How did we end up on HGTV?   We were approached by Departure Films out of New York City last year to work on the interior design for a pilot production of an HGTV show being filmed in Atlanta, Georgia.  Of course Kelly and I were up for the challenge and anxious to do something out of our comfort zone.

The show called "Move in or Cash Out" features a full kitchen renovation and complete home makeover.   It follows a young couple as they find a dated and undervalued home and, with the help of the hosts, brothers Michael and Charles Holmes, transform it into the home of their dreams. After completing the renovation, the couple must decide if they’d like to move into their newly renovated home or sell it and use the profit to move up the property ladder. 

We first started by replacing all the flooring on the main and lower floor with a gorgeous driftwood laminate from Lumber Liquidators and painting the walls Sherwin Williams SW7022 - Alpaca.

Check out the before and afters!

THE FAMILY ROOM:  Adding sheet rock to the paneling, a bright paint color, some light furniture and some pops of color totally gave this room a current look.

THE LIVING ROOM:  This room needed some serious TLC.  Notice the dated parquet wood flooring  and the massive ceiling with no interest. Some beautiful bright furnishings and a new ceiling really gave this room the look it needed!

THE KITCHEN:  This was an extensive renovation and, in my opinion, provided the biggest bang for the buck.  You hear it time and again that a kitchen renovation yields the best return on your investment.  In this particular case, there was no doubt.    Here are a few of the highlights:

1.  Updated cabinets to the ceiling

2.  Canned lighting

3.   Stainless steel appliances

4.  Hanging pendants over the sink

5.  Glass subway tile backsplash

6. Stainless range hood

6.  Brizo faucet

To see the rest of the home and find out if the couple moves in or cashes out, you will have to watch or TIVO the show being aired on HGTV Saturday 10/11/14 at 2pm.

Needless to say it takes a village to make these transformations so we could not do this without the help of so many.  In no particular order, we would like to thank the following:

Departure Films - for giving us the opportunity to participate in this project

Charles and Michael Holmes of List-4-Less Realty for doing a stellar job as hosts!

Andrew Grein for being a great production manager and teaching us the "ropes"

Jonathon Pawlowksi,  production assistant, for doing the "grunt" work with a smile on his face

Caren Danneman of Danneman Designs, LLC  for the kitchen layout design

Stephen Weatherby of Weatherby Renovations and his team for doing an exceptional job on the renovations

Design Logistics for the receipt and delivery of all furniture and accessories

Ballard Designs for providing many of the furnishings and artwork

Floor and Decor for the glass tile backsplash

Granite from Global Granite

Lamps Plus for overhead fixtures, floor lamp and kitchen pendants

Lumber Liquidators for the flooring on the main and lower levels

ProSource of Marietta for the upstairs bath flooring

Insidesign for the handsome leather wing chairs in the living room

Stuart Lawrence for the living room decorative pillows

Chris Ray of Hangman Installations and Bruce Marko for the drapery installation, assembly of items and picture hanging

Sue Cruickshank of SJC Window Designs for custom draperies

Our loyal helpers, Amy Dempsey and Lauren Colson

Joan Borawski for her original art paintings in the family room

Teresa and Steve Penley for the original artwork in the living room, dining room and master bath

Stacy Kunstel of Dunes and Duchess for the unique and elegant orange candelabra

Brizo for the dazzling kitchen faucet

To say this was a truly fascinating experience would be an understatement.  We learned a lot about an industry we knew very little about and met some great people.  In the end, after viewing the show and not knowing how it would eventually turn out, we are pretty proud of the outcome.

We hope you take the time to watch it this weekend or tape if for future viewing.  I think you'll really like it!

Joann