The Best Historic Home Renovations from HGTV Stars

Could adding a new chapter to a storied home's saga be the ultimate renovation high? Allow the pros to demonstrate how thoughtful restoration and creative adaptation resolve residential cliffhangers in style.

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April 29, 2022

By: Lauren Oster

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Photo By: Windy City Rehab

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Who Says You Can't Teach an Old House New Tricks?

There’s a special kind of thrill in watching a seasoned pro restore a home’s faded glory for a new generation of occupants. Brand-spanking-new conveniences are nice, but when you can retell a classic story in a thrilling way? That’s peak renovation satisfaction. (Case in point: This spectacular Chicago kitchen that Alison Victoria of Windy City Rehab revived with a 13-foot island, bold blue color and a pine-cabinet-turned-wine-bar that’s original to the Civil-War-era home.) Take a spin through HGTV stars’ very best historic before-and-afters.

See More Photos: Alison Victoria's Top Transformations

1920s Bungalow, Before

Nicole Curtis of Rehab Addict got to this abandoned, neglected North Minneapolis bungalow just in time. Though the original woodwork was in comparatively good shape, other portions of the home were crumbling — and the whole property was due to be demolished by the city.

From: Nicole Curtis

1920s Bungalow, After

Behold the power of paint and a little TLC. Nicole covered the dining room’s lackluster blue walls with a coat of creamy white paint that complements the restored quarter-sawn oak’s rich color. Believe it or not, the previously-woeful floors simply needed sanding and refinishing to glow against the built-in cabinets and trim. With little more than a handful of lush house plants and a dining set, this space is now ready to welcome another century’s worth of guests.

SEE THE ENTIRE HOME: 1920s Bungalow Restoration on Rehab Addict

From: Nicole Curtis

1870s Mansion, Before

Built in the Venetian Gothic style for a dry goods merchant, Detroit’s Ransom Gillis House is a landmark that had been unoccupied since the 1960s. When HGTV and Nicole Curtis stepped in to revive it, once-grand areas like this foyer were skeletal spaces in need of floor-to-ceiling reconstruction.

1870s Mansion, After

The well-weathered interior brick walls stand as a noble testament to the home’s long history — and just about everything else in the foyer has been completely transformed. Nicole drew period-appropriate inspiration from a neighboring house of a similar age to outfit the space with details like a custom-turned stair post with a traditional finial, intricate woodwork on the stairs’ skirtboards and cathedral balusters at the top of each spindle. Her team stained and installed more than 5,000 square feet of new hardwood to mimic the home’s original flooring. To crown the once-again-grand entry, she tapped a local pottery studio (founded in the home’s carriage house in 1903) to create one-of-a-kind tile.

SEE THE ENTIRE HOME: Rehab Addict Reno: Tour the Ransom Gillis House

Century-Old Craftsman, Before

This Craftsman-style cottage in Laurel, Mississippi was constructed around 1910, resold about a decade later, then owned and passed down through a family for nearly a century. Home Town’s Erin and Ben Napier saw its beautiful bones had potential to be adapted to suit a new family.

Century-Old Craftsman, After

Here’s lovely proof that major updates to historic homes don’t have to entail doing away with interior walls (or spending a small fortune). By stripping and refinishing the white oak floor, brightening the walls, heightening the window treatment and adding celadon-green trim, Erin added contemporary energy without sacrificing intimate charm. It would've been a shame to lose the lovely French doors that give this dining room its cozy character.

SEE THE ENTIRE HOME: Home Town: Laurel, Mississippi by Way of LA

Circa-1900 Cottage, Before

Muffled behind overgrown landscaping and left vacant, this home in historic downtown Laurel had fallen on hard times in the century since its construction (in 1900!). Erin and Ben Napier were among the neighbors who’d longed to see it restored. Somewhere in there, architectural details like a rare-for-the-area covered balcony and decorative brackets were just waiting to wow again.

Circa-1900 Cottage, After

And there she is! The Napiers replaced the roof and revived the exterior with cedar shake and crisp white trim, then added sweet details like a custom porch swing and outdoor dining table. A handsome stone walkway leads visitors through well-manicured vegetation, and those handsome columns are the new MVPs of curb appeal. This once-dilapidated home has now claimed a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

TOUR THE HOME: Home Town: History in the Making

1890s Southern Colonial, Before

Likely one of Laurel, Mississippi’s oldest homes, this faded belle’s interiors suffered from ill-chosen wall coverings and window treatments. Erin Napier envisioned a transformation that would better integrate features like this fireplace — and infuse the home with breezy Southern grace.

