My Houzz: Mila Kunis’ Surprise Renovation for Her Parents

Watch as Mila Kunis surprises her parents with a renovation to the condo where she grew up, transforming it into an open, bright space their growing family can enjoy.
www.houzz.com/myhouzz

Find all the great products and materials from the video here: https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/82133276

Home is a really safe place for me

It's warmth and comfort

It's a place that you can play around
and no one can judge you for it

I'm Mila Kunis,
and this is "My Houzz"

I grew up in a very small town
in Ukraine

And I literally had no clue
of a different continent

let alone a different language,
or people or diversity

And when I was seven,
my parents moved us to Los Angeles

It was all very jarring
and very shocking

But by the age of eight...

...boy, did I acclimate perfectly fine

When I was nine,
my family moved into the condo...

...that my parents still live in

I graduated high school
in that condo

I got my first dog...

...without my parents' permission
in that condo

Everything as far as my career
happened there

I have the greatest Mom
on the planet

Never will I understand
how she was able to raise...

...my brother and myself
while working full time

My Mom was there every morning
to take me to school

Somehow, magically, we had dinner
on the table every night

My Dad's awesome

He is one of the most prideful men
you'll ever meet

He would never ask for help

He would never ask for a handout

And when times got tough,
he just worked.

Knowing how hard I work now
for what I have...

...puts things in perspective
for how much harder...

...my parents had to have worked...

...to have given my brother and I
the life that we had

I would like to do this renovation
for my parents...

...Mark and Elvira Kunis...

...because they've done so many things
for my brother and I

And so I desperately
want to give them something...

...that I think they deserve

You cannot get my parents
out of that condo

They are never going to move

They love it

Their friends live on the same floor

I feel like they're the president
of the condo

Like, everybody knows them there

So here's why the house
doesn't really work

My family all descends upon the family room,
kitchen, dining room area

and my Mom's always in the kitchen

And whoever's in the kitchen is
always isolated from everybody else...

...because you're surrounded by
these weird walls

Constantly people yelling
back and forth like...

..."What'd you say?"

But you're in one room

It shouldn't be that hard
to hear one another

Spatially speaking, the furniture
doesn't equal out in size

And the house kind of looks like
Miami Vice...

...circa 1994

Lots of leather couches

Green and pink walls
which, you know...

...you wouldn't think belong
in the same room...

...but according to my parents,
they do

My parents know they're
getting kicked out of the house

But they're not 100% sure
what's going to happen

Thank God for Houzz

I'm still working full time,
I'm very pregnant

And I know I personally, could never
have done this by myself

Houzz is a website and an app
where you can get inspired

You can find a professional,
you can shop your heart out...

...all in one place

I did a search for LA Designers

I was able to find thousands
of designers on Houzz

I found Breeze

She had incredible reviews...

...and I loved her style,
everything about her...

...and I knew that she was right
for this project

Breeze and I talked on the phone
and it went very well

Now we're going to meet
to discuss this project

- Hi
- It's so nice to finally see you

I'm very excited to get started

I'd love to hear more about
what you have in mind

I think the problem with the space
is it's so not cohesive

It's just very...

- It's very compartmentalized
- Yes

You know, ideally I'd like
a great room

Where you walk in and there's
the family room...

...and the dining room and...

...I guess what you would call
a kitchen

It looks like a giant closet to me

And she cooks all the time

- So it should be a chef's kitchen
- Yes

And it's like my Dad
has stuck her in the corner...

...and he was like "You just get this
tiny corner in the living room"

And he gave himself
two giant leather couches

And a television
that's the size of the wall

So these are the things
I'd like to change

Okay, so however we can achieve it
we wan to open up the space...

- ...as much as possible
- Yeah.

I'd love to take a look
at some of your ideas.

An ideabook is a place where
you can store all your ideas...

...for the house and products

You can share your ideabook with
other people involved in the project

It really helps you collaborate
with everyone that's working with you

I like this kitchen

And I think this may be similar
in some ways...

to how the flow
and the layout go...

