was remove the two walls. And that just made this whole space feel so much bigger."

Now the freshly renovated living space is filled with warm, neutral hues and one of Danielle's absolute favorite finds. "The star of the show in here is this big, green couch — and I love it so much," she says.

Opposite the comfy green sofa, the family entertainment center is brought to life with a personalized gallery wall above. "When people come to my home, I want them to feel relaxed and like they can take a breath," Danielle says reflecting on the room's design.

"Working at HGTV Handmade, and trying to stay on top of design trends, it seems like I have a new favorite color almost every month," Danielle explains. "But I always go back to green. Since I was a kid, green has really been the color that’s always inspired me."

"You’ll notice a lot of green in my textiles, on my couch, my plants, [and] a lot of green in my artwork," she continues. "I just love the color green, what can I say?"

Danielle and Caleb were craving a spacious kitchen, but had to get creative with costs. "We had a very tight budget when renovating this house," Danielle explains. "So all of the appliances [in the kitchen], even the sink, I found secondhand."

The updated kitchen concept is simple and welcoming, with one common element tying it together: the color. "It wasn’t as important to me that the appliances were all the same brand," she continues. "I just wanted everything to be the same color, which was white."

With a fresh look from thrifty finds, and a bit of major demo, the couple's renovated kitchen achieves one of their main must-haves: room to cook together. "My husband and I really enjoy cooking, and the kitchen is where we wind down most of our days," Danielle says. "I really love how knocking down the walls made the kitchen and the living room feel a lot more social."

Just off the updated kitchen, a pale green cabinet steals the show in Danielle's stylish mudroom. Geometric floor tiles compliment the round, brass mirror on the wall. And best of all, the cabinet doors hide the trash cans inside.

"I was terrified of this room throughout most of the renovation," Danielle laughs. "I don't think I even really stepped inside until closer to the end. The tub was just absolutely filthy, disgusting, and I wanted to burn it — I had no intention of keeping it."

"But, this house is over 100 years old," she continues. "[The bathroom has] a real cast iron tub, and that's hard to come by these days. Caleb convinced me that we should give it a shot. So we hired a crew, and to my surprise, it looks brand new."

Danielle's updated single vanity bathroom features crisp, white subway tiles and lots of brass accents. A square-framed mirror contrasts nicely with the globe light fixture above the sink to create a classic, timeless look.

Although the space was wholly unlivable at the start, Danielle and Caleb set out to make the most of their only guest room. "When you live in a smaller home, a lot of times one room can be a lot of things," Danielle explains.

The couple now uses their updated guest space as a music studio, crafting hub and work-from-home office. "I’ve been working here ... and my husband comes in here and plays music," Danielle says. "For everything that it is, I really do find it functional and cozy and I’m very happy with the way it turned out."

Arguably one of the most important rooms in the home: the bedroom. At time of purchase, Danielle's relaxing retreat was anything but, and was covered in purple paint with an odd, bonus interior window.

Tear down a few walls, brush on some paint and fast forward to the current state of comfort. "In the bedroom, I really just like to keep things simple and peaceful," Danielle explains. "So we just really stick to the basics."

"If there's one thing that I really believe, it's that you can do a lot with a little," Danielle says. "I've always felt that a home should be a sanctuary and a safe place for those that you love. And I really try to reflect that in my design decisions."

His-and-hers storage space isn't really an option in small home living. They have to share a closet. "I never thought I'd share a small closet with my husband, but we're doing it," Danielle laughs. "At the end of the day, this room feels very homey and comfortable and we really like it."

With the interior reno complete, the Boaz family worked to expand their outdoor gathering space. "Even though I live in a small house, I still really love to entertain," Danielle says. "Having a bunch of people over in a small space really makes for a cozy event, and it helps if you can expand to your outdoor spaces if possible."

The little Knoxville bungalow's curb appeal is now miles away from its faded yellow beginning. "I think my favorite thing about my house is the exterior," Danielle says. "We've really come so far and I'm very proud of it. The color has got to be the most perfect sage green and I love the cedar shake accents."