Zooey Deschanel Renovated Her Best Friend's Home Into an Open Concept

Actress Zooey Deschanel joins Jonathan and Drew Scott to surprise her best friend, Sarah, with a life-changing renovation.

December 15, 2020

By: Chelsey Bowen

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Photo By: Dennys Ilic

Photo By: dennys ilic 2019

Photo By: Dennys Ilic

Zooey Deschanel + Her BFF, Sarah

Zooey teamed up with Jonathan and Drew Scott to surprise her best friend, Sarah, with a complete renovation of her living spaces. Zooey and Sarah have known each other since they were five and call themselves "infinity best friends."

When Sarah, her husband, Adam, and their son moved to their new house, they downsized since square footage comes at a premium in their new area. "Sarah has this beautiful family, and they just moved to this new house that was a little bit tight for them. And then she got pregnant," said Zooey. "I just know as a parent that it's so hard when you have a toddler running around and a newborn. When there's little things that don't function for you, it makes your life so much harder. I want her to have an amazing space for her family."

Working on a Mom's Timeline

Zooey had planned this surprise with Sarah's husband, so the family of four lived in a rental apartment during the renovation. Since Sarah has a toddler and newborn, Zooey tells Jonathan and Drew they have three weeks to complete the job.

Renovating 101

Zooey is a lover of design and decorating, and she threw on her work clothes to help Jonathan lay the new hardwood floor. Jonathan explained the benefits of gluing hardwood down rather nailing it — no squeaky floorboards.

The Living Room, Before

Even though the home has a great big backyard, the 900-square-foot interior was tight with lots of small rooms rather than one open space. Immediately upon entering the home, the Property Brothers knew the main wall dividing the kitchen and living room had to go.

The Living Room, After

Hello, open concept living. Without actually adding more square footage to the home, it feels like they have double the space. When you walk in the door, you now see the entire living space. The aged shiplap in the dining room is removed to create a consistent style, and light, medium-toned hardwood is laid throughout the whole house.

The Living Room, Before

Sarah's family just got bigger, making their petite home feel smaller. While most people don't think you can make a tiny house functional, it's wholly possible. You just have to start by opening up the sightline.

The Living Room, After

The main goal of the renovation was to make the home more functional for this family of four. Removing the two walls that enclosed the kitchen gave way to a large center island that allows parents, kids, family and friends to gather together.

The Living Room, Before

Sarah's existing furniture evoked her love of midcentury modern style, yet Zooey took the chance to freshen up her living room with new furniture that still reflected her friend's favorite design looks.

The Living Room, After

Zooey and Sarah have been friends for more than 35 years, so Zooey set out to find design pieces that would reflect Sarah's love of midcentury modern and Danish modern styles. Clean-lined furnishings and warm neutrals combine for this beautiful family-friendly sitting area.

The Living Room, After

Since the wall where the TV used to live is long gone, the entertainment area is repositioned on the wall leading into the dining room. They kept Sarah's existing console (Jonathan and Zooey have the same one!), and hung the flat-screen TV on the wall.

The Living Room, After

The Danish modern coffee table delivers a note of warmth to the contemporary space. With open and hidden storage, it serves as a practical and stylish solution.

Selecting the Finishes

After tackling the demo with Jonathan and Drew, Zooey was ready to pick out the finishes and materials to use in the makeover. Jonathan said he relied on Zooey a lot for the design decisions, since she knows Sarah well and loves design.

The Kitchen, Before

The kitchen had all its original cabinetry, which Jonathan and Drew discovered was quite sturdy when they started demolishing. The tight space only had enough room for Sarah while she was cooking, whereas the new plan will open up the kitchen to everyone.

The Kitchen, After

The Property Brothers started with a blank slate and tore out all the cabinets and walls to completely reimagine the space. The open layout of the kitchen is more versatile with custom gray cabinetry, a pantry for food storage and an oversized island with plenty of storage.

The Kitchen, After

The island is made of the same gray cabinets as the rest of the kitchen and clad in a sleek waterfall countertop. A custom bar light fixture with two drop-down stems illuminates the island, which has ample room for prepping and cooking. Leather barstools pull up to the breakfast bar for dining.

The Laundry Space, Before

The space had one of Jonathan's least favorite things in a kitchen — an exposed laundry. He and Drew came up with a plan to reconfigure the kitchen so that it hides the washer and dryer away.

The Laundry Space, After

The back door is moved over to accommodate the new placement for the washer and dryer. Now, the laundry is hidden behind cabinet doors.

The Dining Room, Before

The dining room was a small, closed-off space. Sarah loves to entertain, and this was not a functional space for bringing family and friends together.

The Dining Room, After

To further maximize the dining space, Zooey had the idea to build a multifunctional dining banquette. Not only is it a cozy spot for family meals, but it also adds an extra place for kids to play, color or do homework while Sarah is cooking. The banquette seating has storage drawers underneath — because you can never have enough storage with kiddos.

The Big Reveal

After a few weeks away from her home, Sarah returned so that Zooey, Jonathan and Drew could show off her utterly functional and oh-so stylish new home. "I feel like it's given me the gift of more life, more time, more enjoyment with my family. I'll probably cook twice as much," said Sarah.