The latest season of TLC’s “7 Little Johnstons” delivers big on life milestones—including a home renovation, a move, and the birth of a baby for series star Liz Johnston.
Johnston, who has achondroplasia dwarfism, welcomed her average-sized daughter, Leighton Bolden, on the show’s Season 14 finale. Liz and her partner, Brice Bolden, also moved into the Forsyth, GA, home owned by Johnston’s parents, Trent and Amber Johnston. The home underwent some renovations to make it more comfortable.
“Our current living situation is in my parents’ home, back in my old bedroom,” Johnston tells Realtor.com®. “And Leighton’s nursery has taken over the guest bedroom.”
Excited to hear how Johnston prepped the family house for baby, we got the new mom to share nursery decor details and her plans for building the barndominium of her dreams.
Customizing a space so both little and average-sized people are comfortable is a priority, and she makes the case for every homeowner to add a certain bathroom feature she calls “life-changing” for all.
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How did you decorate your daughter’s nursery?
When developing Leighton’s nursery, I already had a full Pinterest board of all the ideas. Her dad, being one that loves to hunt and to fish, we had to come to a conclusion for us both to agree on.
We call it a cute woodsy theme, so the pink pastels with a little bit of that sage green, lots of floral stuff. It was fun trying to figure out how to combine both Mom and Dad’s ideas into a great little nursery for Leighton, and it turned out exactly what we wanted it to be.
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Real Estate Commissions Have Changed
What is it like living back at your parents’ house?
When we first initially moved into this house, that was the first time we had ever seen sinks in the bedrooms. Luckily enough, where the sinks were in my room and in my sister’s rooms, we could easily flip them because behind that wall was the bathroom between both of our rooms. It was really weird having to use the bathroom and then walk out of the room and go to somebody’s bedroom to wash hands. We have a bathroom with a sink now, and no more sinks in the bedrooms!
Initially, we thought we would be able to squeeze together with Leighton in the nursery, but once we saw how chaotic that was, we totally revamped the guest bedroom into Leighton’s nursery.
When Leighton came into the picture, my parents went ahead and decided, “Hey, the guest bedroom will just be the room for our grandkids, not even just for Leighton but for any grandkids in the future.”
It’ll be the playroom, the spend-the-night room, so we have a toddler bed already in there, and we have the crib as well that is accessible for my parents and for myself.
As far as where Brice and I sleep, we’re actually in my old bedroom. Just like any typical bedroom: bed, nightstands, and closet.
We are fortunate to have Brice’s parents only three houses up, so he is able to go home and get his clothes and come back and forth. We are truthfully very blessed with the situation we are in with having both of our parents being in the same vicinity during this time.
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How have your parents tailored this home to meet the needs of little people?
You could call this their forever home. When it came to renovating the kitchen, they decided to not to make it as little for a little person, but not as big for an average-sized person. We did lower the counters a little bit because my parents are only getting older.
She wants to stay in this house for as long as she can, and so they decided to lower the kitchen cabinets and countertops and just make it a kitchen for them to where we don’t have to use stools.
But we tell people that Brice and my mom’s family members, who are all of average height, can still utilize this kitchen.
In the near future, whenever my parents retire officially and if they want to move to the beach, they want to be able to still sell this house, and we can’t sell this house having countertops at 4 feet tall.
So we catered it to that middle point of an average-sized person still being able to use the kitchen counters and the kitchen appliances and little [people] can use it.
We are happy to no longer use stools. Stools were fun—and also a hazard. It’s something I’ve realized [is] a safety issue with Leighton. Whenever Brice and I do move out, I will have to go back to stools, but she will be at an age where she can be a little steadier on her feet.
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Are there any upgrades you recommend homeowners make to increase accessibility for all?
People are going to think this is absolutely hilarious, but truthfully, one of the most life-changing things that each of my family members would suggest? Bidets. Adding the bidet feature to your toilets.
People who are in wheelchairs, people recovering from surgeries, C-sections, people who are just well into their age because you get to the point where you’re not able to reach around because you’re restricted with movement—that is an awesome feature.
And me recovering personally from a C-section, it was hard to bend after being cut open, and that was the coolest feature ever.
People having them in their homes, I think it would definitely increase the value of their homes [and make] it more accessible for anybody who has a disability.
Are there any more renovations on the horizon at your parents’ home?
Before Leighton was born, most of our renovating was done. The last big thing for my parents’ home, even though my dad has his shop, my parents have always wanted a garage to put their vehicles in.
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Are you in the market for your own home?
We are looking for plots of land to possibly build on. We’re open to buying a home, but also building a home with how crazy the housing market is right now. The prices that they’re at now, we’ve realized that building a house is just as expensive or the same price as buying a house. So, having a home that would really, truly have everything we need is in the future.
What are you looking for in a home?
We already have our floor plan picked out, and my parents actually ordered and bought us the large floor plans—the house plans—for whenever we do find our land, or wherever we decided to build.
It’s this barndominium-cottage feel. It’s got all the rustic feels, the white exterior with the wood accents, and black metal accents. Inside, I am all about an open floor plan with the living, kitchen, and eating area. I could go in depth of what flooring I want, and the wood color, and the cabinet colors. We pretty much have the game plan set for what we like. It’s just timing.
I have a whole new idea for Leighton’s nursery since she’ll be a little over 1 by that time, and all the things I want to get for her playroom—it’s great. I think we are going to continue with the whole woodsy theme—it’s just by that time, she’ll have the big-girl bed.
Definitely [going to] add a little bit more pink because Leighton is a princessy girly girl, 100%. There’s so many cute, new ideas with girls’ nurseries. Once we get to that point, and when we really see how her personality is, [that will] definitely go into play with how we’re truly going to decorate her nursery or bedroom.
