Today’s edition of Design SOS has a few things in common across the board of our reader submissions and their future home transformations: Concise comments and requests, meaning I don’t have much to work with besides the images; some mid-century style; and the need for surface-level tweaks that will make a tremendous difference in the finished product. No major overhauls here, though that’s not what this series entails anyhow. Honestly, every single room here can be absolutely transformed with either something as simple as paint (in the case of the bathroom), and rounding out the decor to home in on a style and color palette (for every one). Never underestimate the power of deciding on some soft goods for your rooms. A rug, some curtains, and a piece of art or two can take a room from feeling stuck and unfinished to you walking in, taking a deep breath of relief, and feeling like you can finally see some design direction happening.

For anyone just joining us here, you can take a trip through all our recent Design SOS posts here:

• Design SOS Is Here To Help! 3 Rooms Get The Practical Style Advice They’ve Been Looking For
• Reader Design SOS: 3 Reader Homes & The Quick, Affordable Fixes We Suggest (The Stairwell Is A Favorite)
• 3 Readers Get Some “Design SOS” Help To Make Their Homes A Little Better (+ An Accent Wall Dilemma!)
• Reader Design SOS – My Quick Gut Styling Advice On How To Fix These Rooms

Catch up now, or later, but either way, let’s get into today’s home transformations, starting with my favorite pick, the vintage pink bathroom in need of some color love.

Home Transformations: The Vintage Pink Bathroom

From reader: Hello! I would love to get your suggestions for my mid-century pink bathroom. You’re my favorite insta follow! Thanks!

My quick style swaps: Show me a vintage bathroom with colored fixtures, and I’ll show you my attention! Living in Los Angeles really made me appreciate the hidden beauty of an older bathroom. Where most people would be tempted to just rip it all out, I’m not certain whether this reader is after an intense refresh/reno, or just some ideas for how to like this space some more. Off the bat, I’d immediately change that blue. The shade of that with the floors and the dusty pink fixtures feels like cotton candy. When your color combinations are off, it can make things feel way dingier than they likely are. So let’s fix that. Here’s what I suggest:

• Paint the walls a warmer shade, such as a soft yellow or a blushy pink to just lean all the way in.
• Bring in some texture with rugs, towels and an updated shower curtain.
• Layer in some accessories and art.
• Optional: Do a quick, affordable floor upgrade with some peel-and-stick that suits the age of the bathroom. It’s hard to tell the exact color or material of what is there right now, tbh.
• Optional: Swap out the lighting and mirror.

Paint color | Peel-and-Stick Floor | Rug | Shower Curtain | Artwork | Waste Basket | Towels | Wood Tray | Soap Pump | Toothbrush cup | Vanity Lighting | Mirror

You guys. I LOVE THIS BATHROOM NOW! Taking the kid-room blue out of the equation and layering in a more grown up and warm color scheme (which I grabbed from this bathroom color palette post I did recently because no use of letting that work go to waste, right?) is absolutely transformative here. There is zero renovation that happened hear. Just some swaps in soft goods, adding in some more style via the rug, towels, art and accessories, and making some reversible swaps like the peel-and-stick floor in the checkerboard with the burgundy (which plays well with the deep rose of the fixtures), and the mirror and pendant lights. This would still look great even without the new mirrors and lights, tbh. And as long as the rug were large enough (go with at least a 4×6 if you can here), the previous floor would also likely be just fine. I like the depth the burgundy check adds, but it’s far more of a commitment, of course.

I kept the finishes on the new accessories chrome to better work with the mid-century style in here. The art is in a funky place above because I wanted you to be able to actually see it, but it could go above the toilet or even in that more open area to the right of the mirrors.

Here it is with some Spoak rendering magic (the program we’ve been using to help us bring these designs to life more realistically). Fair warning: It takes a lot of creative liberties with the products I included as well as the existing features of the room, but I wanted to show you anyway even if half of it is wrong to really drive home the “feel” of it. The paint color is off in the right photo (too orange), but I do love that buttery cream with the pink throughout.

Next up, a dining room in need of a personality:

Home Transformations: The New-Build Dining Room

From reader: Hello! Submitting photos of my dining room for consideration! I plan to replace the dining room table as it’s from our old house and the color doesn’t look good in this one. I know I need a rug and curtains but I’m intimidated to pick them and would LOVE any and all suggestions!! Thanks for considering! 

