In 2025, the most surprising remodels embraced the unexpected—an architect created an outdoor oasis atop a São Paulo high-rise, a family splashed color throughout their once-beige Brooklyn apartment, and a sneaker designer leaned all the way into the ’70s vibes of his Toronto row house (hello, terrazzo and smoked glass). Read on to see 10 new renovations that will make you look twice.

10. She Renovated Her Austin Home With an Unusually Specific Aesthetic

9. Color Blocking Saves the Day for a Dark Singapore Terrace House

8. Ann Edgerton Takes the ’80s Out of Her Texas Ranch House

7. Color Runs Wild in This Once-Beige Clinton Hill Apartment

6. It Started as a Remodel. Now Their Rebuilt Home “Feels Like You’re in a Terrarium”

5. A Sneaker Designer Kicks Up the ’70s Vibes in His Toronto Row House

4. It Took $1.6M and Less Than a Year to Reboot This ’70s Ojai Ranch House

3. Two Foodies Give a Top-Floor Apartment a Top-Shelf Revamp in São Paulo

2. You’d Never Guess This Tiny Oasis Is in the Middle of São Paulo

1. You’d Never Know This Maryland Cottage Nearly Doubled in Size

The Most Shocking Before & After Renovations of 2024

10. Rich Color and Millwork Revive a Historic New Orleans Shotgun Home for $198K

9. In Madrid, a Family of Architects Turn a “Cave” Into a Light-Filled Apartment

8. A Family (Quite Literally) Fills the Walls of Their Midcentury Home With Memories

7. They Gave Their Tiny Kitchen a Donald Judd–Inspired Upgrade

6. After 70 Years, a Seattle Midcentury Finally Reaches Its Full Potential

5. They Gave Their Dilapidated Washington, D.C., Home the Renovation of a Lifetime

4. They Gave a Bland ’70s Cabin a Psychedelic Glow-Up for $120K

3. In Spain, a Compact 1960s Apartment Gets a Quirky, Experimental Retrofit

2. An Uninspired L.A. Garage Gets Turned Into a Surrealist ADU

1. From Pegboards to Terrazzo, This Swervy Oakland Bungalow Has It All

The Most Shocking Before & After Renovations of 2023

10. With a Little Help From Friends, an Architect Couple DIY Their Bilbao Apartment

9. The (Potential) Views Were the Most Promising Part of This Cape Town Home

8. This Reinvented Monterey Bungalow Shows That Sometimes, Smaller Is Better

7. A Couple Turn a Bare-Bones Barn Into an Off-Grid Cabin

6. A Family of Four Gives a Derelict Catskills Farmhouse a Whimsical Revamp

5. A Big Stair Moment Steps Up a ’90s Residence for a Multigenerational Family

Before: Plum Projects helped a Mercer Island family reinvent their ’90s-era home, which was rife with diagonal walls, weird door placements, and a disconnected, half-finished basement (seen here)." layout="" credit="Photo courtesy of Plum Projects" photoUserId=""/>

At the top of the stairs is a new multipurpose office and pantry. “It’s a private space, but it feels open,” says architect Drew Daly. “Traditionally in Japan, the doors are made using rice paper, but we did an architectural play on that using a slatted wall that creates translucency.”
" layout="wide" credit="Photo by Benjamin Benschneider" photoUserId="6133434735565365248"/>

4. In Singapore, a Historic Shophouse Springs to Life With an Indoor Tree

An existing water feature became a planter for an olive tree that provides privacy from the kitchen below." layout="" credit="Khoo Guo JIe" photoUserId=""/>

3. Old Beams Meet a New Metal Staircase in a 1700s Farmhouse in New Jersey

Before: Clément and Eleonora bought a 1700s-era farmhouse in New Jersey with plans to better fit the upper two floors to their lifestyle. They hired Fuller/Overby Architecture to reconfigure the floor plan and introduce more flow to the existing tight, cluttered layout.
" layout="" credit="Courtesy of Fuller/Overby Architecture" photoUserId=""/>A perforated metal staircase in a 1700s farmhouse—why not? The new design feature allowed Fuller/Overby Architecture to introduce more light into the home, and showcase the timber beams revealed in the remodel. " layout="" credit="Paul Warchol" photoUserId=""/>

