HGTV Stars' 25 Best Before-and-After Makeovers

From tasteful kitchen makeovers to splashy bathroom transformations, we can’t stop thinking about these feats of design genius. Bravo, Team HGTV!

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By: Lauren Oster

Shows: Home Town, Desert Flippers, Good Bones, Restored by the Fords, and The Nate and Jeremiah Home Project

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Domestic Bliss Is Just Around the Corner

When you're midway through a transformation in your own home, grand reveals (and happily-ever-afters) can feel impossibly far away. Consider these dramatic pairings a visual pep talk: Time after time, HGTV's design pros have battled through design dilemmas and found their way to fairy-tale endings. (Plus, "The Quest for a Beautiful Bathroom" sounds much better than "the weekend you spent ripping out and replacing nasty tile," no?)

Before: Paradise Lost

Pre-renovation, Drew Scott’s Galveston beach house looks more like a west Texas outlaw’s shack. What could be quirky-cool coastal architecture is all but invisible beneath muddy '70s textures.

After: Shipshape and Ready for Relaxin'

Drew peeled away wood, stone and whatever had been climbing the wall above the fireplace and resurfaced his living room in cool, nautical white. The now-graceful staircase gets plenty of light, and the fireplace is a showpiece rather than a time capsule.

Before: Too Many Cooks

This Mississippi kitchen is groaning under the weight of outdated cabinets and appliances, an awkward dropped ceiling and three grotty layers of floor covering. What was wrong with the original pine?

After: Magnificent Makeunder

Erin and Ben Napier rolled back decades of bad decisions to reveal ample ceiling space and a handsome hardwood floor. After knocking out a wall to give the kitchen an open-concept feel, they finished the new backsplash with block-printed custom wallpaper based on Spanish tile.

Before: Simple Addition

While this bonus room provides extra space, it doesn’t offer much in the way of atmosphere, commercial-grade carpet and curiously quilted window treatments aside.

After: Club Room

Now, this is living. Massive leather Chesterfields meet beneath a billowing, oversized pendant. Leanne Ford has given this Pennsylvania addition the gravitas of a proper gathering spot.

Before: Ghost Story

There’s a good chance any kind of attention would improve this dilapidated Indianapolis bedroom. Unfortunately, there’s also a good chance it’s haunted.

After: Sweet Dreams

Who wouldn’t want to spend the night in this sweet second-floor space? Karen Laine and Mina Starsiak Hawk gave the walls the TLC they deserved, then topped all-new flooring with a patterned area rug and a bohemian mix of traditional and midcentury-inspired bedroom furniture.

Before: Limited Range

Oppressive cabinetry, outdated appliances and vast expanses of carpet(!) mask this kitchen’s potential. It could be the focal point of epic dinner parties, but it’s got a long way to go.

After: A Feast for the Eyes

Leanne Ford demolished the overhead cabinetry and sent milky marble spilling down the backsplash, across the counter and over a waterfall edge down to the living room floor. New, pale wood plays beautifully with a wicker sofa and quartet of bentwood chairs.

Before: Master of None

Erin and Ben Napier’s clients are hoping for a "dream bathroom," but no one has dreamed of a bathroom like this for quite some time.

After: Spa Suite

Quite literally, the Napiers rebuilt this master bath from the foundation up: From the elegant subway-tiled shower stall and freestanding tub to the wooden bath caddy (a special project for Ben), every last element of this luxurious new space is their creation.

Before: Kitchen Island

This prep area has admirable access to the outdoors, but it’s walled away from the rest of the first floor — and the patch of tile beside a sea of creamy carpet is just plain odd.

After: Loft Space

Who says one can’t export big-city living to the suburbs? Jasmine Roth replaced the interior wall with steel beams spanning a generous eat-in area. While her homeowners have left actual warehouses behind, their open-concept space now teems with industrial chic.

See More Photos: 20 'Hidden Potential' Scenes That Are Anything But Cookie-Cutter

Before: Bland and Barren

Instead of welcoming vacationers to the beach, Jonathan Scott’s Galveston house seems to welcome guests to a near-empty abode. It’s an awkward first impression.

After: What an Entrance!

Homes on the water are all about the views, and at long last, this one is no exception: You can see straight from the front door to the deck out back, and the dining area flows seamlessly into the living room.

