ER nurse receives home makeover

As a busy emergency room nurse on the frontlines of a pandemic, Amelia Benefiel was thrilled to get some good news: her family had been picked for a new HGTV home makeover series.

"I saw a casting call on HGTV's Facebook page," says Benefiel, who works at
Sharp Memorial Hospital. "Outside of working, being in quarantine has kept my family isolated. I thought this could be a fun, new adventure for everyone."

After submitting several videos and photos of their home, as well as multiple interviews with the casting director, Benefiel's family was chosen for an episode of
"Design at Your Door." The new show connects top-level designers with homeowners using video calls, phone and email to help the owners create a beautiful new space themselves.

"It was a rigorous and demanding audition process that was fast-paced," says Benefiel. "It was a bit challenging working around my 12-hour work schedule, but we were able to find time to do it."

Benefiel lives in a Spanish-style 1928 home with her husband, Tim, their infant son, Luke, and Amelia's sister, Lydia Gardner. The family isn't new to remodeling; they've improved several areas of their house over the years, including a renovated kitchen, restored hardwood floors, and a new bathroom and bedroom. Their guest room was picked to be remodeled during the show.

"Since we're all social distancing right now, we had to work with design experts through video calls and self-taped footage to remodel the room," says Benefiel. "With the help of the director and editors, we learned how to film the entire process ourselves with lighting, cameras, a phone and sound equipment given to us by the show."

Benefiel, her husband, and sister filled out a detailed questionnaire to help HGTV determine the look and feel of the room. The designers used $3,000 worth of new furniture and décor to remodel the space to resemble a European hotel room. Additionally, designers used sentimental items and pieces of furniture already in the home to update the space.

Amelia Benefiel’s guest bedroom before the makeover (left) and after (right).

"There are faux peonies in a vase that remind of me of my childhood in Missouri," says Benefiel. "They also included two nightstands and two dressers that were in my husband's parents' bedroom when they first got married."

During the experience, Benefiel and her husband put up wallpaper, painted and set up furniture, and installed a light fixture.

"We had never hung a light fixture or put wallpaper up on a large section of a room before and we didn't know much about filming before this process, but despite moments of stress and overcoming a learning curve, we are all incredibly happy with the results," says Benefiel.

Benefiel says her family loves the room. "It's the perfect room for my taste, and fits the charm and character of the rest of the house, which is exactly what we wanted."