Tour Every Space Keshia, Matthew and Melissa Transformed on ‘Totally ’90s House’

Vintage ’90s fashion is trendy all over again, ’90s music is re-climbing the charts and we're getting nostalgic for the relatively screen-free life that was possible in the analog decade. Interior-design choices of the ’90s, however, not so much. After a nationwide casting call for houses stuck in the ’90s, HGTV singled out four homes — then called on six design-minded television stars of the era to help stop the insanity. Enter HGTV's Totally '90s House competition. Host Jaleel White (Steve Urkel from Family Matters) divided the sitcom icons into two three-person teams, then supplied them with renovation budgets of $200,000 per trio. He tasked each team with updating one of the four chosen homes room by room, facing evaluations from guest judges each week on creativity, nods to the ’90s and overall design. The winners get bragging rights and a donation of $25,000 to their chosen charity.

In this corner: Keshia Knight Pulliam (Rudy Huxtable of The Cosby Show), Matthew Lawrence (Jack Hunter from Boy Meets World) and Melissa Joan Hart (who bookended the decade with title roles on Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina the Teenage Witch). Though they all had some experience with renovation and design, Jaleel did them a solid by matching them with a pro mentor (HGTV’s own Carter Oosterhouse, who offered guidance and clutch carpentry along the way).

They did their best to outperform the three members of Team Mauve: Jodie Sweetin (Full House’s Stephanie Tanner), Brian Austin Green (Beverly Hills, 90210’s David Silver) and Beverley Mitchell (7th Heaven’s Lucy Camden). Their design mentor, in turn, was HGTV’s Sabrina Soto.

Jaleel wasn’t about taking it easy on the teams. In the interest of keeping it real, ’90s-style, he handed each group a “time capsule” full of outdated tech. (Car phones: check. VHS cassettes and players: check. Camcorders that could double as free weights? Check.) These weren’t props; they were tools. “From this point forward, your cellphones are off-limits,” Jaleel said. “So, put away your smartphones, can’t use them. People, we’re not going to be smart here!”

The first order of business was to visit, tour and decide between two decidedly outdated renovation candidates. Option one was a built-in-1993 Tudor Revival in St. Louis, Missouri. The good and bad news: it had 10,000 square feet of interior space, including a double staircase and a forest’s worth of stuck-in-the-’90s woodwork. There were lots of ways to make an aesthetic impact, but would $200,000 be anywhere near enough to tackle renovations on that scale?

The team then headed to Long Island, where Patti DeLeo’s once-contemporary home had remained essentially untouched since 1990. After raising her kids as a single mom, then welcoming her grown children and grandchildren to a house that felt more and more like a living time capsule, Patti was more than ready to modernize — and Team Curtains, who took their name from her curtains, felt like the crew to tow her into the future. (The cookies and tea cakes she left for Keshia, Matthew and Melissa didn’t hurt.)

Jaleel tasked each team with renovating their kitchen in seven days for no more than $70,000, and Team Curtains got cracking. Patti expressed an interest in beachy brightness and a kitchen garden that would help her host impromptu lunches. The team decided a coastal-cottage vibe would suit the house and Patti's taste. Keshia, Matthew and Melissa couldn't wait to get rid of the awkward peninsula, dated cabinetry and clunky layout that divided the kitchen from the rest of the first floor.

Hasta la vista, wishy-washy pastels! Team Curtains built the new kitchen around an island painted the dazzling azure of a summer sky, then let hints of the color carry through the materials they chose for the rest of the space. Kids and grandkids alike can pull up a stool at the massive island (topped with stone the team got for free, thanks to a midweek challenge win), and foot traffic can flow freely in every direction.

The unexpected windfall of the free stone countertops gave Team Curtains wiggle room to replace the former living room’s unlovely exterior door with cottage-chic, glass-paneled French doors — a swap that their mentor-slash-carpenter accomplished with ease (and an assist from Keshia). A sunny new window seat replaces the dining table that once blocked access to the backyard, while a sweet, symmetrical arrangement of ornamental plates and wall-mounted herbs frames the vignette and gives Patti a taste of the kitchen-garden functionality she craved.

The new island isn’t just a pretty face: it’s loaded with storage and sleek tech that matches the new refrigerator and range (which contrast handsomely with the bright brass hardware Team Curtains chose for the cabinetry). The blue paint also draws blue tones from the gray stone tiles they selected to create a ’90s-worthy pattern underfoot.

Speaking of that checkerboard flooring, it was all Keshia’s idea. She loves a checkerboard but knew a high-contrast homage to the kitchen floors of the ’90s would be overseasoning the space. Instead, she lobbied for a tone-on-tone sand-and-cream arrangement — and when the cream tiles weren’t available, the team pivoted to gray. A showstopping six-burner range is the space’s new star, and the upper cabinets flanking its hood go all the way to the ceiling now.

