Atlanta couple 'unflips' their charmless, all-white house and returns it to its 1960s glory

Evan Porter
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 20:50:19 +0000
Houses, Real estate, House buying, Gen z, Millennials, Millennial gray, House flipping, Hgtv, Economy, Homes

Thirty-year-olds Colin and Dana bought a mid-century modern house in 2020. They loved the location of the house in metro Atlanta, and they loved the structure and layout of the home. Everything else? Blah.

The house had been "flipped," which means it was updated and "nice" but filled with the most bland, uncreative choices imaginable in order to make it more sellable. Cabinets? White. Countertop? Gray. Walls? Off-white. Backsplash? Gray. Interior doors? Hollow, plastic, and of course, white.

These overwhelmingly drab design choices are all too common in modern homes, so much so that the concept has been dubbed "Millennial gray."

A color named Paris Rain 1501 was actually named the most popular interior shade of 2025, according to Real Simple. They write, "The unflattering stereotype is that the dreary palette has millennials in a chokehold, with members of said generation drenching their entire home—from top to bottom, inside and out—in gray."

It's not just paint colors, either. Wood floors are plastered over with faux panels. Brick is removed and replaced with drywall. Antique fixtures are ripped out, their spot taken by whatever's on sale at Home Depot. But these gray and white designs aren't popular because Millennials are sad and unimaginative. It has to do with the house-flipping market.

"I think it’s worth noting that gray has become the go-to choice for property flippers, often chosen for its neutrality and broad appeal to potential buyers," interior designer Gretchen Murdock told Real Simple. "In my opinion, this gives the false impression that it is a successful palette to incorporate into your own home.”

Dana and Colin write on their website that the home they purchased had remained relatively the same since it was built in 1966, all the way until 2018. That's when a real-estate investment firm bought it up and flipped it with cheap, generic upgrades.

Once they got the keys, they immediately set out to undo—or "unflip"—the home.

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They've documented the entire journey so far on social media, and what a journey its been. Over five years, they've worked tirelessly to restore the original charm of their 1966-built house.

In the kitchen, they went with beautiful wood-stained cabinets and a green backsplash.

The flipped basement wasn't bad, with a cool bar and a spacious relaxing space. But it's much groovier with wood paneling, a green bar top, and textured emerald walls.

Next up, the couple is working on the bathrooms—tiny, white, unremarkable—and we can definitely expect another funky, fun, and warm update. They say they've used vintage furniture and materials whenever possible in their updates.

"We want it to look like 1966 here," they write in a caption to one post.

Dana and Colin have racked up over 100k followers on social media and say the huge response to their project has been expected and surreal.

"We started unflipping our house simply because we wanted to restore and add back the character that had been taken out, and we never expected so many people to connect with it," they told Upworthy. "The response has been really encouraging not just because people support what we’re doing, but because it’s sparked others to start unflipping their own homes. It’s motivating and humbling to see how openly sharing this process has resonated with others"

As to why people seem to respond so strongly to the process of watching them fill their home with warmth and originality:

"We think it resonates because a lot of people are exhausted by flipped houses and trend-driven designs. People want something that is more genuine and lasting. When you honor the house’s architecture and history by highlighting its unique character, everything is going to fall into place. Showing that process and the care it takes to restore a home in a thoughtful, authentic way is what truly connects with people."

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Dana and Colin are not the only couple "unflipping" their home. Not by a long shot.

Unflipping has even been called a "movement."

Domain writes, "In a growing movement affectionately dubbed 'unflipping', home owners are rejecting the sterile flip and choosing instead to retain or restore what’s easily lost – character, craftsmanship and a lived-in kind of joy."

More and more apartments, condos, and homes are being bought by investors: private equity groups, real estate developers. These middle men, in their efforts to re-sell the property for more money, have a tendency to paper over all the things that made it unique and beautiful in the first place. Young buyers are over it.

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Will all the wood and the green accents and the shag carpet make their house harder to sell down the road? Maybe, maybe not. The design certainly won't be everyone's cup of tea. But for Dana and Colin, it makes their home feel warm and inviting and like the space is actually theirs.

That's what a home is supposed to feel like, and that reminder is exactly why their story is resonating with so many other young people who are sick of being told otherwise.