02x04 - Healing Starts at Home

[bunniefuu]

LIZZY:

I think there's always pressure

to get the design right,

-and there's always pressure with time.

-Mm.

Because our families are

out of their homes,

and so, we always feel

a certain level of pressure.

-I think this time, though,

it's a little bit heightened

-JESSICA: Yeah.

-It's a lot heightened.

-because we know

the stakes and the consequences

and what we need

to create is going to truly impact how

-Morgan and Amber are gonna live.

-The quality. Yeah.

This shouldn't feel tight.

LIZZY:

I mean, if you really think about it

It's tight, boo.

-TINKU: Yeah.

-LIZZY: It's tight, but you have a tub.

-JESSICA: I know.

You're either gonna lose space inside

of the tub,

or you're gonna lose space around the tub.

So you have to make the choice.

How is that gonna work with this?

LIZZY:

It's not gonna fit.

-Go all the way to the end.

-LIZZY: Oh, my gosh.

-Go all the way to the end.

-Are you kidding me?

The glass door

swinging radius is a concern.

LIZZY:

We're afraid now

that it's gonna hit the tub, and

it's gonna be a major issue for them.

Wish I would've micromanaged this.

LIZZY:

There's nothing to micromanage.

We made a choice.

You know

that the door opens this way also, right?

LIZZY:

Are you kidding me?

-The door goes that way.

-Also.

-I didn't realize

you didn't know that. Okay.

-You ding-dong.

-So, yeah, you're all good.

-JESSICA: Yeah, that's better.

-It won't hit. It won't hit.

-That's much better.

-So, yeah, so you're all good.

-JESSICA: Okay, now, I approve.

-I approve of this commercial.

-You approve this message?

(laughing):

I approve this message.

Never say ♪

Never say ♪

Go on and take yourself ♪

♪

-Never say ♪

-LIZZY: Hello, ladies.

-Hi.

Yes, come over here.

-Hello.

-Hi!

Siena. Nice to meet you.

So we got a call from Lizzy to meet her

to do something fun today, and

we have no idea what it's gonna be.

MORGAN:

All I know is that this shop looks

incredibly cool,

so I'm just happy to be here.

We're doing some really special things

at the house, and one of the things

that we really wanted to do was

bring more plant life into the house.

Not only are they beautiful, they also

just bring a lot of that calming,

a lot of health benefits,

and they're low maintenance.

We don't want to put anything else on

your plate that you have to call me about

and be like, "Hey, why in the hell

did you do that again?"

I don't want any of that.

I want something simple

that brings you joy.

And so, Siena here

has all the tips and tricks

-Okay.

-on how to make the most beautiful,

-easy-to-do succulent arrangements.

-Okay.

-So, we're gonna make some fun ones

and be creative.

-Yay.

You guys ready to get your hands dirty?

-Yeah.

-Yeah. (laughs)

Okay, so first, what you're gonna do,

you have your container here.

-You're gonna scoop in some gravel.

-LIZZY: Oh, we start with rocks?

SIENA: When you're watering it,

it helps filter the water out

so it doesn't go directly down

to the bottom.

-Bottom of the pot? Yeah.

-Yeah. And, like, will hold it up

and feed your succulents.

MORGAN:

I love houseplants.

I love the feeling of, like, looking at

a green, living thing.

It's just so beautiful to me,

and it's so healthy, and it's so soothing

for a million different reasons.

And so, I'm really happy

to try and incorporate that more

in our home.

-So next, we're gonna do the soil.

-Winning.

-Yeah.

What are you guys most

looking forward to for the new house?

This just all feels like

such a perfect, refreshing start.

AMBER:

The whole last year was just a lot of

-treatments and tests and, you know?

-We were just, like, surviving.

-SIENA: Yeah.

-LIZZY: Right.

-We were all in survival mode.

-Literally.

-So now, it's like, how's this new you?

-It smells so good.

-AMBER: I know. It does.

All right, so you'll take

your succulent, and then

-Oh.

-Yeah.

-take it apart.

-That's where we're going.

-Yeah.

You want to expose the root system,

so then it starts its own root system.

AMBER:

I see. Okay.

-How's Ma'am?

-Oh.

-Oh.

AMBER:

She's been so helpful.

She is just

been the backbone of our family,

just with prayer

and with positivity and just,

"You're gonna be okay."

She's just sure. Like,

there's no question in her mind that

-She's like,

"I talked to God. It's all good."

-Yeah?

"I took care of it," and we're like, yeah.

We're like, "If anyone has

-a direct line, it's Ma'am."

-Exactly.

You know, she always tells me,

"You're gonna raise your boys."

-'Cause at the beginning of this,

that was my only fear.

-LIZZY: Right.

-I'm not afraid of dying.

-SIENA: Yeah.

I'm not afraid

of what's gonna happen to me.

-I'm fine with that.

-Yeah. Yeah.

-It's my family.

-Mm-hmm.

It's Amber, it's my children,

it's my mom, my-my dad,

my siblings, everything,

what they're left with, you know?

The pain. That's just

the mental and the physical pain

-that I knew my children would suffer.

-Mm-hmm.

All these things,

you know, that's all you worry about.

And so, Ma'am's always telling me,

"You're going to raise your boys."

And that is, like, almost the best thing

anybody can say to me.

-When they say it, you believe it.

-AMBER: Mm-hmm.

LIZZY: And if you believe it

-That's what I was gonna say.

And I think that truly is healing.

-Like

-LIZZY: Yes, that's healing.

She's been responding very well

to the treatment and everything,

and I think it's because of the mindset.

-SIENA: Yeah. Wonderful.

-MORGAN: Definitely.

So, we're just gonna keep--

keep chugging along with that. (laughs)

It's amazing

to see anyone walk through

any sort of devastation in life.

For Morgan, she has

the most supportive

support system.

She knows that this

is something that she has to go through,

but is not something

that will destroy her.

And for that, it's so important for me

to really nail this one

for her, because

this moment in her life is so pivotal.

AMBER:

These are gorgeous.

-This is so much fun.