My quick style swaps: WAIT! STOP! Don’t change that table and chairs. (I mean, of course, do it if you want to or need something larger, but that looks like a seriously sturdy, well-built and beautiful craftsman table and chairs that could probably last for another 100 years). I know this reader is concerned with the wood tones. Her original table and chairs are a warm golden oak hue while her new floors are a grey/weathered wood finish. Typically, I’d agree that doesn’t work because the undertones do not match, HOWEVER…this can all be solved with a rug to create seperation. Some other design moves I’d suggest:

• The four side chairs in this larger space feel a bit dinky. We need something at the head and foot of the table, so let’s add upholstered headchairs here. You can keep them neutral (I have zero idea what colors this reader likes and honestly cannot tell what color that sofa is in the background), or go for it with something that has some more personality…which is what I’d do, duh.
• Bring in a rug larger enough to hold the now-6 chairs—8×10.
• Considering there’s room, bring in a credenza under the celerstory window and style it with pretty things you love.
• Swap the pendant light to something a little less generic.
• Add soft light-filtering curtains.

Rug | Upholstered Dining Armchairs | Chandelier | Credenza | Table Lamp | Blue Bowl | Art | Curtains | Curtain Rod

All of the above would still easily work if the new dining armchairs were a cream linen, for instance, and the rug was also a neutral. Just adding in these textures—let alone dialing up the design with some color—makes a huge difference to this area of their home. It feels inviting and intentional rather than what it felt like before: Like a spot with holdover furniture from a previous home. To make the mixed wood tones make even more sense, I brought in yet another tone via the credenza which works with the warmth of their kitchen cabinets just out of frame but lends more of a modern touch in the white oak.

The rendering below makes me laugh because the credenza got put up on stilts, but again, this is more for the aesthetics of it rather than a real-life creation:

The colors aren’t right here, but I love how the edge of the rug picks up the tone of the chairs, the chandelier is linear while the table lamp is chunky to create tension, and the artwork (not the one above, but the one I actually picked), layers in a touch more color beyond the burgundy, blue and wood tones).

And finally, another mid-century space crying out for a rug:

Home Transformations: The “Needs the Finishing Touch” Living Room

From reader: Hi! Moved into our 1960s ranch last week, and this room has made almost no progress because I simply do not know what to do here (also had a newborn and a 2-year-old, so…). Help!

My quick style swaps: Reader, you have a beautiful home and congrats on the newborn (and Godspeed with the toddler in tow!). I wouldn’t see this room and think “family home” at all. This homeowner clearly loves mid-century silhouettes between the classic tufted seat-tight-back sofa, the Lane Acclaim coffee table, and the armchairs. But we need to take it from corporate office living room to comfortable hangout room. Here’s how to do it:

• Lay down a large area rug, at least 9×12, to ground all the main furniture pieces.
• Hang soft, neutral curtains that let light in (the room seems a touch dark, so we don’t want to block more light with anything heavier than a thinner linen or cotton weave).
• Add throw pillows to the sofa and chairs, as well as some throws.
• Print out large family photos and get them framed. We don’t want anything dinky here. Go big for impact and add them to the sofa area and around the wall with the credenza. (I’d also lower the mirror over there considerably, or get a larger mirror, but I didn’t render out that side of the room).

Rug | Curtains | Curtain Rod | Lumbar Throw Pillow | Neutral Throw Pillow | Striped Throw Pillow | Striped Throw Blanket

Here is a side-by-side of my rough-and-dirty edits on the left, and Spoak’s rendering on the right (it struggled today with using my actual product picks and keeping the original furniture intact). A single armchair turned into a mini loveseat somehow; the cool coffee table turned totally generic, but hopefully you get the gist. I didn’t add in the family photos here, but they’d really bring this whole room to a place that feels finished, welcoming, and like the people who live here. Don’t get me started on my crusade to bring back family photos into our homes. It’s all cool, chic art these days, and we never get to see who lives in a place. PUT YOUR FACES UP ON THOSE WALLS, PEOPLE. Okay?

—

And that brings us to the end of today. These home transformations were a clear display of the power of soft goods and paint. Remember, you don’t always have to make drastic changes to feel better about your space. Small tweaks and added style through accessories and textiles will 100% make your spaces feel like home.

Until next time, friends…

Opening Image Credits: Design by Caitlin Higgins | Styling by Emily Edith Bowser | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Caitlin’s First MOTO Reveal – A Vintage Bathroom Gets A Modern Update