‘Good Bones’ Reveals a DIY Craze We’ll Bet You’ve Never Seen Before

In the Season 6 episode “Eclectic Art in Garfield Park,” Starsiak Hawk and Laine buy a run-down home near Indianapolis for just $9,500. The house may be a little rough around the edges, but it’s in a fun, artsy part of town that they think buyers will love.

This mother and daughter spend $80,000 fixing up this home, then put it on the market for $120,000. It’s unknown if this home sells by the end of the episode.

Here’s how these two renovate the house, with plenty of tips on how to add unique twists to any home—even your own!

Add shingles for a warm, welcoming exterior

When Starsiak Hawk first shows Laine this house, it’s clear the exterior needs some work. They both like the building’s facade, but Laine says the blood-red porch makes it look like a crime scene.

Starsiak Hawk adds some cedar shake to give the exterior some detail and warmth. Then they paint over the red porch.

“The porch is getting a dark gray paint job, which adds a touch of eclectic style and brings out the shake shingle peak,” Starsiak Hawk explains.

The team fixes up the landscaping, giving the home a fresh, comforting look. With just a few upgrades, this house goes from scary murder scene to adorable cottage.

Install fun flooring to make a kitchen stand out

Starsiak Hawk and Laine want this kitchen to feel special—but they know the kitchen isn’t always the right place to go wild with style. Buyers, whether they’re artistic or not, like clean, functional kitchens.

Still, Starsiak Hawk knows there’s a little room to play, and decides to add a brown tile floor with a geometric design.

“It’s an intricate pattern that adds some rustic character and warms the space,” she says.

Try leather cabinet pulls for rustic flair

Starsiak Hawk chooses white cabinets and simple butcher block counters for this kitchen. These are typical but lovely features, so Starsiak Hawk decides to get creative on the smaller touches, like the cabinet hardware.

Instead of traditional metal pulls, she chooses leather straps.

“These are the pulls,” Starsiak Hawk says to Laine during a design meeting, “which, I think, will just help warm it up a little bit.”

Laine likes the idea, and notes that the leather will absorb hand oils and change over time, making the kitchen seem even more rustic. Playing with pull ideas is a smart way to add some style without being too bold.

Shou sugi ban may be the latest DIY craze

Storage is critical in any home, and designer MJ Coyle has an idea for a unique shelving feature. He wants to use the ancient Japanese method of shou sugi ban on the cedar shelves. This technique, which is experiencing a renaissance, involves torching the wood surface to create a unique look. Plus, Coyle wants to paint an hombre black-and-gray circle on the wall behind the shelves.

“You could’ve just put open shelves on the wall with brackets, but this is just next level,” Starsiak Hawk says of the look.

When the shelves are finished, they add a lot of style to the wall, and could make for a great DIY project (provided you’re adept with a torch).

Decoupage the floor for an artistic flourish

This home features a single bedroom upstairs, but since this neighborhood is known for being art-focused, Starsiak Hawk and Laine decide to make this a home office/art studio. However, most of the renovation budget is already being used on the lower level, so they’ll need to work on a tight budget.

When demo starts, they’re excited to find one promising feature.

“Under the nasty layers of vinyl, there’s a really pretty subfloor,” Starsiak Hawk says. But after further inspection, she realizes there are too many imperfections to keep it natural. So Laine decides to lean in to the art studio vibe and paint the floor white. Then she decoupages it with sheets of blue paper, which are glued to the floor and then sealed with a layer of polyurethane. She ends up loving the result.

“It almost looks like stained glass on the floor, because the colors are so rich and vibrant,” Laine says.