2. With a Crisp Addition, a Cookie-Cutter Eichler Breaks Out of Its Shell

Before: Blaine Architects were tasked with adding a 545-square-foot addition to this run-of-the-mill 1959 Eichler in Sunnyvale, California. “The client wanted something that was recognizable and distinct,” says Megan Blaine. “The design challenge there is, how do you do that when every third or fourth house is exactly the same?”
" layout="" credit="Courtesy of Blaine Architects" photoUserId=""/>

1. An Old Montreal Apartment Embraces Sharp Contrast—and a Surprise Sauna

Before: Edward Brooke worked with La Firme to reimagine his Old Montreal apartment in a heritage building dating back to 1865.
" layout="" credit="Courtesy of La Firme Architecture" photoUserId=""/>The new design ethos was to deliberately embrace the apartment’s dark and light zones, and create a compression and release effect through starkly contrasting material choices. There’s no slow fade here—but rather, sharp lines between dark and light. Case in point: The primary bedroom has oak accents, while its connecting bathroom is ensconced in dark tile. " layout="wide" credit="Ulysse Lemerise" photoUserId=""/>

The Most Shocking Before & After Renovations of 2022

10. In Buenos Aires, a Crumbling Home Gets a Major Refresh With a Rooftop Pool

9. A Single Door Connects This San Francisco Bungalow’s Past With Its Future

Before: A previous remodel had already reformed the rear of this existing bungalow in San Francisco. The owners needed more space for their family, including out-of-country relatives that stay for longer periods, but didn’t want to change the front exterior or lose any yard. A previous remodel (shown here) had already reshaped the rear of the home." layout="" credit="Courtesy of Edmonds + Lee Architects" photoUserId=""/>

8. A Tumbledown Carriage House Is Revived as a Vibrant Space for Entertaining

Before: Architect Colleen Healey created a colorful and spacious home from a dilapidated carriage house in Bethesda, Maryland. The architect preserved and reimagined the circular portal window. “If you already have those openings and you can work around them, it makes a lot of sense,” Healey says." layout="wide" credit="Courtesy of Colleen Healey" photoUserId=""/>

7. Chunky Terrazzo Sings in a Music Industry Couple’s Midcentury Home

6. Before & After: A Feral Terrace House Becomes a Magical Garden Home for $423K

5. Before & After: A Complete Overhaul Lifts a Jumbled Hilltop Home to Cloud Nine

Before: Fischer Architecture nearly started from scratch in this complete overhaul of a midcentury Oakland residence. They kept the general layout, but just about everything else changed, including the exterior facade, material palette, and glazing. A dark passageway (shown here) once connected the choppy rooms." layout="wide" credit="Add credit" photoUserId=""/>Large openings like this one in the hallway bring in more natural light and views of the beautiful landscaping. “We try to find the straightest line between two points,” explains architect Andrew Fischer. “We always want to edit down, and be efficient with space.”" layout="wide" credit="Photo by Joe Fletcher" photoUserId="6133430985087148032"/>

4. Before & After: A Toronto Couple Level Up Their Dingy Attic Into a Spa-Like Suite

Before: Nova Tayona Architects converted the third story of a 100-year-old Parkdale home into a soothing retreat with a dramatic, curving wardrobe that also acts as a room divider." layout="" credit="Add credit" photoUserId=""/>

3. Before & After: A Breakthrough Renovation Reveals a Parisian Apartment’s Good Bones

2. Before & After: A Rural Home on the California Coast Exudes Simplicity in Materials and Mindset

Before: Architect Talbot McLanahan transformed this California beach bungalow into a cozy family retreat that better connects with its surroundings." layout="" credit="Add credit" photoUserId=""/>

1. A Berkeley Cottage Grows to Embrace Its Boulder-Studded Site

Read more Before & After stories here.

Also Appears In

Before & After: A Tumbledown Carriage House Is Revived as a Vibrant Space for Entertaining