economie

A millennial transformed a house into her pink ’90s dream home with a movie theater and arcade. Now she has to sell.

August 3, 20240
The front of Gabrielle’s home.

Courtesy of Kyle Edwards

Gabrielle focused primarily on aesthetic updates to the home, with minimal exterior or structural renovations.

“The work was pretty much just interior design,” she said. “I did hire a contractor to screen the front porch, but everything else was mostly cosmetic changes. I didn’t tear down any walls.”

Pink might be an unusual color for a front door, but it made the most sense to Gabrielle.
The home’s living room.

Courtesy of Kyle Edwards

“From a very early age, I enjoyed making my space exactly how I wanted it,” Gabrielle said. “I was always encouraged to be as weird and quirky as I wanted to be, and that didn’t change as I got older.”

Decorating the home was a labor of love for Gabrielle.
The home’s eclectic dinning room.

Courtesy of Kyle Edwards

In her quest to source the perfect furnishings for her home, Gabrielle left no stone unturned.

“A lot of my decorations came from eBay and the furniture is a combination of IKEA, Wayfair, and Facebook Marketplace,” she said.

The primary bedroom looks like something from a Polly Pocket or Barbie playhouse.
A bathroom in Gabrielle’s home.

Courtesy of Kyle Edwards

“I used the Cricut to cut out flowers for the bathroom and applied them,” she said. “I did my best to make upgrades to the home as budget-friendly as possible.”

Gabrielle refers to this as her “time-travel room” because it’s a replica of her childhood bedroom.
The home theater.

Courtesy of Kyle Edwards

Gabrielle and her brother built the arched entryway for the room, which has six recliner seats.

“Having a home theater was always a dream for me,” she said. “As soon as I saw the room when I toured the house, I envisioned everything in my head. I loved the idea of having an arched entryway and a really fun ’90s movie theater carpet.”

The cinema’s posters were collected over the years.
A basement arcade within the home.

Courtesy of Kyle Edwards

The game room is a time capsule of beloved classics, including Pac-Man, Asteroids, and classic table hockey.

The home has already attracted a lot of interest in the short time it’s been on the market, she said.
Gabrielle’s backyard.

Courtesy Kyle Edwards

Although the house hasn’t sold yet, Gabrielle is working on making it look more appealing in hopes of a quick sale. She also plans to move into an apartment by August.

“I don’t think I’ve fully wrapped my head around this yet,” she said. “I think once I have to take all of my stuff down, it’s going to be really hard.”

Despite the bittersweet farewell, Gabrielle plans to create a similar atmosphere in her new apartment.

“I’m probably going to recreate my living room and the time-travel room, but for the other rooms, I think I’ll be starting from scratch,” she said. “I’m hoping that if I can get it close enough, I’ll still feel like I’m at home.”