Take A Peek Inside Unsellable Houses Star Lyndsay Lamb's Stunning Home
Lyndsay Lamb and her sister Leslie Davis have renovated, designed, and successfully sold almost 50 properties on their show "Unsellable Homes." Before being scouted by HGTV, the dynamic twins had already helped numerous homeowners over the years update their spaces and capture more value in the real estate market. Viewers have witnessed their design vision come to life time and time again, but rarely do we get to see inside either of the twin's spaces. Recently, fans got a special treat in the form of a home tour of Lamb's new property. Lyndsay Lamb and her high school sweetheart, Justin Lamb, sold their 1910 downtown abode in exchange for a 10-acre piece of land 25 minutes outside of Snohomish.
Together, they transformed the property into a beautiful oasis, complete with an expansive yard and the cutest garden shed you could lay eyes on. On the inside, Lamb's personal, relaxed, and informal style manifests strongly. If you follow the show, you probably won't be surprised at her immense indoor plant collection or her achievable choice of finishes and decor. She might be an HGTV star, but her style is accessible, friendly, and easy to take inspiration from. However, during the tour, the real estate veteran does reveal two surprising things her home doesn't have. Lamb also gives out more than a few design tips along the way and shares a super smart decision she made in her primary bath. Buckle up and take a tour of Washington's favorite fixer-upper expert's own property.
Cooking up a fusion of modern, earthy, and eclectic accents in the kitchen
Kicking things off in the kitchen, the HGTV host describes her home's style as "a bit of that Northwest, a lot of that earthy, and I've mixed in some eclectic as well." This comes through seamlessly in the kitchen, which is cool and calming without being sterile. Saturated navy lower cabinets give the space freshness, with white uppers balancing out the dark tone and keeping things airy. For the backsplash, Lamb opted for a stone-like honeycomb tile, which adds an earthy element while still sticking to the cool color palette. To bring in a modern twist, she also added some contemporary light features, black hardware, and a black faucet.
When they bought the property, Lamb said that the kitchen looked completely different. A bank of cabinets and a space-hungry peninsula ate up a big portion of the kitchen's footprint. According to Lamb, the galley kitchen layout was so cramped that "I could barely rotate in here." Lamb is an avid baker, which means she needed some decent countertop space. To achieve this, she knocked out the peninsula, creating an open floor plan with a generous island in the middle.
Even if you don't have the budget to rip out and reno your kitchen, there are lots of cost-effective ways to imitate Lamb's fresh kitchen design. Two-toned cabinets can be accomplished with a couple of cans of paint. If your lighting is looking a little tired and off-trend, there are a bunch of cheap, quick methods you can use to revamp light fixtures, starting with a coat of black spray paint. If you want to add earthy elements, some kitchen decor in natural materials and a few plants are all you need.
Lamb's living room oozes casual, cozy vibes
Directly off Lamb's open-plan kitchen lies the living area. In keeping with the HGTV host's fun, down-to-earth personality, the living room is laid-back, non-formal, and comfortable. It's where the family spends the majority of their time. Unlike most homes, they don't have a TV. Instead, one wall is dedicated to an eclectic record player station featuring a mid-century dresser. The Lambs also chose to forgo having a dining table in favor of a spacious living room and kitchen island. Plants and art are the star decor players in the space, supported by a butterscotch leather sofa, a trendy boho hanging chair, and a large navy and white patterned rug.
If you want to borrow some ideas from this beautifully casual space, look to Lyndsay Lamb's use of color. The navy in her area rug helps to balance out the warmth in the camel-colored leather sofas. It also pulls the kitchen color palette into the living area, making it feel like a consistent space that's not disjointed.
A lot of her decor pieces are thrifted or vintage. Intermingled with her gorgeous array of house plants, they add an unfussy layer of eclectic personality. Replicating a look like this doesn't have to be expensive or tough. All you need are some vintage pieces from the thrift store, some art you love, and a burgeoning collection of plant babies. Worried about your plant parenting skills? The proud plant mama has some great faux foliage recommendations for folks who can't keep up with live varieties, such as the Trailing Succulents and Faux Dried Grass Spray from her store. If your walls are looking a little bare, Lyndsay also shared a genius budget DIY idea on her Instagram, where she framed wallpaper samples to create ultra-cost-effective wall art.
Lamb's luxurious closet will leave you in awe
As would befit a TV star, Lyndsay Lamb has a pretty extensive clothing and shoe collection. Instead of trying to cram it all into a built-in, the HGTV host made an executive decision, converting one of the bedrooms into an impressive walk-in closet — wrapped with perfectly laid-out rails, drawers, shelving areas, and even a closet island. But the star of the show has to be her floor-to-ceiling, mirror-fronted shoe spinner.
If you don't have an unused spare bedroom lying about that needs converting, it can be hard to picture how one could attain a closet space that's nearly this well-laid out. But a lot of elements of Lamb's walk-in can also work in a smaller area. The closet island is a great use of space, perfect for storing smaller items. A small dresser placed in the middle of a modest walk-in closet can achieve the same function for a lower price tag. And the functionality of shoe spinners isn't confined to walk-ins. If you have an unused corner of your bedroom, you can make it a hardworking zone with a revolving shoe rack. Shoes can quickly create a clutter problem, but the myriad of shoe storage solutions available these days means you never have to store footwear on your floor again.
The moodily romantic guest bathroom
To steal some square feet for her primary, Lamb downsized the guest bath. But what she removed in space, she made up for in charm. A romantically moody floral wallpaper sets the tone and pairs up perfectly with shiny green-gray tiles laid in a vertical offset pattern. There is also a washstand-style sink featuring a marble top with black legs and a matching pivot mirror. Flanking the mirror are two ball sconces.
