A Whole House Makeover: Ugliest House Ever Gets Transformed

Sara Hicks Malone, a stationery designer, and Charlie Malone, an attorney; 3-year-old Gram, 2-year-old Adah, and Tag, a black Lab live in Nashville. Looking at photos of the house online, Sara immediately saw a diamond in the rough. "The openness, the abundance of light — it all felt so right."
Reno timeline: Seven months. "It was a challenge that I secretly found exciting," says Sara. "We knew this was a house we wanted to live in for a long time, so we made decisions that weren't necessarily the easiest."

Mottled red carpet and bulky leather sofas trapped the living room in a 1970s time warp.

The room is barely recognizable with new bamboo floors, white walls and a cushy, blush pink sofa. And look at those poster-size baby photos on the wall! One is Dad holding 8-week-old Gram; the other is Mom holding Adah at the same age. Norton sofa from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

The home had a flimsy awning, brown brick and a beyond-basic front door.