Before and After: HGTV’s “Build Me Up” Renovated This Dated Dining Room with Vintage Wallpaper

It can be painfully difficult to live in a home where memories prevent you from moving forward. Designer Orlando Soria‘s home renovation show “Build Me Up” on HGTV is all about tackling this with an “out with the old, in with the new” mentality—while highlighting some relics that deserve to be honored.

In the season premiere, Soria helps homeowner and mother-of-three Sarah move on from her difficult divorce by bringing new life into her home. Located in Somas, California, the house already has a lot of mid-century charm that Sarah loves to play up, both with the exterior and interior. But it was in need of a refresh to give Sarah and her kids a new start.

Soria knew from the beginning that he wanted to keep the house comfy and comfortable. Many mid-century pieces of furniture were worn down, but Soria was able to refurbish much of it to keep. Also, he used her love for crafting to bring unique pieces into the space, including antlers wrapped in yarn.

Sarah originally wanted to knock down the wall between the living room and the dining area to create an open layout, but it wasn’t going to be possible due to budget restrictions. However, Soria made sure to dress the walls in personal photos and artwork to make the living room feel updated.

Speaking of the dining area, this room had one of the most powerful transformations. Sarah told Soria that she loved floral patterns and wanted vintage wallpaper in the home. “It’s expensive and it’s very difficult to remove, but Sarah loves it so we’re going to stretch the budget to make it happen,“ Soria said.

And so, he covered the walls of the dining room—which Sarah emphasized was extremely important for family time—in orange and green floral paper. In addition to the wallpaper, Soria sanded and stained Sarah’s old table, then added some green chairs to make setup complete. Oh, not to mention he added a whole entire workspace area in the back corner for Sarah to keep up with her passion for crafting.

If you want to see the rest of this renovation, tune it to watch the full episode. And by the end, don’t be surprised if you yearn for more mid-century decor.

Build Me Up airs Wednesdays at 9/8 central on HGTV.