Lamb's powder room might be more mini than before, but her design choices maximize the visual space. If you have a guest bathroom that feels like cramped quarters, here are a few tips to take away from Lamb's remodel. Firstly, the tile pattern helps to amp up the visual height of the room. Instead of laying them in the traditional subway pattern, the "Unsellable Homes" host opted to place them upright. This creates vertical lines that draw the eye upward. The glossy finish on the Concerto tiles also helps to bounce light around the space, and the neutral grout color cuts down on busyness. Speaking of light, surely a dark wallpaper would steal brightness from a small powder bath and make the space feel more confined?
On the contrary, having a dark accent wall gives the illusion that the space carries on further than it does. Retiling your bathroom is not a cheap undertaking, but if you're after a cheap dose of design feels, you can replicate the look with similar peel-and-stick tile patterns and give the far wall of your water closet the same treatment with removable wallpaper. Just make sure you only do so in half-baths without any showers or bathtubs, since wallpaper can create mold and mildew due to the moisture buildup.
The spacious, spa-like main bathroom
Thanks to the extra area Lamb took from her powder room, the primary bath is spacious and spa-like, featuring his and her sinks and a wet room area with a rainhead shower and a generous freestanding tub. Pale gray tiles on the walls keep things light and bright, while a dark floor adds some drama and grounds the space. Black faucets, black fittings, and lots of plants tie the color scheme together and echo the palette of the rest of the home. Lamb says one of the smartest things she did during the renovations was install the shower controls right as you enter the wet room, so she can start running the water without getting herself wet.
This idea is definitely something to think about if you're planning a big bathroom reno. But if that's not in your budget or on your agenda, here are a couple of cheap ways to channel some of that Lyndsay Lamb design style. She has a piece of art that is particularly bathroom-appropriate, displaying the words "Let the world wait." Try to find a sign that is equally as calming, such as this one from Amazon. If you're battling countertop chaos, here's a super simple tip to take from her vanity. Instead of having items lying around loose, the soap and lotion bottles are all neatly corralled on a marble tray.
The simple, peaceful primary bedroom
In her bedroom, the HGTV star continued to channel the olive green tones, incorporating them into an accent chair, a throw blanket, and pillows. To add some opulence, she has a stunning gilt-framed mirror behind the accent chair and a plant to round out the seating area. To put it in Lamb's words, the bedroom is "not huge." One clever space-saving trick she employed was to install wall-mounted side tables on brackets instead of using chunky nightstands that would eat up floor area. To keep these side tables uncluttered, Lamb also opted for wall-mounted pendant lights rather than table lamps. Overall, the primary bedroom is simple and unpretentious, but the layers of texture and soft color add just the right amount of cozy ambiance. An ultra-chunky throw blanket and big down pillows make the bed inviting, while a macramé wall hanging adds some soft boho vibes.
If you don't have a lot of square footage to work within your primary, floating side tables are definitely an idea to snag from this space. And if your budget isn't unlimited, take a leaf out of Lamb's book and go for the high-low approach. With lots of experience working within a budget, Lyndsay Lamb loves to pair affordable pieces that get switched out often (think scatter cushion covers and throw blankets) with more investment-worthy statement pieces, like the gold mirror in her bedroom. If you love the macramé moment Lamb has on her wall, you can easily mimic this for under a hundred dollars by shopping in places like Target or HomeGoods. However, she believes that macramé is here to stay, so if you want to splurge on a big woven wall piece, this could also be a moment to invest versus save.
The hummingbird hangout deck
The back deck is where Justin and Lyndsay spend a lot of their time soaking up nature and watching the hummingbirds, who come for a sweet drink at their hanging feeders. Besides the great views, the deck area has a simple matching outdoor set with sturdy natural wood frames and pale cream upholstered cushions. A big beige and black rug in a large-scale pattern adds texture underfoot and helps to demarcate the area. A couple of colorful bohemian scatter cushions brighten things up, along with a length of string lights hanging from the natural wood roof beams.
This simple veranda setup is the perfect example of how little you need to create a comfortable outdoor seating area. Yes, hanging egg chairs are in, and it's easy to think you have to invest in firepits, outdoor kitchens, and all the pricey amenities that go into them. But in reality, the main ingredients of an outdoor living area are comfortable seats you can really kick back in, and a couple of attractive decor touches to bring the space to life.
A fairytale garden shed against the forest
One look at Lyndsay Lamb's garden reveals that she has a green thumb and a passion for plants. Besides creating a beautiful yard, the HGTV host also converted an old outhouse that came with the property into a cute, Pinterest-worthy garden shed. On the outside, you're greeted by hanging flower baskets, a welcoming bench, and two wrought iron railings. The shed is painted in a mid-tone gray with a pitched shingle roof that only adds to its abundance of charm. Inside, Lamb has all of her garden tools neatly arranged on pegboard walls. She also has a surface to pot plants right under the window, as well as more than enough space to store all of the usual gardening must-haves, like planters and compost.
Not everyone has a storage unit waiting to be converted into a picture-perfect potting shed, but a lot of the ideas can be implemented in other areas, such as in your garage, or even at the end of a veranda. Using a pegboard to create tool storage will save you more than a few pennies and allows for uber-flexible storage. Behind the pegboard, the "Unsellable Homes" host opted for chipboard, which gives it a woodsy, rustic finish. With a bit of paint, a few hanging baskets, and a surface to work on, you'll be ready to create your own whimsical potting station.