Karen E Laine's Most Creative Designs

Someone else’s trash is definitely Karen’s treasure. We’re deep diving into her best reclaimed designs and DIY ideas — which she created using accessories that were headed for the dumpster.

By: Chelsey Bowen

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Photo By: Peter Wynn Thompson / Getty Images

Photo By: Peter Wynn Thompson / Getty Images, Peter Wynn Thompson / Getty Images, Peter Wynn Thompson / Getty Images

Get Creative With Karen

On Good Bones, Karen E Laine teams up with her daughter, Mina Starsiak, to breathe new life into dilapidated properties in their hometown of Indianapolis. Any regular (or first-time) viewer will soon discover that Karen doesn’t let things go to waste. If it can be salvaged, she will find a way to reinvent, renew or restore. Ahead, we compiled her coolest ideas.

see more: Karen E Laine Takes It Outside in the HGTV Special 'Good Bones: Better Yard'

Turn an Accident Into a Statement

Mina and the boys of Good Bones typically handle demolition day, while Karen scours the nooks and crannies for great finds. However, on this particular day, she decided to tackle some reno and removed the old stone front from the fireplace. The problem? The homeowner had actually wanted to leave it. Oops! Karen convinced the homeowner she could make the fireplace even better — and, of course, she did. Channeling the modern American vibe of the home, Karen brought in a 140-year-old pediment she'd saved from another house to use as the mantel. Then, she refaced the fireplace with classic neutral stone.

see more: Get to Know the Boys of 'Good Bones'

From: Mina Starsiak

Go For an Accent Wall

Longtime viewers may remember tears shed over a lath wall that didn’t make the cut in an earlier season. So, when a lath wall was discovered during demolition in season six, Karen was overjoyed and vowed to use it in this bedroom design. After cleaning off the plaster, she sanded it down and coated it with polyurethane to bring out the wood's warm colors. Original to the home, it makes a cozy, earthy backdrop.

see more: Mina Starsiak's Best Design Ideas for Every Room

From: Mina Starsiak

Keep It Original

Sometimes great finds don’t need a complete reworking. They simply need a good cleaning and a new home. Here, Karen brought an architectural element from the front porch inside to hang over the new bookshelves, adding character and a piece of the original house into the design.

see more: Mina Starsiak Hawk's House Reveal

From: Mina Starsiak

Take It Back to Its Natural State

This was a labor of love that got the whole Good Bones squad involved. In Karen’s opinion, the wing walls of this home were too beautiful to remove during the remodel — so the team took on the time-consuming task of revitalizing them. The first step was easy enough: They removed oil-based paint from the surface of the walls. The sanding process, on the other hand, took an entire week. Once the sanding was complete, the team used charcoal to bring out the wood's graining and a wax stain to add rich color.

see more: Tour the Renovated 'Good Bones: Risky Business' Home

From: Mina Starsiak

Reclaim Your Yard and Your Design

It might be hard to spot the reclaimed accent of this front porch — because it was once a piano. Karen used oven cleaner and a nylon brush to get rid of the dirt, grime and varnish, and then sanded it down to nice, natural wood. Her clever curb appeal trick: The massive tree roots in the front yard didn't allow for gardening, so she built a planter box that sits over the roots and makes landscaping possible.

From: Mina Starsiak

Don’t Be Afraid to Be Bold

In this artist's home, Mina and Karen wanted to turn the upstairs landing into a studio. After removing the vinyl floors, the team painted the subfloors white. Then Karen got to work decoupaging a bold, colorful pattern. A coat of polyurethane made it super durable. The finished design looks almost like stained glass.

From: Mina Starsiak

Search for What You Want

During this home remodel, Karen found a 30-inch round piece of tempered glass and got an idea. She searched the shoreline of the Ohio River for the perfect piece of driftwood to cut and shape into a table base. Now, the salvaged glass is part of a showstopping coffee table.

From: Mina Starsiak

Opt for Simple, Elevated Touches

For this high-end remodel, the Good Bones team had to design a bathroom for professional basketball player Justin Holiday and his wife. One of his requests? A seven-foot-long soaking tub. Karen made the setup even more special with a custom-designed spa shelf, which she built out of reclaimed wood. It's big enough to hold a drink, book and phone.

