Before I get into today’s post, I just want to share how encouraging it is to hear how many you are going to pull out your china and silver and start using it regularly in response to my spurring yesterday! I started to chuckle at the thought of all of the families who came home to a set table with folded napkins and fancy place settings…probably thinking there mom has finally lost it or there was bad-news-bomb she was about to drop. I love it. Anyway, onto my topic today…
I used to be an HGTV junkie. Remember the days of (the original) Design on a Dime and Room by Room? And when Candice Olson and Sarah Richardson hit the scene and brought it to a whole other level? HGTV was like my comfort background noise when I was at home. I loved watching the makeovers and getting new ideas. Sarah started my love with white twill slipcovers and Design on a Dime gave me hope that I could give a room a new look without spending a lot of money.
There came a time a few years ago, though, when we really had to tighten our belts and we got rid of internet and cable/satellite TV. That meant no HGTV. When got internet for my business (and still didn’t have satellite TV), I turned to blogs and later Pinterest for most of my design inspiration. I had two small boys and business, so I didn’t have much time for TV, anyway. Now we have satellite again, I’ll watch Design Star and catch a House Hunters here and there, but I don’t turn to my former go-to channel very often.
Last week, I was up late and didn’t have anything on the DVR to watch and I wasn’t finding anything that piqued my interest on Netflix, so I surfed a bit and something on HGTV caught my eye. A show called Fixer Upper. I didn’t know if it was a real estate show or a makeover show, but I liked the sound of it, so I gave it a try.
I really enjoyed watching it and set up the DVR to record all of the episodes I missed of season one.
(Let me say here that I’m writing this article on my own accord and it’s not a sponsored post in any way, shape or form.)
The stars of the show are Chip & Joanna Gaines who bring a lot to the table. Real estate, construction, design and, what’s most appealing to me, a love of restoring old homes. Plus, they’re just so darn cute and I want to hang out with them.
They live in a farmhouse in Texas that they refurbished…
I just love Joanna’s taste! I feel like our styles are pretty similar, but she pulls a bit more industrial farmhouse than I do and I sway a bit more European.
I love her garden…
…and her shop, Magnolia Market, is such an inspiration as well…
In each episode of the show, they work with a couple to find a home and then the Gaines and their team fixes it up and Joanna decorates a few rooms for the reveal. Other than the fact that they are fun to watch, I love seeing design that is vintage/farmhouse inspired and the fact that old homes are given a second chance. I sort of have a soft spot for that. You also get a little sneak peek at how they balance their family and business, which is sweet to watch.
So, while I’m dreaming of my own future farmhouse, studio and business opportunities, I’ll get some inspiration from Joanna’s journey.
All pictures in this post are from the Magnolia Homes website and Joanna’s Blog.
170 Responses
I AGREE!!! I’m in Fort Worth and my son just graduated from Baylor so I started watching the show out of associated school pride. 🙂 I’m in LOVE with her style and the show. Yes, it is so refreshing to see real houses with REAL budgets and the fact they are so cute and fun is just a bonus. I was very excited to find out that they have been picked up for another season, maybe HGTV is listening to us after all. Hmmm, now maybe they will rethink that Kevin & Layla Palmer show idea!!!!
(I’m trying to figure out how to get my husband to let me go down to Waco and hire her to help me make our new house more “us” and less the old owners which is soooooo not my style)
I would i love to see Kevin & Layla Palmer show on HGTV too and Marian too.
it took this post away so i posted again and now there are two posts but i really would love to see them on tv.
I am a huge HGTV addict!!! My family comes in and just roles their eyes when they see what channel I have on. I love their show and Joanna’s style is perfect for me! I like yours also! I don’t know how she does it on the budget they use but it Always turns out beautifully! Wish they could come do my house but I live in Missouri.
I love them!! They are so cute together and I love their style and skills. It’s my new favorite show.
I am with you, this show is fabulous, the style is fabulous and Chip and Joanna are so wonderful together. I am so happy HGTV has a good show on again, I just couldn’t do House Hunters any longer!
Me too! I love their show, I just started watching it last week too. I did exactly what you did. I dvr’ed the entire season 1 and couldn’t wait to watch them. They are an adorable couple and the homes are spectacular.
My husband (yes!) and I have been really enjoying this new show. We love their style and the relaxed manner in which they (seem) to conduct the renovations. We may need to head south to visit Waco sometime soon!
Isn’t this the most refreshing show??? I love how they respect each other and love each other. So nice from the other remodel homes where verbally bashing each other is common.
I was so happy to find Fixer Upper. About the only show I watch on HGTV. Do love the way she “does things”. Gone are the wonderful days of Sarahs House. I so loved that show. So Mariam, I love your blog. Its my Sarahs House on line. Thanks so much for all the inspiration.
Her blog is at the top if my bookmarked list. Been following her for some time. Genuine lady and love her style!
I couldn’t agree more. “Fixer Upper” is a fabulous new show. Love the chemistry and humor between Chip and Joanna. It’s a great show from beginning to end. Love Joanna’s decorating style and you can learn great tips from both. It’s definitely a keeper!
I LOVE this show so much! Her style is absolute perfection.
I like them, too. It’s fun watching them bring the kids on staging day, and their emphasis on meals together.
I love this show! It’s so refreshing to watch a show featuring a married couple where they aren’t constantly bickering or criticizing one another. Reminds me of the good old days of HGTV.
LOVE this show! They are so creative and I love how they make time for family, always!
So happy the show will be continuing!
This is the only show on HGTV that i watch anymore. they took away all the good shows. I do not think that HGTV is listening because they have not moved the show to before 10 p.m. and they do not have any good new shows on. It is like they just like to play LOVE IT OR LIST IT and HOUSE HUNTERS over and over again.
