Celebrity Style
March 9, 2016
Tour HGTV Stars Chip & Joanna Gaines’ Charming Magnolia House
Take a quick peruse through Pinterest and you’ve likely come across at least one of Joanna Gaines’ stunning designs. The Waco, Texas-based mother of four is half of the lovable duo behind HGTV‘s wildly successful show Fixer Upper (now in its third season). Along with her hilarious husband-contractor Chip, the couple manages to juggle a retail shop, blog, real estate company, design business, soon-to-be new book and furniture line, and most recently, a vacation rental. As of this month, The Magnolia House (which sleeps eight) is officially open for guests in the historical district of McGregor – but before you pack your bags, note that the property is fully booked for the rest of 2016. Instead, click through our gallery to transport yourself to the Lone Star State.
The Magnolia House is located twenty minutes outside of Waco, Texas on a quaint corner lot. Chip and Joanna originally showed the house to clients on Fixer Upper, but later decided to purchase it themselves. “I’ve always been drawn to this historic area, and its many little antique shops, local restaurants and the general grassroots feel of the town,” notes Joanna on their blog.
Before Chip and Joanna bought the house, the same family had owned it since it was built in the late 1800s. “I just loved seeing the house when there were still horse and carriages and dirt roads. There is something about the story of the past that gets me every time,” says Joanna.
In the kitchen, upper cabinets were swapped for open shelving to make finding dishes easier for guests. “I left the exposed shiplap as the backsplash because I loved the way it looked in the kitchen and Chip installed (his specialty and our favorite) concrete countertops,” says Joanna.
The downstairs bathroom was nearly a complete gut job. “We opted to leave the original pedestal sink, and added open shelving above the freestanding tub,” says Joanna. Patterned cement tile and a traditional subway-tiled shower bring energy to the space.
“This is one of three twin rooms on the top floor, where soldiers were put up for the night back in the early 1900s,” reveals Joanna. A fresh a coat of paint, refinished hardwood floors and wall sconces make this small space inviting.
Opening up the living room and removing an original fireplace was the largest reno project Chip and Joanna tackled in The Magnolia House. Their welder created a custom railing for the staircase and Joanna tucked a reading nook underneath. “This nook is honestly one of my favorite things about this house — it’s fun to take dead space and make it functional and pretty,” she says.
Joanna was inspired by her daughter’s bedroom when designing the downstairs twin bedroom in The Magnolia House. “I found the perfect antique chandelier to add a whimsical touch to the space, and finished it off with pretty florals and linens,” she says.
An adorable sitting area welcomes guests at the top of the stairs on the second floor. “We patched and painted the original shiplap and refinished the original floors,” adds Joanna.
In the downstairs master bedroom, the couple restored the room’s original trim and added a new exterior door that leads to the backyard.
Large original windows fill The Magnolia House kitchen with lots of natural light, so Chip and Joanna weren’t afraid to paint the new lower cabinets black. “We also installed reclaimed pine floors, saved as much of the original shiplap walls as we could and patched the rest,” says Joanna.
In this upstairs bedroom, a black bed frame from Joanna’s new furniture line, Magnolia Home, makes a statement. “This canopy bed is one of my daughter’s favorites in the line, so I chose it for this space with tall ceilings,” she says.
The upstairs loft is industrial-meets-traditional and features furniture from the Magnolia Home line. A little kitchen area is accessible to the three twin bedrooms and offers a pretty place to have morning coffee.
The downstairs living room is designed to look like Chip and Joanna’s own farmhouse, so guests are sure to feel right at home. “I incorporated some antique corbels that framed the space perfectly, and the original leaded windows above the front and back entrance doors added the perfect touch of charm,” says Joanna.
All images courtesy of Magnolia Market
Magnolia Market