HGTV star Vern Yip reunited with Carter (who worked with him on Trading Spaces from 2003 to 2007) in Massapequa to weigh in on his mentees’ coastal-cottage kitchen. There were no cliffhangers in Vern’s response: “This [layout] allows full circulation around the kitchen, which is fantastic,” he said. While he wasn’t in love with the metallic tone of the globe lights centered above the island, his admiration for the team’s next-level space planning knew no bounds. “I think the thing that … pushed you right over the edge is the incorporation of a much better layout [and] really making sure the appliance triangle — the sink, the range, and the refrigerator — all were accessible to each other,” he told Team Curtains.

“We have this win under our belt [and] it’s always good to start out strong,” Keshia said. “[W]e have a lot of interesting spaces [coming up] so anything can happen, but we’re prepared for everything!”

Team Curtains hoped to keep the momentum going with their second renovation, in which they’d be transforming the home’s primary suite with a budget of $30,000. Jaleel also issued a sub-challenge: They’d have to salvage an item from the space’s initial decor and upcycle it into a pitch-perfect part of their makeover.

Sensing that the dramatic four-post bed and heavy furniture spoke to the homeowner’s romantic side, Keshia and her teammates resolved to find a canopy bed that offered a more streamlined version of that drama. They’d replace the maroon carpet with hardwood, add beams to bring some texture to the vaulted ceiling and honor the room’s past with … what? “[T]here’s something about this furniture that she loves,” Keshia noted, “so what if we took [the armoire], upcycled [and] repurposed it, [and] took the doors off and made it the door [to the bathroom]?”

Carter served as carpentry coach for the team as they added tone-on-tone beams to give the soaring ceiling dimension (and make the space feel a bit cozier). Pale plank flooring topped with a high-pile, pale blue area rug gives Patti a soft place to land in the morning that better suits her bedchamber’s new palette. With clean lines and gauzy sheers to add romance, the new four-post canopy bed — paired with a casually slipcovered sofa and matching benches — gives the space the Nancy Meyers makeover it deserves.

The exaggerated curves and over-the-top botanical carving that made the armoire too much in its original incarnation were advantages in its upcycling. By cutting about three inches behind the armoire doors and mounting the piece as interior molding, the team managed a truly unique homage to the '90s. The mix of complementary, cottage-inspired fabrics the team deployed in the room’s linens and seating keep the everything-old-is-new-again aesthetic going.

With a streamlined, contemporary-cottage silhouette and a warm stain that plays well with the room’s pale, creamy tones, this low dresser exudes the unfussy loveliness Keshia and her teammates envisioned for Patti. This bedroom can now evolve slowly and gracefully, piece by piece and accent by accent, as its occupant’s needs and tastes change.

The long, narrow storage room adjoining the bedroom was a walk-in closet in the sense that one could enter it and it did contain clothes, but oh, it contained every outdated element of its era as well. Carpet so stained it looked like concrete! Lackluster upper shelving! Poorly papered particle board! With improved space planning, high-quality materials and anything to replace that old light, this space had nowhere to go but up.

The new integrated storage system feels like a system rather than a collection of halfhearted ideas. Sturdy LVP sets the stage for functional shelving, drawers and rods that rise to the ceiling, while woven bins in three different finishes add semi-hidden storage that’s visually interesting rather than chaotic. The must-have attic access overhead now matches and recedes into the ceiling, and a narrow light fixture provides more illumination without stealing space from the shelving beside it.

Nobody knows renovation competitions like 100 Day Dream Home’s Mika and Brian Kleinschmidt, Rock the Block and Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge champs who have been in Team Curtains’ time-crunched shoes many, many times. They headed to Long Island to guest-judge the primary bedroom and adored subtle '90s nods like the mixed fabrics and ceiling beams — but might those beams have been more impactful with a different palette? “I would have loved to see some color detail in between,” Mika noted. “I think because we have that high ceiling, we could have a lot of fun with adding just that extra layer.”

The Kleinschmidts also adored Matthew and Carter’s ingenious work with the armoire-as-entry, a detail that balanced out the substantial bed across the room and softened the straight-across feel of those ceiling beams. But speaking of ceilings, could the ceiling in the closet have gotten a bit more love? “I feel like you really couldn’t change the attic placement, but maybe camouflage it a little better,” Mika told the contestants. The competition’s first second-story win went to their opponents, but hey, you can’t win them all — and if these actors-turned-renovators know one thing for sure, it’s that everything can change when you tune in next week.

On the (literal) bright side, Patti’s original bathroom had a dramatic ceiling and a generous skylight. Unfortunately, all the natural light landed on an elephantine tub that claimed half the room and made the narrow, closed-off shower stall seem even smaller. Multiple layers of mirrors on every wall that wasn’t papered, tiled or both gave this space a disorienting, seaside-carnival feel. For the third round of renovations, Jaleel gave Team Curtains $55,000 to revamp this time capsule — and they needed every penny of it to make their updates.

Replacing the room-swallowing spa tub with a still-spacious version that suits the room’s scale breathed new life into this bath suite. Feather-light paint creates continuity between its many zones, and a single, understated row of vertical Zellige tiles frames the new tub without overwhelming it. (That restraint came courtesy of Carter, who warned his mentees that taking the installation all the way up the wall could tip over into a “tiled gymnasium” look.) Keshia’s beloved checkerboard floor tile both recalls the marvelous new cottage kitchen downstairs and gives this space a hint of character. A romantic new pendant and framed art add a touch of richness to Patti’s new soaking spot.