I, too, found Fixer Upper last week and have watched all my DVR episodes with my hubby in the evening when there’s nothing on “real TV”. I hope you are right and they have started to change their programming a bit! (I can only stand whiny 20 year-olds complain about carpet or paint colors as the plop down 400,000 for their “starter” homes for only so long!) I would love to see more shows like this!
I found this show recently, too, and just love it! Love their style and their relationship/family life. I miss all the old HGTV shows, too.
That home is just amazing!!! Thank you for sharing their show and beautiful work!
I also use my china everyday…it just makes cereal in the morning taste so much better 🙂
Enjoy this day,
Alison
My 12 year old daughter and I watch every episode of Fixer Upper together-they are such a fun family and she does amazing work on the homes. My daughter is trying to talk Daddy into moving to Waco!
Yes, yes, yes! I actually posted on hgtv forums about loving this show. Months ago I had posted about my frustrations with hgtv programming,,,seriously, does anyone really like Love It or List it? And 5 million episodes of house hunters? A little of the Brothers show would be alright,,,,but WAAAAY too much of them. So when I came across Fixer Upper,,,,I thought to post my delight in the show and my thankfulness for FINALLY giving us a show worth watching with anticipation rather than dread.
Chip and Joanna are natural, super-talented with a style and vision I love, and family-centered. A hard-working couple that supports, laughs with, and teases each other. Perfection!
What’s up with Sarah Richardson programming? Her Canadian shows use to be on US hgtv later,,,,miss them!!!!!! Again, a nice, talented designer, showing us beautiful, liveable designs that can work with many budgets.
Are we in the minority of hgtv’s target market? look at today’s programming,,,,from 7:30 am to midnight there are 34 program slots,,but only 3 programs,,,,Caribbean life, flip or flop, and house hunters. Who does this appeal to? Like many, I work during the day and am busy in evening, so most of my tv is via DVR,,,,,which remains empty because there’s little worth saving. Ugh….would love Genevieve, Sarah, Candice, brought back!
Thank goodness though for Fixer Upper 🙂
i hope HGTV will wake up and give us the viewers what we what. i miss the old programs that you have said and i would add Room By Room and Decorating Cents too. maybe we all need to email, facebook and stuff to tell them what we want to see after all we are the viewers.
I too just recently discovered Chip and Joanna’s show. I love her style, their rapport, etc. They are just so darn cute together. I love how they met in college and seem to be a perfect match. This is definitely my favorite show on tv right now.
I caught their show recently too. It’s great!
Love Chip and Joanna’s show. It’s the only HGTV show I can get my husband to watch with me (He likes Chip’s sense of humor), and really the only one I can look forward to anymore. It reminds me a lot of Sarah’s House. Just very calm, fun, realistic, and positive. With some of the other shows, how they handle set backs drives me crazy, that and the a lot of the homeowners bother me.
Anywho, love them, love their style, love their personalities. Wish we could see more of them. (Seriously, I was pinning Joanna’s work before I even knew who Joanna was…)
MMS, we too have tightened our belt and are doing without cable and internet marketingright now, but my sister has been telling me all about that show. It sounds like it’s pretty good and I think I might need to be at her house when that comes on. But, you definitely bring up a good point. I used to make HGTV my “home channel”, but I had changed to the DIY channel before we went local channels only. I don’t understand how HGTV could change to the no garden, no decorating channel that it is now. I know my sister feels that way, and from your post, you do too. Maybe if you link this post to HGTV, they’ll get back the garden and decorating shows,! Always good to read your posts!
I just found this show last week too and love love it! Her style is everything I want my home to be.
I fell in love with them too! Love their style and fun interaction. I’m a Texan so that makes it more special. And I would love to see you get your own show as well.
How ironic! I just learned about this show last week while searching tor something to watch during our rainy day’s. Thank goodness it was a marathon cause I couldn’t get enough of these two! Loved everything about this show and I must add it’s about time HGTV came up with a show such as this:)
I love Fixer Upper! Chip & Joanna are adorable…and incredibly talented. My husband has a hard time believing what they accomplish with the $$$, but I want them to come to Virginia to assist my dream of refurbishing an old house!!
Her style is similar to yours but goes a bit more toward INDUSTRIAL FARMHOUSE???? Are you suer you’re not talking about ME??? Seriously. Those pictures above (esp. the kitchen shot with the Supermarket sign) I COULD CRY.
PERFECTION!!!
I don’t really watch TV – but I will have Mr. Social Media put this on the DVR!!!
Thanks for the suggestion!!
-b.
I also watch Fixer Upper. I love their style and love getting ideas from the show. The couple is sooooooooooooooooooooo cute. I live in Texas, but not anywhere near them.
I discovered “Fixer Upper” on HGTV about a month ago and was hooked from the first episode! Chip & Joanna are definitely a breath of fresh air as the current HGTV lineup (other than Property Bros.) has gotten pretty stale. I know its a great show when my husband will sit and watch it with me and actually enjoy it without complaining. Its not overly-scripted and staged like “Love It or List It” and “House Hunters”.
Fixer Upper is the bright spot of HGTV! I’ve watched every episode and from the beginning I knew there was something different about the Gaines family. I sensed a love for Christ in them and after a little digging I found I was right. The way they interact with one another is so much more encouraging than a wife who belittles her husband for a laugh (the reason I don’t watch sitcoms).
HGTV has far too many episodes of House Hunters which does not ring authentic anyway and Love It or List It is weird (in my opinion) as far as the interaction between the two hosts.
Wow, missing this is what I get for not watching more television! I love their style. Thanks for sharing!
Ditto, its the best! Enough Property Bros already!