...in that you have
an L-shaped kitchen here

Then you have dining,
opposite the window which is nice

What kind of storage
is she most in need of?

I'd say, definitely pantry...

...like spices, dry goods,
things like that

Everything she needs
for all the yummy meals.

So we did the kitchen...

- Yes
- Now the dining room's the problem

We have massive dinners, all the time

So I think the seating
is really important

and the lighting
is really important...

...and the chandelier that they have
now is a little dated

The table is lacquered as it is

So I liked this because
I thought that it was...

...maybe it might be
a little too traditional?

For sure, but the chandelier
really is striking...

...and I think it could
belong in the space

That's a great idea because it's long

It's long, it's sculptural,
it's transitional...

and I think we're going
in that direction

But what's nice about Houzz is...

...you can actually click on the image
and it leads you to the Houzz Shop

and lets you know
if that item is available

So, it's as simple as this

- Add to cart
- And you can check out now

And you can check out

Let's buy it

I love it,
I'm so excited about this

What are you thinking
for the table then?

It's a rustic farmhouse table...

...but with great extendable leaves
on each side

Oh, I love that table

So this is an idea of the couches

I love this
as a seating configuration

Yeah, I can see my Dad
taking a lot of naps on that couch

Let's get it

Okay, oh good,
look at us making progress

And if they keep their floors...

...maybe, maybe not

It cannot stay the way it is

The finish is very dated

The glossiness and the yellow
need to go

Let's change their floors

I'm very proud of us

We talked a lot about blowing out
all of the walls...

...and just making it one great room

One idea is keeping
part of the entry wall

so you can preserve
the feeling of enclosure and entry

But the idea is actually to leave
three or four feet of wall...

...so you could have
an entry mirror...

- A full wall? Like floor to ceiling?
- Floor to ceiling

I don't know if I like this

I'm not against it...

...I trust you

So as far as things
that should stay in the space...

...there are three paintings
that are important to my parents

They brought them
with them from Russia

The triptych paintings
are like my Dad's pride and joy

They represent past, present,
and future

And that to my Dad,
represents our family

The paintings need to stay
in this space because...

...I really want to make sure that
the space represents them...

...and doesn't lose their touch

Okay, so just to reiterate...

...comfortable, comfortable
and very family friendly

And as open as possible

- Okay
- You can maybe have your three foot wall

But just keep it as open as possible

We'll do what we can

I am so excited and so relieved
that you're doing this...

...and not me, you have no idea

I trust you

Don't mess this up

I know where to find you

Today, Breeze and I are meeting
at my parents' condo...

...to finalize the plan

- Hey
- Hi, nice to see you again

Welcome, welcome

So we covered a lot of territory
in our last meeting...

...and maybe we should run through
some of the things that came up...

Like this beautiful television?

Oh my gosh

Honestly, I'd like to consider
mounting it to the wall

I think that's a solid plan

What do you think of...

- The couches?
- These beautiful couches

The couches are going,
I'm sorry to say

Although we talked about
some of the things...

...that they'd like to stay
in this space

- And I'd love to see them...
- Okay

...in person

- So we like that painting
- We like it

- Okay
- For sure

This was an interpretation
of Chernobyl, right?

Yes, exactly

It's one of my favourites

They love those.

- The triptych?
- Yeah

And it has that sort of
warm colour scheme...

...that we were talking about
in the meeting

I don't love the framing of them

I feel like they're suffocated

Yeah, re-framing the art, for sure

- So the kitchen
- Yeah

This I'm really excited about

This whole wall behind me
is getting blown away

So although it is load-bearing,
we're able to remove almost all of it...

...and just leave a small post
at the end of the kitchen

- So excited, Breeze
- I am too

Your parents are going to love it

Oh my God, not as much as I

Now that Breeze has seen the place,
in person

and I've heard her ideas,
it's time to get started

I have been wanting to knock down
this wall for twenty years

Listen, I might be
nine months pregnant...

...but if anyone is knocking down
that wall, it's me

- Okay, ready?
- Okay

I'm standing back

Yes

Listen, one hit was enough

This is really good
letting a pregnant lady hit a wall

I'll let the professionals do the rest

It's been a couple of weeks
since I've seen this...