-MORGAN: Yay!

-LIZZY: This is so cool.

-I love this.

-MORGAN: Yay.

You know what?

The next time you guys see these beauties,

-they'll be at your house.

-Oh, my gosh.

And the next time

I see you guys, we will be, um

-we will be in a whole new light.

-AMBER: That's crazy.

-Okay.

-You know?

-Can't wait.

-There will be smiles

just like this from ear to ear.

-Yeah.

-Let me give you a hug.

-Okay.

(overlapping chatter)

Uh, all you got to do is groove it ♪

-All you got to do ♪

-Keep it grooving ♪

-All you got to do ♪

-Keep it, keep it grooving ♪

All you got to do is ♪

Keep it, keep it grooving. ♪

All right, so, we are going to

test out this grass cloth wallpaper

-on the ceiling.

-LIZZY: Uh-huh.

I've never done ceiling wallpaper.

But we have done wallpaper.

-We've put up wallpaper before.

-And had to take it down.

JESSICA:

You know how they say, like,

don't get into business with your husband?

Don't put wallpaper up with a friend.

-(laughs): There you go.

-Same thing.

There you go.

I'm gonna start down here.

Look what I'm not doing, though.

I'm not getting any glue on anybody.

Well, no, this isn't

when the glue gets on people.

-Isn't that amazing?

-The glue gets on you

aft-- when you do the squeegee, uh, bit.

That's Remember?

-Is it hard

-Oh!

There's the first-- there's the first one.

You see what I mean?

That was so close to my head, dude.

-It was.

-If nothing else, can you at least

-watch my hair?

-Well, don't be underneath. Don't

But you're flicking it.

-I'm not.

-Yes, you are.

-What do you want me to do?

-I want you to go up and down.

-I am.

-I don't want you to go across towards me.

I don't know how to not flick.

-You want to switch?

-No, I'm

See? You see what I'm saying?

-What?

-You're literally going towards me

going like this.

-No, I'm not.

-Yes, you are.

LIZZY:

I'm over the glue.

JESSICA:

Do you have to paint

all this glue before you put it up?

Well, the real question is,

how do you get this up there

so that doesn't dry and this doesn't dry?

-This is what I'm trying to say.

-Unless you do this whole thing.

We're just winging this, guys.

I love that we can show what not to do.

LIZZY:

Let's go ahead and put this up here.

Come on.

All the way to the edge.

-I literally am.

I'm going all the way to the edge.

-All the way to the edge.

-I hope you're doing it straight.

-Oh, my God, I hope I don't fall

and break my back.

-Is it working?

-Yes, I think it is, but now what?

Scooch, scooch

your-your thing and do more.

But who's gonna hold this?

Oh, I'm up here.

-You're gonna have to get up.

You're gonna have to move it.

-What do you mean?

If I let go of my end,

then it all comes undone.

How do you know?

I just tried.

I don't know if two people

supposed to be on a ladder like this.

-Tell me what you just solved.

-I don't know.

Get-- um, move over?

I can't. You're on the ladder now.

Well, we need 58 more ladders.

What is happening here?

We're struggling.

-How do we keep this up

while we move the ladder?

-JESSICA: Yeah.

So, yeah, it's just the weight of it.

So, if you go-- so

-Yeah, so what do we do?

-Wait, why are you on the wrong side

of the ladder?

-I just noticed that.

-Because we were trying

to figure this out.

-You know what?

We're trying to figure this out.

-There's a bench here.

-Yeah, but how do you

-It doesn't work.

It doesn't work.

-It's coming down.

-Oh, God.

LIZZY:

Oh, my God. See?

Did it all come out? It all came out?

LIZZY:

Dude. Yes.

(laughs)

-I feel defeated.

-(laughter)

-I feel defeated.

-Oh, my God.

-I really do. I feel defeated.

-What are you doing here?

-LIZZY: Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

-You-you got it.

-Guys, guys, I can't

-That was exhausting.

-I need, I need a spa treatment.

-I can't. I can't.

-So real ♪

-Hey ♪

Now this is how the body should feel ♪

Hey ♪

Come across the block atop a hill ♪

Hey. ♪

JESSICA: All right, Lizzy,

what are we doing?

We're gonna do a DIY today, Jess.

JESSICA: We're turning

this existing children's table

into a little art station.

So, for this DIY, you'll need a table

-An electric sander.

-Small curtain rod bracket.

-A ruler.

-A roll of paper.

And a drill. (grunts)

And some love.

-So we're gonna sand first.

-But, like, it's not that hard.

Great. Then let's do it.

Show us. Show the people how it's done.

-(drill whirring)

-Oh, my (laughs)

JESSICA:

A sander,

I think, is a great tool

to have at your house

in case you need to update some furniture

that your kids drew on

-(chuckles)

-which has happened

many times in my house.

-JESSICA: Here, you get that side.

-This is the situation

-right now at the Rylands':

we need to sand this down.

-Yeah. So, their kids have

given a lot of love

to this table and chairs.

-They Picasso'd it out.

-It's covered in marker,

and we can't get it off.

LIZZY:

Hold the table.

♪

-Well, I can't help

-What in the hell?

-(laughs)

-You have one job.

You ain't even holding nothing.

Got me over here doing marker stains

and-and whatnot.

-They use permanent. This is not washable.

-JESSICA: Yeah.

-(laughs)

-We we should let them know,

-this is not cool.

-(laughs)

LIZZY:

Mm-mm.

-Y'all playing.

-(drill whirs)

Hold the table.

All right, so now

we're gonna drill these into there.

-One at a time.

-Okay. Can you give me the drill, please?

-Well, I'll also give you two screws.

-Drill, please?

There she goes.

-Nice. There you go.

-For the gods.

-You need a tea after this?

-I do. I need some

-It's a lot of work for you. Yeah.

-heart-opener tea after this one.

-(drill whirs)

-Okay.

Now-- hold on,

I'm just gonna hold that there.

-Can you put the paper

through the hole, please?

-Sure.

-You're doing fine.

-Is that going through?

-LIZZY: Okay.

