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Before And After Room Makeovers (With Great Vision!)

Before and after room makeovers are so inspirational and can be sources of great joy (and grief!) to homeowners. In this post you’ll see how design vision went full steam ahead to take this crumbling gem from faded to fabulous!

I’m simply drawn in to homes and rooms with a melange of the old and the new. Pattern on pattern, color mix and playfully bold in a home that should grace the pages of House Beautiful.

before and after room makeovers french style bedroom

 Last week we discussed Grandmillennial Style. Tap over and read that interesting piece if you haven’t yet. Homeowner Tori Donahue has embraced this look! She rescued a dilapidated house in rough shape and transformed it into a swan.

before shot exterior Tori Donahue home
Before shot of the exterior of this 130 year old home – Good bones but in sad shape both outside and inside.

The home was the right size for the Donahue family of 6 that live in Tori’s hometown of Scranton, Pa.

exterior new of the remodeled home - before and after room makeovers
After of the exterior

Grand Millennial Style At Jefferson Home Design

Tori holds a BA in Communications  and later earned a degree in Residential Design. After spending several years in the wedding event planning and floral design industry she became a stay-at-home mom to four. Tori is a self-proclaimed “grand-millennial” wife and mother of four, residing in Scranton, PA.

I love fashion, art, antiques and incorporating fun color, pattern and texture throughout my own home and bring that same passion to homes that I design.

grand millennial style dining room
Grand Millennial Style Dining Room with dark blue walls

I am deeply passionate about anything having to do with creating beautiful things, but primarily when it comes to interiors and florals. in 2018, we purchased our dream fixer-upper and gutted it from top to bottom, restoring its original beauty while also adding more life through color, pattern and textural features.

Tori blogs at Jefferson Home, so be sure to head over for all sources and more info. You can also find her here on – Instagram

before and after room makeovers
Grand Millennial Living Room at Jefferson Home – wall color Sea Serpent by Sherwin Williams

About Tori’s Home Journey

We will have been in this house two years in April. My husband and I both knew that we wanted a fixer-upper, me being a lover of old homes and their charm, and him being in commercial real estate development and construction. I had the eye and he had  the resources. When we came across this house (which was an estate and we ended up getting for a steal) we knew it was the one. It checked all of our boxes: Fixer upper, lots of old house charm, the right size, the right neighborhood, great backyard. A lot of people would have walked into this house and turned and ran the other way, but it didn’t scare me. Im fortunate to have the ability to see the potential in things given a little bit of TLC and not be thrown off by their current state.

Before and After Room Makeovers at Jefferson Home Design

old foyer in 130 year old house
The foyer before renovation of this 130 year old home

The interior renovation was an entire gut job, and it took us 5 months to complete. We were very fortunate to not run into and structural issues along the way, so aside from new plumbing, HVAC and electrical, all the work we did was pretty much cosmetic.

old crumbling ceiling and walls
Old crumbling ceiling and walls did not deter Tori!

We completed the exterior renovation this past summer, and it truly has made the house feel much  more “complete”, although I feel that the house will never truly be complete as I am always adding things, moving things around, re-arranging, re-painting. I feel more and more each day that this house represents everything I am and everything I love.

before and after room makeovers child's bedroom
One of the children’s finished bedroom details

I got a lot of sideways looks going through the design process of my home. I still do from my husband, like when he walked in to me wallpapering my family room ceiling the other day. BUT, I have never let others opinions deter me from executing a vision I have in my heart! I think that’s why ultimately, I love this home so much! I’ve received so much amazing feedback from others ! One of the things people say to me alot is “wow I never would have thought to do that.” Or, “I never thought that would look good, but now seeing it, I love it!” That makes me happy. The risks I’ve taken on my own home may have encouraged others to do the same!

updated family room grandmillennial home

Let’s break it down room by room with some incredible before and after room makeovers!

The Living Room – BEFORE

The living room before renovation
The living room before renovation
Beautiful old hardwood floors and mantel

The Living Room – AFTER

The living room after
The living room after

The Dining Room – BEFORE

Dining room before with lots of neglect and damage

The Dining Room – AFTER

The dining room after - lovingly restored
The dining room after – lovingly restored

The Kitchen – BEFORE

before kitchen
The before galley style kitchen

The Kitchen – AFTER

Stunning after shot of this contemporary grandmillennial style kitchen!

millennial kitchen

Kitchen coffee bar area with colorful wallpaper

Family Room – BEFORE

Family Room – AFTER

Master Bath – BEFORE

Master Bath – NEW

The Children’s Rooms – BEFORE

The Children’s Rooms – AFTER

The Children’s Bathroom – AFTER

Tori says, “there is a quote by Emily Henderson that has always stuck with me”:

 “I believe that a perfect house is like a perfect person; no one really wants to be around them and everyone secretly hates them. Be the weird person. Be the interesting person, the person that sometimes says inappropriate things or laughs too loud at jokes, and have your home reflect who you are.”

And this has truly been my mantra when it comes to decorating my home. As Em says, “Perfection is boring, lets get weird.”

Visit Tori at her blog HERE and INSTAGRAM

PIN THIS POST FOR INSPIRATION WHEN YOU NEED IT!

Grand Millennial home makeover

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17 Comments

  1. Nancy Johnston says:

    What a fabulous job you and your husband have done with this grand old beauty! Love all of your color that has been infused throughout the house. Bravo 👏👏👏 for being so brave …. the pay off is sensational!

    1. She has amazing vision!

  2. What beautiful rooms and gorgeous transformations! Such stunning photos! Tori truly is one talented designer!

  3. Pamela Milligan says:

    Absolutely stunning!! I’m ashamed to admit, that kitchen would have had me running the other way!!!

  4. All I can say is Stunning! I think this is the best before and after relove of a home that I have ever seen. Just gorgeous. Such vision and determination. This old victorian has been rescued and reloved to a beautiful home again. Bravo to Tori.

    1. She has a vision…as do you my friend! xo

  5. Just Fabulous! I wish I knew where all those beautiful pom pom drapes came from as well as the wall murals. Tori’s vision came to fruition beautifully!

    1. Isn’t it gorgeous! She sources a lot over on her blog, which I’ve linked

  6. Amazing transformation! Wondering if this is in the Greenridge section of Scranton…I am also looking to buy in this area, and this has truly inspired me!

    1. Isn’t she so talented?!! I’m not sure, but try clicking through to her blog and maybe she has the listing noted

  7. Ann Drayton says:

    Oh WOW! Georgeous.

  8. Lots of work and a lot of vision. I’m particularly fond of her wall paper choices. I know Scranton a little bit (I used to “date” somebody from there decades ago) … I can’t fathom this house there LOL.

    Thanks for sharing it!

  9. What a great transformation. They brought home from dead to glorious. It has such wonderful bones to work with too. Thanks for the tour Janet. Love when you do these tours. xoxo Kris

    1. Kris, she is so creative and did most of the work herself!! Glad that you enjoy the tours and happy weekend…xo

  10. What a wonderful home; I would feel right at home with those beautiful bright colors and bits of quirky! I love woodwork in older homes; today’s houses are so stark in comparison!