From: Mina Starsiak

Build a Shelf

Karen took old corbels off the front of the exterior of this gingerbread-style home, cleaned them up, sanded them down and repainted them white. Now, they support a makeshift shelf that hangs over the kitchen window. (It's the small details that matter the most.)

see more: Mina Starsiak Uses This Trendy Trick to Warm Up Any Kitchen

From: Mina Starsiak

Save Antiques

Most people would have thrown away a dirty old rug found in the attic of an abandoned building — but Karen is not most people. With the help of professionals, she discovered this Persian rug from Iran dates back to the 1930s or ‘40s. She found a real treasure! Professional cleaning brought back the rug’s vibrant colors, and now it’s a centerpiece in this dining room.

From: Karen E Laine

Fake It Till You Make It

Big boulders add dimension and shape to landscaping, but they come at a hefty price. Typically, they’re around 30 cents per pound, and when they weigh over 700 pounds, money adds up quickly. To maximize the budget of this home, Karen bought three real boulders and made some fake ones out of hypertufa — a mix of cement, peat and vermiculite. Pretty boulders at a fraction of the cost. Can you spot the fakes?

From: Mina Starsiak

Always Say Yes to a Fire Pit

Although Karen doesn’t love cutting down trees, sometimes it’s necessary. For this backyard, the hackberry tree had to go — so she re-envisioned it as a custom fire pit. The edge of the tree stump acts as the surround of the versatile fire pit, which pivots 180 degrees and raises and lowers.

From: Karen E Laine

Add Texture With Rope

Karen repurposed the porch railing of this home into a headboard and footboard for the main bedroom, weaving jute twine through the slats for a funky bohemian aesthetic. Of course, she couldn't stop there. She also created a one-of-a-kind pendant with twine and glue. The result: the coolest DIY light fixture.

see more: 29 Wow-Worthy Designs From 'Good Bones'

From: Mina Starsiak

Go Antique Shopping

For the Two Chicks District Co. store, the team found this antique cash wrap. Originally, Karen had planned to sand it down and paint it white, but after sanding everyone decided the wood underneath was too gorgeous to cover up. Now, a layer of polyurethane protects the wood and the showstopping piece shines from the middle of the store.

From: Karen E Laine

Blend Past and Present

Karen uncovered an antique dresser while renovating this home and wanted to bring it back into the house renewed. She sanded it down to the natural wood and decoupaged old maps and postcards on the inside to bring in history to the home in a modern way. Now, it's the focal point of the open living area.

see more: 25 Stylish Living Room Designs From 'Good Bones' Throughout the Years

From: Mina Starsiak

Add Handmade Accents

When the team took on the remodel of Mina’s friend’s bridal shop, Karen was able to do a few creative projects. One of our faves is the decorations around the mirror in the friends and family area. Karen lined the top of the ordinary arched mirror sitting behind the couch with handmade flowers made from old bridal gowns.

From: Mina Starsiak

Frame Out Your Style

When Karen found an old headboard in the attic of this remodel, she knew the three decorative wooden pieces on it were meant to be repurposed. To create picture frames, she cut out the center of each, added matboards as backing and topped them off with pictures of trees. Instead of glass, she used budget-friendly polyurethane to give the final pieces a matte finish.

From: Karen E Laine

Salvage for Ambiance and Function

When a decorative door was found upstairs in this home, Karen shockingly said she wasn’t going to save it, so the guys threw it out the window. But surprising no one, she eventually decided it needed to be reused. So, she repurposed the door as a spice shelf for the kitchen — rustic-chic and functional.

From: Mina Starsiak

Let Your Creative Juices Flow

If your budget for art is tight, no worries. Grab a blank canvas and let your creativity spill out onto it. Here, Karen pulled all the colors of a space together in an abstract piece to bring movement into the room. She even let her new little pup add a special touch.

From: Karen E Laine

Create a Gathering Spot Outside

During her Good Bones: Better Yard special, Karen created a comfy cocktail lounge area for new parents to enjoy after putting the baby to sleep. Grid-laid pavers form a patio centered beneath a new outdoor fireplace. Cafe lights hang over a cozy seating area, while an arched-paned mirror adds sleek style to the space.

From: Karen E Laine

Good Bones

Karen E Laine's Most Creative Designs

Related To:

Shop This Look

Get Creative With Karen

Turn an Accident Into a Statement

Go For an Accent Wall

Keep It Original

Take It Back to Its Natural State

Reclaim Your Yard and Your Design

Don’t Be Afraid to Be Bold

Search for What You Want

Opt for Simple, Elevated Touches

Build a Shelf

Save Antiques

Fake It Till You Make It

Always Say Yes to a Fire Pit

Add Texture With Rope

Go Antique Shopping

Blend Past and Present

Add Handmade Accents

Frame Out Your Style

Salvage for Ambiance and Function

Let Your Creative Juices Flow

Create a Gathering Spot Outside

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