“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” — Maya Angelou
The metaphor of a butterfly has long symbolized transformation: delicate yet powerful, slow but deliberate, often painful but always beautiful. It’s no surprise, then, that the butterfly holds special meaning for Franklin’s own Mallory Nikolaus. Transformation isn’t just a theme in her home renovation projects, it’s the story of her life.
“It started with my sister, who passed away,” she shares. “The butterfly became a symbol of her, and over the years, I’ve seen it show up again and again.” What began as a quiet reminder of loss has grown into a powerful metaphor for Mallory’s journey. “It’s ironic, but fitting,” she reflects. “The Butterfly is all about change and transformation. And that’s what my life has been. Transformation in so many ways.”
Though her Instagram feed, @MalloryNikolausHome, is full of elegant trim work, inspired décor, clever DIYs, and home renovation updates, Mallory’s real story lies between the posts. “I feel like transformation, the shift from where you’ve been to where you’re going, is my story,” she says.
That story didn’t begin in perfectly lit rooms or curated aesthetics. Raised in a difficult home environment, Mallory knows what it means to long for refuge. “I grew up in dysfunction,” she shares candidly. “I didn’t want that for my family. So, I turned that pain into a power and a passion for creating spaces that feel safe and full of love. It’s in the transformation where the growth happens and where happiness happens.”
She and her husband, Craig, rented for the first decade of their marriage. They lived in a one-bedroom apartment with their two young boys, juggled multiple jobs, and took out student loans while slowly carving out a life together. “We lived the hard life,” she says. “It wasn’t glamorous. Nothing in our home cost more than $40 back then because I thrifted everything,” she adds with a laugh. “But I loved it.”
Her passion began humbly with spray-painting thrift store furniture while Craig was in dental school. “I remember looking at price tags and thinking, ‘That’s not for me.’ But I never stopped believing in what was possible. There was so much pride in taking something broken and making it beautiful.”
Her Instagram offers glimpses into her classic European vibe style and also into her personal life. She shares about her family, her healing, and the sometimes messy, beautiful process of becoming. Through her vulnerability online, Mallory has become more than just a content creator; she’s become a quiet companion to many who are walking through their own valleys. “People tell me, ‘I found you through a DIY project, but I stayed because of your heart.’ That’s the most meaningful part. I share because I want people to know they’re not alone,” she says
Still, it has not always been easy. “Being vulnerable on the internet is scary,” she admits. “Not everyone meets it with compassion. But the deeper connections make it worth it.” Followers reach out, even years later, saying, “I lost my sister and thought of you. If you could get through it, I can too.” That, she says, is the real reward.
Mallory also knows her style isn’t for everyone, and she’s OK with that. “Not everyone loves my choices, and some people are vocal about it,” she says. “But even that is part of the journey. I spent 30 years as a people-pleaser, hustling for my worth, thinking the more I can produce, the more people will like me. Now, I set boundaries. If you’re in my home or my life, you should feel honored, because that’s not something I give as freely as before.”
Just as their dream home, affectionately dubbed The Monarch Revival, was nearing the redesign finish line, another transformation was taking place. “I’ve never completed an entire house,” Mallory chuckles. “Life moves us before we get to that point.” The next transformation led them to Franklin nearly a year ago.
Like many families, the Nikolaus crew relocated for the schools, the lifestyle, and the sense of community. “Our old neighborhood didn’t have a lot of kids,” she says. “We wanted our boys to have friends nearby.” Now, with Craig’s brother living close by and cousins just down the street, their five boys are thriving.
But Franklin is more than a backdrop. It’s where Mallory’s story continues to unfold. Today, the same woman who once spray-painted thrift store furniture on a budget is documenting the renovation of her current Franklin home, aptly named the Monarch Colonial. She is quick to remind her followers this isn’t HGTV. “This is my actual life and I love that I can share this process in real-time,” she says. And she is loving every chaotic and beautiful minute of it.
Being transparent and authentic is important to Mallory. This is evident when she talks about her renovations and DIY projects. “We bought a smaller home in a great neighborhood and decided to invest in the finishes,” she explains. “But I never forget what it was like to be at the bottom, look at numbers and think, ‘There’s no way.’ That’s why when I post about renovations, I always include the real time and the real costs.”
She’s also refreshingly honest about her mental health transformation. Living with ADHD and OCD, Mallory has learned to embrace her mind’s complexity as a kind of superpower. “When I’m healthy, they balance each other beautifully. I can get so much done,” she says. “But when I’m under stress, either one can take over, and it is debilitating. I’ve learned to work with that and how to listen to myself. And Craig is a huge support offering comfort and balance.”
Craig, her husband of almost 20 years and part-time sidekick helper, remains her biggest cheerleader. “We eloped after dating for just three months,” she says with a laugh. “Everyone thought it wouldn’t last. But we keep choosing each other, even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.”
Now, Mallory is living a life far from where she started, surrounded by beauty, supported by love, and followed by half a million people on Instagram who find comfort in her honesty, creativity, and heart. Through her DIY projects and personal stories, she shows others it’s possible to reimagine their lives, to start small, dream big, and believe in what could be. But she doesn’t see herself as finished.
“I still feel like I’m transforming,” she says with a smile. “But maybe that’s the point. Maybe we’re always becoming. I don’t think I’ll ever be ‘done.’ And that’s OK.”
Because in Mallory Nikolaus’s world, the beauty isn’t just in the before-and-after, it’s in the becoming.
@MalloryNikolausHome
MalloryNikolaus.com
“I feel like transformation, the shift from where you’ve been to where you’re going, is my story. It’s not about perfection or a pretty before-and-after. It’s about becoming, and believing that change is possible, even when it’s hard."