Remember Bronson Pinchot, the actor best known for playing Balki on the sitcom Perfect Strangers? Since then, he fell in love with the small rural town of Harford, Pennsylvania, and started buying old, neglected houses that he felt deserved rescuing. Now he has a show on the DIY Network called The Bronson Pinchot Project that follows along as he restores them with his crew of local contractors.

After getting sucked into a marathon of episodes last weekend, I thought it would be fun to show you some of his dramatic before and afters. Take a look!

This early 19th-century Greek Revival was the first house that he found in Harford. As he writes on his website:

“It was a July day in 2000. I had only one day on the East Coast before I was due to travel West. I’d seen a very cropped photograph of the house, which then was choked with trees (dying locusts) and wildly overgrown lilacs, and painted yellow (with plenty of fat bugs trapped forever in the sloppy paint job) and with the columns bending bowlegged in all directions and criss-crossed with scarifying spiraling cracks, and their bases rotted out and replaced with concrete.”

He could see the potential in it, though: “When I opened the door, the smell of cinnamon toast caressed me. I fell head over heels. Only a few years later, after year-round work under tarps with turbo heaters in the winter, it looked like this. And it had its own TV show.”

It also inspired him to buy more old houses in the town that were in bad shape.

In one episode, he gives the “Christmas Cabin”–an addition added onto the back of the house (above) that he thinks will be the perfect spot for a tall 17′ tree–a makeover. Here’s how the addition looked before:

And the fireplace wall after–with a mantel salvaged from an old house (one complaint–the afters are often still being shown at the end of the episodes while credits flash over them):

As you can see, he remodels houses so they look, well, old. Most of the salvaged wood he uses is not repainted because he likes the patina of it.

He began collecting architectural salvage in the late ’80s and now has houses to use a lot of his pieces in–like that fireplace, and the bust above it, which was so heavy it had to be built into the wall.

New (old) French doors were added to the room for more light, leading to the garden:

The kitchen in the Christmas Cabin before:

And after:

Bronson loves to disguise refrigerators and other appliances. In this case, the fridge is stealthily hidden behind this cabinet (below)–see the handle he’s reaching for underneath it?

One of my favorite episodes shows him transforming the exterior of another house he owns in Harford, called Decker Court. It was built in 1840, and let’s just say he saw potential in it that I never would have. Here’s how it looked before:

And after:

That picket fence was from the 1800s and had been stored in a local barn for decades before he put it back to use. It kind of fascinates me how he leaves everything looking weather-beaten and worn. This looks like a building you’d find on a back lot in Hollywood. I could see it being used in a period film of some kind.

The kitchen inside Decker Court was pretty blah, too:

He tore it down to the studs, uncovered the original wood floors, and gave it the look of an old country kitchen:

This time the fridge is hidden behind what looks like built-in shelves. Those pieces of china are glued to the shelves, and if you pull on one of them, they open to reveal a fridge behind:

Would I want to live in houses that are “newly aged” and countrified like this? Probably not. But I think it’s fun to see how he has a creative vision for these old houses and executes his ideas in unusual ways. They’re almost like art installations. And I could totally see him working as a set designer, couldn’t you?

He now owns 5 houses, 2 stores, and this tiny Post Office in Harford, which reminds me of the one my grandmother worked at when I was little (he uses it to store salvaged items for future renovations):

Have you been watching the show? Check the DIY Network website for dates and times of upcoming episodes (looks like more are airing this weekend). Bronson announced on his website that the show was picked up for a second season, and they’re starting production on it now. Can’t wait to see what else he has up his sleeve!

P.S. Love Before & Afters? I have an entire page devoted to them. Click here to check it out!

More Posts About HGTV and DIY Shows:

• Yard Crashers Host Ahmed Hassan Replaced
• Sandra Rinomato Quits Property Virgins
• The Truth About Designed to Sell
• See ‘em all!

#1. I don’t know about you, but the only dead bird I want to see in my kitchen is a chicken.

#2. This large living room in a $1.2 million house in Nevada has space for everything…except maybe people.

#3. The reader who submitted this photo calls it “Bambi’s House of Horrors.”

#4. When I can’t fall asleep, I’d rather count sheep.

#5. I just lost my appetite.

Thanks to the readers who submitted these–Jennifer, Cindy, and Scott. If you see something unusual in the real estate listings, send it to me!

More Bad Real Estate Photos:

• 5 Reasons Why Homeowners Shouldn’t Appear in Real Estate Photos
• A Bear in the House
• In This Trophy Room, There Are No Winners
• See ‘em all!

On TLC’s reality show The Little Couple this season, we watched as Bill and Jen moved into their new home together. Because Bill is 4′ and Jen is 3’2″, it was custom built to make their lives easier. But besides practical considerations like lower countertops and doorknobs, the house itself turned out beautifully. Take a look!

