The Property Brothers Encounter a Kitchen Design Travesty To Never Commit

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“Property Brothers: Forever Home” stars Drew and Jonathan Scott have met many homeowners who need help decorating. But none can hold a candle to their latest clients, a couple who are so design-challenged, they’ve been living in an empty house.

What gives?

On the latest episode, “Building the Nest,” Drew and Jonathan meet Brian and Lesley, newlyweds who bought a house in Las Vegas. They hope to fill the house with fun parties (and eventually a few kids), but they’ve made minimal progress, having added only a fold-up table, blow-up mattress, and beanbag chair!

Drew and Jonathan know that the young couple need real furniture in a functional space if they’re ever going to settle down into their forever home. Luckily, they have a $150,000 budget to make this space perfect.

Read on to find out how the Scott brothers turn this blank canvas into a cozy home, which might inspire some ideas for your own space, too.

Capitalize on a great view with sliding doors

This living room had a great view, but the Scotts know they can make this space better.

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When Drew and Jonathan first see Brian and Lesley’s living room, they’re shocked: The space is empty except for a TV and beanbag chair.

Lesley and Brian explain that they didn’t want to move a bunch of furniture into their new home just to move it out in time for the renovation, so the space just stayed stark.

The one benefit is that, with no furniture as distraction, Drew and Jonathan are able to see right through the room to the beautiful backyard and pool. The backyard is so lovely that the brothers suggest making these windows larger and capitalizing on the view. Lesley and Brian love the idea.

With these bi-fold doors, this living room has an indoor-outdoor feel.

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So the brothers remove the original windows and replace them with huge sliding doors.

With the new doors installed, not only is the view vastly improved, but now there’s the added convenience of easy access to the yard. With the doors open, this will be the perfect indoor-outdoor entertaining space.

“I can’t wait to have friends and family over and enjoy this,” Lesley says.

Limewash your fireplace for a clean, fresh look

Lesley and Brian like having this fireplace, but they know it needs an update.

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With no furniture in the living room, there’s nothing to distract from the dated fireplace. The fireplace has a big, white mantel and dated beige tile, and while Lesley says that she likes the soft, natural tones, the brothers know the fireplace needs an update.

They remove the dated mantel and limewash the facade, giving it a clean, white look. Then, to make the space more functional, the brothers flank this plain fireplace with natural wood built-ins with dark blue paneling.

The limewash gives this fireplace a clean look.

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To finish the look, Drew and Jonathan install a TV above the fireplace, making this room perfect for entertaining or for cozy movie nights at home.

When Brian and Lesley see the fireplace, they’re impressed.

“This is our original fireplace but totally new,” Brian says.

Makes sure an island is the right size for your kitchen

This kitchen is big, but the island is disproportionately small.

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When the Scott brothers see Lesley and Brian’s kitchen, they encounter a design travesty that they absolutely have to fix: The island is way too small. Talk about a waste of a huge space!

With the cooktop taking up lots of counter space, there’s barely any room for prep or for dining at the breakfast bar. Drew and Jonathan know that they need to help this island live up to its full potential.

They relocate the cooktop and extend the island, making it both longer and wider. Now, there’s plenty of space for cooking and sitting.

This larger island fits the space much better.

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To finish the look, the brothers paint the island dark blue. This color complements the new blue backsplash as well as the paneling beside the fireplace, giving the first floor a more cohesive look.

“The darker tone on the island looks so sleek,” Drew says.

When the work is done, Lesley and Brian are impressed.

“This kitchen is a dream,” Lesley says.

Install an oversize window for extra light and great views

This oversize window adds lots of light to the dining room.

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With the kitchen expansion, the brothers find themselves needing to close up part of a window. This is a shame, because Drew and Jonathan know that windows can make a home feel brighter and bigger.

So they get creative, closing up the window horizontally but opening up the wall vertically. This new, door-shaped window leaves room for both the kitchen cabinets and built-ins in the new dining room without sacrificing window size.

“This window lets in a ton of light,” Jonathan points out.

The new feature gives the space a unique look and, when Brian and Lesley finally see the house, they love the design.

Make every space look great, even the coat storage

This space was functional but it looked dated.

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While Drew and Jonathan focus most of their renovation budget on the kitchen and living room, they know that this couple will need some new and improved storage once they move all their stuff in.

Lesley and Brian want to turn some first-floor cabinets into open coat storage, but the brothers know that they’ll need to be careful to make this petite mudroom look good.

“It’s noticeable from the main area,” Jonathan says of the storage space, “so you want to have something that looks clean and tidy.”

Drew and Jonathan turn this into a stylish storage area.

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They change up the space by busting out the dated cabinets and replacing them with convenient bench seating, plenty of storage for coats, and even cubbies above and below.

Then, to give the space extra style, they add dark blue paneling that goes with the style in the rest of the house. Now, the space is more than just a place to take off coats and shoes; it’s also a functional spot with a great look—an extension of the living room.

When Lesley finally sees her new storage space, she calls it “functional and beautiful.”

Do the Scott brothers deliver?

The couple have a $150,000 budget to update their space and, after touring the home, the Scott brothers say that they can update the living room, kitchen, dining room, and mudroom for just $135,000. That’s well under budget and leaves a buffer in case anything goes wrong.

Luckily, Drew and Jonathan don’t run into any big problems, and they finish the project right on budget, leaving Lesley and Brian with some extra cash. (Perhaps they’ll spend it on a long-delayed housewarming party!)

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