Regina Hall Surprises Vonda, Her Best Friend of 15 Years, With a Life-Changing First Floor Reno

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On this episode of Celebrity IOU, Regina Hall and Drew and Jonathan made Regina’s best friend Vonda a kitchen paradise. They completely renovated her kitchen, living room, dining room, and entryway, creating an artistic and beautiful space filled with hints of copper, terracotta, and creative tile work.

Regina and Vonda met on the set of Real Husbands of Hollywood 15 years ago and have been inseparable ever since. Vonda absolutely loves to cook and entertain. But her kitchen and living areas became second-thought to the needs of her children and loved ones. In this season’s Regina Hall Celebrity IOU episode, we witness the love Regina has for her best friend come to life, with a complete renovation of Vonda’s first floor space.

Vonda has a big heart, and will always prioritize others’ needs before her own. A few years ago, Vonda’s daughter, Sabah, was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia. Vonda did everything she could for Sabah during this time, including donating her own bone marrow so Sabah could receive the bone marrow transplant that would end up curing her. Though Sabah doesn’t suffer from sickle cell anymore, her immune system is still very low, and Vonda helps every day to build up her strength.

Vonda’s children clearly uphold the same generosity that Vonda does. Her son, Onaje, was more than happy to donate his bone marrow to his sister. But when the numbers were off, he didn’t back down from helping others. Onaje ended up flying to Texas, and saving a 57-year-old’s life with his bone marrow donation.

Vonda and her family mean so much to Regina. They’ve been there for each other through it all. Now, Regina is showing Vonda how grateful she is to have her as a friend by giving her a life-changing gift: A home makeover that will not only improve Vonda’s life, but those of her children as well.

Click below to see all of the items featured in this episode!

Regina, Drew, and Jonathan realized very soon that the kitchen project they had anticipated would grow in size. So they decided to renovate the entire first floor, from the kitchen all the way to the entryway. In just six weeks, Vonda was given an entirely new home. We see from the beginning that Vonda loves gold and copper features. So while designing, Regina and Jonathan decided to incorporate the metals in unique ways. The range hood featured a gold rim, which hinted at the gold and copper specks in the counter’s marble.

In the main living, dining, and kitchen areas, they chose to incorporate a medium-toned engineered hardwood to bring the space together. Then, in the entryway, Regina and the Bros added terrazzo tile to set it apart from the rest of the floor. This created a spacious and beautiful first floor remodel. All the small design pieces chosen mesh seamlessly with one another. Even in their choice of stone shutters (a unique and alluring focal point in the dining room), the colors relate back to the kitchen’s, and vice versa. They even replaced the 30-year-old HVAC system so Sabah wouldn’t be exposed to harmful air particles anymore. The new system featured an electrostatic air filter with static electricity to charge and pull unwanted particles out of the air.

Vonda is an artist, and over the years has curated a beautiful collection of pieces. Perhaps the most touching part of the episode is when they’re decorating with final touches, and incorporate Vonda’s art. Her wooden figurines, beautiful textiles, photos of loved ones, and of course, her copper pieces, all come together and shine. The reveal is tear-jerking, when we see Vonda become emotional over the incredible gift Regina worked to give her.

Before and Afters

Brighten & Open Up the Room

One thing Vonda hated about her kitchen, especially as someone who loves to entertain, was how cut off it was from the living and dining areas. Drew and Jonathan tackled the problem by removing the walls that separated each room and making the space more open-concept. Now, Vonda can be part of the party and mingle with friends and family, even if she’s cooking dinner or setting the dining room table.

Make a Statement with Tile

Drew and Jonathan added some distinct style and functionality to the dining room with a beautiful feature wall. They decided to make better the use of the space below the window with sophisticated built-in storage drawers. The statement stone shutters around the window are a creative focal point in the room, speaking to Vonda’s artistic side.

A Comfy, Creative Contemporary Living Room

Vonda’s revamped living room is not only more focused, but also more cozy and inviting. They replaced the old fireplace with one that has a bit more character, and swapped in some modern furniture to bring the space together. And of course, they couldn’t forget the copper accents!

The Finishing Touches

Vonda’s DIY copper-painted appliances were a fabulous and creative way to incorporate the metal. But after years of wear and tear, it was out with the old and in with the new. Regina and the Bros decided to incorporate hints of copper throughout the whole first floor. From the copper-gold specks in the kitchen granite to the copper cookware and the gold-rimmed range hood, the finishing touches all called back to Vonda’s favorite statement metal.

Tune into a brand-new episode of Celebrity IOU every Monday night on HGTV at 8pm ET|7pm CT, and stream the Regina Hall Celebrity IOU episode on MAX.