-Yeah.

So, this wood right here?

-It's a ruler.

-This ruler. (sighs)

I'm gonna stand over here

while you use a nail g*n.

So, this ruler is used to keep

the paper down, so it doesn't go anywhere.

So, we're just gonna nail this down.

Watch your leg.

-Watch my leg?

-(nail thuds)

(nail thuds)

Good for you.

(nails thudding)

-Feels so powerful.

It's a little scary, I'm not gonna lie.

-It just gets my nerves every time.

But it just feels powerful. All right.

-Here we go.

-Cute.

This way. Playroom, yonder.

-Yeah ♪

-I want to see you shine ♪

-Whoa ♪

-Oh, yeah ♪

Live your best life ♪

I want to see you shine. ♪

JESSICA:

Ryland family. ♪

Hey, hey, hey. Today's the day!

We are so excited.

We finally get to reveal the home

to the Ryland family.

-Oh, wow.

-JESSICA: I love a playroom.

And I love that this is,

like, a nice flex space

for Grandma.

-Grandmas. Grandmas, plural.

-Grandmas, and they sleep here.

-Yeah. This is a daybed.

-Yeah.

-Isn't this nice?

-It's amazing.

Bringing the grandmothers inside,

-like, that was

-Monumental.

Huge.

(exhales)

-JESSICA: Don't worry, I got this.

-No problem.

Oh, yeah. Bring that one in.

Me and the Ryland moms, we made that.

-Isn't it gorgeous? It's beautiful.

-Cute little succulent action.

I hope they are going to be excited

about the double doors in the living room.

-Going into the playroom.

-The privacy.

Here's a little chair.

-LIZZY: This turned out so cute.

-A little upcycled art table.

LIZZY:

I'm so excited.

I mean, I really hope that they do like

that space,

because the first thing they did tell us

-was not to touch the space.

-Yeah.

I'm so into us.

I think they'll be into us, too.

Well, uh, I'll give them your,

your phone number

in case they're not into us.

-Anytime, anytime.

-So they can find you.

I want to fight this battle.

-JESSICA: All right, here we go.

-Oh.

The bathroom was a bit of an undertaking.

Yeah, it was.

I mean, because we, literally,

we moved things around.

-JESSICA: Ugh.

-This is my favorite part.

JESSICA: This is mine, too,

where it all comes together.

The most important piece of the puzzle

was creating a wet room

for Morgan so that

when she does her healing process,

she has a warm and cozy place to do it.

I'm obsessed with these nooks.

They turned out so beautiful.

LIZZY:

They really did.

This whole bath moment.

(vocalizes)

All right. Into the bedroom.

We made a really bold choice

in that room with paint.

Wow. I can't believe

this is finally happening.

I know. I am obsessed.

-LIZZY: The Rylands get to move

back into to their home.

-I'm obsessed with this room.

It feels like just a spa moment in here,

even in the bedroom.

Everything. It feels like a sanctuary.

-We really were committed.

-We committed to the color.

-And we commit every time.

-(laughing): We do.

We commit every time.

And it can go--

-It's a 50/50.

-(Lizzy laughs)

-They're gonna be here. Come on. Let's go.

-Let's go, come on. Come on.

I mean, honestly,

this journey has been so exciting,

because I feel like we really

have transformed this space.

I agree.

JESSICA:

Welcome home.

-(squealing)

-We're so excited.

We are so excited.

I mean, two months in the making.

-I know. We're ready.

-This has been quite a journey.

-Are you ready

-I'm ready for that fresh start.

-Yeah.

-Well, we hope today is a happy moment.

-We hope so, too.

-(laughter)

JESSICA:

You guys have been through so much.

We come with such full hearts,

wanting you guys to really look at this

-as a moment of healing.

-Mm-hmm.

JESSICA:

And really, like,

this could be a reset button for you, too,

-in your journey.

-Yeah.

Do you guys notice what's missing already?

-Yeah, the RV.

-The RV.

-MORGAN: The RV.

-AMBER: We can see our house again.

We just felt like if we could

do anything for your mother

and grandmother is

-to integrate them into the house.

-MORGAN (laughing): Yeah!

It really is gonna be life-changing.

-Are y'all ready?

-BOTH: Yeah!

-Are you ready? Okay.

-Yeah, I'm ready.

-Let's do it!

-Let's go.

-BOTH: Okay.

LIZZY:

You're, like, "The anticipation."

Go to the right.

-Oh… my God.

-What?

Go to the right.

-Oh… my God.

-What?

♪

This is insanely beautiful, you guys.

(gasping)

-Oh. Oh, my gosh.

-I can't, like I'm gonna cry.

AMBER:

And it's so, like, our style, too.

JESSICA:

Your mom has a place to sleep,

-and your grandmother.

-AMBER: It's a daybed.

-Oh, my God.

-Yeah.

So all they have to do

is move the pillows out.

And then it's still a playroom.

LIZZY:

And it's so comfy.

During the day, you can let in light.

-AMBER: Yeah. In the house.

-And at night, they're in the house.

-Grandma and Ma'am, they're in the house.

-I'm so excited.

-It's warm and cozy.

-Warm and cozy.

MORGAN: They get to like, yeah,

so they don't have to like

-That's right.

-…come in the front door to go

-to the bathroom at night.

-JESSICA and LIZZY: Exactly.

-They get to walk down the hall.

-That's right.

They get to walk down the hall.

AMBER: The way you made extra room

by taking stuff off the floor.

MORGAN:

Oh, my gosh. Yeah.

-And we made that.

-We made that.

JESSICA: We updated,

upcycled your little, uh, table.

Oh, my gosh. A table.

-That's the paper?

-AMBER: Yes! I love it.

-The kids will love that.

-MORGAN: Oh, my gosh. That's incredible.

AMBER: And it has, look,

the spool and everything.

-Spool.

-It wasn't challenging at all.

-Oh, yeah--

-(laughter)

Not at all.

-It was super easy.

-Super easy.

-Yeah.

I really love the walls, I

and the ceiling.

Like, that adds so much.