I searched everywhere for photos of the front of the house online but couldn’t find any, so I took a few while watching the show on TV.

As you can see in this photo of Bill on the front porch, even the dimensions of the entry doors were scaled for them, with doorknobs that are placed a little lower than normal:

The couple in their new kitchen, which was designed specifically for them:

They live in Texas “where everything,” Bill says, “is big…except us.”

Love the roomy windowseat in the living room:

The bedroom:

On one episode they hired a company to decorate the house for Christmas:

Here’s a clip from The Little Couple that shows them settling into their new home:

More Houses Shown on TV:

• When Times Got Tough, This Couple Built a Tiny House
• New Owner, New Look for Spelling Manor
• The Victorian Farmhouse on Hot in Cleveland

High Point Market, the largest furnishings industry trade show in the world, is kind of like Fashion Week for us decorating geeks. It’s always interesting to see what trends emerge from it. Here are 6 things that made a strong showing for the Summer of 2012:

#1. BELGIAN GRAYS & PATINAS

#2. THE LOOK OF ARTISAN AND HAND-CRAFTED DESIGNS

#3. EXOTIC PATTERNS INSPIRED BY MOROCCO

#4. BUTTONED UP & TUFTED FURNITURE

#5. INDUSTRIAL CHIC WITH REPURPOSED OBJECTS

#6. PANTONE’S COLOR OF THE YEAR, TANGERINE TANGO

Some other trends were more of what we’ve seen a lot of already, like birds on everything (“Put a bird on it!”), various shades of blue, menswear patterns, and chevron (yep, more zig-zaggy fabrics on their way–reports of chevron’s death were apparently premature).

You can read the entire report on the High Point Market website, which includes descriptions and more examples of each of these trends, as well as a forecast of what’s coming next (think the color purple, whimsical vintage items, and space-age design that the Jetsons would feel right at home in).

Which of these trends are you loving…and which ones could you live without?

Products from the top via Thibaut, Bernhardt, Studio A, Currey & Company, Gus Modern, BoBo, Lexington Home, and Norwalk.

One of my kids’ favorite vacation destinations is the Smoky Mountains. When my son turned 16, he wanted to celebrate by spending Spring Break with our extended family in Gatlinburg.

I spent days poring over all the listings for cabin rentals and it was hard to choose–there are so many nice ones out there. If this amazing property had been on the rental websites, though, it would’ve been a no-brainer. This would be my fantasy vacation spot in the Smokies!

Featured in Architectural Digest, Toad Hall belongs to Kreis and Sandy Beall, and it sits on 32 acres in Tennessee. The architect was Jack Davis, and they brought Atlanta-based designer Suzanne Kasler in to give the log house some English Country Style.

The timber used for the buildings was gathered from old log barns around Tennessee: “They form a robust and richly textured background for the Bealls’ vast collections of 18th- and early-19th-century European furnishings and household ornaments.”

Decorating the interiors of a log house proved to be a bit of a challenge. Kasler told AD: “It’s an English country house made out of logs—a dark surround you’re working with, and everything had to have texture and dimension. Fabrics had to have enough weight to hold their own. Scale and strength were key elements.”

The English-style gardens were designed by Mary Palmer Dargan and are found all around the property. Love this rustic gate that leads to a cutting garden:

There are also some guest cottages on the property. Suzanne Kasler tells AD that the two-room Tadpole Cottage was “built from a simple sketch. The builder just put it together.” She adds that two words that embody the property are “charm and folly!”

Wish I could spend my next vacation here! You can read the article by John Loring and see the rest of the photos by Jeff Herr in Architectural Digest. Thanks to Missy for telling me about it!

P.S. Click here to see Suzanne Kasler’s own Regency-style home in Atlanta.

Hooked on Log Houses?

• Jack Hanna’s Cozy Log Cabin in Montana
• Dolly Parton’s Childhood Home in Tennessee
• Tumble Creek Retreat in Washington

Kelsey Grammer reportedly plunked down $6.5 million for this fully renovated, Spanish Colonial Revival-style mansion in Beverly Hills at the end of April. The 6,000 square-foot villa, which was built in 1926, should provide plenty of room for his growing family. After divorcing his Real Housewife Camille in early 2011, he married Kayte Walsh, and they’re expecting twins later this year.

Take a look!

The house was designed by Ralph C. Flewelling, the same architect responsible for Diane Keaton’s house that we saw in Architectural Digest a few years ago (btw, she ended up selling it for $10 million to Ryan Murphy, creator of TV shows like American Horror Story).

Grammer already has 4 other children, including 28-year old daughter Spencer Grammer, who played Casey Cartwright on Greek (I loved that show and was sad when it ended!). She just had a baby of her own last year–a boy named Emmett–making Kelsey a grandpa.