Before: Sad-State Kitchen

Beneath ribbons of peeling wallpaper and decades of neglect, a beautiful, multifunctional space is just begging to be uncovered.

After: Gourmet Triumph

Erin and Ben Napier turned two crowded rooms into a single, gracious eat-in kitchen by whisking away an unnecessary island and the wall between them, replacing a window with cabinetry and giving the walls and built-ins a coat of pale green paint.

Before: Another Brick in the Wall

The bespoke brick lattice in this Pennsylvania home is certainly unusual, but it doesn’t give the space the ethereal feel Leanne Ford is after — and she’s got another focal point in mind.

After: A Nest in the Treetops

This atrium now feels like the aerie it is. A pair of custom couches form an elegant seating area below an organic sculpture, and Leanne has reimagined the walls and floors in heavenly white.

Before: The World's Most Forgettable Kitchen

Bargain-basement cabinetry: Check. Substandard appliances: Check. Generic tile, listless fixtures, function-free wall: Check, check, check. There’s nothing explicitly wrong with this room, but there sure isn’t anything right with it, either.

After: Desert Drama

Eric and Lindsey Bennett demolished the wall between the great room and the kitchen, then replaced each mediocre detail that remained with an upscale touch. New cabinets, countertops, tile and flooring provide an elegant backdrop for a new island and gleaming brass accessories.

Before: Bare-Bones Barracks

A portion of this Mississippi home served as a boarding house for servicemen returning from World War II, and it never quite regained a sense of civilian comfort.

After: Private Getaway

The Napiers created a cozy den for the man of the house by replacing the worn carpet and buttery walls with dark-stained flooring and crisp khaki paneling. Erin established a feature wall with fishing trophies, then let the home’s rich history guide her hand as she chose masculine accessories for the rest of the space.

Before: Fill In the Blank

This home has plenty of history (and is well-preserved), but it boasts little in the way of personality. Erin and Ben Napier resolve to give it the character a building of its age should have.

From: Erin Napier

After: Toast of the Town

Natural wood beams cut from centuries-old lumber draw the eye to a "new" fireplace constructed with vintage bricks. With her clients’ fondness for French Country style in mind, Erin Napier filled their home with quirky, Old World objets from floor to ceiling.

From: Erin Napier

Before: Chamber of Secrets

What is that sprawling purple splotch in the shower? What’s with the random pink tiles around the sink? Palm Springs is full of mysteries, friends.

After: The Big Reveal

This elegant new room isn’t merely an improvement on what Eric and Lindsey Bennett purchased — it could now be the very reason they sell this house. The once-subterranean sink is now exposed to the skylight, modern fixtures and graphic tiles unify the space, and gold accents make it feel downright luxurious.

Before: Blank Stair

Since this staircase is the first thing visitors see as they step through the front door, it’s crucial that said staircase is, um, both bland and bulky? Oh, ill-conceived tract homes.

After: Open Sesame!

Jasmine Roth stuck this landing: In carving out the space beneath the stairs, she opened up the first floor and created a one-of-a-kind architectural focal point. Her ombré steps are the warm welcome this home so desperately needed.

Before: Cramping Their Style

In the absence of proper storage, this room holds a little of everything and doesn’t feel dedicated to anything. Its tangle of A/V cables is creeping across the hearth and an isolated ottoman; the ultramodern television console is stranded among transitional pieces. Why is there a massive, leopard-print-swathed something-or-other behind a teeny-tiny chair? You know what, don't tell us.

After: Coordinated Calm

Flanked by a pair of clutter-busting cabinets that disappear against the now-white walls, a sleek, contemporary mantel makes the television feel installed rather than stashed. Plush, proportionate seating with eclectic accessories offers perches for family members of all sizes.

Before: Forever Yuck

This ample kitchen has the look of a middle-school dance floor, thanks to walls jam-packed with shy cabinetry and appliances that leave a lonely, undersized table and chair to shuffle around all by themselves. The Scott brothers needed to change the tune ASAP.

After: A Complete Overhaul

Jonathan and Drew Scott added light and life by opening the space between the kitchen and dining room. They dazzled their clients with graphic tile, a well-proportioned green island, updated cabinets, gorgeous flooring and brand-new, vintage-inspired appliances.

