The 12 Best Kitchen Makeovers We've Seen On HGTV's Unsellable Houses
They are two of the top-performing real estate agents in the Pacific Northwest. We've witnessed their fun quirks, personal stories, and synchronized sentence-ending lines. But most of all, we have been wowed time and time again by their epic home transformations. If you are an avowed HGTV binge-watcher like us, chances are you've seen the network's most popular female twins, Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis, on their hit series, "Unsellable Houses." With a team of experienced builders, the duo helps homeowners struggling to sell their properties with renovations and home staging strategies to find buyers in a jiffy and closing deals well above the original asking price.
You probably have your favorite episodes, too, but in this article we will focus on their most successful kitchen makeovers. We chose the projects where the changes they made to this specific room became the most impactful to owners, most raved about by fans, and most pivotal to the sale. Being real estate consultants, the twins know how a kitchen can make or break a property deal, so they always give special attention to the space. Here are the very best kitchens we've seen them do on the show.
1. A disproportioned and characterless kitchen becomes a gamechanger
An unsellable house in a highly sellable neighborhood? Something has to be really wrong with this property. Located in Snohomish County, one of the most desired areas in Washington state, a rambler home was waiting for a buyer for two months. That's when our hosts came onto the scene. While the kitchen was huge, it was clearly out of proportion and had no character — too much space for too little function.
The team filled this void with their bags of glee and glamor following a modern farmhouse-style inspiration. With a kitchen remodel budget of $20,000, they stuffed it with more cabinets, countertop surfaces, lights, and decor. New floorboards were installed, and stylish tiles were put in for the backsplash. They also trimmed the area to make more space for an adjacent third bedroom. The new kitchen was so impactful that it brought tears to its owners upon seeing it. Several fans commented on YouTube that this is their favorite project done by the two consultants, many of them highlighting the kitchen renovation in particular.
2. A shy walled kitchen opens up for a bold new look
The duo's old high school friends asked for their help to update an old house that was starting to stick out from a neighborhood full of new builds. The interior was abundant in natural lighting coming from generous windows and a skylight. However, the different areas, including the kitchen, were separated from each other by segmented walls and columns that only went up to the beams, blocking the view of the lovely vaulted ceiling and interfering with what would have been a spacious open-plan layout.
The team put in $35,000 for the kitchen remodeling, one of the heftiest we have seen on the show. Apart from taking down the walls, they added new stone countertops and herringbone-patterned butcher blocks. This time, they used an elegant deep blue for the cabinets with brass hardware. Their friend was so impressed with the kitchen, they stated that they actually felt jealous of whoever would be the new owner. The house ended up getting sold for a whopping $230,000 more than the owners' original selling price. "They hit it waayyy outta the park on this one!" commented one fan on YouTube. "The blue kitchen and cool designs make it really stand out," wrote another.
3. Daycare mess room turns into a top-dollar farmhouse kitchen
After turning their house into a daycare center, this retiring childcare businesswoman struggled to sell it. The property looked great from the outside, but the problem became very clear when the agents walked inside — it was basically still a daycare facility. As cute as all the animal stickers and toys were, buyers simply could not visualize it as a home. And, as professional stagers, Leslie Davis and Lyndsay Lamb knew this very well. The kitchen was far from being homey, either. It was used partly as a place to feed kids and partly as an office. Appliances and fixtures were outdated, and the cream and wood motif felt monotonous and lacked liveliness.
For this renovation, the crew aimed for a farmhouse look with a $19,000 budget. They used ivory-white cabinets with handsome vintage-style black handles. A butcher block countertop was installed along with new appliances and recessed lighting. As it happens, this kitchen also had the owner crying at first sight. "It looks so good," she said with a touching whimper. It fetched one of the show's biggest top-ups on the selling price — $125,000 over the combined original list price and the renovation cost.