I never in a million years

would have thought to do that.

It's super cozy,

but it's, like, elegant, too.

So, like, I could totally see

my mom or my grandma

in here just, like, so comfortable.

LIZZY: So when we saw this space,

we just knew immediately that this

is gonna be the perfect flex space

-AMBER: Yes.

-for your family.

-MORGAN: Yes.

-AMBER: I could have never imagined this.

-I could have never,

-Never, ever, ever.

So if you guys like this,

you need to see your bedroom.

-Oh, my gosh.

-I'm not ready.

-Are you ready?

-MORGAN: Yeah.

-Okay, go. Come on, you first.

-Let's go.

(gasps)

Oh

my God.

-AMBER: Are you kidding me?

-MORGAN: Oh, what?

Like, oh, I don't even have words.

This is so beautiful.

This is so beautiful.

Look at the ceiling!

AMBER:

How is this our room? What?

Oh It's I don't even have words.

Like, it's gorgeous.

It is so soothing in here.

-AMBER: I feel like we walked into a spa.

-Oh, my gosh.

-Like, a fancy hotel.

-That headboard is--

Look at that headboard!

I would have picked that out.

You guys said the words that we actually

were thinking the entire time

we were designing this room.

-JESSICA: Yeah.

-AMBER: What?

-LIZZY: Spa, calming.

-JESSICA: Spa. Yeah.

These were the words that we kept echoing

in our head when we thought about you guys

and what we wanted to design around.

It's beyond perfect.

-I can't believe this is the same room.

-I love it so much.

JESSICA:

And the only thing that we really

were trying to do is try and figure out

how to get your office

out of the baby's room.

-LIZZY: Yeah, that's right. That's right.

-JESSICA: So we have a desk.

MORGAN:

I will be very happy working in here.

JESSICA:

And it's very beautiful in here.

This feels like us.

-Oh, yeah.

-Like, every-- It feels like us.

AMBER:

It feels like it was made for us.

-(laughter)

-Yeah, I mean, do you think so?

I mean, it was customized.

-AMBER: Strangest thing.

-Get out of here.

Oh, is this, like, closet space?

-Kind of.

-Ooh! Oh, my gosh.

MORGAN:

I love it.

Um, you guys,

Like, I'm not exa--

Like, thank you so much.

-It's like--

-LIZZY: The boys are never

allowed in here.

MORGAN:

Never, never!

-Never.

-And watch this be

the only place they want to go.

-Yeah, of course, you have kids. You know.

-(laughter)

One thing that I'm sure you know

is missing is your vanity.

MORGAN:

Vanity, yes.

-JESSICA: It's not here.

-MORGAN: Yes.

Where do you think it is?

-Somewhere, I hope.

-Stop it. Is it in the bathroom?

-JESSICA: If you're ready to see

-I'm ready to see.

-Oh, my gosh.

-AMBER: I can't believe this.

-Let's go.

-I can't believe this, babe.

-What?

-(gasps) Stop it.

Do you feel like I feel ♪

Stop it. This is the most

beautiful bathroom I've ever seen.

Do you feel like… ♪

Are you kidding me?

AMBER:

Look at the floors. Oh, I love these.

Look at our vanity.

(laughing)

MORGAN:

I love how gorgeous that is.

Oh, my God.

-It's gorgeous. It's gorgeous.

-A double…

It's gorgeous. It's gorgeous.

I'm kind of speechless, guys.

I don't know about you guys,

but, like, I mean,

you're really getting to me.

What is this? Glass? Wall-to-wall glass?

JESSICA:

It's a wet room.

We were thinking, when you're

coming in and out of the bathtub

and you're going through

your healing process,

this is like a warm, cozy,

literally a warm, cozy bathtub

and a room

filled with water.

-We have both showerheads.

-MORGAN: Look at the walls in there.

-It's absolutely gorgeous.

-AMBER: Like, I'm speechless.

MORGAN:

I'm completely speechless.

Look at how deep it is.

That's amazing.

Oh

my gosh. Never leaving.

LIZZY:

Isn't that amazing?

It is so beautiful and so comfortable.

-AMBER: I love the lines.

-Like the-- It's so comfortable.

Remember when you were, like, in the tub,

and it's this high, and I'm trying

MORGAN:

I remember I couldn't even submerge.

I could only submerge

to, like, my belly button.

-I love this.

-It's amazing.

-It's incredible.

-I can't.

-I don't know how you-- Yeah.

-The color even, like, the color.

You made use of the space

in such a smart way.

-Yeah, everything is so--

-In a functional way.

We really believe that your home

-should be your like, a safe haven.

-Sanctuary.

JESSICA:

And your sanctuary and a place where

you can escape from the rest of the world.

Like, life is wild,

and it can feel chaotic.

And when you have kids

and when you just have

life happening, it could feel like a lot.

And so where can you go to retreat,

to be nourished?

And held and to feel like

you can be your true self,

LIZZY: Whether it's you healing,

whether it's the kids,

-whether it's

-JESSICA: You have three little boys.

Even having Grandma and Ma'am

in the house with you, it's still a lot.

-That's a lot.

-There's a lot of movement.

We really wanted a place

for you to recharge.

That was important.

-AMBER: You did it.

-MORGAN: Beyond nailed it.

I can't believe this is ours.

-I can't believe it, either.

-We get to live here?

-JESSICA: They have

gone through so much, and…

-LIZZY: Mm-hmm.

what they're dealing with has taken

such a toll on her physically

and mentally, the family,

and for her to have this moment,

nothing but smiles and joy and happiness.

Since the grandmas are now

in the house and they are officially

-sharing the bathroom with the kids

-Yes.

this is a nice starter kit

for the grandmas and the kids.

-AMBER: That's awesome.

-It's kind of heavy.

-Oh, my God-- It's okay.

-They are gonna love that.

-Oh, this is incredible.

-It's very thoughtful.

Thank you for letting us,

for trusting us.

-Thank us? Thank you.

-Yes.

Thank you for allowing us

to be a part of this journey.

From the very beginning,

we knew this house was full of love.

