The pair approached house hunting with a relaxed attitude — that is, until they toured a home in their dream neighborhood. The five-bedroom house in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, had a “dreamy amount of square footage,” but had been on the market for a while. 

“We think that everyone else who had any interest in it was probably scared off by the excessive amount of cosmetic work it needed,” Sarah shares. “We came back to see the house with my in-laws the following week at an open house, and they confirmed its incredible potential.”

Even after receiving their family’s seal of approval, Sarah and Joel were still somewhat breezy about getting the house. “That night, Joel and I looked at each other and said, ‘We should make them an offer, and if they don’t accept it, it’s fine. We’ll just stay in our current house. We’ve got nothing to lose.’”

It wasn’t until Sarah and Joel placed an offer on the house that was “immediately rejected” that they realized they cared more about the home than they initially thought. After some negotiation, the home was theirs in August — and they jumped into renovations. 

“Where others saw cheap wood paneling, dirty carpet, and ugly wallpaper covering over half of the entire home, as well as many other dated elements, we saw the opportunity to create our dream home,” Sarah, who documents the transformations on her TikTok, explains. 

Since moving in, the couple has restored the home into a mid-century modern, eclectic oasis perfect for them, their two kids, and two cats.

• Dining Room — Behr ”Laurel Tree”
• Bedroom — Behr “Aqua Smoke”
• Living Room — Behr “Castilian Pink”

• Sectional Sofa — kardiel
• Coffee Mugs— CB2
• Pillows — H&M

• Chairs — Article
• Art Prints — Kuriosis

• Light Fixture — ​Amazon

• Flower Market Prints — Kuriosis 
• Linen Bedding — Pottery Barn
• Pillows — Kip&Co

• Wallpaper — Spoonflower

Thanks, Sarah and Joel!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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