It is wonderful to hear the great response about “Fixer Upper”. I found the show surfing HGTV and was so excited to finally watch a show other then House Hunters etc. I like their design sense and how they only fix a few rooms. I have been reading on other blogs the mention of this show and how excited everyone is about their style. Maybe HGTV will wake up and return the decorating shows. I read somewhere that HGTV was trying to appeal to the younger crowd thru House Hunters, Love it or List It, etc…not sure if that is true. Mickey
Thanks for turning me on to a new show! Have you seen Rehab Addict? Not sure what channel it’s on, but it’s a cute single mom who rehabs old houses in the Minnesota/Michigan area. Fun stuff!
You have to realize that if you would go into those homes after the “initial staging” for the show that a lot of the furnishings and accessories have probably disappeared. Replaced by what the homeowners actually “own”. So it is not as affordable as it appears. It is however, a great venue for getting ideas. You just need to remember that recreating that scenario in any other market would be very difficult. I live close to the area and this is a uniquely affordable real estate market.
I just found that show and love it too!!! Love her esthetic (and yours!).
i recently discovered their show and can’t get enough of them. i love the interaction between jo-jo and chip….what i like about them is they are fun together but mature at the same time….not trying to be cutesy and annoying….that’s why they are so successful!
i read where they’ve been picked up for season 2….thank goodness HGTV has found the perfect couple for renovations.
I so Love this show…Fixer Upper and I Love chip and Joanna.
Love her style
I just LOVE this new show and am in LOVE with their style! How great would it be to have their home, too! 🙂
I started watching this show last week and I love it! Chip and Joanne are so balanced together and I love that the show incorporates their life into the show. They bring in their 4 children and shows the interaction between them as a family. Which is great to see. Work and family all in one. And her design style is perfect!
We live not too far from Waco. Planning a summer field trip to their store. 🙂 Their show is so refreshing. Really enjoy their personalities and the way they interact.
This is the best show on HGTV!!!! I’m so tires of the same old same old on our Canadian version. I mean really, how many times a day does Mike Holmes need to be on! I miss Sarah’s House. But Joanne & Chip have become my newfound favourites. I adore her style!!!!
I just ran across this show the other weekend & I adore it! I live in Dallas, and I love her style, and I am for sure on the same page. I love when they go house hunting with the couple and tell them what the can do! I get excited. 🙂 Glad you talked about this!
I recently found this show and it is my new favorite! I miss my old shows and this fills that need! I love their relationship and their design esthetic! It is amazing what they do with he homes!!!
Yes! I totally agree! In fact, it is almost enough to make me want to move to Texas just so they can help me buy a house and fix it up!
I love her ideas and style! (think she’d come to CA??)
Anyway, we have set the DVR to record also….and love to watch it, episode by episode! Terrific fun!
Nancy
wildoakdesigns
I absolutely love this show. So talented and I love their relationship and their family life and home!
This is my favorite HGTV show, too! Refreshing (and I find myself praying their marriage & family stays strong as they get famous!)
I love this show too! They did a small home for a single mom and it was exactly how I picture my dream home. I have a great older house now and I know what I love, just can’t seem to bring it from my head to reality – nothing turns out the way I picture it.
I too just found this show and love it! I still like property brothers and love it or list it. Love most of the other shows too but the only complaint is rerunning the same episodes over and over! They need to invest in new programs! They have enough air time to keep the current shows and add a bunch of new ones. Definitely would watch Layla, Marian and my other favorite bloggers if they had their own shows. Think Pioneer Woman.
I LOVE this show. I actually wrote to HGTV recently to complain that every new show they had was just another version of House Hunters. While I enjoy that show, I was getting really tired of it and was missing the great design shows that used to make up the majority of their programming but seemed missing lately.
I fell in love with Chip and Joanna from the first moment. They are so super cute as a couple and her design style is amazing! I love her mix of farmhouse, rustic and industrial.
How great of you to write a post about it – made me smile and I am happy for them to be gaining the recognition they deserve.
Hope all is well with you and your family as well – you are always in my prayers!
I stumbled upon Fixer Uppers not too long ago. I love that they throw the kids in the car and head to work. Great show!
Oh my word, I just came across this show recently, too, and LOVE it. They are the cutest, funniest couple on tv and they seem so down to earth! I just adore them and love Joanna’s style. Their show is a breath of fresh air in hgtv’s rather stale line up. I would love to see some new episodes of Sarah Richardsons show, too. I miss Tommy!!
Love their show too! I’ve been reading her blog since before the show aired, and love hearing about her family. They are a great couple, and have a cute brood of kiddos! I don’t watch the network much these days (posted a comment on their Facebook page yesterday about why) and hope they can hear us and get back to the type of shows that sold us all in the first place.
It’s my FAVORITE new show and AND AND… my husband will watch it with me and he’s NOT into decorating or home shows.. But it’s so real and the hosts are so fun that he enjoys it! Yeah HGTV. I am so sick of the other shows on that channel. This one is FAB!!
I saw a couple of episodes of the show while at my mother n laws last week and it made me want to get cable or satellite! HGTV is the only reason I miss it.
That is a good show, one of the best on a very disappointing HGTV. As someone else mentioned. Rehab Addict is good and so is One Bryck at a time (?). Those shows are to me more realistic and show women rehabbing and contracting AND taking care of their families. I think they are both on DIY channel. HGTV really has to improve their programming, they have no where to go but up, they’ve already hit the bottom. I agree with other that some of the shows that they used to have were MUCH better than the competition shows, the endless Love it or List it (both versions) and the FAKE, poorly scripted real estate shows. That show fit or flop is pathetic! The guy buys the houses but he never seems to know the price of anything, he just agrees with whatever the contractor throws out. I would probably know if flipping was my business, to keep a percentage of my rehab budget for unknowns. Everything is a surprise to this guy! Same thing on the rest of the shows too! I mean if you watch the show 2x, you know what’s going to happen. Property brothers the same thing, don’t the people watch the show? The 1st house they take you to, you can’t afford!!!!! Same thing EVERY episode, why don’t they know? I wish TV didn’t cater to the lowest common denominator, sex, half naked women and stupid people. My friend and I were just talking about the show Neat which taught organizational skills or my old favorite Carol Duvall show or Country Style? All good shows with a purpose. I see that I’m not alone in missing the old programming.
