As mothers of three children each, best friends and design duo Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis understand what it takes to make a family home feel like a home, to find that balance between style and functionality.

Perfectly aligned with the changing of the seasons—a time when we’re all looking to refresh our spaces—the pair are delivering some serious home decor inspiration with an all-new season of their home makeover show, Honest Renovations, launching this week on Roku.

jessica alba honest renovations

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Continuing on their journey to masterfully makeover family homes of all kinds, the second season delves even deeper than the first, peering into the lives of more multi-generational households while utilizing smart storage solutions and family-forward thinking to elevate each space they visit.

“We wanted to give something slightly different from season one,” Mathis says. “We really wanted to go in with different types of families who were still relatable, who still had really important stories to share and who people at home could either see themselves in or see the different transitions that we were able to help out with and feel like it was something they could do at home as well.”

Here, Alba and Mathis share their top tips for making seasonal home decor updates, more on season two of Honest Renovations and how motherhood has shifted their understanding of design.

On what to expect from the second season of Honest Renovations:

Jessica Alba (JA): “I think we had a lot of emotion and heart in the first season, but it’s even [more] amplified this season. We have families who are going through different challenges. One is dealing with a lot of loss in her life. Others are dealing with illness. Another one has a child who has different needs than the other children in the family. So, we’re really able to show up with all these different family dynamics. And the makeovers are awesome! I think they’re super satisfying. Lots of tips and tricks, no matter who you are, whether you have a family or not.”

Lizzy Mathis (LM):  “And [you’re] still getting the fun of us, which is great. You’re still getting our banter, how we hang out, how we work and all of those things. You’re still laughing along the way.”

On balancing function and aesthetics in a family home:

JA:  “I mean, that is the key, I think, to our show—making all of our designs functional. And also, we didn’t want [every home] to have the same aesthetic. We wanted to really tailor the aesthetic to the family. Some families love the traditional coastal [look]. Other families wanted something a little bit more eclectic, Bohemian and earthy. We got to highlight different aesthetics and also super functional designs. I would say storage and organization are the two key elements [that help create] functional designs for families… And we get to help them reimagine their space, because a lot of times they would never, in a million years, think of the way that we are laying out these rooms or laying out these spaces.”

On how motherhood changed their understanding of design:

LM: “I think before you have kids, you don’t realize how much stuff you’re going to have. Obviously you go through different stages with kids—babies, then toddlers and then teenagers—but every stage needs something different. I just don’t think you really understand how much stuff there will be. So it changes the way you think about design. I think Jess hit the nail on the head with functional storage solutions that are beautiful.”

JA:  “I think you can push yourself to use baskets and label them and hide them away, behind or inside of a beautiful credenza or wall unit.”

LM:  “Think outside the box when you’re thinking of storage solutions. Don’t think of your normal spaces.”

On home design hacks:

JA: “If people are on a budget and have dark wood furniture, update that dark wood. If you can sand it and paint it, finish it, stain it—light wood, or any just a lighter colour overall, it makes such a big difference in a room and makes the whole space feel brighter and more modern. So, you can switch out your rugs, your throw pillows, your throw blankets and refinish the wood in your home to really brighten it up and make it light. That will make a huge difference.”

On refreshing a family home for the fall season:

LM: “No matter if it’s fall, spring or summer, always take the beginning of every season to declutter. If you can, donate, give those pieces away and take that moment to declutter, because once you declutter, then you can organize a little bit better. Having a space that’s not so cluttered and hectic sometimes gives you more freedom of thought. Parents can feel a little bit freer to breathe and see the things that they like.”

JA: “And then you can think about what dry floral arrangements you want to have in the house. I love dry floral arrangements, especially for fall, that’s kind of my thing. It’s great because you don’t need to refresh your florals, and they can even move gently into winter.”

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