A woman has documented her process of transforming her little sister’s 2,000-square-foot New York City apartment into a luxury space in just eight hours.
Interior designer Madison Malaga, from Texas, took to TikTok to share the DIY overhaul that was a birthday surprise for younger sister Rylee, who recently moved to town.
She said Rylee “started from nothing” in the apartment before the makeover introduced a room divider, floating shelves, furniture and more.
Other social media users rushed to praise the transformation and the bond between the sisters.
Interior designer Madison Malaga, from Texas, took to TikTok to share the DIY overhaul that was a birthday surprise for younger sister Rylee who recently moved to town
She said Rylee “started from nothing” in the apartment before the makeover introduced a room divider, floating shelves, furniture and more. In the photo: before (left) and after (right)
Madison had shown her sister’s very shocked reaction when she entered her apartment for the first time
In the clip, which has been viewed more than 4.9 million times to date, Madison films herself throughout the process before adding commentary.
‘We must be careful with the furnishings, So when I saw these pieces of wood in the trash, they could make great floating shelves,” she said as she looked through a stash of discarded wood scraps.
She cleaned the shelves of dirt and sanded the rough spots before heading to a local hardware store.
‘It was such an interesting and fun experience – wBut more expensive.’
Madison explained, “(My sister) basically started with nothing, so we had to come up with furniture and accessories, and it was quite a journey to get everything home.”
The clip then cut to a suitcase full of household items before she and her friends juggled the items in the lift to her sister’s flat.
Inside, the transformation continued as the content creator said: ‘We covered her gray floors as best we could, then hung some of my favorite Roman shades with a scrap piece of wood, because we don’t have a measuring tape.
‘We found these beautiful hollow wooden frames, but had no art for them.
“We have to be careful with decor, so when I saw these pieces of wood in the trash, they could make great floating shelves,” she said as she rummaged through a stash of discarded trash.
The clip cut to a suitcase full of household items before she and her friends juggled the items into the lift to her sister’s flat
The content creator said the group put up floating shelves before “covering her gray floors as best she could.”
“We had recently gotten this book through the thrift store, so instead we just tore out a few pages and hung them up.”
Madison revealed that even though her sister’s apartment is small, she wanted to “create” parting between the bedroom and the living room.’
‘We found a rail system and hung a flat plate that would create the separation but not take up any square meters.
“This was so hard to drill into the ceiling because we didn’t have a ladder and kept falling over and breaking our necks trying to look up.”
Last but not least, Madison and her friends installed a statement mirror that completed the room beautifully.
The social media star, who has more than 80,000 followers on the video sharing platform, concluded the video by showing the dramatic before and after transformation of the room.
At the end of the clip, the overlay text in the video said, “Love you Rylee! Proud of you!’
Last but not least, Madison and her friends installed a statement mirror that completed the room beautifully
The social media star, who has more than 80,000 followers on the video sharing platform, closed the video by showing off the room’s dramatic before and after (photo) transformation
Madison had shown her sister’s very shocked reaction when she entered her apartment for the first time – and the sentiment was apparently shared by viewers as well.
The clip was flooded with likes and comments from other social media users encouraging the interior design makeover and sisterhood.
One person wrote: ‘My jaw dropped at the reveal!!!!! Disturbed.’
Another person added: ‘200 square meters!? You’ve made good use of the space!’
‘You all did a great job!!! The book page art! GENIUS,” a third person wrote.
A fourth person added: ‘Omgggggggg it’s ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!! Do you do this for a living, because if you don’t, you should. I would hire you in a heartbeat.”
‘I don’t understand how people have the natural gift to be able to do this. I’m such a terrible decorator. This is beautiful,” a fifth person wrote.
The clip was flooded with likes and comments from other social media users encouraging the interior design makeover and sisterhood
Another person wrote: ‘MADISON!!!!!!!!! The fact that you did this with that small space. You are magical.’
“You should start an interior design company,” someone commented.
Another commenter wrote: ‘Great job. It’s so important to have a place that is soothing and a true home in NYC. It can be very overwhelming.’
Others commented on Madison’s deep love for her sister.
One person wrote: ‘I would cry if someone did this for me, well done!’
Another person added: “She’s so lucky that someone cares about her so much!”
A third person commented: ‘Wow. I would really laugh my eyes out if someone did this for me.’