I love this show, too. Love the way, she designs and decorates each home to serve the particular owners. They seem like lovely people and the kids are adorable. Love the episode that they helped find and renovate a church couple who had served as missionaries.
I love Fixer Uppers with Chip and Joanne!!!! They are very refreshing and I love the idea of making old new again!!! HGTV could bring back Sarah Richardson too and I would be very happy!!! I do not care for the competition game shows, the work is shoddy and the design is generally terrible. I also need to say I enjoy your blog and designs!!! Have a great day!!!5
Fixer Upper is a great show. The other one you may enjoy that I love is Rehab Addict! It is about a woman that takes homes ready for demolition and fixes them up, but repurposes as much as she can. I love this show as well.
I do love Rehab Addict too – the girl on the show is ADORABLE, and I love how she restores the houses in a way that reflect their original style.
MY FAV SHOW!!!!!
It is so true. I have really enjoy Fixer Upper. HGTV was my favorite channel for so long but lately it has been a bit dull with the excessive real estate shows. However this one is marvelous and yes I really gravitate to Joanna’s style and I really enjoy the relationship between Chip and Joanna. We are currently looking for a house to purchase in NJ and as I look a then I keep thinking I wish I could get Chip and Joanna to help me, and of course Miss Mustard Seed!
i SO agree!…i had become somewhat “bored” and very disappointed with HGTV…until i found Fixer Upper!…i love love love this show and Chip and Joanna! i love the family values portrayed and their mention of God and worship! their design is fabulous and attainable!
Someone has already mentioned this, but check out Rehab Addict on DIY Network. Nicole does a fantastic job of saving old homes that are one step away from being demolished. She also recycles and reuses as much building material as she can during the process, and her decorating style is very clean and classic.
http://www.hgtv.com/rehab-addict/show/index.html
I discovered this show, too, a little while back. I love their decorating style using found and repurposed furniture and decor. I like how they work so well together as a team.
I also like your current focus on eliminating those items in your home that don’t get used or no longer have a function. I am seeing that more and more on many blogs and in magazines, too, and it has inspired me to do the same.
Hopefully, the effect of the downsizing will result in a calmer,more peaceful home. I believe it will!
Jo
I absolutely LOVE this show! Have been following it for awhile now. Can’t believe what they’re capable of doing w/usually dumps! Their design & her decorating is just amazingly beautiful! Love their farmhouse & their kids! I DVR it so I don’t miss an episode!!!
I love that show also. Love her design style and how they work together as a couple.
I love that show! Her simple, clean look is refreshing! They make a fixer upper look so easy. Plus, the houses which such character are great too! I have been stalking her pinterest boards for a few weeks now and love that they just started filming season 2 so there will be more to see! I’m hoping to achieve a similar feel in my new home but with a coastal twist rather than a farmhouse feel.
I love this show! You are right they really are just the cutest couple! I love the ideas that she has and he is able to see her designs. Hgtv needs more shows on this level, some budget shows need to come back for those of us that cannot afford high design.
I discovered this show a few weeks ago as well. I was just like you, an HGTV junkie from the early days until in the last couple of years all they had were House Hunters on in the evening, when I’m home from work. I miss Candice & Sarah so much but I am loving Fixer Upper! I hope it doesn’t go off the air any time soon and that they start bringing back more design shows! I love Joanna’s taste as well. Thank you for always being an inspiration!
Huge HGTV Junkie!!! This is one of my favorites. I love their style.
I absolutely sooo excited about this show!!! HGTV has hit the nail on the head with this one!!! Their style is what I am soooo longing for as well…. ( I would turn in my brick rancher for that farmhouse any day of the week! 🙂 ) …. Trying not to miss a single episode!!!! I too remember the early days of HGTV.. would love to see more budget friendly shows as well!!!!
I, like all the others, love this show. It is one of the few shows that my husband and I watch together. Johanna’s style is what I like and they are a great family.
I’m with some others as well. HGTV needs to focus on shows based in the US and are more geared to the family. Also, I like the shows that have a focus of giving to others like Cousins Undercover, Fixer Upper (missionaries episode) and others. I want to go to Texas and visit the Magnolia store!
My #1 show. Awesome!!! Love Joann’s style.
I just love watching them too! They are a down to earth AWESOME couple who manage to blend work, family and life together and make it work, beautifully! If you haven’t seen them yet, I highly recommend for you to take a peek! You will not regret it! Peaceful Blessings! Nanny
Used to love HGTV. Emphasis on used. I’ll have to try this one.
Like so many of you I stopped watvhing HGTV years ago. I too remember a time when it was on constantly and I couldn’t get enough. I loved Sarah Richardson. Loved. Candice made me feel empowered to try new things and to see my room in a different way. My all time favorite show was Kitty Bartholomew’s, Your’e Home. She was always an inspiration to me. I miss all of those shows.
Recently when there was nothing else on TV I turned to Fixer Uppers. I enjoyed that show and would watch again. I’ve taped a few episodes. But, it’s not enough of a draw to make me turn back to HGTV on a regular basis.
Because of HGTV’s poor programming I had the time to stumble onto MMS blog’s and Pinterest. So glad I found MMS. For me she’s right up their with Kitty B. as an inspiration.
I simple adore Fixer Upper. It is the show I am sure to watch. My hubby even likes it.
Fixer Upper is realistic and certainly inspiring
As an alternative to Prop. Brothers et al
Because it is based on Waco Texas properties
A smaller town with Baylor Univerdity in the
background, you have a real true mix of
homes,prices and tastes. Joanna is super
cute and dresses Tecas Chic she is from
Kansas but knew the right place to be.
