Joanna Gaines Designs House for Her Sister
Joanna Gainesclearly loves renovating homes, but on the latest episode of "Fixer Upper: Behind the Design," we get to see her break out her design skills for someone truly special: her sister Mary Kay McCall, aka Mikey.
"It's always been my dream to design a dream house for my sister, and that dream finally came true," Gaines says in the episode titled "From Lackluster to Retro Modern."
You may recall that on the original "Fixer Upper" episode where we met Mikey, she and her husband,David, were moving back to Waco, TX, with their five kids, and had askedChip and Joanna to help them find and renovate a home.
(HGTV)
But with big dreams come big pressure. It's very important to Joanna to get this one exactly right, which ain't easy, considering that Mikey and David claim their styles are "retro, vintage, modern, Southwestern, and whimsical." If that's not a tall order, what is?
But Joanna sallies forth undaunted. She and Chip have already purchased a 1970s four-bedroom, three-bath, 2,672-square-foot house to flip, and they decide it could be the perfect place for her sister's family. Joanna puts all her heart and soul into this project, and gives some killer tips and advice that anyone can use at home in the process. Check them out!
Don't be too 'themey'
Joanna is giving the house a definite modern-retro vibe, but to keep it from being too one-note or "themey," as she calls it, she adds rustic touches, including an adobe brick fireplace painted white and an exposed beam stained to match the floor, rather than wrapped in drywall and painted white. They're the perfect touches.
Breeze blocks are back!
Remember those cement blocks with patterned cutouts, usually in the form of a four-petaled flower, which allow a nice breeze to flow through? They were particularly big in desert homes. Joanna decides to build an indoor-outdoor patio in front, and uses breeze blocks in the wall around it.
"My sister loves that retro look, and I think the breeze block is going to be what will give it that vintage retro look that she likes," she says.
The breeze blocks also allow for privacy, so the family can be outdoors in front without being observed by all the neighbors.
(Magnolia)
Landscaping that's both retro and modern
Drought-resistant succulents were popular in the '60s and '70s, and they've come back into vogue in a big way. Joanna opts for yucca, large agaves, and grasses for movement. She then puts smooth river rocks in the beds, "so that it feels low maintenance but ties into the overall style of the house." Voila! What's old is new again. This landscaping fits in perfectly with the breeze block wall.
Appeal to the kids' interests
Joanna knows her nieces and nephews well, and wants to design their rooms so that they grow with them, yet appeal to their particular interests, which across the board encompass the great outdoors. The two boys are named Cedar and River, so she goes with a mountain theme in their room, and puts up an impressionistic mountain mural on one wall. The girls love the outdoors, too, and Joanna finds a pretty pastel cactus-print wallpaper for their room, with flower accents. All the kids are thrilled!
Shaft the chandeliers
When most people think of hanging lights in living and dining rooms, they generally envision some type of chandelier. But Joanna thinks a chandelier would be far too fussy for this modern-retro design, so she goes for a sputnik light over the dining table, and modern pendant lights in the living room.
(Magnolia)
Groovy bathroom accessories
"I know we're weird—we love plants!" says Joanna, as she arranges green plants on bathroom window shelves made specifically for them.
When you think about it, that's not weird at all. A bathroom window is the perfect place for plants, since the plants will have plenty of light, provide extra privacy, and thrive on the moisture provided by steamy baths and showers. Plus, to satisfy her sister's taste, they do have a bit of that retro look.
Dress up the cubbies
If the cubbies are located in the mudroom, where mostly just family members see them, they don't have to be fancy, and can swing toward utilitarian. But Joanna has designed these cubbies to reside in the den, so she feels she must dress them up a bit. She does this with stylish brass backpack hangers and drawer and cupboard hardware. She also lines the backs with dignified matching wallpaper, "to give it a little more depth, a little more character," she says.
(HGTV)
In the end, Mikey's family is thrilled with the results. It's no wonder Joanna says that this project is "one of my favorites to date because it meant so much to me personally."
Joanna Gaines Designs House for Her Sister
Source: https://www.realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/fixer-upper-behind-the-design-joanna-gaines-designs-home-sister/
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