So we hope that we've added

an element to this house

that you guys can feel your peaceful

and calming and loving selves in.

And we really are just thankful and

honored to be a part of this with you.

I thought I was gonna cry, but I was

too happy, I was too happy to cry.

-Like, honest to God.

-Yeah.

-Oh, wow.

-Well, girl, I'm gonna cry for you.

-Just gonna take it for you.

-JESSICA: That's really sweet.

I really am.

-Hear the kids?

-(laughter, clamoring)

-The joy is coming, the joy is coming.

-Yeah, the joy

LIZZY: Well, don't wait for us.

Show it to them. Enjoy this moment.

-Okay. We love you guys.

-JESSICA: All right.

-Bye.

-Thank you, thank you.

Coming into this,

I mean, we were not expecting

to have the bathroom reconfigured,

to have--

-I mean… Everything.

-MORGAN: The doors in the playroom.

-Everything redone. That play--

Like, it's not a playroom anymore.

-It's not.

-And we're okay with that.

-It's-- No, it is, like, so elevated

to a point that I never in

a million years thought was possible.

-(gasps)

-AMBER: Open them all the way.

Oh, my gosh.

Can you believe it? Ma'am, come look.

-Isn't it beautiful?

-Oh, my gosh.

-Did this really used to be our house?

-This used to--

This did used to be our house.

-I love it.

-Isn't that amazing?

It's cozy.

It's peaceful.

It's everything right now for us.

(chuckling)

-Oh, I can't wait.

-You have a bed inside.

I know.

It's, it's unbelievable.

I don't know, I don't know what to

-Your moms.

-(gasps)

-My, my God!

-AMBER: I know!

-Look at the ceiling.

-I'm gonna be sleeping with you

more often.

-We knew you'd say that.

-ASHER: Look at the lamp!

This is so much more than

just a renovation of our home.

It's sort of like a new beginning

for our whole family.

(gasps)

MORGAN:

I feel hopeful. I think we all do.

Morgan has responded to the treatments

in an unbelievable way.

Her scans are clear now.

It's amazing.

She's so strong. So strong.

-(crying)

-Aw

That's your tub.

It's like, everything is

awesome right now.

-Yeah.

-We're just so happy.

I'm stage IV, so it's always

gonna be there somewhere,

but we just keep knocking it back,

knocking it back,

and I'm just gonna live my life.

-I love it!

-We love it.

Can't wait to make

new memories in this house

and throw away a lot of the old memories.

Keep it coming ♪

Keep it coming ♪

Keep it coming, keep it coming ♪

Hey, hey ♪

The Ryland family has been through

so much, and we are so blessed

to have been able to help change

their space to make a difficult time

just a little bit easier for them

and their family.

Sometimes, redesigning your space

is just the reset you need

to move forward with a new,

more positive chapter of your life.

Which is exactly

what our next family needs.

Okay, so this is the Tillotson family.

Yes. This is our single mom.

LIZZY:

That's right. So, you know,

-I have a sweet spot for this one.

-I mean, we all do.

And she grew up in this house.

-I know, this is her family home.

-Yeah.

-And she has a cute little baby.

-I know. I'm excited for this one.

Me, too.

TAMARAE:

Hello, everybody.

We're the Tillotson family.

My name is Tamarae, and this is Reya.

I live in Compton, California.

I live with my daughter.

She is the love of my life.

She's genuinely a ray of sunshine.

Whee! Ooh!

(laughs)

My house has a lot of history.

It's been in my family for 49 years.

It was my grandparents' home.

I was raised here from the time

I was 14 years old

throughout my adult life.

I lived here with my grandmother

and my father.

In 2020, my grandmother

passed away suddenly.

And in 2021, my father passed away

from stage IV colon cancer.

I was in probate for about two years,

fighting for the home.

It was one of the most stressful,

strenuous ordeals

that I've ever been through.

I was grieving, and I was pregnant.

The house was actually

listed for foreclosure.

And two weeks before the home was

listed for auction, I saved it.

And I still can't believe it.

It just means so much to me,

when I gave birth,

to be able to bring my daughter

home to her great-grandparents' home

and to be able to keep it

is very important to me.

I'm just really looking forward

to building new memories

now that I own the home.

But my house is, is a mess.

The kitchen,

it has the original cabinetry,

so the cabinets are

falling off the hinges.

Oh, (bleep). Ooh. Okay,

I'm gonna leave that one there.

The functionality of it is not ideal.

Okay, let me put you down.

Gonna try to do the laundry.

My laundry is outside.

My grandparents' belongings are still,

like, in the backyard.

My dad's room, it was left in the state

that it was in when he passed.

It's kind of turned into,

like, a storage room, basically.

Whatever doesn't have a place to go

anywhere else in the house,

I'll put it in that room

and now that room is out of control.

I just want it to be clean and safe.

(crying):

I want it to be, like, vibrant.

And I don't want to feel down.

I don't want to be ashamed about it.

But then it's a part of me

that's holding on,

but I know it's not healthy

because of the space that it's in.

So, I'm just really hopeful

that it will be a nice space.

And somehow I can

memorialize my dad, but

it's hard. (sniffles)

There's so many things that I have to do,

and it's just so overwhelming.

I just don't know where to start.

♪

-Hi.

-TAMARAE: Oh, my gosh. Hi.

-Hi. Oh, hi!

-Hi, baby.

-TAMARAE: Hi, Jessica. Nice to meet you.

-Can we come in?

-TAMARAE: Come on in.

-Hi, Lizzy.

-Oh, she's sleeping.

-Oh, my.

-TAMARAE: It's nap time.

-Oh, my goodness.

-That's amazing.

TAMARAE:

Come on in.

Meeting Jessica and Lizzy,

I'm really excited,

and I'm just really looking forward to,

you know, getting their expertise

and their design ideas to help me out

because I'm in desperate need of it.

I'm gonna go lay her down really quick,

and I'll be right back. Okay.

-JESSICA: Okay, we'll see you in a second.

-TAMARAE: Okay.