I’m so embarrassed. I was typing so fast I typed their and really should have used there. My apologies.
LOVE this show! I DVR-er it for a while, but now I am watching it while simultaneously DVR-ing it to watch it again later. I hate House Hunters — and all its cousins. This show is making me seriously consider retiring to Waco, just to have Chip and Johnanna renovate a house for me.
OMG…My favorite blog and my favorite show together in one place!
Happy Day!
I have been desperately trying to find someone to make custom slipcovers and seeing your post today “white twill slipcovers” prompted me to ask you if you can provide a recommendation? I have an awesome, perfectly sized sofa bed but the fabric, although in PERFECT condition, is VERY dated (think 1970’s beige and rust plaid)! I want desperately to have it redone and live in Northern Virginia – It is VERY heavy but all of the cushions are separate and the “SureFit” is just such a pain. Hoping you may be able to give me a recommendation?? THANK YOU and keep up your great posts… YOU MAKE MY DAY, EVERY DAY, MARION!! 🙂
I love that show as well! Even my husband enjoys watching it with me. Chip and Joanna are just so darn cute together. I love watching the transformation. I had never heard of shiplap before and now I want a cottage with shiplap walls in a few rooms.
My daughter-in-law is a stylish for York Wallpaper and has had the opportunity to work with Candice Olson (another one of my favorite). I need to be rich so that I can have homes decorated in different styles. LOL
I love them, too! Thursdays nights I am home to watch that!
I agree , great show , cute couple . And I wish some of my favorite blogger had shows on HGTV .
The Benhem Brother’s show I would have enjoyed if HGTV didn’t ban them because of their Christian beliefs. Banning HGTV….very disappointed in HGTV.
I have to agree that HGTV has gone down-hill! I love Fixer Upper and really enjoyed all the Design on a Dime and the shows that really offered something to learn!! A show that is a really big disappointment is The White Room Challenge with David Bromstad. (And I love David Bromstad!). Using candy, all flowers, or hardware to decorate a room does nothing to inspire or challenge anyone’s decorating! That brings back memories of Hilde putting straw or albums on the walls! I appreciate the fact that they are trying to get them to think “out of the box” but that is not decorating!
If I am going to spend time watching HGTV I only hope that I can take away something of value from it. That’s what it started out to be and what I fell in love with! I miss the old HGTV!
OH MY GOODNESS — too funny — this is my new favorite show!!!! I have HGTV in the background in both my kitchen and my sewing/craft room. I think i could write the script for House Hunters and Love it or List myself! They have gotten so predictable that the only reason I keep the tv on that channel is b/c so many other channels are filled with bleeping out every other word. I never actually sit down & watch tv, but it is just on in the background. I have really enjoyed the transformations on Property Brothers, but Fixer Upper is just MY type of thing! The couple is so genuine and family-oriented and down to earth. We thought we might get moved to Baylor (Waco) a few years ago, and I must say that JoJo and Chip make Waco look like a place I’d want to live. Even my husband (who prefers ESPN to HGTV) caught a glimpse of a lakefront house they were remodeling on a recent show, and he sat at the breakfast bar and watched til the show ended and said, “well, that show just makes me want to move to Waco and have them remodel a house for us”….
I stopped watching HGTV for a while unless it was for House Hunters Int’l! Then I heard about this show and have to say I’m a little obsessed! I LOVE their style and really want to do it all to my house however, 1) I don’t think it fits my house style and 2) I don’t think it fits my neighborhood so not sure what that would do for resale. 🙁 However, I’m going to try to find a way to bring some of their features to my home.
Love love love it!
thanks for sharing your post 🙂
I found this show about three weeks ago and quickly watched all the old episodes and set the new ones to record, I love it!!!
Love that show, too. I miss some of the older shows, too. I wish they still had the one where the homeowner chose a high-end decorated room and the HGTV designer duplicated it at a much reduced price.
I.Love.them!
Yes, I loved Design on a Dime too…and totally LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Fixer Upper!!!! I want Joanna to decorate my house! Her style is my style to a tee!!! I watch every episode, just to see what she does with the next house! Thanks Marian! 🙂
I had almost stopped watching HGTV and just tuned in DIY Network but I LOVE this show. I learn a lot from their designs and I love the way they are with each other. Of all the shows, I miss Decorating Cents the most and I wish they would bring them back. As much as I love Nate Berkus, I did not watch that show because of the sniping that was done with both sides. Don’t we have enough hate and sniping in the world? I am not going to waste my time watching that because I can watch that on the news.
When I discovered this I thought I’d died. Her designs, ideas & creativity are amazing& his work is terrific. They are a fab couple, super parents & have darling, normal children! Would LOVE to work w her. She always surprises me w/ what she does!!
Funny. I just came across that show myself a few weeks ago. Love it. Love her taste.
I agree. I also was nudged into watching this recently, and despite the fact that it is on late, I gave it a chance and immediately was hankering for all of the missed episodes. I’m sure we will hear about Chip and Joanna much more, and I’ll bet they are moved to prime time and promoted heavily in the new season.
What can I say that is my favorite show as well. I have recorded all of the episodes so I could watch them all at the same time. Just love her style and her shop is so inspiring.
Thanks for the info in this show! I’ve just set it to tape and look forward to checking it out. I miss Sarah Richardson (Room Service, Design Inc, Sarah’s House, Sarah 101). I can share that she has a book coming out in the fall. You can preorder thru Amazon. I also always loved
Dear Genevieve.
Another show to check out: Junk Gypsies. Formerly on HGTV, now on GAC (Great American
Country). Love, love, love them! They might now create in your style, but you will love their spirit and creativity.
