The riskiest home design ideas we’ve seen from Mina and Karen

Sometimes taking creative risks can pay off, and Mina Starsiak and Karen E. Laine are no strangers to bold design ideas. On her hit TV series Good Bones, Laine is an unapologetic fan of DIY crafts. She is constantly looking for ways to reuse unconventional materials as decoration. This eco-friendly, fearless approach to design is what has made Laine and Starsiak’s designs so popular. From bright colors to unexpected textures, they’ve tried it all.

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However, because risk-taking is such a large part of their renovation process, the changes are often met with mixed feedback from fans. While some fans love their commitment to trying new techniques, others are skeptical that the results will yield real profits. We take a look at the winners and the misses. Starsiak and Laine have a solid track record of home restoration, but each restoration is completely unique. There is never a dull moment between this mother-daughter duo. Discover their riskiest design ideas and learn how to incorporate them into your own home – if you dare!

Laine and Starsiak often explore vibrant design options and DIYs, but this exterior color caused confusion among some viewers. In Season 3, Episode 13, the duo decided to paint the exterior of a historic home a light shade of lavender. At the unveiling, Starsiak exclaimed, “It’s definitely purple!” Even though it was a risky decision, they chose this shade because it was the customer’s favorite color. The customer confirmed: “It looks great.” However, some YouTube users had a different opinion: “I really love what you guys did. Remarkable Reno. But I can’t handle the purple exterior,” one commented.

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If you’re intrigued by the idea of ​​a purple exterior but worried about resale, there are several ways to take a more subtle approach. First, consider a slightly more pleasant shade of purple. Behr, for example, offers a soft, dusty purple shade called Foxglove M550-3. Typically, the closer you get to blue, the more attractive the color is. Blue is one of the colors that best give your home an inviting look. If you’re looking for a more subtle alternative, painting just your front door is a more subtle way to incorporate purple into your interior design.

The “Good Bones” couple has plenty of experience with bold kitchen cabinet colors and funky kitchen decor. In Season 3, Episode 4, Starsiak and Laine decided to incorporate a few unexpected elements into their renovated kitchen. They chose dark, moody cabinets and a bright blue kitchen island. The island was a former vanity and became the perfect island replacement with a piece of butcher block on top. However, viewers were torn over the contrasting colors. One follower commented: “I don’t like the island color…” Another added: “I didn’t like the dark kitchen cabinets – I would have preferred something lighter.”

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While it’s a good idea to repurpose a vanity or sideboard as a kitchen island, it’s the color combination that can be customized to create mass appeal. Instead of a turquoise shade, try a muted shade in the same color family like Benjamin Moore’s Mystic Lake CSP-745. For cabinets, you can match the base cabinets to the kitchen island and leave the upper cabinets neutral to mimic the modern, trendy two-tone cabinet look. Alternatively, the kitchen island can be complemented by simply staining the cabinets with a lighter shade of oak without competing with the eye-catching hue.

Season 3, Episode 9 featured one of Laine’s most successful DIY projects. She used the original vintage floor grates as attic railings. Although it was stylistically risky, that risk definitely paid off! The choice was very well received by the fans. One viewer commented: “The mum had a blast with her antique iron grilles turned into the railings in the attic – what a fantastic idea!” Another agreed: “The grille rails are just brilliant.”

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If you don’t have access to vintage iron gates, you can purchase Nuvo’s Iron Insert Gate for $93.39 on Amazon to capture the ornate look. These Minuteman Cast Iron Floor Gates for $48.93 are another vintage-inspired Amazon option. For a DIY-inspired approach, you can also measure thin sheets of plywood and stencil a similar design. Finally, carve out the details and spray paint the parts matt black. This will give your railing a unique look without breaking your budget.

