Before and After: HGTV’s “Build Me Up” Streamlined This Cluttered Garage into a Prime Hangout
When unfortunate life events happen out of the blue, home upkeep can fall by the wayside and result in uncontrollable clutter—which is exactly what happened in the house featured on the season finale of HGTV’s “Build Me Up.” So interior designer Orlando Soria stepped in to help Teresa, recently divorced mother of two, declutter and refresh her home to provide the fresh start she and her family deserved.
Teresa and her young boys had been living in this Los Angeles home before, during, and after the divorce took place. But the rooms stayed exactly the same since the beginning of the difficult process, so it was time to get rid of items of the past and bring new life into multiple rooms of the house.
Teresa’s entire bedroom was furnished with things that she shared with her ex-husband, and she wanted to change it to reflect who she is now. Plus, the dated room needed some serious upgrading—from the yellow walls to the orange comforter with matching bed frame. Teresa also had a massive dresser blocking one of the only windows in the bedroom, making the space dark and closed off.
Soria got to work. He decided to paint over the yellow walls with a forest green and gave her bed situation a total refresh with a new stylish blue headboard and floral sheet set. Throw in the flower-like light fixtures, textured bench at the end of the bed, and some simple wall art, and viola! Teresa has got a sanctuary she can now call her own.
Another major room reno was the garage, which was previously filled with an overwhelming amount of holiday decor (as seen in the first photo). While garages tend to be the hot spot for items that don’t have a home, this was next-level, so Soria brought in professional organizers as reinforcements. By the end of the decluttering process, the experts came to the conclusion that Teresa had donated enough holiday items for three houses. It’s safe to say this holiday clutter was no exaggeration!
The plan for the garage was to transform it into the ultimate hangout spot for Teresa and her two sons. So once the clutter was gone, Soria jumped right into the redesigning process. He added plenty of storage space for the remaining holiday items and made room for air hockey and foosball tables. He brightened up the space with pops of blue furniture and fabrics, and added playful vibes by painting one of the walls black and white stripes.
In addition to these two rooms, Soria designed new bedrooms for Teresa’s kids as well as transformed her bathroom into the ultimate soaking space. He truly helped Teresa and her family get the fresh start with a home that reflects new beginnings—and plenty of fun games to keep them entertained.