Take a Peek Inside Our Most Popular Home Tours of 2021

This year has been full of exciting home decor trends, with a focus on making interior spaces more liveable. With remote work a reality for many, functional, comfortable spaces became a must. Warm, nature-inspired colors grew in popularity as well as an emphasis on creating a cozy sanctuary. And while some homes embraced trends, others stuck to their historical roots. We toured many different sizes, styles, and locations of homes in 2021, but a few stood out from the rest as reader favorites. Based on visits, these are the top 10 home tours of 2021.

10. Kid-Friendly Home with Neutral, Calming Decor

With an emphasis on creating a tranquil environment fit for relaxing and unwinding, designer Jacqueline Schmidt created a space that combines minimalism and a kid-friendly focus. In the home of Liza and Simon Issacs, subdued color schemes and natural wooden elements produce a calm and quiet environment. With two young kids running around, this family needed materials that would last. And after spending more time at home during the pandemic, this neutral color scheme proved its soothing effect.

Check out this relaxing, kid-friendly home.

9. Charming 1950s Home with Scandinavian Style

Michelle Adams, founder of design website The Maryn, discovered an amazing opportunity in a 1950s one-story home in Ann Arbor. The lack of architecture and character is what originally drew Michelle to this home. A blank canvas allowed her to makeover this house into exactly what she wanted. She changed her style from layered maximalism to a more minimalist look to create a more peaceful, unique home. French antiques and modern Scandinavian style come together to create a cohesive home filled with artwork.

Tour this Scandinavian-inspired home.

8. DIYed Cookie-Cutter Californian Home

This builder-based home in Irvine, California, was completely transformed once Anita and Travis Yokota realized its untapped potential. This home transformation taught Anita valuable DIY skills, which she later launched into a design blog. With a dark, dated interior and cookie-cutter exterior, the home needed to be modernized and brightened up. The Yokotas combined wood elements and neutral colors throughout the space.

Take a deeper look into this DIY '90s home makeover.

7. Shed with Cozy Cottage Details

A garden shed doesn't have to be filled with tools and lawn equipment. This Iowa homeowner transformed her backyard shed with DIY projects into a relaxing, cottage-style "she shed." Starting with a stock building plan, Karen Zimmerman gave her initial idea to a builder who turned her dream into a reality. Karen decorated the inside herself with a collection of furnishings that turned this shed into a personal oasis. Plus, there is still a small storage space in the back to hold all of her garden tools.

Get inspiration for your own "she shed."

6. Modern, Rustic San Francisco Home

This Scandinavian-style home in the San Francisco Bay area wasn't always modern and sleek. A cozy minimalist aesthetic combines with contemporary art, slate gray colors, and mixed metals to transform the 1930s home. With antique industrial character, this home is worthy of an art gallery. Cozy accessories throughout keep the home livable and relaxing.

Take a peek at this San Francisco home.

5. 1905 Victorian Home with Sunny Style

Aqua blue kitchen cabinets, a pink refrigerator, and tiger-print wallpaper combine in this rainbow-hued home fit for a family. Ashley Wilson reinvented their two-story 1905 Victorian home into a cheery, colorful abode that radiates happy energy. From the pastel rainbow staircase to the pink shiplap walls, this home stays colorful and fun while still being a soothing escape.

Fall in love with this colorful home.

4. Dated '80s Home Transformed with Farmhouse Style

With DIY projects and affordable pieces, Jessica Russell of the Itty Bitty Farmhouse blog updated her dated '80s house into a stylish farmhouse. She tore down wallpaper, refaced wood cabinets, and updated flooring. With layers of wood tones and whites throughout, this previous dark and dim home became bright and cheery. Shopping at flea markets and yard sales, Jessica was able to find the perfect decor to achieve her desired aesthetic.

See this '80s home transformation.

3. Charming 1965 Country Fixer-Upper

Growing up, Jesse Miller always had a do-it-yourself attitude he learned from his father, and his wife Megan was raised with a handyman dad herself. This couple knew when it came to renovating their home, DIY projects and getting their hands a little dirty would be a must. When Jesse and Megan bought a house in Alliance, Ohio, its outdated builder-grade ranch style didn't phase them one bit. Focused on cozying up the space for their young family, they stuck to earthy neutral tones for a homey environment.

Check out this charming fixer-upper home.

2. Revamped Suburban Home

In this central Texas home, every nook and cranny was painted, renovated, or transformed by Brad and Holly Lauritzen. This builder-grade home quickly became a modern farmhouse fit for a family. Brad and Holly are a dream team when it comes to renovating houses, having revamped every home they've lived in for the past 15 years. Holly brings her the design skills and vision while Brad has the building and handyman skills to elevate the space. Typical black-and-white farmhouse colors combine with warm wood tones and natural greenery to create the perfect palette for the Lauritzen family home.

Tour this revamped suburban home.

1. Incredible Space-Saving Van Makeover

The top home tour for 2021 was a home on wheels. During the pandemic, Los Angeles natives Deanna and James Dunn transformed a bare-bones van into a fully equipped tiny home in just two months. Using space-saving DIY techniques fit for any small home or van-build, they created a cozy mobile home ready to take them on any adventure. While saving space and increasing storage was essential, this couple didn't forget to bring their personal design aesthetic to make the van cozy.

Get inspired to makeover your own van.