The Instagram renovation accounts our editors are glued to

Little Pembroke in Cornwall.

Dean Hearne

There is an incredible satisfaction to be found in watching something dramatically transform. It's why Cinderella is one of the most popular Disney movies of all time, and why the makeover montage of any chick flick is always the best part. The concept applies as much to interiors and house renovations as it does to movies, and as such, we have developed something of an obsession with Instagram accounts dedicated to renovations. There is a catharsis in watching walls being knocked down, scummy carpet being ripped up (even better when there are wonderful original tiles to be found underneath it) and horrible modern additions removed. If, like us, you are a dedicated viewer, you also enjoy the satisfaction of watching as everything is put back together – bricks are laid, walls are plastered and eventually, wonderful decorative elements make their way into a scheme. If you share this addiction to voyeurism, then you will love the below list of Instagram accounts to follow, each of which gives you the sense of achievement of a successful renovation without any of the headache.

@georgianhouse_yorkshire

If it is an academic approach from a true expert, look no further than the account dedicated to architectural designer Rupert Cunningham's renovation of a late 18th-century Georgian house in Yorkshire. Though the perfectly symmetrical house looks rather spectacular from the outside, early photos on the Instagram show that the interiors, despite boasting a host of wonderful period features (some of which belong to later, Victorian additions), needed an update. The account follows Rupert as he removes layers of questionable modern decoration (a dodgy faux-marble painted fireplace on top of the original marble was a particularly curious one) and reinstates the wonderful pared-back elegance of the Georgian era.

@kilnfarmhouse

Victoria Barker of interior design studio Faeger is the brilliant mind behind the renovation of this 16th-century farmhouse in Northamptonshire. We first fell in love with Victoria's fresh, pretty aesthetic when we saw her previous home, a tiny cottage in Oxfordshire, and we can't wait to see what magic she weaves in this larger house. The first phase of the renovation (taking it from officially derelict to more or less liveable), was completed this summer, and now we're glued to the fun stuff, the decoration.

@byemmadiaz

The designer Emma Diaz gained a huge following during her last renovation, which documented every aspect of her building project in the Cotswolds. The result was a small but wonderful cottage, complete with a suitably bijoux garden and incredibly elegant decoration. Emma has just sold said cottage and is now embarking on her next project, a farmhouse which is in desperate need of a revamp. In her first video about the project, Emma unveiled just how much of an undertaking the renovation will be: we see peeling walls, a falling-apart kitchen and dated (or altogether hidden) architectural details. We couldn't be more delighted to embark on this journey with Emma, as we suspect it will be a rather wonderful one.

@townley_terrace

Jessie Cutts is a textile artist and a woman who isn’t easily deterred by the scale of a project. She owns a mammoth family home by the sea and generously shares its steady but inspiring renovation with her 35k followers. The house is slowly coming together, with several of the rooms already looking delightfully finished with eclectic furniture and plenty of pattern. But there is still work to be done, and there's nothing like seeing a bare-plaster wall to pique our attention. From floorboard restoration to decorative schemes, you can gather a wealth of advice and styling ideas from Jessie’s budget-conscious DIY endeavours. See her highlights to watch the house’s progress so far.

@dotcottage

Okay, the renovations at Dot Cottage in Rye may be complete (and, we might add, the results are dreamy), but it's owner – who handled most of the work – regularly posts before-and-after images, meaning you can fully enjoy the transformation. The once-dated and neglected space is now the sort of thing that you dream of when picturing a bucolic life in a countryside village, complete with an eclectic furniture collection and plenty of colour.

@kilahgram

For a dose of humour amongst the rubble, dust and general grimness of renovating, there's no one better to follow than Akilah Cohen, who has been renovating her north London house slowly but surely by herself. There's less tip-based content here but a realistic look at what it's really like to live in a renovation and do it all pretty much single handedly. The house was derelict when she bought it in 2022 and took two years to become habitable, but a year on and it's still a work in progress, albeit with paint finally being a consideration. Follow along, and expect to wholeheartedly be put off ever renovating anything in your life.

@thelittlewrenovation

Couple Amber and Dave bought (what they hope will soon be) their dream cottage in west London last year, and quickly set about transforming the bijoux house from a dated, convoluted one into a light-filled, timeless space. The duo are doing all of the work themselves – from knocking down walls, building an extension (which included carefully matching reclaimed bricks to those of the original house) and adding in a window upstairs. With weekly updates showing the progress of the project, it has quickly become an addiction – we are always pleased to see a satisfying new development which shows the house taking shape.

@totheshireborn

Digital creator Kathryn Holloway has spent the last few years charting the renovation of her large Victorian country house, and though many of the rooms are now done (and satisfyingly so, see the kitchen transformation above), it seems there is no end to the work that needs to be completed here. We watch as Kathryn restores original floorboards, which is as interesting as it is instructive, uncovers encaustic tiles underneath a tired old carpet in the hallway and strips old paint from window surrounds. This is a true top-to-tail turnaround and one which we always look forward to seeing unfold.

@1894home

Taking place in a classic late-Victorian townhouse in desperate need of modernisation, this is a must-follow for anyone who enjoys watching beautiful rooms come together, and particularly for those who are about to or are currently in the midst of doing the same thing themselves. The account's owner, Sophia, is particularly generous with her sources, revealing where everything is from and in the case of custom pieces (for example her shower door), the glassmaker who made them. She also offers helpful advice on where to splurge and where to save, making a similarly ambitious renovation that bit more achievable.

@renovatingtheconstabulary

Dubbed ‘Lincolnshire’s ugliest house', this Victorian former-police station in the East Midlands was one of the most desperately unloved houses we've seen in a while. Its new owners were able to look past the dodgy ‘cake frosting’ paint of the exterior and see the house's potential. They are now working with heritage experts to uncover the rather wonderful bones of the property, uncovering a fascinating history as they go. There are disasters to be enjoyed in the way of mould, damp and a collapsing chimney, but plenty of encouraging wins too.