Before: Nobody's Home

With an front walkway and door, dreadfully weathered exterior paint and landscaping that’s lush in the worst way, this house needs re-envisioning from the outside in.

After: Fresh-Faced Charmer

A gorgeous new front porch welcomes visitors with classic southern style, and deep green paint contrasts beautifully with the creamy white color Erin and Ben Napier chose for the exterior. A hanging plant and well-managed shrubs, in turn, replace the once-unkempt jungle.

From: Erin Napier and Ben Napier

Before: Uninhabitable Cabin

This outdated, unsafe and just plain spooky cabin had all the personality of a lumber shed. Dave and Jenny Marrs will have to roll up their sleeves to coax the “get away!” out of this getaway.

After: Rustic Refinement

By pairing a pale wash for the walls with a darker stain on the floorboards, the Marrs maintain the cabin’s sylvan charm and develop a bit of dimension. Crisp black hardware on the windows and pendant light infuse the space with Scandinavian style, and textural linens counterbalance the minimalistic wood with organic coziness.

Before: The Awkward Stage

Framed by once-trendy tubular railing and vertical blinds, this spiral staircase, unlovely landing and galley kitchen cultivate an '80s cruise-ship vibe. Alison Victoria needs to help this home find safe harbor.

After: Timeless Tradition

The now-generous eat-in kitchen features long, rustic ceiling beams that echo the interior molding and windows’ strong lines and right angles. Less-curvaceous stairs now unite the spaces, and handsome historic details like a weathered china hutch and an iron chandelier add character that won’t feel passé in a decade or two.

Before: Flavorless Kitchen

Tomato-red paint can’t salvage the mismatched paneling on these kitchen walls — and it’s not providing much of a distraction from rickety shutters and hovering appliances, either. Erin and Ben Napier have a soup-to-nuts overhaul ahead of them.

After: Custom Kitchen Delivery

Behold, a kitchen with purposeful personality! The Napiers covered each wall in continuous paneling, then gave it a coat of serene sage-green paint. Sturdier charcoal doors pair beautifully with industrial-iron touches on shelving and a schoolhouse pendant light. Shaker-style white cabinets integrate appliances and provide much-needed counter space.

Before: Wilted Greens

These half-hearted, two-tone walls should hitch a ride out of town with the chalk-white old blinds, wall-to-wall carpet and the striped paper in the dining room, please and thank you.

After: New Neutrals

Cherry-toned flooring punctuated with pale area rugs imbues the dining and family rooms with rich warmth. Woven rolling shades paired with ivory curtains upgrade the windows, a rich gray tone transforms the once-forgettable brick fireplace, and gaily-patterned textiles add personality without exhausting the eye. Well done, Erin!

Before: Tear Down This Wall!

There’s potential in this lovely old family room, but the paneling at left cloisters it from the rest of the house — and the wall of exposed brick is oppressive rather than expressive.

After: Best Features Forward

Leanne Ford bathed the walls in white to create contrast with the gorgeous herringbone floor and highlight the bricks’ texture rather than their tone. A round white coffee table and sinuous sectional, in turn, soften sharp angles and straight edges in the diamond-paned windows and paneling. That stifling wall? History.

Before: Left to Rust

Earth tones are well and good, but between the brick wall and fireplace, chocolate and dun sofas, sandy carpet and greige walls, it’s a lot. Erin and Ben Napier need to introduce height and cool tones to this flat, dusty space.

After: Coaxed to Life

Erin chose a vibrant tangerine-and-white floral print for the window treatment, then carried that vivid citrus to accent pillows and the area rug’s trim. Soft sage carries from the walls to the brick and back again, creating a gentle tone-on-tone coolness that complements those orange notes. Distressed wood and iron add a bit of industrial masculinity to the space, and an intricate white dresser and the turned-wood lamp perched on it bring feminine curves to counter them.

Before: Redness and Discomfort

Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent were tasked with making this living room comfortable and classic. Step one: Rolling back that awkward area rug and timeworn trim.

After: Beauty and Wellness

A gorgeous new installation beside the now-chic fireplace provides storage and draws the eye up to the ceiling with gilded details. A reimagined pass-through frames the kitchen and dining room, while furniture with classic silhouettes and opulent upholstery provide just enough visual interest to let heirlooms (like the jade figures on the table by the stairs) shine.