...so I'm coming by today
to meet with Breeze to talk about...

...where we are in the space
and if they need my advice...

...because everybody needs my advice

But I would love to go over...

...design and floors,
and accent pieces...

...and whatever else you can show me

How about we start with flooring?

I always like to look at floor
on the floor

- I have a favourite of these two
- Which one is it?

Well, how about we do this

This is option one,
and that's option two

I'm going to say "one, two, three"...

...and then you tell me
your favourite...

...and I'll tell you my favourite
at the same time, ready?

- Okay
- One, two, three

- One
- Two

The one that Breeze chose was
a little bit more my parents friendly

I am going to let her decide

There's a snapshot of...

...the soft greys that we were going
to bring into the space

It's so pretty

Breeze and I both agreed we want
a really clean-looking kitchen

So it was versions of white

And then today, she threw a little
wrench in the plan...

...which is glass cabinets
and open shelving

And... I love that idea

I think we did everything
we need to, though

I'll get it rolling

- Let's get out
- Okay

I think she just wants to,
in a really great way...

...make my parents happy

I haven't been able to connect
with Breeze in weeks...

...because I had a baby

I'm very excited but today we have a lot
to get done at my parents' condo

The new floors are going in

The kitchen cabinets
are being installed

And all the items
that we've purchased on Houzz...

...are being delivered

So I'm going to reach out
to Breeze...

...and see how the renovations
are coming along

- Hi, Breeze
- Hi

Congratulations on having your baby

Thanks, we created a human

How's it going over there?

We're actually making
a lot of progress

Did you get the picture?

I did, and I loved it

With Houzz, you can virtually
place products into your space

That way, you can preview them
before you buy them

Just tap "View in My Room"
under the product picture...

...and it automatically launches
a camera

Isn't it cool to actually see
the furniture in the space...

...before it's installed?

- No buyer's remorse
- No, none

Thank you for sending it to me

The chandelier looks amazing

We just have a few weeks to go
but I think we're right on track

Oh, I can't wait

Good luck with everything,
I'll see you later

- Bye
- Bye

I can't wait to see the reaction
on my parents' faces

I hope they love it

I'm heading to my parents' condo...

...and am dragging
my husband along...

...to do the heavy lifting

I'm very excited to show my parents
the final project

Let's do this

- Hi
- Breeze...

- Welcome
- Oh my God

Congratulations, first of all

Thank you

- You've been busy producing
- We produced

Your lighting is really,
really pretty, I have to tell you

It's just so much brighter and open

This is 100% the vision that I think
Breeze and I had

I think that she took
whatever we did put together...

...and made it
not only just come to life...

...but made it a million times better

In the design meeting,
I really pushed to keep this wall...

...so that you that you didn't enter
into the kitchen

And now seeing the space,
do you agree?

Are you kidding?
I think it’s great

- I think it’s fantastic
- That looks a lot like me

I think it’s the best wall
in the house, so I like it...

...naturally

Good job, babe, good job

Okay, we do have a lot to do

- Let’s go
- Let’s get it done

- Let's start
- It's time to work

It feels really good to do this

I got this, you got that

Yeah, bringing the might

It feels nice,
because it also feels permanent

It’s not like a superficial gift,
so I love it

I got it, there goes my back

I think that they deserve it

I hope that they grow in the space...

...and I hope that they love it
as much as we do

- Can you put this over there?
- Voila

Now we just have to populate it

That’s like designer code
for “get the booze”

They absolutely deserve and need
a fresh beginning

They’re nearly retired,
they need a little “jeuge” in their life

Okay babe, I think we’re done

Now we’re done

Okay, now get out,
both of you, get out

- But I was just going to sit down...
- No, get out, don't dent the couch

I was just going to
populate my hand with a…

- No, get out
- Okay

I’m going to wait for them...

...and then I’ll bring
you guys back in

- Go get 'em, babe
- Thanks baby

- Bye guys
- Bye

We’ve lived here
for over twenty years

And we've been out of the house
for six weeks

When you’re after a certain age...

