At Home with Corey Peck

We’re seven seasons in with the fan-favorite, Renovation Challenge, and every DIYer brings something amazing to the Challenge. This year was no exception.

Nine designers accepted the challenge to makeover one space in their home in only six weeks, and we were blown away. The fans showed up each week to support the group and voted Corey Peck of Reveal My DIY as this season’s grand prize winner. So great to see so much support for everyone!

We sat down with Corey to get a behind-the-scenes look at her winning laundry room renovation.

Join us as we peek inside.

Q: What made you want to join the Renovation Challenge and how did you feel once you heard you were accepted?

A: My husband I really wanted to meet other creators and explore new opportunities. Growing our community of fellow DIYers was a big part of it, and I’m glad we did. I was excited and nervous for sure. With six weeks to complete a whole room and really great designers participating I knew I had to up my game.

Q: Having moved into your home more recently and so many spaces you want to redo, talk to us about your inspiration for your laundry room and why you choose this space.

A: We had just finished our kitchen and wanted to complete the first level where we have guests before moving upstairs, although I have plenty of rooms I’d like to redo.

I knew I wanted a look that wasn’t typical for a laundry room, and concealing the washer and dryer was a must. The goal was budget-friendly with some higher end elements.

We started off with the tile as the centerpiece with natural stone to tie in the kitchen design, as the laundry room sits directly off of that. We choose a Carrara Marble field tile for the floors to keep it simple and added a fun pop of design with the Suburbs Mosaic on the wall. We removed the door to create an arch way and wanted to add gallery rails to the cabinetry to hide the appliances and keep a clean look. Without a door to close the mess that laundry rooms can have I loved this idea to add an elevated design.

It turned out exactly how I wanted it, elegant and unexpected.

Q: Being that it’s a renovation we all know there can be some ups and downs, what were some of the challenges you faced during your renovation?

A: I knew going into the Renovation Challenge that the timeline would be my biggest obstacle. I had a two work trips in week 1 and week 6 that bookended the competition and would set me back. I also thought I’d hate the countertop I picked out when I saw it but as everything started to come together, I fell in love with it. The cabinet doors also gave us some trouble and weren’t functioning properly and took longer than we thought to put them together.

Q: How did you overcome these challenges?

A: My husband and I put in a lot of late nights and made some game time design adjustments to ensure we didn’t miss the deadline. Having the Wagner paint tools saved us a lot of time. The roller was a game changer for us and helped get us back on track with timing and was super easy to use.

Q: What is your best advice for first-time tilers?

A: Invest in a wet saw. It is easy to use, you can control the cuts better especially if you have a lot of repetitive cuts. Muscle bound for wall tile is also a great way to save time and ensure your tile is level without having to get messy with thinset.

Q: Any words of wisdom for next season’s Renovation Challenge participants.

A: Be ready for the unexpected and use your timeline as a guide to help keep you on track and ensure you’re doing things in the proper order. We had to do that a few times.

Q: How was your experience in the Challenge? Would you consider joining in the future?

A: I loved my experience. It was great to work with other DIYers, we had our own group chat going to support each other and that kept me motivated. I had a great experience collaborating with three brands in one project. I also liked that we had another participant doing a laundry room. The whole experience pushed me to add elements I wouldn’t have to kick it up a notch in the design to be sure I stayed competitive with my fellow DIYers.

Q: Any final thoughts you’d like to share?

A: I want to send a big thank you to Wagner, Speakman and Jeffrey Court for sponsoring and being so generous, the designers who kept me motivated. To all the new DIYers, get out there and just do it. Start small and keep going. It’s all about loving the space you live in.