4. Who could forget this French country-style kitchen for Jeff's sister?
In Season 2, Leslie Davis and Lyndsay Lamb did a fabulous renovation for contractor Jeff Laurence's sister, Jeana, and her husband. The couple and their kids were moving out to a new place and had their house on the market for four months (that's like two years in the Pacific Northwest market). The kitchen needed updates after being used by the family for more than 17 years. It was hidden behind a pony wall, which the girls unsurprisingly wanted to take out. They set aside a $25,000 budget for the work. With the wall removed, Lamb decided to change the layout from a U to an L shape. Everything was replaced. The team put in dashing white cabinets, wood countertops, and ash-gray brick tiles.
The sisters obviously wanted this to be extra special, and they pulled through with the outcome, giving us another fan-favorite kitchen. The owner's reaction was one of the most joyous. It pushed Jeana into tears. We also have to point out some bold choices by the duo in this project — they went for an unexplored theme and came up with unconventional features such as those black button cabinet handles and the custom hood that Jeff Laurence built himself. "That remodel ranks number one of all the remodels I've seen. Just beautiful," wrote one fan on YouTube.
5. The handsome dark kitchen of this almost million-dollar sale
In what ended up as one of the show's highest-selling houses, Leslie Davis and Lynsday Lamb converted an outdated family house into a high-end rustic-modern abode. The owners who lived just across the street had been trying to sell it at $655,000 but had no luck. In addition to its lack of furnishing, the house needed a big update to compete with other properties in the same market. The kitchen, in particular, still wore that notorious 30-year-old fashion of yellow-toned wood and white laminate counters.
Our show hosts eagerly conceptualized a sophisticated rustic design, sporting dark brown cabinets with brass hardware, gray stone counters, white tile backsplash, and brand-new appliances. Some audience members had negative views on the twin's decision to orient the island diagonally. However, the project was an unquestionable success, landing the house a selling price of $925,000. That is more than enough to earn this episode a spot on our list.
6. Outdated kitchen gets a high-end flipping
In this episode, the hosts helped a homeowner who had her hands full caring for her ailing dad. The property was in Hilton Lake, a prime location, but it needed a major update before it could go back up on the upscale market. Its architecture was impressive with soaring vaulted ceilings, skylights, and glass windows. The problem was that almost nothing had been updated for 19 years, which explained all the retro wallpapers and popcorn finishes. The kitchen told the same story. The white face frame cabinets with matching white button handles said it all. It had modern appliances and a large window above the sink, but they were unnoticeable because of the obvious aged style covering the rest of the room.
The team invested $25,000 for this kitchen makeover, which involved smashing one entire wall to open it up to the dining room. They did not hold back in choosing premium materials. Lyndsay Lamb handpicked a gray quartz countertop and matte black stone tiles for the backsplash that she said was one of the most expensive they had ever chosen. The industrial Seattle vibe was the look they were going for, and you can tell that they used more sophisticated decor for the staging. The episode was showered with positive feedback from fans, many citing it to be a personal favorite and one of the crew's best renovations.
7. A renovation disaster makes a dazzling transformation
Nine years ago, Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis helped their cousin buy a house. In this episode, they were called in to help sell the same property. Given its state, it was more like an emergency SOS. The owners tried to make improvements on their own but were not able to finish the job and left unsightly leftovers. The kitchen was scarred with rough wooden beams and unfinished partitions. No investor was going to buy an aborted renovation project.
Stepping in to rescue, our twin protagonists invested $20,000 for the kitchen makeover. Jeff Laurence, their trusty contractor, took care of fixing the structural issues. They then proceeded to add real tiles for the backsplash and a new countertop. The cabinets were retained, but the team enhanced them by installing unique strap-type handles that delighted its prospectors. Organic elements were incorporated to achieve the natural style that they aimed for. The kitchen was beloved by house hunters and contributed much to the sweet sale that swelled $35,000 over the new list price.
8. Stuck in the '90s kitchen gets coastal style facelift on a budget
You can tell from the beginning of the episode that this house was in good shape. Walking through it, the twins had nothing but compliments — from the neat landscaping to the lovely living area — until they saw the kitchen. The semi-open room still had its original elements from 17 years ago, complete with wood cabinets and white laminate countertops alongside matching white appliances. Lyndsay Lamb knew right away that it needed more attention than any other area of the house. "In here we need personality," she said. It may have been one of the biggest reasons why the house waited six months without any buyer. Well, that and the high asking price of its owner.