Team Curtains toned down the bath suite’s quirky architecture with immersive wallpaper that made the vanity area feel like a distinct space and camouflaged the closet door to the left. With a small blue-on-cream pattern that echoes the floor’s two-tone palette at a very different scale, this paper is complementary rather than disorienting. Double sconces with romantic shades preside over two separate vanity mirrors (no more reflective walls, thank you very much) with dark, fanciful spindle frames. Together, these thoughtfully gathered accessories function as a collection of vintage treasures and dispel the suite’s time-capsule vibes for good.

The new glass-walled shower stall beside the soaking tub features a two-tone installation framing more of the creamy, vertical Zellige tiles with a field of blue that serves as another complement to the checkerboard flooring. Between the shower and the wallpapered double-vanity area, a vintage-inspired, wall-mounted mirror tops a feminine dressing table. “It’s a small space, but we can make it [luxurious] so when [Patti] walks in here she feels like she’s walking into her oasis,” Keshia said.

As both a '90s pop icon and a Rock the Block fan favorite whose ultra-luxe spa bath made the judges swoon, 98 Degrees band member Drew Lachey was the ideal evaluator of the competitors’ bath-suite transformations. “That’s where I do my best work,” he joked with Carter. “It’s only fitting!”

“You guys cleared up some very valuable real estate in that kind of unique, tight footprint,” he told Team Curtains. “The wallpaper was a little bit much for me — I’m more of a neutral guy — but all in all, a beautiful job well done!” While Team Mauve’s spa-style renovation was more to Drew’s taste and earned them a second win, Team Curtains knew that their sophisticated patterns and elegant touches would delight their homeowner.

With a weekly budget of just $25,000, it was time for Team Curtains to plan out their big entrance — that is, Miss Patti’s all-new entryway, foyer and den. Having grown up on-camera, they all knew how important debuts could be, and they were all more than ready to get started. Her wish list included a new front door and better flooring, and “if we have the budget to replace this door I would love to,” Keshia said. “You know what I really want to do, though? I would love to open this [wall of doors] up right here and create a little mudroom area.”

Checkerboard tile now extends the team’s signature nod to the ‘90s and beckons guests all the way from the front door to the heart of the home. Keshia and her team updated the stairs’ treads with a lighter stain, then darkened the banister’s stain and installed new iron spindles. Tone-on-tone paneling replaces the dated wallpaper in the stairwell, and warm white paint now carries through the first floor and up to the bedrooms. In place of its fussy, flush-mount crystal chandelier, the foyer ceiling now culminates in a gleaming brass pendant.

Miss Patti’s new front door reflects the coastal-cottage character she loves with details that better suit the 21st century. Simple arcs and curlicues replace the overly-ornate, faceted panels in the home’s original entry. Visiting grandchildren will no longer feel like they’re walking into a time capsule. “It’s symbolic, you know? She’s entering a new threshold, a new era, a new time in her life, and the door is beautiful,” Keshia said.

In lieu of a Scooby-Doo-chase-worthy corridor of doors, the foyer now sports a sophisticated stop-and-drop with a bench and cubbies for the extended family. Team Curtains echoed the remaining doors’ paneling with molding behind the bench, and a pair of brass sconces mounted across from one another echo the luxe look of the entryway pendant. This space is kid-friendly, designer-approved: “I know my kids, [and] they love any little cove or nook,” Keshia said.

The doors to Patti’s deck were essentially inaccessible, thanks to a kooky layout that put the den’s most substantial seating against them and across from an unlovely entertainment center (which still housed a VHS/DVD combination player, because of course it did). The neglected hearth was the room’s natural focal point, and reorienting its furnishings to make the most of that feature would transform the home’s flow (and make this space feel twice as big).

Free of the cumbersome entertainment center and reoriented with symmetrical furnishings that center on the spectacular new hearth, the den is now the airy, indoor-outdoor space it always should have been. Tone-on-tone faux ceiling beams draw the eye to the now-accessible patio doors. Creamy white paint carries up the walls and across that ceiling, creating a more cohesive feel. Though the new ottoman-as-coffee-table is wider than the wooden piece it replaces, the entertainment center’s absence leaves plenty of room for a seating area that doesn’t crowd the corridor between the kitchen and the patio.

The Fantasy Brown granite slab Team Curtains sourced for the hearth’s new fireplace surround has a magnificent sense of movement in its veining (and a hint of the blue tone the trio has carried throughout their renovation). With a touchable leathered finish, the slab — which they also used for the custom countertops they built into the bookcases flanking the new, bespoke plaster hearth — is an ideal centerpiece for this one-of-a-kind installation. Carter couldn’t have been more pleased with his team’s work: “I mean, talk about a 180 from what was here before; this is a massive transformation!”

The team was also intent on providing Patti with a new “command center” to replace the kitchen nook where she’d paid bills and conducted household business. The custom cabinet they built between the foyer and the patio doors conceals a desk that will serve as her occasional office (and close up when she isn’t using it).