In Season 3, Episode 10, Laine and Starsiak faced a unique challenge: They couldn’t fit windows into the main wall that ran across the living room. The duo took this opportunity to get creative with their wall decor. They covered the empty space with wallpaper tiles with a fancy, brick-like texture. While some viewers liked the change – see one fan’s comment: “Excellent makeover, the place feels so much bigger” – others were skeptical of the bold wallpaper idea. One viewer wrote: “Okay but how much dust will this funky wallpaper collect?”

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For those who admire Laine and Starsiak’s geometric choice, there are several wallpaper tiles you can use to recreate this look in your own home. Not only is this a great way to add a visual highlight to an empty wall, but it also allows you to cover up any imperfections. For example, if you have nail holes in your wall or other unevenness, you can cover the uneven surface with wallpaper tiles to make the repair easier. Amazon offers a very similar 3D diamond wall panel from Art3dwallpanels. For a look that is less modern and more traditional, you can opt for the 3D brick wallpaper in white.

While Laine is constantly experimenting with DIY decorating, there was a fence in Season 3, Episode 12 that divided the masses. The client was a big fan of the color green and therefore decided to incorporate green into the interior and exterior of the house. Laine painted the brand new privacy fence a green, distressed glaze to give it visual texture. The customer exclaimed, “I love it!” when she saw the fence. Some viewers disagreed: “Not a big fan of the green spots on the fence (looks like mold),” one posted.

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There are more consistent and attractive ways to paint your fence and give it a shabby chic look. To create a vintage look that’s intentional and doesn’t actually look shabby, the experts at Star Paint recommend using furniture wax in areas where you want the paint to look worn. When choosing the right color, other green variants should also be taken into account. Instead of a green that could be perceived as mold, choose a soft sage tone like Benjamin Moore’s Saybrook Sage HC-114.

In the original home from Season 4, Episode 12, there was a wall made entirely of old doors. Laine wanted to pay homage to this bizarre, charming feature by cladding a partial accent wall with decorative wooden doors. Although this unusual choice gave the home plenty of character, some viewers weren’t sure if the potential buyers saw the home’s value. One viewer suggested: “Should have put the steps instead of the doors.”

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If vintage doors are too fancy for your personal taste, there are several other ways to use wood to create an eye-catching accent wall. For example, try the removable oak slate panels from AboutWall4 on Etsy. These modern stripes add visible texture to your wall while keeping it modern. If you want a soundproof option, Amazon’s BUBOS acoustic wood wall panels are a great way to reduce noise throughout your living space.

In Season 4, Episode 7, even Starsiak and Laine admitted that placing the dining room directly in front of the entrance to the house was a risk. However, there were few other options for a formal dining area in such a small space. One viewer commented, “This dining area is a little awkward, but with a shotgun house you have to stick to the bowling alley layout.” However, the prospective buyer said, “It’s different, but I like it!”

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Maximizing a small dining room can be difficult. When working with a compact space, you should avoid creating a space that feels too cluttered. With an open floor plan, it is important to ensure there is enough space between designated areas. Placing your dining room furniture too close to the kitchen or living room can make a narrow area seem even narrower. There are various techniques to save space. This includes opting for a corner dining area rather than placing your table and chairs in the middle of the room. Consider a compact dining nook with bench seating like this banquet set from Baxton Studio on Amazon.

Season 4, Episode 8 was risky for a variety of reasons, but the most daring was undoubtedly the use of Beta fish as wall decoration. Laine chose macrame wall hangings with vintage globes. While viewers loved the balls themselves, they didn’t like that she filled them with live fish. One fan explained: “Nice shine to the kitchen, with a good color scheme. But… what were you thinking, using fish as ‘decoration’?” Another viewer agreed: “The macramé with just the balls (without fish) would have been MUCH better. This is a cool wall hanging.”

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The solution to make this hack eco-friendly is simple: don’t use live fish! You can buy almost identical wall hangings from NauticalPlace, called glass fishing floats, on Etsy. The lack of fish does not diminish the visual impact. For a more botanical approach, consider the effect of air plants in a glass globe. Caring for your air plants is easy and they can add a funky touch to your living space.