To align with expectations, our makeover artists had to work on a modest budget of $8,000. They focused on the most crucial changes needed to update the old kitchen. The team decided on a coastal vibe and repainted the cabinets, put in new floor tiles, and replaced the countertops. However, due to constraints, they thought of keeping the same white appliances. Thankfully, Lamb changed her mind and decided to make adjustments to afford new stainless units — a huge lifesaver to what would have been a major turnoff.
9. Old kitchen turns to a first-time buyer's dream
Leslie Davis and Lyndsay Lamb took on a starter home that had been sitting unwanted on the market for two months. It was in decent condition and even had a lovely backyard, but one issue that stood out was its out-of-style kitchen. Its cabinets were the wooden style of yesteryears. The countertop was also dated and a bit too masculine, according to Davis.
The property experts allotted $15,000 to bring in present-day appeal to the kitchen following a Scandinavian-inspired design. This time, an all-white finish was applied to cabinets, countertops, and the backsplash. Black, hexagonal tiles covered the floors, and a contemporary ceiling light further brightened the space. New appliances were brought in as well. Jeff Laurence and the muscle team took out a wall section that partially separated the kitchen from the living area, giving it a more open layout. Although the kitchen layout received criticisms for the lack of dining provisions, it was still a choice pick of many viewers commenting on YouTube. Moreover, the property was sold in a record-breaking one day after the open house with a huge top-up from the new list price.
10. From an ugly yellow kitchen to a modern cottage-core fusion
This episode was about purple lady Annie, who inherited a 1906-built cottage home from her mom who passed away not too long before. She couldn't afford to renovate the place and was trying to sell it as is. But seeing the potential of the property, Lindsay Lamb and Leslie Davis were confident that its selling price of $390,000 was too low and that they could help her earn more.
Annie's egg yolk kitchen was in dire need of intervention. For starters, yellow is not the best color for a kitchen. The room also housed the washing machine and dryer because there was no proper laundry area. The gang rehauled the space, dressing it in classy white with a mix of metal finishes to add a fun modern look. Applying rustic decors maintained its cottage-core appeal. They also built a separate mudroom for the laundry equipment. The twins fell so in love with the project that, for the first time, they decided to buy a house that they renovated themselves.
11. A space-problematic kitchen gets an amazing makeover
Owners Chris and Kyla were a young couple struggling to sell their small house. They tried listing the house twice but had no luck — not even receiving an offer on their first try. They just had a baby and needed to move to a bigger place. The house had a small kitchen that bore some big issues, especially with traffic flow and use of space. Their fridge and two-seater dining set were blocking the walkways to the adjacent rooms.
The crew fixed the layout and not only figured out how to get the bulky items out of the way, but they even managed to make a proper dining area. They did it with a budget of $15,000. Even non-admirers of the show agreed that this remodel deserved a thumbs up. "Normally not a fan of what they do, but they really scored with this one," said a YouTube comment. From an unsellable price of $315,000, the house was relisted for $375,000 and received an offer of $404,000.
12. This white and green kitchen that buyers adored so much
After their attempt to sell their house ended in a three-month limbo, a mom and her daughter finally asked our tandem renovators to help them out. Here, we found a high-ceiling kitchen wrapped by walls on three sides. And though it had a nice vertical appeal, the room was dated and lacked liveliness. It wore that combination of white appliances, white laminate counters, and orangey wood cabinets that we have seen so much already.
Our band of remodelers installed a gorgeous white quartz countertop and chic hardware. They also repainted the cabinets with a pleasant light green that reflected light very well, making the space feel much bigger. A lower cabinet section that partially divided the kitchen from the dining area was also demolished. This kitchen did not change much in terms of layout and only cost $6,000, most of which went into buying new appliances and that lovely countertop. But it makes our list because of how much it impressed potential buyers and became a key selling point of the house.