Kristin and Kyle Juszczyk’s Home Renovation, Galey Alix (Exclusive)

Galey Alix was casually scrolling through her Instagram feed when a video of Kristin Juszczyk sewing caught her eye. At first glance, Alix, an HGTV star, was immediately struck by Kristin’s talent — especially considering she had just launched her own sportswear brand, Off Season.

Alix, 31, had heard bits and pieces about Kristin before — such as the fact that she’s married to San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk and had designed custom outfits for celebrities including Taylor Swift, Brittany Mahomes, and Simone Biles — but this video sparked something more. Curious, she clicked on Kristin’s profile, only to discover something unexpected: Kristin was already following her.

“When I saw she was following me, I thought, okay, I have to DM her and tell her how amazing she is,” Alix tells PEOPLE exclusively. So she sent a message, figuring there was a good chance Kristin might reply — and sure enough, she did.

“She wrote back saying, ‘Oh my God, I watched your show! Kyle and I watched the whole thing — we loved it. I’ve been following you forever,’” Alix, who lives in Southern Florida, recalls. “We immediately clicked.”

As the conversation continued, Kristin eventually asked a bold question: Would Galey ever consider taking on a project in California?

“In my head, I was thinking, that’s terrifying, because I rarely do projects outside of Florida,” Alix admits. “But I was so impressed by her, and they’re such a cute couple — I just thought, you know what? Let me try it. I’m going to go big.”

So, Alix flew to California, met with Kristin, 31, and Kyle, 33, measured their 4,300-square-foot, five-bedroom, five-bathroom home and began learning what wasn’t working for them.

That’s when Alix discovered that the couple had bought the house eight years earlier — shortly after Kyle signed his first deal with the 49ers — attracted by the spacious backyard and the home’s fixer-upper potential. But over time, renovations fell by the wayside. After a recent kitchen flood, they decided it was finally time for a change — and coincidentally, Alix entered their lives at the perfect moment.

Before diving in, Kristin sent over mood boards and inspiration photos to share her vision. But Alix’s design process is anything but traditional. Her approach hinges on total surprise — clients don’t see anything until the reveal.

Kristin admits that, at first, she didn’t believe it.

“I honestly, genuinely thought, there’s no way she actually does surprise renovations. Who’s crazy enough to do that?” Kristin tells PEOPLE over Zoom. “So when Kyle and I were texting with her, and eventually had a meeting, the first thing I asked was, how real is this actual surprise renovation? And she said, no, it’s a complete surprise.”

“To be honest, Kyle and I spent probably a week just talking about whether this was something I could even handle,” Kristin continues. “Coming from a design background — even though our house was a fixer-upper—I love interiors just as much as I love apparel.”

After a lot of discussion, the couple made their decision, trusting Alix and diving headfirst into working with her to renovate the spaces that needed it most: the kitchen, primary bathroom, living room and primary bedroom. Kyle adds that the reason they chose to redo their bedroom was because he and Kristin hadn’t even been sleeping in their master bedroom—it felt too big, and they had grown to prefer the coziness of a smaller room.

To solve the bedroom’s issues, Galey planned to drywall over the extra door, add thick, arched double wood doors with a lock for privacy and reimagine the layout to make the space feel cozier and more secure.

“The problem with their bedroom was that they had doors everywhere,” Galey explains. “There was a long hallway leading into the bathroom, a double-door entrance to the bedroom, a random door into another room, and then sliding glass doors to the outside. They felt like they were in a fishbowl—everyone could see in, and they could hear everything going on in the house.”

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For inspiration for the bedroom, along with the other rooms, Alix leaned into what she calls a “Pacific cozy” vibe. She says that during her first walk-through, she got the sense that the couple really wanted it to feel like Northern California. Plus, the home already featured wide-plank, honey-toned wood floors,a detail she decided to keep.