-Oh, my gosh. She's so cute.

-Aw.

That's the best feeling, though,

when they fall asleep on you.

-I know. It's my favorite.

-Oh.

There's nothing like that

first-time-mom anxiety.

Everything matters so much.

Every milestone matters so much.

As a single mom,

your stakes are that much higher,

and it makes it much harder to do.

-Okay. (laughs)

-Now this is better.

Now I feel like we can talk.

And we actually can use our voices.

-Right.

-And we're not gonna wake her up.

Tell us a little bit about the home

and you and your baby girl.

TAMARAE:

This, originally, was

my grandparents' home.

They bought it 49 years ago.

LIZZY:

Wow.

Yeah. So it's been

in the family for a long time.

Uh, upon my grandmother's death,

she had a reverse mortgage, so I was

in a, a long process of trying

to save the home from foreclosure.

I, thankfully, was able to save it.

But it was just, like, three years ago,

I was here with my grandma

-LIZZY: Aw.

-and she passed away in 2020.

My grandmother was my mother.

She raised me.

But I was still holding on

because I had my dad.

And then my dad passed away in 2021.

-Oh. Wow.

-I'm sorry.

So my daughter was born in 2022, so

it's, it's a lot.

To lose my dad, I was just,

like, the grief was consuming me.

Then to find out I was pregnant

with my daughter, it was life-changing.

Just, like, a light went on,

and I was like, what are you doing?

Like, I kept fighting,

and here I am today.

I'm grateful to be here, but it, um,

it's, it's, it has its challenges

because my grandmother had

a difficult time with the upkeep.

There's things

that I'm just overwhelmed with,

but I do my best.

This is the house

not only she was raised in.

-JESSICA: This is her grandmother's house.

-LIZZY: This is her father's house.

JESSICA:

This is her father's house.

LIZZY:

This is the family home that she knows

-and recognizes.

-Yeah.

And so, for her,

every corner of this house

-means something.

-Holds a memory.

I'm gonna take you guys

to the kitchen area,

right here, so you can

check out these cabinets.

-This is the kitchen.

-Okay.

JESSICA:

It's definitely cramped.

I can even see some of the cabinets

are falling apart.

-Yeah, like this one is hanging.

-Yeah.

I can't even babyproof them

because they're falling apart.

JESSICA:

This is dangerous, for sure.

All of this exposed

-is not great for little kids.

-Mm-hmm.

-They can pull it off.

-TAMARAE: Yeah, she literally Yeah.

She's into everything.

I was just gonna say,

where are you chopping

-and doing the things to prep meals?

-TAMARAE: Sometimes, I-I chop it

on the dining room table, and that way,

I can keep an eye on her.

LIZZY:

Okay, cause she usually is

playing in that room?

-Exactly.

-In the living room.

TAMARAE:

With the kitchen being, like,

closed completely off from the other rooms

in the house, it's challenging

for me to, like, cook and get things done

and keep an eye on the baby.

You like yellow and sunflowers?

-My daughter's middle name is Sunshine.

-BOTH: Aw.

So, like, I've just been

in love with, like, sunflowers

-and yellow because of her middle name.

-JESSICA: Okay. Great.

-LIZZY: Love that.

-Yeah.

-Where do you do laundry?

-It's all the way in the dungeon.

-And I know

-Aka the backyard, so brace yourselves.

-And with a little kid,

there's so much endless laundry.

-Yes.

TAMARAE:

Yes. Yes. So just get ready.

JESSICA:

You can see that she's tried

to make moments of brightness, of joy.

I mean, she named her daughter

-Reya Sunshine.

-LIZZY: Oh, yeah. Yeah.

-And the sunflowers in the kitchen.

-Like, literally, to bring, to bring

light, to bring joy, but

-She's trying to make those choices.

-But she's alone.

LIZZY:

This is where you are.

JESSICA: You have to go

all the way out here to go do the laundry?

-LIZZY: Wow.

-Yeah, it's kind of crazy.

My laundry is outside

Sometimes I will avoid washing.

There was a possum back there and

I stopped washing for like three weeks.

-Wow. Okay. This is overwhelming.

-So, when you do this

-what is, what is

-JESSICA: I'm overwhelmed.

LIZZY:

What is baby girl doing

while you're out here?

She's in the house.

-TAMARAE: She's in, I have to leave her.

-So you're moving quickly.

-You're trying to go fast.

-I'm moving, yeah. I call it the mad dash.

We definitely need to help

reconfigure this for sure.

-LIZZY: Yeah. Make it

a little bit more livable for you.

-JESSICA: Yeah.

JESSICA:

Hey, mama.

-Hello.

-Hi. Good morning.

LIZZY:

Hi.

-JESSICA: So this is her room.

-TAMARAE: Yes.

JESSICA:

This is a good size room.

-LIZZY: It's a great size room.

-JESSICA: Yeah.

And this is the closet.

-JESSICA: That's a big size closet.

-LIZZY: It's a great size closet.

What's this room over here?

-That's my dad's room.

-Can we go take a look there?

Yeah, you can, you can peek in.

You can't walk inside,

but let's go peek in.

-(laughs)

-LIZZY: Yeah, let's go peek in.

TAMARAE:

Yeah.

Wow.

-Oh, wow.

-Wow.

TAMARAE:

It's intense in there.

-JESSICA: What's this room over here?

-TAMARAE: That's my dad's room.

-Can we go take a look there?

-Yeah, you can, you can peek in.

You can't walk.

♪

TAMARAE:

It's intense in there.

It puts a damper on my spirits

because I've allowed the room

to get to that point.

It's just the fact

that it's my dad's things.

It's very emotional.

But I know once the room is cleaned out,

it will never be my dad's room again.

I lost my mom a year ago,

and one of the hardest things--

and Jess knows this--

for me, was cleaning out her house.

It was so difficult of a process for me

to even wrap my heart around.

How do you feel about the room?

I don't know.

I know I have to, um

clear it out, but I, um

it's hard, 'cause

that's all I have left of my dad,

so I'm holding on to it,

but I know it's best that I get

the space cleared out for me and the baby.