1890s Southern Colonial, After

Isn’t that more like it? Beneath the walls' Sheetrock, the Napiers found gloriously textural beadboard; lightening it with powder-blue paint let those details shine through and gave the room a chance to breathe. Delicate white curtains paired with a roller shade admit the sunshine this space so desperately needed.

TOUR THE HOME: Home Town: A Forever Home and a Fine Southern Porch

Late-1800s Victorian, Before

The cool news is that a ship’s captain built this fantastic Pittsburgh home in the 19th century, and the not-so-cool news is that someone renovated the kitchen in the 1980s. Its current owners summoned Leanne and Steve Ford to work their Restored by the Fords sibling magic and steer back into stylish waters.

Late-1800s Victorian, After

The classic kitchen they created feels both elemental and elegant: a simple pattern in penny tile defines the space, a crisp, quartz-topped island with an oil-rubbed bronze faucet is both functional and beautiful, and butcher-block countertops with a high-gloss finish suggest a shipwright’s woodwork. Best of all, hand-blown glass pendants add a bit of new personality with Old World technique. In a working space like this one where era-appropriate appliances would be awkward — let’s be honest, preparing meals on a Victorian stove sounds iffy at best — era-evocative fixtures make all the difference.

TOUR THE HOME: Restored by the Fords: Victorian Frill but Make it Modern

Pittsburgh Craftsman, Before

This stately brick home was full of charming details like arched interior doorways and gorgeous exterior architecture. It was also full of shadows and stumbling blocks like this cramped, closed-off kitchen — and its new owners needed an updated space to suit their lively family.

Pittsburgh Craftsman, After

Leanne and Steve Ford decided that in this case, reimagining the home’s layout was essential. Accent paint in contemporary teal highlights the original details that remain, and a paler blue-green carries into the built-in they created for the refrigerator, across the cabinets and through the island and stools. Sunlight now pours from the foyer through to the living and dining area, where a handmade table and a quartet of Bertoia chairs celebrate craftsmanship in an eclectic new spirit.

TOUR THE HOME: Restored by the Fords: From Classic Craftsman to Cool Craftsman

1919 Tudor, Before

With dated wallpaper and fixtures, this once-stunning Pittsburgh Tudor no longer felt like an architectural gem. Steve and Leanne Ford swept in to brighten and modernize the home and honor its origins.

1919 Tudor, After

Gorgeous, no? A graceful, new built-in bench (thanks, Steve!) swoops beneath the windows, and cream-on-white paint (thanks, Leanne!) soaks up all that dazzling sunlight. Stripped of its bulky cover and repainted, the radiator now adds character instead of gobbling up floor space.

TOUR THE HOME: A Childhood Home Updated

1890s Colonial, Before

This Bentonville, Arkansas home was built in 1893, then trimmed in pastel yellow… well, we’re not exactly sure when that happened. Dave and Jenny Marrs of Fixer to Fabulous planned to reimagine the paint scheme, do away with the lackluster concrete steps and relocate the front door.

1890s Colonial, After

Now there’s a properly welcoming porch! A new brick walkway and steps lead visitors to a centered front door where that yellow hue is much more pleasing. Hanging ferns, shapely topiary and a porch swing add curb appeal on the ground floor, and a new stained-glass window infuses the dormer with personality.

TOUR THE HOME: How Dave and Jenny Marrs Turn Fixer-Uppers Into Fabulous Homes

1905 Victorian, Before

Constructed for humans, this dilapidated Victorian had converted to an informal squirrel hotel before Dave and Jenny Marrs arrived. Previous would-be rehabbers had created unsafe conditions, and previous painters had chosen a grim brown-on-beige color scheme.

1905 Victorian, After

Buried under all those ill-advised updates: hundred-year-old siding, rehabbed courtesy of Dave Marrs! Deep navy exterior paint trimmed with white brought this stately home back to life, and a shapely new gable serves as a decorative flourish. Finally, thoughtful new landscaping (thank you for your service, old tree) lets the lovely stained glass in the front windows take center stage.

TOUR THE HOME: How Dave and Jenny Marrs Turn Fixer-Uppers Into Fabulous Homes

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