Hope I can find them. I always had a hard time catching them on HGTV.
I hardly watch HGTV these days. If I find Sarah reruns i will. Other shows I might watch are never on when I am available. Thanks for sharing about this show. It may be a motivator or an inspiration since I have my own still a work in process farmhouse myself.
It’s great we all feel the same way ! Being from Texas, I love the fact it’s not about the uber expensive houses and make-overs in NY and California, and one designer I think about that ‘wants what she wants’ and never tries to save money. Lets hope their success continues. Hopefully HGTV gets the message we can only take so much House Hunter and Income Property; especially when they are on ALLLLLLL day ! One more thing to add to the list of ‘What makes TEXAS Great’ !!! 🙂
Love this show. In one episode they buy a house for $10,000…unbelievable!
I use to live for HGTV…Candace and Sarah my faves. So missing them and wish we got the same programming as Canada. Now it’s mostly all real estate here in the US..as a designer and licensed agent, there’s a limit to the RE programs I’m willing to watch before hitting overload.
I also just love Fixer Upper and the Gaines’ tastes and personalities and how they play off each other with loving humor. Sure wish I could find local contractors who work that quickly and on budget! Shows it can be done.
I also started watching this show on a fluke late one Friday night. I immediately started to DVR them. I can’t get enough of this show. I’m so glad that HDTV is bringing some new fresh shows for us to see. It was getting alittle stale in my opinion. This new show has inspired me to finally get going on some of the projects my husband and I have been putting off, since we inherited a farm house 5 years ago !! We need more new Sarah shows too !!
Marian,
Joni of Cote de Texas introduced me to this show. I watched the first episode on our DVR (Mr. B had dutifully recorded all of them when I asked) and loved it. Then Mr. B watched the next episode with me and now even he’s hooked. The two of them have such fun and great personalities. Like you, I could hang with them, maybe learn a thing or two about renovation.
I do believe her style reminds me a bit of your design style.
Karen
I use to love watching HGTV. Design on a Dime was my all time favorite show. I especially liked the last five or so minutes of the show. I forget how I stumbled across Fixer Upper but I love it and am so happy to hear they are bringing it back for season two. Finally something to watch other than House Hunters!
I agree with you hole hardly. I miss the old days of HGTV… will look for he new Fixer upper.
Chip and Joanna live outside Waco, TX and the houses they remodel are in the Waco area. They are relatively new on HGTV, so you haven’t missed that much. They are fun to watch! I live not too far from there in Austin, TX, so it’s nice to hear that familiar Texas accent on a TV show. 🙂
I love that show! They are so endearing to each other which is a refreshing change from most shows. I think the show is addicting also because the homes are beautiful and they do not start at $800,000 they are “real peoples” budgets!! I read somewhere that Design Star is not running this season. They said they get higher ratings from real estate based shows as opposed to deigning/decorating shows. I hope Chip and Joanna Gaines have a long running show on HGTV. They are the best show on!! And seem so sweet!!
I just heard of this show a week ago by my niece in NY and a best friend in CA. They called to tell me how good it is and so much my style. I have my DVR ready to go for Thursday night. I also miss Sara and Candice and many of the design shows they used to have regularly. Thank you for posting the pictures and the website!! Maybe HGTV will pay attention and bring back the shows that got everyone hooked to their station…
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that show! Joanna’s taste is fantastic and what they do to those houses is miraculous and so fun to watch! I only wish they weren’t all the way in Texas and that houses (and contractors) here in NJ cost what they do there!
I haven’t seen this show, yet, but if you like the premise you should check Rehab Addict. The host, Nicole Curtis, buys old houses, some slated for demolition, and restores them as close as she can to their original glory. She does not do high end restoration, which is probably what attracted me to the show.
Yayyyy….how is everyone not watching Rehab Addict? Just like Jo Jo and Chip, Nicole is great on camera, so entertaining but also full of info and her transformations are amazing too. Like someone else said. Real world prices. Not 800,000 but what most people can afford. Way to go Sheila!
SO over Love It or List It I hardly watch HGTV anymore. Loved the older Candice Olsen, Sarah Richardson’s too! This looks like a good one for a change….I’ll have to search for it. Thanks for the ‘heads up’ 🙂
HGTV is a love/hate relationship for me right now. I miss the good ‘ol days of HGTV like you mentioned. My current fave is Rehab Addict, she restores old homes to their former glory and she is a tiny little spunky thing I enjoy watching. Other than that, the property brothers have me with their weatherman smiles. The whole debacle over canceling the soon to air “Flip it Forward” has left a bad taste in my mouth, so I’m kind of boycotting them right now. Cable TV; all those channels and nothing to watch! (unless you love househunters international, haha)
Love, love, love The Fixer Upper! The couple is so cute to watch. Another great show to watch is Rehab Addict on HGTV and DIY.
I can’t tell you how much I LOVE this show AND your blog!!! I agree that your styles are similar! Wishing you blessings and continued success!
LOVE their show!!! My fave HGTV show right now!
I have started watching them also. The first one , the one that got me hooked, was a young couple buying a $10,000 house and using their budget of $ 100,000, had Chip and Joanna change it into something fabulous. What a great job.
I love that show. I have been watching this for a couple of months now. They are so fun and do a fabulous job with a small budget. They make you feel that anything is possible.
Marian, I have also fallen in love with this show. Living pretty close to Waco TX, I love that it shows there are still older homes in Texas. If you have ever been to the Dallas Ft Worth area, you’ll see that ‘old homes’ are in very small neighborhoods and are in danger of being torn down at any time.
We just bought a house in the country, but didn’t get the ‘old farmhouse’ that I originally wanted. You are right that God chooses where and when you make a change. We do love where we are, but it was a long, hard road.