That just, um

-It's hard.

-JESSICA: I can't imagine.

-Yeah.

-LIZZY: I know.

Yeah. It's very hard.

Well, we'll hold your hand through it.

Her heartache is fresh.

-LIZZY: Mm-hmm.

-JESSICA: That presence

of that grief is

-It's still so palpable in the house.

-Yeah.

-LIZZY: She can't even go into the room.

-(Jessica sighs)

And I don't know,

I know what that feels like.

-LIZZY: It's not easy.

-TAMARAE: It's not.

It's a very difficult process to do.

It takes a whole lot to heal

from something like that,

from two very big losses in your life.

Oh, it's okay, mama.

And if you don't have those tools

and you don't have that space

-She's a new mom.

-JESSICA: Yeah.

LIZZY:

She's busy. She's working.

She's figuring it out.

She's trying to keep the house working

-Functional and safe.

-and, and functional and safe.

You're not in it alone.

-Yeah.

-Okay?

-Thank you so much.

You're not in it alone.

She just hasn't had the time yet.

This is the fun part.

We get to recreate

-JESSICA: And we can reimagine the space.

-we get to play

and reimagine and have fun.

And we get to make it everything

that you want it to be.

-And you can entertain,

and you can bring people back over

-Mm-hmm.

and this can be that home again.

That's what I hope for.

That's what I dream for.

-All right, well, listen

-JESSICA: Yeah.

-prayers happen, right?

-Yes. I do believe that.

-God is good, right?

-Yes. Yes.

-(laughs): All the time.

-All right. All the time.

All the time.

(laughter)

JESSICA:

I'm just trying to keep it together,

'cause sometimes,

when someone's

just being messy over here

(laughs) I'm being so messy.

This is so unlike me.

-LIZZY: Girl,

you better pull this together.

-I know.

-You cannot. I will not. Okay.

-I'm gonna pull it together.

Okay. Let's do it. Can we hug it out?

-Yes.

-Everybody, group hug?

JESSICA:

All right.

Okay. We'll be back, okay?

-Okay.

-Don't miss me too much, okay?

-(laughs)

-Okay?

JESSICA:

She's not trying to mess with you.

-She's so unbothered.

-(laughter)

She's gonna love me one day.

My God, why does everything

seem so hard? ♪

I should give in, but I'm too deep out ♪

That part, that part, yeah. ♪

-LIZZY: Okay.

-JESSICA: Right. The Tillotson.

Tillotson family.

Tamarae. This is a family home.

-Multigenerational family home.

-Multigenerational family home.

Except, her family has passed.

-Her family has passed.

She's on her own in the house now.

-And so Yeah.

Then we have to figure out

what to do with her father's old room.

LIZZY:

Well, maybe we can turn it into an office.

-An office? Yeah. At-home office space.

-She doesn't have anything like that.

And then, also, we have to figure out

if we can move her laundry

-inside.

-Inside.

-LIZZY: So dangerous.

-It was real dangerous.

And the kitchen is rough.

-That's a rough layout.

-JESSICA: It is.

This feels closed off.

-Yeah.

-If we can open this up a little bit,

that'll be nice.

So it's more of an open-concept.

JESSICA:

Knocking down the wall

between the dining room and the kitchen

will totally help brighten the space

for entertaining, for cooking.

LIZZY:

And it will also help her

keep an eye on Reya.

Feels like you want to have this space.

-What's here?

-Our-- this is the baby's closet.

LIZZY:

It would be nice because one of the things

I think that lacks

-the most in this kitchen

was counter space.

-Is counter space.

LIZZY:

Okay. I like that.

So if we knock down

the closet in Reya's room,

we can totally expand this kitchen

and make room for more cabinets

and a kitchen island.

Since we're taking the baby's closet away,

we're gonna have to do

a nice-sized closet here.

-Mm-hmm.

-And then we put the bed here.

Wow, here we go. What's that?

-Well, that's the baby.

-(laughs)

Wow.

Oh, okay.

She's just in the middle of her crib.

-What's the

-'Cause these

-These are the railings.

-Oh.

Can you remind me not

to ever play charades with you?

-(laughs)

-You're never on my team.

This would be Pictionary.

You know what? I don't play Pictionary

-for a reason.

-For this reason.

(both laugh)

-For this reason. All right.

-Okay.

This is where we need to create laundry.

So we bring it in from outside.

JESSICA:

So maybe we do something like

-Reall

-That's a door. That's a door.

-I loved how you copied this door.

-Door.

-Great. Great.

-In case you're confused.

Yes. No, that was great.

I think this does actually give us a nice,

big space for laundry, though, for her.

Like, a k*ller laundry.

She can go in and take a nap

in that laundry room.

Okay, cool. So we'll add a wall

in Dad's old room,

and then we can give Tam a big,

dreamy laundry room inside the house.

You know, I used to dream about

beautiful laundry areas

-when I was younger.

-Really?

-Mm-hmm.

-That's what you used to dream about

when you were younger?

-Kind of, yeah.

-Wow.

I didn't like other house chores,

but I-I really liked

-doing the laundry for some reason.

-Girl, you know what?

You can come do my laundry anytime.

Anytime.

-I'll make you feel right at home.

-There's something

really comforting about it.

You want to get grounded?

Want to stop feeling your anxiety?

Go do some laundry.

She did say

that her dad's favorite color was red.

I personally feel like if we're gonna

have a favorite color

that was Dad's in the office,

brings and ties

-that whole

-Story together?

-piece together for her.

-It does.

What else would you like

to add in the office?

-A desk.

-Mm-hmm.

-And then maybe some built-ins.

-Yeah.

LIZZY:

Basically, once we clean out Dad's room,

we can turn this half into the dream

office/sanctuary Tam really needs.

Okay, so we're gonna have to help

with this, 'cause I feel like

there's a lot of,

um, keepsakes that she's not even aware of

-that are in her dad's space.

-I agree. It's gonna be a lot.

I'll be there, too.

-I think Tamarae will need

all the support she can get.