Since Kyle’s work can be stressful, she also wanted the space to give the couple peace and serenity—something that would feel spa-like. But the renovation wasn’t without challenges. Despite the excitement, the project was no small feat.

Every element was prepped and tightly quality-controlled off-site. Galey had $60,000 worth of stone slabs, custom furnishings and fixtures delivered to Florida, where she personally inspected each item and stored it until ready to ship. She also partnered with Neff Beautiful Living, a Canada-based company, to custom-build all the millwork — including the kitchen, vanities, living room cabinetry, and ceiling features. The kitchen was built and tested in Canada before being transported to California.

“We packed everything into a 40-foot truck and drove it out to California,” Alix says. “I flew in the same day the truck arrived. We unloaded an entire house worth of furnishings and fixtures and got straight to the install. We even drove the kitchen in from Canada with all the woodwork.”

She adds, “It was the biggest lift I’ve ever done. I definitely make it harder on myself by keeping the surprise element. I could’ve had everything shipped directly to their house, but then I wouldn’t get eyes on it—and they would’ve seen stuff. The whole point is that they have no idea.”

Once everything arrived in California, the installation took about a month and a half. Alix and her team camped out in the house, sleeping on air mattresses and in sleeping bags, averaging just two to four hours of sleep per night. There were a few nights, she says the team did pull all-nighters.

“I love how they’re so family-oriented, and they also have so many friends. They’re both from big families, with each having two siblings,” Alix says. “I just picture them coming home after a game—win or lose—and feeling like they’re back in their sanctuary. They can rest, feel calm, and host their community. Their living room had just one small couch, and I thought, how do you host a bunch of people in here? There was nowhere to sit.”

“I gave them double the seating they had before, and the island was such an awkward shape, not suited for their lifestyle,” she adds. “It was really, really, really hard, but I knew seeing there reaction would make it worth it.”

While Alix isn’t new to the obstacles that come with home renovations, this time, she was faced with something entirely new. One day, while she was working on the house, Kristin and Kyle were letting their dogs play in the backyard. Alix had blackout shades throughout the house to ensure they couldn’t see in, but during their time together, they casually mentioned that there was a chance Kyle might get traded.

“They assured me the chances were slim,” Alix recalls. “But five hours later, I get a text from them saying, ‘We’re devastated.’” Alix couldn’t have anticipated how deeply she would be impacted. She remembers sitting on one of the air mattresses they’d blown up to sleep on, falling back on it, knowing it would catch her.

“I just remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, all of this… and now it’s just going to be up for sale,’” she recalls. “I had a full-on panic attack. I thought, ‘How do I keep pouring my heart into this when the nicer I make it, the sadder their reveal day is going to be? The whole reason I do this is to make people happy. And now, I pictured them opening their eyes on reveal day and seeing what they could have had—if they could have stayed.’”

Then, seven days before Alix was set to fly back out to California for the final touches, she received a text from Kristin and Kyle that was in all caps and full of excitement. It was the good news Alix had been hoping for.

“I never wanted to leave the Niners, and so there were a few days when that was a reality — that I was a free agent,” Kyle says. “But I’m so happy that we were able to work it out and come back. That door was always open, so at least we always had that to fall back on—that they were open to bringing me back.”

“We definitely would have been extra disappointed if we’d done all this to the house and then weren’t living here next season,” the football player adds. “That would have been really tough. But thankfully, everything worked out, and I have two years guaranteed on my deal. So, at the bare minimum, we’re going to enjoy this for two more years.”

After going through the emotional rollercoaster, the time for the reveal finally arrived. When clients walk into a newly renovated home, Alix says she always makes sure to set the mood with a signature scent that complements the home. She buys five of the same candle and places them all around the house, even in rooms that weren’t part of the renovation. The goal is to create a cohesive atmosphere, especially in the first room the clients will walk into: the foyer.

When Kristin and Kyle walked into their home, Michael Blas’ song was playing, and the scent filled every room, even those that weren’t part of the renovation. As Alix guided them in, it was clear that Kristin was feeling nervous.