Like the other readers Rehab Addict, Junk Gypsies and Salvage Dog are my favorite shows because they all work with ‘old junk’ and make the houses look amazing.
This post made me smile- two of my favorites ( Miss Mustard Seed and Fixer Upper) coming together ! I was hooked at the first episode. We lived in Texas for eight years and this show has me a little homesick. The sweet relationship between Chip and Joanna is really the heart of the show, and the rebuilding of a home is it’s bones.
I, too loved Candace and Sarah. Recently I started watching Fixer Upper. Great talent, style and great hearts plus a lot of hard work!
We’ve been watching their show since it aired in April and LOVE Chip and Joanna Gaines. Love everything about her style, show and them as married couple and how well they work together. I can’t get enough of their show and have the episodes dvr’d mad watch them over and over.
I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!!
I was flipping through the channels one quiet Saturday morning. (my family was out for the day so all was quiet in my home) I sat down with a cup of tea and a much needed ahhh haaa moment. As I flipped through my favorite channels I came across this AMAZING show! Fixer Upper. I love the two of them together. I love that he loves watching her do her thing. I love that its older homes brought back to life. AND I love her style. I am more of the french side of it but all in all I love her style!
Mind you my ahhhh haaaa ” moment” last 5 shows!! YES 5!!! I dvr’ed the rest for later that night!
Great show and I’m glad you brought attention to it.
P.S To the TV Gods …Please bring back Sara!!!! (Hey you never know who could be reading)! lol
Oh yes! LOVE, LOVE this show! They are a great couple and work well together. Love her style.
For very similar reasons, we don’t have satellite TV, however my parents do, and recently when my hubby went camping overnight, I went to mom and dad’s and watched my first few episodes of Fixer Upper with mom. I love that show. Looking forward to watching some more soon with mom (while the kids run wild in the basement, lol)!
Best show on TV I just love it!! Miss Sarah
I love that you saw the show. I also used to watch hgtv but no longer I liked all the old shows and like you found this show last week and watch all the episodes!!!! love them wish they could be on more and bring back the old shows that shows how to actually change things out for someone who wants to do it themselves not spend $1000 to have someone else do it thanks so much
Marian…I love that show too!!!…I have it DVR’d…HGTV is a bit different now…so many “real estate related” shows…but Fixer Upper is more than that….but I do wait for the day that HGTV brings back the true design shows…I can only take so much of House Hunters!!….Hope your dream of the farmhouse is realized soon…I am sure it will !!
It is good to hear that I am not the only one pretty disgusted with HGTV right now. Never even turn it on on Mondays because I really can’t stomach the people on “Love it or List it. Uggg!!!
Rehab Addict is my all time favorite right now, she is such an energetic doll baby and does her best to reuse any materials she finds.
By the way, I always to go your blog first everyday to see what is new in Marion land. You are so inspirational and I just love your style. I get lots of good ideas from you. Thanks
Okay that’s really funny just two days ago I started recording all the episodes. My teenage daughter & I saw it while at friends house & knew it had our name written all over it! ❤
Love everything about that show!!!!!!
I, too, used to have HGTV on nonstop. Remember Carol Duval and Decorating Cents? You could get crafting, sewing and decorating ideas. I do like the makeover shows, but it’s pretty much 24/7 with Love it or List it, Property Brothers and House Hunters. All good shows, but I think I’ve seen every episode 10 times. Fixer Upper is amazing, though!! Best show on HGTV 🙂
I love that show! I record all of the episodes too! HGTV was getting so stale with the House Hunters and Flip or Flop (sorry but I detest that one) , even Property Brothers was getting old. The main reason I didn’t like those shows is they seemed so out of touch with what is going on with our economy. Fixer Upper is a breath of fresh air.I absolutely LOVE it!
I was just thinking the other day about how much I miss the old HGTV. I am tired of the house hunts and the lack of decorating ideas. I really have little or no use for the format they have now and if there is a good show on there now in regard to decorating, I’m sorry I missed it. Yes, I too, get my ideas from Blogs and Pinterest and still wish wholeheartedly for the days of true television entertainment which included learning something useable. I will check in on the show you suggested and will hope for the best. Thank you. 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that others love this show as much as I. I recently discovered it and I’ve recorded every episode. When the reveal happens at the end of the show I’m constantly pausing the screen so I can study each room’s design. I LOVE Joanna’s style. I also enjoy the way Chip and Joanna relate to one another during the show. Chip is a love. Please HGTV, give us more shows like this and Sarah Richardson and get rid of some of the house hunters programming.
I discovered this show about a week ago. It’s great because it talks about realistic budgets and the choices we all have to make. Their style is light and fresh but always includes the personality of the client. I also love how they take forlorn and forgotten homes and gives them new life.
I wish HGTV would put on more design and decorating shows and less real estate. I used to watch that channel all the time (as in every day) now I might watch once a week and it’s usually shows I put on my DVR. They are losing a lot of viewers.
OMG it used to be called Design Time Saturday Night – remember that?! LOVED it! That came along when I was first married and starting a home so it was perfect and I fell in love. Then came the incessant buying and selling shows that had ridiculous negative banter on them or showcased young couples sounding so ridiculously greedy and spoiled because they wanted their first house to be perfect and masive. You can totally follow the housing market crash via House Hunters…
I discovered Fixer Upper a month or so ago – it is so refreshing! Chip and Joanna are so funny and real, which I love. Obviously there are a few “staged” parts – like probably the 3 choices they have to make for a project in the house they choose….but it’s done with such realism and authenticity. Not to mention I am insanely jealous of the type of house these families end up with for such a low cost! I mean $150,000 for some of those just gorgeous homes after they work their magic!
I think we all agree that HGTV needs more shows like this – and like Candice Olson and Sarah Richardson. Why we can’t get them I will never understand.
Aren’t they so cute?! I completely fell in love with them. Yay for HGTV finding a great couple!