-Yeah.

♪

When you fall, I'll pick you up ♪

-I will never let you down ♪

-Let you down ♪

I will always be around to save you. ♪

JESSICA:

Because the wound is so

-LIZZY: Fresh.

-it feels so fresh,

and it feels really open,

I think we need to talk with her about

whether she's really ready

to let things go.

LIZZY:

And hopefully,

she's ready

-Yeah.

-um, to take the next steps.

Hello.

-Hello.

-Thank you for having us back.

So we've been thinking about

some things since our last meeting,

and we just wanted to talk to you

real quick before we kind of

get into the nuts and bolts

of, like, everything.

-Okay.

-JESSICA: We just want to make sure

that we don't burden you

with anything else.

We want to be part of your healing.

'Cause we felt like it would be a lot

-for us to pack everything up

-Mm-hmm.

and then we update

and renovate the space

and make it bright and all the things,

-incorporate everything that you want.

-Mm-hmm.

But then to unload,

like, a hundred boxes of things

that you would have to go through

all on your own, I was like

When-when you move back in.

JESSICA:

And so, we just have to know,

would you like us to take everything out

and pack it and bring it back here

for you to go through,

or would you like to let it go?

I feel like I'm ready to move forward

and let, pretty much,

a-a majority of everything go.

I'm ready to have,

like, a fresh, new start.

LIZZY:

Yeah.

When you move back in,

we want you to feel free.

-Yeah.

-That's what I'm hoping for.

-We want you to feel light.

We want you to feel

no heaviness whatsoever.

You deserve to feel all the love

that this house has had

for this many years.

And you know what you deserve?

TAMARAE (crying):

It's what I want.

LIZZY:

We want you to be happy.

I was raised by a single mama.

That woman was everything.

That woman was

the rock, she was our light,

she was our strength,

she was every single thing for us.

(sniffles)

And that is what Tam is for her daughter.

TAMARAE:

It weighs me down,

just being here and losing everybody.

I'm the-- I feel like

I'm the last person here.

I am. Me and the baby. (crying)

TAMARAE:

It weighs me down, just being here

and losing everybody.

I'm the-- I feel like

I'm the last person here.

I am. Me and the baby. (crying)

LIZZY:

This is the thing.

This is the thing. This is the thing.

-You're not the last person.

-I know, I'm not.

-JESSICA: You're not.

-I just have to get out

of that headspace. I'm not.

-Yeah, you're not. That's-- yeah.

-Take that out. Take that out.

-I'm not.

-That's gone.

-That's not it.

-She's here now.

-I know.

She's not that little seed

in there anymore.

She's here now.

-Yeah.

-You get to make a whole new set

of memories for her.

-And how blessed are you?

-Very.

How blessed are you

to be able to do that in a home

that you felt nothing but love in?

-That's right.

-LIZZY: It's time to pay it forward.

It's time to give to her.

I'm ready.

-We're here.

-Ugly tears.

-Ugly cry.

-We're here. I want, I want

the same ugly tears

when we come back, though.

I want the same ugly tears.

But I want you to be like that.

I want you to be smiling

-with the ugly tears coming down.

-Yeah.

-Is that fair?

-Uh-huh.

Okay. All right, we gonna see you, though,

in a little bit, though,

-'cause we're gonna help you out.

-Yeah, we're gonna be part

of this process.

So, we're gonna be with you, okay?

-Okay.

-So this isn't the last time.

-Okay.

-All right.

-Thank you so much. Okay. Bye.

-Okay, we'll see you soon.

Bye-bye.

(chuckles)

(grunts softly)

I can see the clouds are breaking ♪

I can feel the future changing. ♪

LIZZY:

Today is a big day.

Jess is going to work on

getting the wheels in motion

on the rest of the renovation while

I help Tam sort through her dad's things.

I just went through this with my own mom,

and I know how emotional

this is gonna be for Tam,

and I know how much support I needed

when it was my turn.

So if I can help her through this,

or at least just make it

a little bit easier for her,

then that's everything.

So, today's the day.

-Today's the day.

-We're gonna go into your dad's room,

we're gonna clear some stuff out.

We're gonna do it together.

So, Tam, I really want to introduce you

to a really great friend of ours.

This is Amy.

Amy is here from The Nimble Nest,

and this is what she does.

She comes in to help families declutter

so they can reclaim their own space.

Whether it's just clearing out things

that have built up over time

or coming in to help clear out

a late loved one's belongings,

she's an absolute expert

and an angel at what she does.

AMY:

First, I want to say thank you

-for letting us help you

-Yes.

because we help people

all the time go through this.

We don't throw away,

we don't discard anything

without your permission,

and it's your decision.

And so, we have actually

already gone into the space

and we have pulled everything out.

How are you feeling about that?

-Shocked. (laughs)

-LIZZY: This is the beauty

in what has happened so far.

Amy and her team

have pulled everything out,

and they've sorted everything

into a category.

-Okay.

-So now we know exactly

what we're looking at

when we go to each category.

We want to bring you in

when we're at a place

where you can really assess and see

what has meaning to you.

-Okay.

-And it's a lot easier to make

those choices when everything is together.

And I think that's part of why

the room even existed.

It almost became so overwhelming

to even, like,

-try to tackle.

-TAMARAE: Yes.

-LIZZY: And so everything just

kept getting piled in.

-TAMARAE: Yeah. Yeah.

I know the room

has to get cleared out, but just knowing

that it will never be

his room again, like

it's just scary.

His things were in that room.

But if we move you into that room,

-you will feel him.

-Yeah.

I'm excited, nervous, anxious,

everything, but I'm ready.

(laughs)

LIZZY:

Good. Look, I like that energy.

Should we do a group hug?

I'm all about group hugs. Come on.

Oh, my God. Tam was like, "Okay, come on."

(laughter)

I tried to brace myself

as best as I could.

I'm feeling really, like,

overwhelmed, stressed.

I don't know if I'm afraid

or exactly what it is.

I'm just not too sure of what to expect.

All right.

Oh, wow.

This is crazy.

♪