Realtor.com reports that the residence “features all the typical details one would expect from a Mediterranean villa: terra cotta tiled floors, white-washed stucco walls, dark exposed wood beams. In the kitchen, an attractive chevron-pattern backsplash sets off the otherwise white space with its bright teal stripes.”

There are 6 bedrooms and 7 baths in the house.

This house reminds me of Charlie Sheen’s with the beamed ceilings and arched windows. His was more updated and modern, though.

Like it? For more photos and information, visit Realtor.com and The Real Estalker.

Kelsey and his ex-wife Camille had lots of real estate to divide up after the divorce, including a ski chalet in Colorado that was featured on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills:

Last I checked, it was still on the market. You can see photos of it here.

Click Here to See the Top 10 Most Popular Celebrity Houses!

Have to say, I wasn’t crazy about last year’s Green Home, so my expectations were pretty low for this one. I wasn’t even going to tune in to the special on HGTV…but then I heard that it was “inspired by classic Southern farmhouses and redefined for modern families.”

Well, I can’t resist a white farmhouse, so I had to check it out. Have you seen it yet?

The front door is down in what looks like the foundation (love the stone). Seems like an odd place to enter the house–almost like you’re going in through the basement.

This year’s Green Home sits in Serenbe, a picturesque sustainable community about 30 miles from Atlanta.

The kitchen mixes rustic with modern.

There’s a lot going on in this master bedroom–I can’t say I’m crazy about that headboard against the striped wall and the various patterns thrown together. I need things to be a little more serene in mine. But if I win, that’s an easy change, right?

The master bath:

A fun kid’s room with a loft (there’s a TV and gaming system up there):

The guest room has what looks like the Rojo Tall Cabinet from Crate & Barrel. Have you noticed that bed skirts and dust ruffles are apparently “out” now? You rarely see them any more.

The house, which has 2,300 square feet, was designed by architect Steve Kemp and residential designer Georgia Muncaster of Kemp Hall Studio.

“The concept was to mix an old with a new feel,” Georgia explained. “That’s why we wanted to do the very rustic stone foundation. We have the simple form of the farmhouse with a traditional siding used in a different way and then the traditional metal roof.”

One of my favorite spaces in the house is this homework/craft room upstairs, overlooking the courtyard:

This room was created as a space for “quiet reflection,” but all I’d be thinking about would be, “How soon can I repaint?”

The windows on either side of this “Georgia Room”–not to mention the wicker furniture–give it a sunroom vibe that I like. It’s meant to be like an outdoor room, so it isn’t air conditioned.

Did you see the Green Home special on HGTV, hosted by Monica Pedersen? I’ve liked her since her Designed to Sell days (I miss that show!).

I just finished reading her new book, Make It Beautiful: Designs and Ideas for Entertaining at Home–it comes out May 8, but the publisher sent me an advance copy. I enjoyed it but hope to see a decorating book from her in the future (the kinds of parties I throw these days usually involve pizza delivery and paper napkins–ha).

I learned some interesting things about her in the book–like that she started as a print model but was always interested in houses and design. It was a Sears commercial that she landed–playing a housewife with a cordless drill–that got her the audition for Designed to Sell. The rest, as they say, is HGTV history.

The one-car detached garage was designed “to look like an old farmstead wagon shed” and sits (kind of inconveniently, esp. when you have a car full of groceries) behind the house, and up a bunch of steps:

Like this year’s Green Home? Personally, I would have preferred to have seen more farmhouse and less modern. But overall, I liked it better than last year’s.

Want to win it? You can enter twice a day until June 1. Visit HGTV.com for all the details about the sweepstakes.

How do you think it compares to the Green Homes of the past few years?

• Green Home 2011 in Denver
• Green Home 2010 in Plymouth
• Green Home 2009 in Port Lucie
• My personal fave–Green Home 2008

Ever attended a Pampered Chef party in somebody’s home? It’s been years since I’ve been to one, but I still have several of their products.  Most are gathering dust, but I couldn’t live without this mini-spatula, of all things. Use it all the time.

Anyway, when I read that the company’s founder Doris Christopher is reportedly selling her 12,000 square-foot house in Hinsdale, Illinois, I had to take a look!

The listing describes it as a “Magnificently renovated and expanded traditional 6 bedroom, 8 full/3 half bath stone home.”

She bought the house in 2003 for $6.32 million.

Doris reportedly plans to downsize to a smaller place.

I like this sunny sitting room:

The house was built in 1956 but has clearly had a lot of updating done to it over the years.

Of course, the room I was most interested in seeing was her kitchen.

I kind of expected something larger and more extravagant from someone who has made a successful business out of kitchenware, didn’t you?

You can cook here, too, if you can come up with $6.5 million.

For more photos and information about the house, check the listing by Daniel DeBoo of Koenig & Strey. Thanks to Mary of The Chair on the Lake for the scoop!