I just found them too! My friend with the antique shop was raving about the show, and was saying I should paint her a painting too. She says they have cows, but I’ve only been able to watch one fixer upper so far, and only barely been able to check it all out. I LOVE her house though. It is so cute. It was amazing to see how they did that with 4 kids in tow. I agree, they are totally adorable, and Hard workers! I love how her husband adores her too.
Cindy
I love Fixer Upper. It is all design and cuteness, without the DRAMA! Also love Rehab Addict for her love of old houses. Sarah is so talented and looking foreward to her new season too.
Love Jo & Chip! I was in Waco yesterday and was determined to find their shop “Magnolia”! It was as wonderful as I expected. I especially loved the vintage “finds” that are mixed in with her “signature style” stock. If you are ever in Central Texas, it is a fun detour off of I-35!
I too am addicted now to Fixer Upper with Chip and JoJo. I love their style and have watched every episode to date. I wonder about some things though…Do the people get to keep her staging stuff? I know that she uses some of their own belongs, but everything is so perfectly fit in each space that I wonder that or do they buy what they want to keep? Secondly, what happened to the good old HGTV with more variety and less of constant sameness?
I, also, recently discovered this great show. It is the only show I will watch on HGTV. I can’t stand Love It or List It. Does the designer really have no idea that before you promise to remove a wall you really should find out if it is load bearing or not? The Property Brothers are very handsome guys but it seems Jonathan only renovates part of the house. Really don’t like the owners who say “I don’t want a fixer; I want a turn key home”. Then what the heck are they doing on this show? They have no idea what the show is about?
Please, HGTV, bring back design shows like the old days.
Your second paragraph described be to a T. Oh, how I miss Candice and Sarah. I rarely watch hgtv now because of the constant real estate programs but I’ll look for this show. Hopefully there will be reruns soon. And it would be nice if hgtv read all of these comments!
I absolutely LOVE their show! I hope it stays on for a long time!! I’m DVRing it too! My dream would be for her to come decorate my house. And I love the way they interact with each other 🙂
Ha ha this is the only show my husband watches with me . I love the styling of these homes chip and Joanna are such a cute and honest couple .they are so great with those kids and the animals. I dvr all the episodes I am addicted 😉
Just discovered their show about a month ago-LOVE. It reminds me of the old HGTV-fun and funky design with talented folks showcasing their style. I am not sure if HGTV is listening, but no matter what social media I read, the topic remains the same. We have seen enough House Hunting and Love it or List it to last a lifetime! What viewers fell in love with in the first place was design shows and beautiful makeovers that we could all aspire to. That’s why Fixer Upper is gaining in popularity so quickly, without HGTV even doing any marketing!
I found this show a few weeks ago and just love it!! They are such a cute and inspirational couple and I love her designs!! Hope this one stays around for a long time!!
I guess I should not be surprised to find out that we like the same TV shows. I used to love those design shows on HGTV and now they have all but gone away. I too love Fixer Upper, and I love their family. Thanks for recommending The Nesting Place. I’ve ordered it. You continue to inspire us and I always love painting something old and making it new and fresh.
Welcome to the club…I miss not seeing Sara Richardson on TV…she was my favorite…but I’ve been watching Fixer Upper and her style is definitely my new favorite…I absolutely love her style! Can’t wait to see what you will be doing with a new (to You) house. Keep up the good work!
I love this show! Not only do I really like their style and how Joanna encorporates furniture pieces made from scrap wood, etc, from the houses they redo; but I love that many of the houses they work on for clients are affordable, and not just half-million dollar homes that, for most of us, are out of reach. They are reasonably-priced, comfortable, family homes, that are full of style and warmth by the time the Gaines have worked their magic. It’s great to see a husband & wife team working so well together too – each with their own strengths. In the sea of HGTV real estate shows, it is a welcome design addition.
I stumbled upon this show the same way and instantly fell in love with it. I now DVR all shows so I can catch them while I am on my treadmill. Love their sense of style and how Chip is so sweet to Joanna.
I love their show and design style as well. Similar to you, I stepped away from watching HGTV “because of the lack of shows that provided the “restoration” element I always craved. I’m SO glad to hear that Fixer Upper was picked up for a second season. I look forward to watch their show! 🙂
I, too, LOVE this show. Not only for the awesome work they do but the love they have for each other & their family. You can tell it’s genuine. It’s so sweet that Chip calls Joanna ‘baby’ all the time. This couple has it going on!
I accidentally stumbled upon this show as well. Finally, HGTV has something new and refreshing. Chip and Joanna are entertaining and so down-to-earth. And Joanna’s designs are always breathtakingly beautiful. I love it!!
Chip & Jo are wonderful people! They really are as cute & funny IRL as on camera :). I *might* be a tidge bias, but I agree – Fixer Upper is the best thing that has hit HGTV in awhile! We feel so lucky to be a part!
I. like you, had found myself not watching as much HGTV. I really didn’t care for the real estate aspect of so many of their shows. I was also up late one night and discovered Fixer Upper. I am totally captivated by their fresh approach to so many different styles of houses. I am also a big fan of the show Rehab Addict which is on DIY and HGTV as reruns currently. I like the preservation of old homes. I always try to imagine the parties that were hosted there, the love that was shared and the reasons that the house has fallen by the wayside. I wish they would offer more of these types of shows.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE that show! It doesn’t hurt that they are Baylor grads either!
Same story. I gave upon HGTV (but still have cable), stumbled across Fixer Upper, recorded it and am now a big fanI
I still miss the old HGTV though but perhaps the success of this show will cause them to rediscover their roots.
I wish you had your own show! I would watch religiously!
I just found out about this show and I LOVE it. They are so genuine. I enjoy how they incorporate a little of their personal lives in the show. Chip is a nut!