...it’s not easy to move out
and do the changes...

...and we didn’t know what to expect

I was scared, actually

I didn't want to go

What do you think?

Oh my gosh, what do I think?
I don’t know

Do you like it?

Yes, I do

Come here, come and look

Aw Mommy, don't cry

You're like
"Don't move my hair"

Seeing my parents' reaction
to their condo for the first time...

...made everything worth it

All the stress, the timing...

Everything and anything became
null and void when Mom started crying

So, what do you guys think
of the space...

...we took all the walls down...

...so there's no more pantry,
it's just one large space

- It's nice, right?
- It's nice

Okay, so you're ready to go look
at the kitchen?

- Yeah
- You go first

- I really like it
- Do you? Go ahead, go in

So now you actually have a kitchen

A big one

So we gave you tons of spice racks
over here...

...and then I really wanted
the glass here...

...because I thought that it would
make it seem bigger

- Do you like it?
- I love it

It's so pretty, right?

I didn't even know that you can
make it bigger than I...

Come this way

So here's your new table

Because we have a growing family,
you can take this...

...and it extends on both sides

It's easy

It's enough space
for the six grand children here

- How many?
- Six

Don't spread rumours, Dad

Don't start spreading rumours

Look, and your paintings,
do you like the new frames?

I love it

We knew that these
were really important to you guys...

...considering they've been
hanging here my whole life

We love it, it looks beautiful

- I like the way it is now...
- The frame?

It's nice because it has
the same brass as the chandelier

Yes, it's matched

When we were looking at
ideabooks on Houzz...

...we saw this and instantly
I fell in love with it

- And then the couch, you can...
- This is your Dad's couch

What do you think?

The couch is perfect

It's perfect

- It's so good
- My kitchen, his couch

When you're angry
and you don't like something...

...you have a lot of words
to explain why you're angry...

...but if you're happy,
you're just happy, that's it

It's not much words
to explain your happiness

It was really important
to make sure that...

...there was still you
in the space

It still looks like it's from...
It looks like my stuff

I know, it's really great, yeah.

I would like for you to meet
my little elves

Sit right here, I'll bring them out

Hold on

Breeze was an unbelievable
human being to work with

This is Breeze, the designer,
she did everything

- It is such a pleasure...
- Thank you

…I feel like I know you a little bit

- Hey
- How are you?

- You did a wonderful job
- Thank you

Thumbs up, love it

I'm just really happy
to be involved...

...with creating something beautiful
for a beautiful family

Let's do a little toast, come on

Come Mom, come Dad

My parents were a little resistant
to the idea of change...

...and I hope that this somehow
evokes a spark in their life

I would like to make a toast
to my parents...

...and to you guys for working hard
your whole life...

...and never taking the time
to do something for yourselves

And so we wanted
to do something for you...

...as a thank you
for always being there for us kids

And we love you, so thank you

Thank you

Mommy, I love that you're crying

Give her some more champagne,
she won't be able to stop crying

I don't need more

You know guys, we love you very much

- We love you both, very much
- We love you guys

But mostly we love our grandchildren

- Fine, me too
- That's the truth

Through the technology of Houzz,
I was able to pull off...

...and incredible surprise
for my parents...

...because being able to do
everything from my computer...

...while being nine months pregnant,
it's made this entire experience...

...so much easier

You know, when you have
your own family...

...and you come into
another family...

...you always think
that no other family will be as...

...connected and loving and caring
as your own family...

...except for you guys

I couldn't ask for better inlaws,
like, we're family

And there's no distinction
between Mila's family...

...and my family

And now, I feel like
we have a space...

...that is as befitting as the love
that this space holds

- So...
- Thank you, thank you

As much as we argue constantly,
we love you anyway

There is just so much more air
and light in that room...

...and I think that will translate
into their whole life

I think that my brother and I,
and all our kids...

...are going to be there
way more often...

...which is either a good thing
or a bad thing, I don't know

But I definitely think there's going to be
a lot more Sunday dinners there.