Heidi Sowatsky of Decorating Den encourages clients to buy high-quality furniture and reupholster and refinish old furniture whenever possible. “If you’re consistent in your style, you can then move the furniture from room to room and home to home without difficulty,” Sowatsky says.

Judy and Don Walter’s previous home was completely tailored to their personal preferences. To make the move easier, Walter says she flbrought over a lot of ideas from the old house to the new house, which has significantly more space and natural light.

“I love everything about it – the granite, the crown molding, the built-in theater with seating for twelve, even the door handles. But I won’t buy this house. I just CAN’T with the red wall,” the wide-eyed reality show participant spouts off as she gives her final synopsis of the house she’s just finished touring. “The color just doesn’t feel…right. It isn’t me.”

Sick of papers piling up on a dining room table you haven’t used since Thanksgiving? Homeowner and designer Nisha Tailor of Nisha Tailor Interior Design knew the feeling; she broke from tradition with a posh lounge outfitted in a contemporary mix of textures and styles.

After finding the perfect place to call home, Nick and Olga Mandis quickly realized that their nonfunctional kitchen would need to undergo a floor-to-ceiling renovation to echo the welcoming warmth and historic beauty of their Mediterranean heritage. The cozy 195-square-foot entertaining space now brings the growing family together and boasts exquisite detail inspired by the couple’s Greek roots.

Short on functionality and lacking warmth, Susie Knopf’s Clayton high-rise was overdue for a reboot in late 2014. The 2,500-square-foot space now pops with charm from a rustic floor-to-ceiling renovation that includes two fireplaces.

“The unit was very dated,” says Susie, “and, being an interior designer, I wanted a different style and needed to have more storage and open up the space.”

It started the same way many renovation projects start… with a simple desire to switch up some accessories and freshen up the lower level. But this renovation story quickly took a different turn. “We started dreaming, and once we started dreaming it turned into a whole remodel,” says designer CJ Knapp, who recently formed her own interior design firm Yours By Design.