P.S. The pink mansion Mary Kay Ash used to live in went on the market this year, too. 

Better Homes and Gardens recently took a survey that I found interesting. They asked their readers all kinds of questions to find out what they want from their houses now. The results covered decorating trends, how much square footage people think they need, the kinds of home improvement projects most homeowners are tackling, and more.

Here’s what they said–see if you agree!

The Survey Showed:

• 8 out of 10 said home ownership is still a good investment and an important part of the American Dream.

• 39% said they’re planning home improvement projects–up from 33% the year before.

• More people are remodeling baths than kitchens–31% versus 25%.

• Most would rather get rid of excess stuff than pay for a bigger house to hold it all. However, 76% said they need more storage space than they have now.

• 55% said their future home improvement projects would involve style upgrades on countertops, flooring, faucets and fixtures (up from 50% the year before).

• 56% said a house with no wasted space and a smart design are at the top of their wish list.

• 80% want a separate laundry room (yes, please–no more mudroom-laundry room combos!).

• Decorating trends that people are following include “statement tubs, even in a smaller footprint,” the “utility look with reclaimed wood and metallic finishes in cabinets and flooring,” and industrial lighting.

The look, affordability, and efficiency of a home have now become more important than sheer square footage. The median square footage people said they need continues to drop each year, down to 1,791 in this survey.

Jill Waage, Editorial Director for Home Content at BHG, said:

“Our homes are the physical expression of ourselves and lives. In addition to spending more time planning and hunting for the right elements for living spaces, consumers are also turning to social media platforms like Pinterest to gather and share design inspirations, smart products, creative ideas and space-wise solutions.”

What do you think?

Do you agree that home ownership is still a worthwhile investment? Are you getting rid of excess stuff and living with less–in less space? If you were going to remodel one room of your house, which one would it be? (Read the entire press release here.)

P.S. I couldn’t resist snapping photos of these lovely houses that I drove past in Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Annapolis. Anyone else do that?

P.P.S. Lily turned 10 yesterday and tonight is her big sleepover birthday party. Oh, boy. Wish me luck!

When I saw soap star Deidre Hall’s house featured on HGTV’s new show Celebrities at Home, I fell in love with this big back porch, which she calls her “outdoor family room.” I mean, wow. Gorgeous.

I searched all over for photos of it, to no avail, and finally resorted to taking pics of her (very down-to-earth, you-wouldn’t-guess-a-celeb-lived-here) house while watching it on TV.  Take a look!

Deidre, who is best known for her role as Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives, gives us a tour of her kitchen and explains all the changes she made to it:

Here’s how the kitchen looked when she bought it, with a wall in the spot where she’s standing (above), dividing it from the family room:

She knocked down the wall, replaced the granite countertops, and added beadboard to the backsplash:

Don’t care for the balloon shades–I wouldn’t want to block so much of the windows–but I like the wood-topped island.

Her house reminds me of Kitty Bartholomew’s cottage in Santa Monica with the traditional, kinda country and vintage touches–and the red. Deidre says she likes to add accents of it to every room.

Deidre looks at her new beauty book How Does She Do It? in the adjoining family room:

This room used to be the dining room, but she moved things around. She wanted a more casual gathering space off the kitchen.

Nothing is pretentious here. She said her motto is that every room needs to be “comfortable and safe”–meaning that it doesn’t matter if people mess things up or break anything. You can put your feet up on the furniture.

The highlight of the tour for me was the big porch that she built onto the house after moving in. Here’s how the back of the house looked when she bought it in 2005:

And now:

Lovely!

She says the porch was designed in such a way that the rain doesn’t blow in much at all. I’d love to know how they pulled that off. Every porch I’ve ever had got soaking wet after a storm, so I have to quickly clean it off when dark clouds roll in. This white sofa (which used to be in her dressing room) wouldn’t have lasted one season on the screened porch we had at our last house. But boy, it sure looks pretty!

I love it when porches have fireplaces.

The TV is stowed behind those panels over the mantel:

These two armchairs were custom-sized to comfortably fit a man and a woman:

She calls it her outdoor family room and says it’s where her family plays games and watches movies.

HGTV usually replays these episodes, so be sure to watch for this one if you want to see more. In it, host Nancy O’Dell also visits Tia Carrere’s modern, light-filled home in the Malibu Hills.

Her house was very different from Deidre’s–much more contemporary.

Tia managed to stay pretty classy this season as a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice. Anyone else watching that train wreck of a reality show?

Whose style is closer to yours–Deidre’s or Tia’s?

The network just picked up 13 more episodes of Celebrities at Home, which is hosted and exec-produced by Nancy O’Dell. Can’t wait to see more!

More Celebrities at Home:

• Diane Keaton
• Andie MacDowell
• Kitty Bartholomew
• Tracy Porter
• See ‘em all!