“Kristin couldn’t stop talking,” Alix recalls, laughing. “She kept saying, ‘I talk a lot when I’m nervous, but do you guys hear that? I hear a bird. Do you hear a bird right now?’ She was so nervous, but I do the same thing — talking a lot to fill the silence. So we were just standing at the door, riffing. And Kyle, being the calm one, was like, ‘You guys, stop talking. Let’s do the reveal!’ He kind of had to put us in our place, which was definitely needed.”

To add a little playful tension, Alix teased Kristin by saying, “There might be green walls everywhere. I don’t know… but you’re about to find out!” It was her way of adding just a bit of extra anxiety before the big moment. Throughout the whole process, Alix says Kristin had a fear that her walls were going to be painted green.

“They told me that they really had so much faith and trust in me, which made me feel amazing,” Alix recalls. “But it didn’t stop my hands from shaking. But when they opened their eyes, their expressions were priceless. They were just so shocked — Kristin kept saying, ‘I knew this was going to be good, but this is so much better than I thought.’ Kyle was like, ‘I was worried for you because you were hyping this up so much. I thought, if I were you, I’d try to under-promise so I could over-deliver.’ But after the reveal, he said, ‘Now that I see it, I understand.'”

When asked about their favorite part of the house, they explain they can’t decide — they love it all. They’ve even started chatting with Alix about when they can jump into doing the rest of the house.

“This kitchen is completely different, even the layout of it,” Kristin says. “Kyle and I just keep walking around saying, ‘How did she even think of putting something like that there?'”

“It was the best experience I could have ever imagined, and I don’t know how I could ever do anything different now,” Kristin adds. “Galey really added so much seating in our living room that we didn’t have before. After games, Kyle was notorious for laying on the floor watching film on his iPad, but now he doesn’t have to do that anymore.”

“I’ve finally got a seat at the table,” Kyle adds, laughing.

For both Alix and Kristin, however, one of the most special parts of this whole process was becoming closer friends.

“We’re living these parallel lives in the same design aesthetic space, but in different planes,” Alix says. “I would trust Kristin to pick my outfit, make it for me sight unseen, and I’d wear it to the biggest event of my life. We’ve built this incredible friendship through this project, and it’s just been so rewarding.”

“We are are grateful for Galey,” Kristin adds. “Truly, I mean, she worked so hard. Her crew is just the most respectful, hard workers. Anybody would be lucky to work with her truly. And she’s just such a dream come true, and I’m so proud to be able to call her a friend now. It’s really cool to see her whole story coming from Wall Street. She had a business mind and then kind of switched to the creative side too, which we connected on.”

While chatting on Zoom from their newly renovated living room, the couple flips the camera to show their Samoyed dogs, Mozzarella and Pierogi, lounging happily on the couch. It’s a space they’re now thrilled to share — not just with their beloved pups, but also with the friends and family who plan to visit when the new season begins.

“Their dogs are the loves of their lives, and it’s so fun to see how happy they were in the new space,” says Alix. “They ran right in with their fluffy coats, jumped up on the couch, tails wagging. Then they sprinted into the bathroom, and as soon as we opened the bedroom door, they leapt onto the bed. Kristin was like, ‘No, I want more photos first!’”

“I definitely see a family in their future,” the interior designer adds with a smile. “There will be lots of little Juszczyks, and I think they’re going to be super talented.”

“We feel so fortunate, especially with everything going on in Kyle’s career — it’s really made us reflect on how lucky we’ve been to call the Bay home for the past eight years,” Kristin says. “It’s just the best place, and we love it so much. I never imagined this would be where I’d feel most at home and at peace. We’re both from the East Coast — Kyle’s from Ohio — and we never thought the Bay would be where we’d truly feel rooted.”

She adds, “You never know where life will take you, or where our careers will lead, but the Bay will always hold a piece of our hearts. And so will this house. No question.”