Before and After: This Living Room Redo Will Make You an Open Concept Believer

updated Mar 27, 2020
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
About this before & after
Home Type
Project Type
Cost
N/A
Style
Skill Level
Rental Friendly
Post Image

Many of us find living room makeover ideas on social media. But Christina Beck and her husband Colin literally found a house on Instagram. “One of our followers knew his mom needed to sell the house she had spent time in growing up, for her dad,” explains Christina, who owns renovation company Vero Home in Cincinnati with Colin. “It hadn’t been updated in at least 35 years, and had a lot of deferred maintenance. We knew we wanted to flip it for a fun, young person/couple (so many moving into this hot, still affordable area) and it needed to have some style in order to do that!”

Over two months, Christina (the designer) and Colin (the general contractor), with help from a group of subcontractors, completely renovated the entire house. In the living area, they removed the two walls that separated the living room from the dining room, and the dining room from the kitchen, to create one big space. 

They also updated all of the electric and plumbing, and fixed up the drywall on both the walls and the ceiling (after adding a new roof). Unfortunately, the original hardwood floors under the carpet were goners. So instead, Christina and Colin added luxury vinyl plank, as well as some trim, and painted the walls in bright whites.

The kitchen is now filled with modern charcoal cabinetry, a white “picket” backsplash, quartz countertops, and stainless steel appliances. The living room fireplace got new tile and a fresh coat of paint. “A few window sashes were replaced, and all the windows got a good clean inside and out because they provide so much light to the space,” Christina says.

She estimates that the kitchen/living room/dining room reno cost about $35,000, (not including work they did to completely update the HVAC and all mechanicals and put a new roof on).  

The pro renovator’s biggest advice for anyone else taking on a home project? “Have fun with it!” Christina says. “Pick out styles and finishes you love, open up all the walls you can, and enjoy making the house your home.”