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

Sometimes it pays to take creative risks, and Mina Starsiak and Karen E. Laine are no strangers to daring design ideas. On their hit TV series “Good Bones,” Laine is an unapologetic fan of DIY arts and crafts. She is constantly finding ways to reuse unconventional materials as furnishings. 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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But because taking risks is such a big part of their renovation process, the transformations 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 pay off in the real world. We take a look at both the winners and the misses. Starsiak and Laine have a solid track record of flipping houses, 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 integrate them into your own home – if you dare!

Laine and Starsiak often explore vibrant design choices and DIY, but this exterior paint color left some viewers scratching their heads. In Season 3, Episode 13, the duo decided to paint the exterior of a historic home a light lavender color. After the reveal, Starsiak exclaimed, “It’s definitely purple!” Although it was a risky choice, the reason they chose the shade is because it was the customer’s favorite color. The client confirmed, “It looks great.” But some YouTubers disagreed: “Really love what you guys did. Remarkable Reno. But I can’t get my head around the purple exterior,” commented one.

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If you’re intrigued by the idea of ​​a purple exterior, but you’re nervous about resale, there are several ways to take a more subtle approach. First, consider a slightly more palatable shade of purple. For example, Behr offers a soft, dusty purple shade called Foxglove M550-3. Typically, the closer you move towards blue, the more mass-appealing the shade is. Blue is one of the colors that works best to make your house look inviting. For a more discreet alternative, painting just your front door is a more subtle way to incorporate purple into your home decor.

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

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While repurposing a vanity or sideboard as a kitchen island is a solid idea, it’s the color combination that can be tweaked for mass appeal. Instead of a turquoise tone, try a muted shade in the same color family as Mystic Lake CSP-745 from Benjamin Moore. For the cabinets, you can match the lower cabinets to the kitchen island and leave the upper cabinets neutral to imitate the modern, trendy two-tone cabinet look. Alternatively, you can simply stain the cabinets with a lighter shade of oak, which can complement the kitchen island without competing with the striking shade.

Season 3, episode 9 featured one of Laine’s most successful DIY endeavors. She used the original vintage floor grates as ceiling railings. Although stylistically risky, this risk definitely paid off! The choice was a huge hit with the fans. One viewer commented: “Mom knocked it out of the park with her antique iron grates turned into the ceiling railing – what a great idea!” Another agreed: “The grill railing is pure genius.”

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If you don’t have access to vintage iron grates, you can buy Nuvo’s Iron Insert Gate from Amazon for $93.39 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 panels of thin plywood and stencil a similar design. Finally, you cut out the details and spray paint the pieces in matte black. This will add a unique look to your railing without breaking the bank.

In Season 3, Episode 10, Laine and Starsiak faced a unique challenge: They were unable to insert windows into the main wall that stretched across the living room. The duo chose to use this opportunity to be creative with the wall decor. They covered the empty space with wallpaper tiles with a funky brick-like texture. While some viewers loved the change — see one fan’s comment, “Excellent makeover, the place looks so much bigger” — others were skeptical of the daring wallpaper idea. One viewer wrote: “Ok, but how much dust will the funky wallpaper collect?”

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For those who admire Laine and Starsiak’s geometric choices, there are several wallpaper tiles you can use to recreate this look in your own home. Not only is it a great way to add visual interest to a blank wall, but you can cover imperfections. For example, if you have nail holes in your wall or other imperfections, you can cover the uneven surface with wallpaper tiles for an easy solution. Amazon offers a very similar 3D Diamond Wall Panel from Art3dwallpanels. For a look that leans less modern and more traditional, you can choose their 3D brick wallpaper in white.

While Laine is always experimenting with DIY decor, Season 3, Episode 12 featured a fence that divided the masses. The customer was a big fan of the color green, which is why she chose to incorporate green into the home’s interior and exterior. Laine painted the brand new privacy fence in a distressed green wash in an attempt to give it visual texture. The client exclaimed, “I love it!” when she saw the fence. Some viewers disagreed: “Not a big fan of the green staining on the fence (looks like mildew),” wrote one.

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There are more uniform, crowd-friendly ways to paint your fence and achieve a shabby chic look. To create a vintage look that looks intentional rather than really shabby, the experts at Star Paint recommend using furniture wax on the areas where you want the paint to appear distressed. When it comes to choosing the right shade, there are other variations of green to consider. Instead of a green that could be mistaken for mildew, choose a soft sage tone like Saybrook Sage HC-114 from Benjamin Moore.

In the original home in Season 4, Episode 12, there was a wall made entirely of old doors. Laine wanted to pay homage to this bizarre, charming feature and cover a partial accent wall with decorative wooden doors. While this funky choice added a lot of character to the home, some viewers were unsure if the potential buyers saw its value. One viewer offered a suggestion: “Should have gone with shiplap on the stairs instead of the doors.”

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If vintage doors are too quirky for your personal taste, there are several other ways to use wood to create an eye-catching accent wall. Try e.g. peel and stick oak slate panels from AboutWall4 on Etsy. These modern strips will give your wall visible texture while still keeping it modern. If you want a soundproof variation, the BUBOS Acoustic Wood Wall Panels from Amazon 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 home’s entrance was a risk. However, there were few other options for a formal dining area in such a small space. One viewer commented, “That dining area is a little awkward, but with a shotgun house you have to work with the bowling alley floor plan.” But the potential buyer said, “It’s different, but I like it!”

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Maximizing a small dining room can be difficult. If you are working with a compact space, you should avoid trying to create a space that seems too cluttered. With an open floor plan, it’s important to make sure you have enough space between designated areas. By placing your dining furniture too close to the kitchen or living room, you can make a narrow area feel even narrower. There are several space-saving techniques, including choosing a corner-style dining area instead of placing your table and chairs in the center of the room. Consider a compact dining nook with benches like this banquette set from Baxton Studio from Amazon.

Season 4, episode 8 was risky for a variety of reasons, but the most daring was without a doubt the use of beta fish as wall decoration. Laine chose to create macrame wall hangings with vintage globes. While the viewers themselves loved the globe, they didn’t love her filling them with live fish. One fan explained: “Nice light for the kitchen, with a nice color scheme. But… WTF were you thinking using fish as ‘decor’?” Another viewer agreed: “Macrame with just the globes (no fish) would have been MUCH better. It’s a cool wall hanging.”

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The solution to making this hack environmentally friendly is simple – don’t use live fish! You can buy almost identical wall hangings from NauticalPlace on Etsy, called glass fishing floats. The lack of fish will not minimize the visual impact. For a more botanical approach, consider the effect of air plants in a glass globe. It is easy to care for your air plants and they can give your living room a bohemian touch.